Introduction

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AVATAR
The Last Airbender

Water, Earth, Fire, and Air.  The four physical elements that make up the entire universe.  Long ago, before recorded history, people figured out a way to manipulate the four elements by watching the four spirits of the elements.  The water tribes of the poles watched the moon and how it affected the tides.  The two lovers of Omashu studied the badgermoles while hiding in the caves of the mountain there.  The fire warriors danced with the dragons in the rites of passage.  The air nomads befriended the various animals and learned from the massive flying bison.  They taught their arts to the members of their nations, and eventually the art of elemental bending was a common occurrence, passed down by generation.

In the beginning, there was one nation.  It stretched to the far reaches of the globe, from pole to pole, from swamp to desert.  Soon it split up into four nations: the water tribes at the north and south poles, the Earth Kingdom in the heartland, the Fire Nation on the volcanic archipelago, and the air nomads without any land to call their own, roosting in the mountains and on cliff sides.  The history of the world has been passed down generation to generation through tales and and folklore that reflect the traditions of each nation.  Due to the lack of recordings, very little truth is known about the history of the world.

For many years, the four nations lived in harmony, enjoying a relatively peaceful existence.  But the people of the nations were constantly changing.  The Sun Warriors disappeared after passing the art of fire bending down to the nation as a whole.  The city-states of the earth kingdom coalesced under the rule of Ba Sing Se.  The water tribe split into north and south, and then some more settled in the swamps of the Earth Kingdom.  The Fire Sages condensed into one ruler, the Fire Lord, the title eventually becoming hereditary.  It came to pass that the Earth Kingdom gained an unpopular ruler, leading to the War of Chin.  Chin the Conqueror took a huge portion of the Earth Kingdom in his campaign, leaving only Ba Sing Se and the This occurred during Avatar Kyoshi's life, and when Chin the Conqueror arrived at her home peninsula, she separated it from the mainland using her powerful bending abilities, inadvertently killing Chin the Conqueror and ending the war.  This was the creation of Kyoshi Island.

The Fire Nation eventually became an economic powerhouse in the world, gaining vast prosperity.  This eventually led to the 100 year war caused by Fire Lord Sozin's plan to share the wealth of his nation with the others, through a campaign of extreme force.  The 100 year war is riddled with rumors, not many of which can be adequately researched.  The beginning of the war did in fact include the genocide of the Airbenders, in an attempt to kill the new Avatar 12 years after Avatar Roku's mysterious death.  Through the use of Sozin's Comet they achieved this goal.  The Fire Nation then spread quickly through the more remote reaches of the Earth Kingdom before being slowed by the main forces of the Earth Kingdom.  As far as everyone in the world knew, the Fire Nation succeeded in killing the avatar during this initial stage of the war.

Over the next 100 years the war raged, with the Fire Nation pushing back the Earth Kingdom at every turn, with the exception of the city fortresses of Ba Sing Se and Omashu.  They also attacked the various water tribes, with an unsuccessful assault on the Northern Tribe shortly into the war.  The southern tribes did not fair so well, however, with all of their waterbenders taken prisoner or worse well before the end of the war.  As the warcame to a close, the Fire Nation finally mannaged to reachthe walls of Ba Sing Se, and General Iroh led a 600 plus day siege on the city.  He broke through the outer wall, but allegedly left because his son died in battle there.  The war ended when the avatar Aang allegedly came back to life after 100 years and ripped the bending ability from Fire Lord Ozai's body and his son Prince Zuko took over as Fire Lord.

The next few generations harbored a massive anti-bender sentiment for the atrocities caused by the war, although eventually this persecution ended.  The technologies invented during this time did help to humble benders as now normal people had much better methods for dealing with life, such as improved travel, easier work tools, and better healthcare.  Gunpowder has been the most influential advancement, at least as far as war, allowing long range siege equipment such as cannons to be used without the use of long range bending attacks.  Given that few benders are capable of long range assaults, this changed the face of warfare forever.

