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First introduced in The Legend of Korra series, pro-bending is an amazing and fun supplement you can add to your campaign inAvatar Legends. Pro-bending is a sport in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe that pits two teams of three benders each against one another in a giant stadium, winner-take-all.
If your Avatar Legends campaign is set in Republic City, you can use the Welcome To Republic City campaign setting book to run compelling pro-bending matches for your players. But, you might be wondering how these matches work in a TTRPG setting. Here’s everything you need to know about pro-bending.
The Rules Of Pro-Bending
Pro-bending is a competitive, team-based sportin which two three-player teams (one waterbender, one earthbender, and one firebender)fight to remain standing on an elevated platformabove a pool of water.
Pro-bending primarily takes place in Republic City, but there’s no hard and fast rule saying you’re able to’t bring the sport out into other parts of the world.
However,the sport was invented in the Korra eraand should be used then.
The platform is shaped like a hexagon and divided in half, and each half is divided into three zones,which players move forward or backward on.
Each zone moves players closer to the open back edge of the hexagonabove the water, which players will want to avoid at all costs.
How To Win A Pro-Bending Match
To win a pro-bending match, each team must compete in three one-minute rounds, andwhichever team wins the most rounds, wins the match.
In some ways,pro-bending is like a game of tug-of-war.
To win a round, players must push their opponents back on the platform into the subsequent zone,thus claiming their opponent’s territory for themselves.
In the event that no team has claimed territory, the team with the most players remaining on the platform wins,or the match proceeds to a face-off.
Additionally,if all three opponents are knocked off the hexagon, then the other team earns a knockout, thus winningthe match automatically.
When opponents or players are pushed off the hexagon, they are out for that round, but return the following round.
How Benders Work
As mentioned,pro-bending involves two teams of three benders each, one waterbender, one firebender, and one earthbender.
Airbending is, technically, not allowedin pro-bending. However, there is an NPC in the Republic City sourcebook who is advocating for a variant form of pro-bending that includes airbending.
Water and earthbenders have access to a supply of their chosen elementon the hexagon, while firebenders are expected to generate their own element.
Players are not allowed to use any forbidden techniques in pro-bending, such as bloodbending. A list of forbidden techniques can be found in the Avatar Legends Core Rulebook.
How Arena, Highlight, And Faceoff Moves Work
Pro-bending rules in Avatar Legends use a system of movesto shape the fiction of a pro-bending match.
For a full list of these moves,consult Chapter Three of the Republic City module.
There are three types of movesplayers can use in a pro-bending match:
While all Highlight Moves can be made by any bender, they can only be used once per seasonof pro-bending. Before the move can be used again, the pro-bending team must have used at least nine of the ten Highlight Moves or entered a new season.
Each move has its own unique benefits, rules, and possible downsides.Consult each individual rule’s descriptionfor more information.
Arena Moves
Arena Moves allow non-bending characters, or bending characters who don’t want to participate in the actual match,to impact the outcome of a pro-bending match.
While some Arena Moves can take place before a match,many of them can also take place during a match, allowing non-bending PCs to join the action.
For example,some arena moves, like Scouting Report, allow players to scout out the other teamand analyze strengths or weaknesses, potentially buffing their team.
Highlight Moves
Highlight Moves allow bending characters participating in the match touse their bending to help sway the match in their favor.
If your player-character has a condition that might affect a roll,that condition is still considered in effect during a pro-bending match.
Like Arena Moves,these moves ask players to roll with a certain skill, and on a hit, progress their team’s victory, or potentially earn a knockout altogether.
Faceoff Moves
In the event of a tie, in whichplayers must proceed to a faceoff, The Faceoff Move allows players to mark off any amount of fatigue they have available, androll with the amount of fatigue you marked, subtracting the number of conditions they have.
On a hit, you win the faceoff; on a miss, you lose the faceoff.
Tournaments And Long-Term Arcs In Pro-Bending
While, as a GM, you can always use pro-bending as a one-off, adventure,you can also use pro-bending as a campaign arcif it feels important to your players.
There are three main ways to use pro-bending long-termin your campaign.
Details
Tournament
You can run season-long tournamentsfor your players in one of two different formats.
One, either a round-robin style tournament in which every team plays every team, or, in a single-elimination 16-team bracket format.
Rank & Renown
Champion pro-benders are practically like celebritiesin Republic City. This can provide several boons to your players in their campaigns.
Every time your players win a match, they can increase their rank and renownin Republic City and beyond. A full list of ranks can be found in Chapter Three of the Republic City module.
Campaign Hooks
you’re able to alsouse pro-bending as the catalyst for a campaign arc.
For example, perhaps an NPC the party is trying to align themselves with will only help the party out in their greater mission if they lend their gifts to show up the NPC’s rival in the pro-bending arena.
