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[Book One, Ep 3 Reschedule: 1/20] 13th Age - The Legend of the Avatars
jdarksun
StrugglerCORegistered User regular
StrugglerCORegistered User regular
Earth. Fire.
Air. Water.
Our grandparents used to tell us stories about the old days, a time of peace when the Avatars kept balance between the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads. But that all changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatars could master all four elements. Only they could stop the ruthless firebenders. But when the world needed them most, they vanished. A hundred years passed and the Fire Nation neared victory in the War. But the Avatars returned, heroically ending the Hundred Year War. The Avatars transformed the Fire Nation colonies into the United Republic of Nations, a society where benders and nonbenders from all over the world could live and thrive together in peace and harmony. They named the capital of this great land Concordance. Sadly, the Avatars again left this world - but like the cycle of the seasons, the cycle of the Avatars begin anew.
What is this?
A 13th Age game set in a modified version of the Avatar universe, set roughly around the time when Avatar Korra would have come to Republic City. This is a live play game, recorded and distributed via our podcast. The player characters will be the new Avatars, people chosen by the great spirits to preserve the balance of the world. Pre-existing players get first dibs, but if there are free spots we'll open it up to submissions.
What's different from Avatar: The Last Airbender / The Legend of Korra?
Most notably, there is not a single Avatar but many. Further, they are not strictly reincarnations of previous Avatars (though they may be). Knowledge of the existence of greater spirits is somewhat common, but they are not typically revered so much as respected. I'm also going to mess with some of the cosmology a bit, making Raava a spirit for light and order (instead of peace) and Vaatu a spirit for darkness and freedom (instead of chaos).
What's different from 13th Age?
Setting (Eastern vs. Western) and time period (early 20th century vs. mid 15th century). The Icons will are being revamped accordingly; Raava in the place of the Great Gold Wyrm, Vaatu in the place of the Diabolist, and other spirits and concepts taking the other's roles. Note that there isn't really a concept of "good" and "evil" here so much as freedom vs. order, light vs. darkness. Ultimately balance is important: you can't diminish one without impairing the other.
All players are encouraged to reskin classes however they see fit to better match the setting, changing the flavor of weapons, attacks, and talents as desired. Note that this shouldn't impact the mechanics of the class.
Anything else I should know?
In addition to the One Unique Thing, you should consider why the spirits chose you to become one of the Avatars.
Helpful links
Map of the world of Avatar (the wiki in general is pretty good if you have questions)
Icons and Avatar Spirits
Amon, Icon of the Equalists
Representative of humanity in balance of and opposition to the Avatar Spirits
"While it is an undeniable fact that the Spirit World exists, they alone should not have the final say in how the Mortal World is governed." Amon is the non-bending representative on the Concordance Council, a position that exists solely due to a political revolution that he led. The Equalists account for roughly 30% of the population of Concordance, most of which are non-benders. While initially being opposed to anyone having bending powers, being appointed to the Council has somewhat tempered his rhetoric - though he is currently championing an initiative that would strip criminals of their bending abilities.
The Earth King, the spirit of exceptionalism and unification. (Replacing the Emperor)
Elements: Earth
The spirit-god that rules the Earth Kingdom.
The Eternal Conflagration, the spirit of destruction and rebirth. (Replacing the Orc Lord)
Elements: Air, Fire
The world was born in fire; earth created from fire, molten rock spewing forth into the air giving birth to the ground upon which we walk. From it sprung life. Seeds sprout, trees grow, reach towards the sun, live their years. Then leaves fall, branches wither, the trunk crashes to the ground, rots, dies. That death fertilizes the ground, and from that comes new life. Sometimes time is not shepherd enough, and an accelerant must me introduced. The Eternal Conflagration promises death, but also new life: only from pruning dead wood can new leaves grow.
Hei Bei, the spirit of nature and justice. (Replacing the High Druid)
Elements: all, and none
Once a simple forest spirit, now in a position of prominence after Avatar Aang awakened him to all of the natural world's suffering from humankind's interference. Slow to anger but vicious when roused, the Black and White Spirit has quickly become a symbol for naturalists and those seeking a redress of grievances. Out of deference to the spirit, loggers have taken to planting two trees for every one they cut down - and leaving alone any grove where panda bears roam.
Koh the Face Stealer, the spirit of fear and trickery. (Replacing the Prince of Shadows)
Elements: Air
He is one of the most ancient and knowledgeable spirits in all of the Spirit World. Nearly as old as the Ocean and Moon Spirits, he is the only known individual to remember them crossing over to the physical world, where they took the forms of koi fish. He is a malevolent entity with the body of an enormous centipede-like creature and resides under an ancient tree in the Spirit World. His self-chosen name reflects his ability to literally steal the faces of other beings who express emotion and he can use them at will by "blinking." Koh is a perilous force whose attention can be dangerous to draw. He and his followers have the ability to steal the face of anyone or anything that shows emotion to him, which is why those who are aware of his power attempt to remain inexpressive while in his presence. He possesses a sadistic personality, constantly trying to goad the slightest bit of emotion out of his visitors by frightening them with his monster-like appearance, or taunting them with his many faces. Koh's actions suggest that he is amoral rather than purely evil; he is willing to part with his information for the right reasons to the right person. Vexingly, he is also cryptic and often speaks in riddles - even if Koh does decide to help you, puzzling out the answer might be just as difficult as solving the original problem.