The next thousand years saw many of history's details lost, when the major libraries were hit by the invasion of a rebellious faction from the central deserts of the Earth Kingdom.  They set the technological and historical progress back to the era just prior to the 100 year war.  Of particular pain was the destruction of the city Basragad.  During the siege of the city, an entire river was diverted, causing the surrounding area to become very arid, and causing the city to become much less habitable.  The invaders managed to conquer most of the Earth Kingdom in merely 30 years, even succeeding in taking Ba Sing Se by force.  Halted by their leader, Tamaag, dying of old age, customs called for every member to retreat to the homeland for the coronation of the new leader, Dashan.  Dashan simply could not bring the people back to the same levels of glory despite his father's teachings in the art of war.

250 years later, these events still fresh in the minds of those affected, the nations have begun to recover, but with the loss of the new technologies, it is up to the scholars to hold a new golden age, and it is up to the warriors to protect the lands from another massacre like the one that which has befallen the civilizations recently.

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Table of Contents

General Discussion

Bender

Bending Overview and Seed lists

Skills and Feats

Other Classes

Prestige Classes

Agent of the Dai Li

Elemental Blade

Energy Bender

Fire Adept

Healer of the North

Nightbender

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SKILLS AND FEATS

New Skill Use

Martial Lore

Check: You can identify a seed being used as it is used.  The DC is equal to the seed's DC, and you can identify the augments used up to the result of your check.  For example, if a seed has a base DC of 10 and an augment with an adjustment of 4, and you got a result of 19, you would be able to identify the seed used and the first two instances of augment, but any augment above that would not be identified.  Note that in most cases the augments used will be obvious eventually.  When attempting to identify a seed you know, you automatically identify the seed, and gain a +4 circumstance bonus on the check.  Since you already know the seed, this bonus is only useful for determining the augments used.

New Feats

Dexterous Combatant [Fighter]
Prerequisites: Dexterity 15+, Weapon Finesse
Benefits: You may substitute your Dexterity modifier for your Strength modifier on all combat maneuver checks.  In addition, you may re-roll one combat maneuver check per encounter.  You must decide to use this re-roll before the outcome is determined, and you must take the result of the re-roll, even if it is lower than the original.
Special: A Fighter can take this as a Fighter bonus feat.

Dodge [fighter]
Avoidance is key to your defense
Prerequisites: Dex 13
Benefits: You gain a +1 dodge bonus to AC against one opponent of your choosing, and no longer provoke attacks of opportunities for movement from that opponent.  You may switch the opponent that this ability targets as a free action once per round on your turn.  As you level, you gain additional points that can be used to increase the dodge bonus.  You gain an additional +1 dodge bonus to AC at every multiple of 4.  You can apply these bonuses to the same target or a different target, as long as the bonus never exceeds that which you are allowed.
Special: A Fighter can take this as a Fighter bonus feat.

Extra Stunning [Fighter]
Prerequisites: Stunning Fist, Improved Unarmed Strike
Benefits: You gain one additional use of Stunning Fist per encounter.
Special: You may take this feat more than once.  Each additional time you take it you gain additional uses equal to one more than the previous time you took it.  So if you took this this 3 times, you would gain 1 use for the first one, 2 for the second, and 3 for the third
A Fighter can take this as a Fighter bonus feat.

Form Specialization
You exceed with a particular seed.
Prerequisites: 1 bending seed.
Benefits: Choose one seed that you know.  You gain a +4 bonus on bending checks with the selected seed.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times.  Each time you take it, it applies to a new seed.

Freezing the Lifeblood [Fighter]
The culmination of your studies in the art of stunning your opponent has let you completely paralyze them.
Prerequisites: Stunning Fist, Improved Unarmed Strike, Pain Touch, Heal 7 ranks, wis 17+, BAB +9
Benefits: You may, instead of stunning your opponent, paralyze them.  You may use two Stunning Fist uses to attempt a Freezing the Lifeblood.  You may expend both as the same immediate action.  If the opponent fails the saving throw, they are paralyzed for 1d3 rounds.  If they succeed, they are instead shaken for two rounds.  As this is not a fear effect, creatures normally immune to fear are not immune to this.  However, creatures immune to stunning or paralysis are.  Effects that improve Stunning Fist do not normally improve this.
Special: Pain touch nauseates the opponent for one round after the paralysis on a failed save, and exhausts them for one round and fatigues them for the next on a successful save.
A Fighter can take this as a Fighter bonus feat.

Haymaker [Fighter]
Your unarmed style emphasizes double handed strikes, cross chops, and lunging kicks.  When you hit things, it hurts.
Prerequisites: Strength 15+, Power Attack, Improved Unarmed Strike
Benefits: You treat your unarmed strike as a two-handed weapon whenever it would be advantageous to.  It is still considered a light weapon whenever advantageous, such as when two-weapon fighting.
Special: A Fighter can take this as a Fighter bonus feat.

Improved Stunning [Fighter]
Your Stunning attacks are particularly hard to resist, due to your study of anatomy.
Prerequisites: Heal 6 ranks, Stunning Fist, Improved Unarmed Strike
Benefits: You gain a bonus to the DC for your stunning fist attacks based on your ranks in Heal.  For every 4 ranks you have, you gain a +1 bonus to the DC.  In addition, you may stun any creature who is not immune by virtue of race.  For example, even if a dwarf spell caster casts a spell to become immune to Stunning, you may stun him.
Special: A monk may take this feat as his 6th level bonus feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites.
A Fighter can take this as a Fighter bonus feat.

Improved Unarmed Strike [Fighter]
Benefits:You gain proficiency with your unarmed strike.  In addition, you may now treat your unarmed strike as a weapon rather than a natural attack for the purposes of your attack progression.  Remember that you may strike with any part of your body when making an unarmed strike, so you may make unarmed strikes with your hands full.  Finally, your unarmed strike deals more damage than normal, following the chart below:

Level 1 4 8 12 16 20

Damage 1d6 1d8 1d10 2d6 2d8 2d10

Special: A monk gains this feat at level 1.
A Fighter can take this as a Fighter bonus feat.

Intuitive Attack [Fighter]
You fight with perception rather than speed or strength.
Prerequisites: Wis 15+, Spot 4 ranks
Benefits: You may use your Wisdom modifier instead of your strength modifier on attack rolls with melee weapons.  In addition, you gain a bonus on damage rolls with light melee weapons based on your ranks in Spot.  For every 4 ranks you have, you gain a +1 bonus on damage.
Special: A Fighter can take this as a Fighter bonus feat.

Intuitive Reflexes [Fighter]
You react with intuition in addition to speed.
Prerequisites: Wis 15+, Combat Reflexes, BAB +4
Benefits: You gain an additional number of Attacks of Opportunity equal to your Wisdom modifier.  In addition, you may add your Wisdom modifier to the attack rolls with Attacks of Opportunity.
Special: this is a Fighter bonus feat.

Mobility [fighter]
You specialize in moving about the battlefield
Prerequisites: Dex 13, Dodge
Benefits: You no longer provoke attacks of opportunity for movement.  In addition, you can move at full speed through difficult terrain
Special: A Fighter can take this as a Fighter bonus feat.

Pain Touch [Fighter]
Recipients of your stunning attacks are shaken up for a long time after they recover
Prerequisites: Stunning Fist, Improved Unarmed Strike, Weakening Touch, Heal 9 ranks, Wis 15+
Benefits: Any target that fails its save against your Stunning Fist is staggered for one round after they recover from the stunning.  If the target succeeded on the save, they are instead shaken for two rounds.  As this is not a fear effect, creatures normally immune to fear effects are still subject to this, but creatures immune to stunning are not.
Special: A Fighter can take this as a Fighter bonus feat.

Practiced Bender
Prerequisites: Bending Level 4
Benefits: Your Bending Level is equal to the sum of all your classes, including your non-bending classes.  In addition, you may choose one additional seed from your element to learn.

Rapid Stunning [Fighter]
Prerequisites: Stunning Fist, Improved Unarmed Strike, Extra Stunning, Combat Reflexes
Benefits: It now takes a free action to use a stunning fist.
Special: A Fighter can take this as a Fighter bonus feat.

Strength as Wisdom [Fighter]
Prerequisites: Strength 15, Power Attack, Bending Level 1
Benefits:: You may use your Strength score in place of your Wisdom score for all bending checks, the AC Bonus class feature, and the number of times you can use the Deflect Attack class feature.  In addition, you gain a bonus equal to one half your strength modifier to the following skills: Autohypnosis, Concentration, Diplomacy, Heal, Intimidate, and Sense Motive.
Special: A Fighter can take this as a Fighter bonus feat.