General Old Iron, the spirit of obedience and vengeance. (Replacing the Crusader)
Elements: Earth, Fire
He is a giant humanoid spirit previously devoted to protection. After a charge was killed in a coup d'état, General Old Iron went on a rampage against the insurgents that caused her death. Frustrated with the human obsession with rebellion and revolution with no concern for those who will suffer, he is now a patron for any who cries out in anguish or seeks to keep violence away from the vulnerable.
The Mother of Faces, the spirit of birth and creation. (Replacing the Elf Queen)
Elements: Air, Water
The Mother of Faces is a spirit who has the ability to give faces to living organisms, bestowing plants and animals with expressive markings. She is the mother of Koh, the Face Stealer. The Mother of Faces began creating faces in the beginning of time, placing a piece of herself in each face she created. It was because of her actions that separateness and identity came into the world. She is often sought out by humans who request her to give them a new face and identity. Despite being offended by people when they rejected the faces she has created for them, she pities them enough to grant their request. She is frequently called upon by mothers to be, artists of all kinds, and the forlorn.
The Painted Lady, the spirit of compassion and healing. (Replacing the Priestess)
Elements: Water
The Painted Lady was the benevolent spirit of the Jang Hui River, known for her protectiveness and healing abilities. She was once the guardian spirit of the fishing village of Jang Hui, but was driven away due to the region's rising water contamination. She was moved by the compassion of Katara, a companion of Avatar Aang, and has taken up the mantle of healing the world instead of her one village.
Raava, the spirit of order and light. (Replacing the Great Gold Wyrm)
Elements: Earth, Water
She is one of the oldest known spirits, having existed over ten thousand lifetimes before the appearance of the first humans. She was the first spirit to create an Avatar. She and Vaatu, the spirit of chaos and darkness, spent much of their existence combating each other, with neither able to fully vanquish the other. Even if Raava were to destroy Vaatu and usher in a new era of peace, what little darkness existed in Raava would magnify until Vaatu was reborn and burst forth, beginning the cycle again. The reverse would happen to Vaatu if he were victorious over Raava.
The Two, the spirits of forgetfulness and trauma. (Replacing the Three)
Elements: all, and none
Vaatu, the spirit of chaos and darkness. (Replacing the Diabolist)
Elements: Air, Fire
He is one of the oldest known spirits, having existed over ten thousand lifetimes before the appearance of the first humans. His essence can sway spirits to the dark side, transforming them into dark spirits. Vaatu and Raava, the spirit of order and light, spent much of their existence combating each other, with neither able to fully vanquish the other. Even if Vaatu were to destroy Raava, what little light there was in him would magnify until a reborn Raava burst forth, beginning the cycle again. The reverse would happen to Raava if she were victorious over Vaatu.
Wan Shi Tong, the spirit of knowledge and protection. (Replace the Archmage)
Elements: Air, Earth
He is an ancient, wise, and powerful spirit who collects information for his Spirit Library, and thus is the most knowledgeable being among humans and spirits. He never misses an opportunity to learn new facts or boast about his vast intelligence, though he has developed an indifference for studying human technology since leaving the physical world. Although his regular shape is that of a huge black-and-white barn owl, when angered he can assume much more frightening forms. Will not tolerate the use of his knowledge for aggressive violence.
Cast of Avatars
Bao Fen
Holris
Isawa Insou
Makai
Senna Lee
Traith
jdarksun on
+6
Posts
Really wanna be a necromancer.
Flavor wise I'm thinking it is someone from a smaller waterbender group and somehow came across a forbidden scroll showing blood/spirit bending and ended up learning to use it. They have shown very little in the way of any other waterbender abilities and most will flat out refuse to even entertain the idea of training this person once they find out what stuff they know/practice.
In reality though this person hasn't really ever tried it on people. Small scale stuff, maybe. But no people.
Also how are different races being handled
Let's fuckin' do this.
Hrm, is someone still born knowing they're one of the next avatars, or does that reveal itself later in life?
I don't have any strong feelings on this; however it makes sense to your character is fine.
So my first question is... Why 13th Age with this setting? I mean, while 13th Age likes to show off it's indie side with it's underground music, skinny jeans, stylish mustaches, and non-corporation coffee from some trendy place that can only be found if you know somebody who knows somebody, but it's still a d20 game, with all the ridged structures limits that comes with it. For the feel of the Avatar world and being able to Bend Elements, I'm not sure just reflavoring the classes will be enough. Bending is limited by only your imagination (at least mechanics wise) and maybe this might need a system that is more free flowing or action based, like FATE or Marvel Heroics, or even BESM. I'm going to give it a shot, but I really feel like it's not the right system to capture the feel of the show.