Stunning Fist [Fighter]
Noticing that certain areas of the body when struck can make it really hard for a person to move for a short period of time, you have devised a new combat method.
Prerequisites: Heal 3 ranks, BAB+2, Improved Unarmed Strike
Benefits: Once per encounter when making an unarmed strike, you may declare it to be a stunning attack.  This takes an immediate action, and still requires a successful hit to trigger.  If you miss, the attempt is wasted.  If you hit, the target must make a fortitude saving throw, with a DC of 10+1/2 HD+wis or str, chosen at the time of taking this feat.  This choice may not be changed.  If the target fails, he is stunned for one round.  If the target succeeds, he is sickened for 1 round.  Either way, you still deal full damage to the target with the attack.  Creatures without discernible anatomy, those immune to critical hits, and creatures immune to stunning are unaffected by this ability.  You gain an additional use per encounter at level 5 and every 5 levels thereafter.
Special: A Fighter can take this as a Fighter bonus feat.
A monk can take this as his level 1 bonus feat, even if he does not meet the prerequisites.
A weapon with the Ki Strike special ability may utilize this ability, and other similar abilities.

Superior Reflexes [Fighter]
Your reflexes have surpassed that of most mortals, to the point where you always see the openings and always act on them.  This also closes your openings making it hard to capitalize on mistakes.
Prerequisites: Wis 15+, Dex 15+, Combat Reflexes, Intuitive Reflexes, BAB +8
Benefits: You may make any number of Attacks of Opportunity in a round.  In addition, you gain a bonus equal to your Wisdom modifier to you AC against all Attacks of Opportunity.  This bonus applies even when flat-footed and against touch attacks.  Finally, you gain a bonus to damage with all Attacks of Opportunity equal to your Wisdom or Dexterity modifier, chosen when you take this feat.  This choice cannot be changed.
Special: A Fighter can take this as a Fighter bonus feat.

Weakening Touch [Fighter]
You use your stunning attacks not to debilitate, but weaken
Prerequisites: Stunning Fist, Improved Unarmed Strike, Wis 13+, Heal 6 ranks
Benefits: Instead of stunning your opponent, you may weaken him.  The target receives no saving throw, and take a -6 penalty to str or dex, chosen at the time of the strike.  You may use this ability multiple times on the same foe, but the penalties overlap.  The penalty goes away after 5 rounds.
Special: A Fighter can take this as a Fighter bonus feat.

Weapon Finesse [fighter]
Your attacks use dexterity rather than brute force to connect.
Prerequisites: Dex 13
Benefits: You may substitute your dexterity modifier for your strength modifier when making melee attacks.  In addition, you gain a bonus to damage rolls with melee attacks equal to your dexterity modifier.
Special: A Fighter can take this as a Fighter bonus feat.

Unseen Thunder [Tactical]
You practice extreme finesse when manipulating the air, allowing you to precisely alter sounds passing through the area.
Prerequisites: Soundbending, Hide 6 ranks, Move Silently 6 ranks, Stealthy
Benefits:This feat allows the use of three tactical maneuvers.
Visual Soundbending: Your manipulation of the air becomes so precise that you can affect sight with it as well.  By increasing the DC on Soundbending's Wind Whisper effect by 10, you may grant half the bonus or penalty to spot checks as well as listen checks (round down).  For instance, if an airbender uses Soundbending to apply a -10 penalty to listen checks within the area, he would also apply a -5 penalty on spot checks.
Silent Thunder: To use this ability, you must use Soundbending to apply a penalty to listen checks and spot checks in the previous round.  If you bend Soundbending again to utilize Thundercrack, the seed is silent to all those unaffected by it, and those who are take an extra 1 point of damage per dice.  In order to identify the seed, the identifier must have seen some indication that this is the seed used, and cannot rely on sound, unless affected by the seed.
Blinding Thunder: To use this ability, you must have successfully deafened a creature using Silent Thunder in the previous round.  By bending Soundbending again and utilizing Thundercrack, you manipulate the light in the area as well, potentially blinding the target or targets deafened by the previous bending.  The DC is the same as the deafening, and is a separate save from the deafening (meaning that they must save again for deafening, potentially increasing the duration).  The blinding lasts for 1d6+1 rounds, and the target takes a penalty equal to -2 for every round they were deafened by the seed.
Special:

Dai Li Initiate [Tactical]
You have begun to learn the secrets of the Dai Li, and have learned their unique style of earthbending.
Prerequisites: Improved Grapple, Ranged Pin, Earth Blast, Imprison
Benefits: This feat allows the use of three tactical maneuvers.
Earth Grapple: You use your earth blasts to restrain opponents.  When making an attack with Earth Blast, you may make a grapple attempt instead of dealing damage.  Your Earth Blast is considered a creature of your size, with a strength score equal to your Wisdom score, and a Base Attack Bonus equal to your Bending Level.
Sudden Pin: If you hit a flat-footed creature with an Earth Blast and successfully grapple them, you may pin them with the same action.    This requires an additional grapple check as normal, with all of the modifiers that apply.
Swift Imprison:  If you successfully pin a creature using Sudden Pin, you can use the remaining attack actions of your turn to use the Imprison seed.  You must have at least one more attack available to make in order to use this option.  If you choose to do this, you gain a couple benefits on the attempt.  First, you gain a +2 bonus on the save DC for every attack remaining in your full attack.  You also move the creature into the earth itself, instead of pulling earth up around it.  The creature moves into the closest 5' cube of earth (or larger amount if necessary) available.  If you cannot completely enclose a creature because it is larger than the adjacent earth, you may choose which part of the creature is burried.
Special:  You must be taught by a member of the Dai Li in order to take this feat.  Usually, this means only members of the Dai Li have access to it.

Blue Heat [Tactical]
Firebending prodigies look up to you for you sheer power.  Your flames melt steel easily, and few can withstand the heat.
Prerequisites: Skill Focus (Concentration), Form Specialization (any 2), Cold Fire, Fire Blast, 6 ranks, Bending Level 6
Benefits: This feat allows the use of three tactical maneuvers.
Blue Fire: Your serious concentration creates fires that are hotter than a normal, turning them blue.  When you successfully bend a seed, make a concentration check, with a DC equal to the seed's DC.  If you succeed, you deal an extra point of damage per dice with that seed.  Using this provokes an Attack of Opportunity, although you can avoid it by increasing the DC by 5+ the highest threatening creature's Base Attack Bonus.
Forceful Fire: You fire is so powerful it can easily move targets.  If you successfully hit with two Fire Blasts in one round against the same target and at least one used Blue Fire successfully, you may attempt a bull rush against the targeted creature.  Use your Wisdom modifier in place of the blast's Strength score.  The blast is treated as a Medium creature.  This bull rush attempt happens at the end of your turn, and you gain a +2 bonus on the attempt for every additional Fire Blast that hits the target.
Flowing Energy: You use the energy from Firebending to provide additional energy for Firebending.  You must bend the same seed two or more times in a row to use this maneuver.  The seed gains a cumulative +1 bonus to its save DC and attack roll (if applicable for either one) for every bending beyond the first.  If you take any other standard action (such as bending a different seed or making a melee attack), then the chain is broken.  The bonus from this effect cannot exceed +5.
Special: Your dedication to power has left you vulnerable in other areas.  You take a -5 penalty to your bending level when bending any seed that does not deal damage.

Specialized Healing [Tactical]
Your attention to the art of healing has paid off, and your compassion for all others shows.
Prerequisites: Skill Focus (heal), Healing Water, Heal 4 ranks, Bending Level 6
Benefits: This feat allows the use of three tactical
Empowered Healing: You healing abilities inspire your targets to perform better than normal.  Any ally that receives healing from you gains a morale bonus to AC, saves, and attack based on the amount healed.  See table below for values.