Second Question- Do we have to be Avatars? Yes, this is me again wanting to go against the grain but some of the best characters are non-benders, like Sokka and Asami. I mean, I do have an Avatar idea, a Firebender, a Waterbender, and more, but just asking what my options are.
Third- Are there any classes you personally don't think would work? My list is Wizards, Barbarians, and Occultist.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DqeQ3jxC63ZGjPsn23QSAKy2TM8IDjD4ECCDQURin3Q/edit?usp=drive_web
Senna Lee
Chi-blocker (rogue)
Race: Ember Island Acrobat (Wood Elf)
Acrobat's Grace Racial Ability
At the start of battle, you roll a d6. Each time you successfully gain an extra action, the size of the die you roll increases by one step on the following progression: d6, d8, d10, d12, d20. If you get an extra action after rolling a d20, you can't get any more extra actions that battle.
Relationships:
Raava: ~1
Vaatu: ~1, +1
Backgrounds:
Chi Thief +5: I have extensive training in chi-blocking, knowledge of chakras and pressure points.
Ember Island Player +4: ACTING!
Darn Good Cook +2: Hey there, you like spicy food right? Here try some of this. It'll cure what ails ya, hotman!
Just Happy to Be Here +2: Gosh it's so nice to be in <city>! I wonder what's over there? Is that a bao cart? Why is that guy moaning about cabbages?
Stat line:
Str 12
Dex 18 (16+2)
Con 11
Int 12
Wis 9
Cha 16 (14+2)
Max HP: 18
AC: 13
PD: 14
MD: 12
Initiative: +5
Recoverys 8 @ d8
Weapons:
Chi-Blocking Strikes: d8
Throwing Needles: d4
Features:
Sneak Attack: Once per round when you make a rogue melee weapon attack against an enemy engaged with one or more of your allies, you can deal extra damage if your attack hits. (1d4 at 1st level, 1d6 at 2nd, 2d6 at 4th, 3d6 at 6th, 5d6 at 8th, 7d6 at 10th)
Trap Sense: Even rogues whose backgrounds don't have anything to do with noticing, avoiding, or disarming traps have a unique knack for dealing with traps. If a rogue's skill check involving a trap is a natural even failure, the rogue can reroll the skill check once. If a trap's attack roll against a rogue is a natural odd roll, the rogue can force the trap to reroll the attack once.
Talents:
Murderous (+2 to crit range against targets <=50% hp)
Swashbuckling (Pull off a combat stunt 1/combat without making a check)
Thief (+5 background in some kind of thiefy thing)
Feats:
Thief - Adventurer - Get Thief Strike for free, regardless of your level.
Powers:
Tumbling Strike
Always: You gain a +5 bonus to all disengage checks you attempt this turn. You can also move to engage an enemy, make this attack against it, and then use a quick action to attempt to disengage from it (the quick action disengage lets you move again if you succeed).
Attack: Dexterity + Level vs. AC
Hit: d8 + Dexterity damage.
Miss: Damage equal to your level.
Flying Needle (Flying Blade)
Special: You must use a small bladed weapon with this attack.
Target: One nearby creature
Attack: Dexterity + Level vs. AC
Hit: d8 + Dexterity damage, and if your natural attack roll is even and one of your allies is engaged with the target, you can use your Sneak Attack damage for the round.
Miss: Damage equal to your level.
Jab Jab Strike (Deadly Thrust)
Target: One staggered non-mook enemy
Attack: Dexterity + Strength + Level vs. AC
Hit: d8 + Dexterity damage.
Miss: Damage equal to your level.
Thief Strike (free and permanent)
Target: One enemy
Attack: Dexterity + Level vs. PD
Hit: Half of d8 + Dexterity damage (including Sneak Attack damage if any), and roll a normal save. If you succeed, you can pickpocket an item from the target that they are not holding. (If you roll 16+, the target doesn't realize you pickpocketed them.)
Miss: —
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
I'm sure we probably have enough room! Join ussss
"Despite all my rage... I... just a... rat... *sniffle* in a... cage."
You can just pretend I said this too. In fact, pretend I said it first.
I'm fairly sure I'm legally prohibited from using it after playing Duxa for nigh-on a year.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
Say hello to my chi-blocker.
Have you seen the show?
I'm really wondering if it could be just as simple as throwing it at the background system and then maybe the stunt system in combat?
On the other hand, some classes could do the bending, but not the kung fu, like the Sorcerer class. Then some don't have any good range options, like Barbarians.
So it's not quite as easy, in my option, to just simply rename the flavor of the power and Do the Thing, Zhu Li.
"I have complete and utter control over the power of fire. Behold my mastery!"
*punch* *punch* *punch* *punch* *punch* *punch* *punch* *punch* *BIG PUNCH*
Then punching things with them.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
Just, you know, just in case.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
EDIT: Never mind just saw it.
Just sayin'