Healed 1 16 36 61 91

Bonus +1 +2 +3 +4 +5

This bonus lasts for one round, plus one round for every 5 ranks in Heal you have.  You cannot affect yourself with this bonus.
Retributive Healing: Placing your allies safety well above your own, you find it easier to heal them while you are injured.  Whenever you are injured in combat, you gain a bonus number of healing points to use on your next bending of Healing Water equal to the damage you took.  These extra healing points go away if not used within one round.
Non-violent Pact: Your value of life spreads to others well.  Whenever you make a Heal check or use Healing Water, any creature within 5 feet per level that can see you must make a Will save (DC 10+1/2 character level+charisma) or refuse to deal lethal damage for one round per level.  This is a mind affecting charm and compulsion effect.  The creature must be able to see you in order to be affected.  Any obvious threat to life grants an additional save, although if an opponent is clearly using non-lethal means then no additional save is granted.
Special: Your dedication to preserving life has affected you deeply.  You can no longer deal lethal damage purposefully to any intelligent creature.  If you purposefully deal lethal damage to an intelligent creature, you lose the benefits of this feat until you properly atone for your transgression.  This involves either an Atonement spell or something of equal or greater power.

[dman11235]

OTHER CLASSES

"We can take 'em. Three on three."
"Actually, there's four of us."
"Oh, sorry. Didn't count you, you know, no bending and all."
"I can still fight!"
"Okay, three on three plus Sokka."
          -Toph and Sokka, discussing a battle plan.

Martial Classes
Benders are not the only ones capable of holding their own in a fight.  The armies of all nations involved non-benders into their ranks.  And a sword does as much damage as a fireball does.  Sometimes even more.  While it's true that benders have a unique advantage, mundane fighters have a few tricks up their sleeve as well.  Underestimating an opponent can be disastrous.

Fighter and Barbarian: There is not a setting around that these classes would not fit into.  A classic mundane fighter, capable with mundane weapons and a mundane fighting style.  Another class primarily focused on hitting the thing with the thing, but harder.  Classes similar to these two would have little trouble, if any, fitting in.

Tome of Battle: These three classes offer a step of complexity otherwise not found in the martial world.  This makes them no less suited for play in this setting than the Fighter or Barbarian.  The Warblade in particular would have no trouble fitting in, and the Crusader just has some spiritualness not found in the show, but otherwise not too over the top for this setting.  The Swordsage however relies on more supernatural abilities, and as such would have a harder time fitting in.  They can still work, but the more mystical maneuvers would have to be kept in check for an authentic Avatar experience.

Rogue, Ranger, Scout: These classes are pretty much required in every setting with any sort of environment.  That pretty much means every setting.  The Rogue and Scout especially, with their totally mundane class features, have no trouble fitting in to anywhere.  The Ranger however, has spells, which are not found in the Avatar universe.  Consider re-flavoring them or eliminating them for an alternate class feature.  As with the Fighter and Barbarian, classes similar to these fall under the same guidelines.

Ninja: While traditionally eastern inspired, like the elemental benders were, this class often has trouble fitting in to places where supernatural elements are heavily restricted.  In this setting, the extent of supernatural behavior is limited to benders primarily.  As some of the Ninja abilities rely on a plane that does not exist, consider altering it to fit better with the spirit world, along with a re-flavoring.

Paladin: Much like the Ranger, this class suffers from spell casting abilities.  Consider removing them in favor of the mundane alternate class features.  This goes for most mundane combatants with a very limited spell casting ability.

Magic Classes
Magic does not exist in the Avatar world.  Sure there's the magic water and such, but wizards don't go around casting spells.  However, with the Spirit World, there is a small amount of leniency when it comes to the supernatural.  In all cases, there should be a little openness when it comes to outright spiritual effects.  However, overt displays of magic are pretty much right out.

Arcane Casters: These just do not fit.  There is almost no way to flavor these in such a way as to fit into the world.  Artificers especially have trouble, with no magic items in the world.  The only way a caster could end up being involved is if they only used a specific group of spells, either based on not using external indications of casting (and sometimes even that doesn't work), or by only using one of the four elements and altering the flavor for the casting method.  In most cases, the second method would be better served by the Bender class, however.

Gishes: These have a much easier time fitting in compared to their arcane counterparts.  Assuming you leave the traditional magic like magic missile and such behind, using your powers to augment your combat abilities, there is little problem fitting in.

Bards: Bards, while arcane casters, have a slew of abilities based on morale and song.  This can easily be flavored differently, to account for the lack of magic.  Just be sure to restrict yourself from using “flashy” spells.

Divine Casters: Much like arcane casters, these classes do not fit.  Healers (the archetype, not the class) can be flavored as using water, however, and Druids can assume a connection to the spirit world for their powers, but in both cases, the types of abilities should be restricted to either one element, or to things that do not include a very spell-like effect, such as self buffing.

Binders: With the Spirit World not being fully explained, and the abilities of Binders not being very spell-like in general, this class has an option of showing up in the setting.  As above, the abilities should be restricted in the same way as casters.

[dman11235]

MUNDANE FIRE

Fire can be devastating.  It is a truly damaging natural force, and care must be taken when dealing with it.  The following are revised rules for dealing with mundane sources of flames, from the lowly match to a blazing inferno.

Fire comes with a few levels of intensity, determining how much damage they do and how fast it spreads.  More intense flames deal more damage, burn faster, and spread more readily.  The most intense fires can even damage things at a distance.  The levels of intensity are Minor, Light, Standard, Severe, and Intense.

Oxygen and Fuel
Fires need both fuel and oxygen to burn.  Those that run out of one or both of them immediately extinguish themselves.  Oxygen is easy to come by: unless air is cut off or some other gas in present in excess, the fire has plenty to burn.  Effects that affect oxygen levels will specifically call out that the levels are affected, and they are not common.

Fuel is another matter, however.  In order for a square to light, there needs to be a large amount of fuel present.  In normal conditions, a covering of short grass is not sufficient fuel for a fire to rage (although the grass may light, it won't be stronger than standard), but underbrush supplies enough fuel for a fire to go for 10 minutes.  A tree trunk can burn for an hour or more, and more efficient fuels such as lantern fuel can burn for hours.  More fuel means longer burning fires, the DM can determine how long a fire will burn based on how much fuel is there using these examples.

Fuel can also limit how strong a fire is.  Without enough fuel, fires cannot spread or become any more intense.  Generally, short grass and sparse shrubs are limited to standard fires, strong fires require dense shrubs or tall grass, and maybe sparse trees, and intense fires require lots of fuel such as a forest to burn.  Higher quality fuels, such as oil, can burn hotter without much of it being present.  This is up to the DM to determine the quality of the fuel, and thus the cap of the fire quality.

Small Flames
These flames do not occupy squares, and the objects burning can be held.  They cannot spread to other squares, and have a chance to spread to their own square unless precautions are taken, such as isolating the flame from flammable objects.  These flames deal minor amounts of damage and can easily be extinguished.

Minor: Minor flames are flames that need help to spread.  Matches and twigs and such.  These flames do very little damage and cannot spread to other squares.  They deal 1 point of damage for a full round of contact, and none for less than that.  They have a 10% chance of spreading to the square they are in unless precautions are taken, although helping the flame catch increases this to a 90% chance.  Any wind has a 50% chance to extinguishes them and winds of moderate or stronger speed automatically extinguish them, although they can be successfully shielded from winds up to strong.  You can extinguish a minor flame with a swift action.

Light: Light flames can easily deal damage to the unprepared.  They are things like torches and lanterns.  They deal 1 damage on touch, and 1d6 damage for a full round of contact.  Like minor flames, they cannot spread to other squares, but they can much more easily catch their own square on fire.  They have a 75% chance of catching their own square on fire unless precautions are taken, although can be helped to automatically light it.  Winds of moderate speed have a 50% chance to extinguish them and winds of strong or faster speeds automatically extinguish them, although they can be successfully shielded from winds up to severe.  You can extinguish a light flame with a move action.

Large Fires
These fires occupy squares rather than objects.  In a wild fire, these represent the flames you will encounter.  They spread easily to other squares that have fuel, and readily increase in intensity if possible.  They deal enough damage to be a threat even at high levels, and enough that a peasant won't survive long, if at all.  They are not so easily extinguished, and may need help to be put out quickly.  In fact, all of these flames require special materials to extinguish, without natural aid (such as rain ).  Effectively, all non-owned objects in a square with a large fire in it are on fire if possible, and take the extra fire damage as appropriate for being on fire.  Owned objects and creatures have a chance of catching fire by spending one full round in a square that's on fire that increases with intensity.

Standard: These flames are weak wildfires.  A grassland on fire will typically be of this level, as will damp logs.  They deal 1d6 damage on touch, and 2d6 damage for a full round of contact.  Creatures and objects that touch the flames need to make a DC 5 reflex save or catch on fire.  This DC increases to 10 for a full round of contact.  They have a 20% chance to spread to one of their surrounding squares per round.  Use 1d8 to determine the square affected.  They have a 50% chance to increase in intensity per round, assuming adequate fuel.  Winds of severe level reduce all the chances for the spread and intensifying of these flames to 5% and have a 25% chance of extinguishing these flames.  Stronger winds eliminate the possibility of spread and have a 75% chance to extinguish standard flames.  These fires burn fuel twice as fast as a lantern burns its oil.  A typical dry log for firewood will take 2 hours to burn at this level.

Severe: These flames are typical wildfires.  A shrubland or dense grassland will typically burn with this intensity, and trees may start out with this intensity.  They deal 3d6 on contact and 6d6 for a full round of contact.  Creatures and objects that touch the flames need to make a DC 15 reflex save or catch on fire.  This DC increases to 25 for a full round of contact.  They have a 50% chance to spread to adjacent squares as standard level, and a 10% chance to spread as severe level (roll d%, a result of 50 or less indicates light spread, while a result of 51-60 indicates severe spread).  They spread to two squares per round, use 2d8 to determine the squares affected (same result means it only spreads to one square this round).  They have a 50% chance to increase in intensity per round, assuming adequate fuel.  At this level, wind starts to have a positive effect on the flames.  The chance of spreading increases by 10% per wind category above light, although it must spread in the direction the wind is going.  Winds of hurricane force have a 50% chance to extinguish severe flames, and tornado force automatically extinguish them.  These fires burn fuel at twice the rate of standard fires.

Intense: These are the most powerful and dangerous of wildfires.  They are the ones that spread fast and hard, and burn even faster.  Typically only dry forests and efficient fuels will reach this level of heat.  They deal 6d6 on contact and 12d6 for a full round of contact.  They burn so hot that adjacent squares count as standard fire for the purposes of damage and spread.  Creatures and objects that touch these flames need to make a DC 25 reflex save or catch fire.  This DC increases to 40 for a full round of contact.  They automatically spread as standard level to the adjacent squares on the next round, and have a chance that three of the squares are more intense.  Use 3d8 to determine which squares become more intense (same result means fewer squares are more intense), and roll d% for each one.  A result of 50 or less indicates a sever fire, while a result of 51-75 indicates an intense fire.  All winds aid the spread, increasing the adjacent squares in the direction of the wind to effectively severe for the purposes of damage and spread.  Squares in the direction that the wind is coming from still act as standard.  Tornadoes have a unique effect when it comes to these fires.  They take the flames up into themselves, effectively acting as a normal tornado, but with the added damage of the intense fire.  These fires burn fuel at four times the rate of standard fires.  Because of the extremely high rate of burn, intense fires can pull oxygen out the air faster than fresh air can flow in with certain circumstances.  This ends up creating a wind effect blowing in towards the fire.  This wind is Severe, although every 5 feet you move away from the fire the wind effect reduces by one category.  An Intense fire comprised of at least 64 cubes creates a whirlwind effect, increasing the wind speeds to Tornado level, although this tornado does not move out of the area.  This pull does make it hard for Intense fires to spread, and makes it harder for Severe fires to grow more intense.

Light and Catching on Fire
All fires give off light.  The amount given off varies based on intensity, with more intense fires radiating more light further and brighter.  Minor fires give off very little light producing only shadowy illumination in their square.  Light fires give off 10 feet of bright illumination, and 20 feet of shadowy illumination.  For every category hotter the range of the bright illumination increases by 10 feet and the shadowy illumination increases by 20 feet.

Catching on fire works just like the base five categories, with you taking damage as if you were in contact with the burning things.  Typically, it will be light fires, unless you end up catching your square on fire, in which case it can become much more dangerous.  If you are on fire and the square you're in catches fire, then you add the damage together from a light fire and the large fire that represents the square.  Severe fires double the damage from being on fire and intense fires quadruple the damage.