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Avatar Legends, the Avatar: The Last Airbender-themed tabletop roleplaying game allows players to create unique characters in the world of Avatar, ranging from benders to warriors to technologists. Like most TTRPGs, the world is your oyster when it comes to creating fun, engaging, and powerful characters for you to roleplay, all while exploring familiar and iconic locales from the animated series.
But, what exactly goes into making a great character in Avatar Legends? While there are some similarities with other TTRPGs, there are also some big differences. Here’s everything you need to know to create iconic characters in Avatar Legends.
How To Make A Character
To make a character in Avatar Legends, you’ll need tochoose from a variety of options for each of the below character traits:
Additionally, you’ll also have tofollow the below steps to fill in your character sheet, or playbook:
All characters in the Avatar Legends universe are skilled, competent heroes who aretypically good-aligned.
How To Choose A Playbook
Playbooks are the primary archetype your character embodiesin Avatar Legends andfunction like classes do in other TTRPGslike Dungeons & Dragons.
These archetypesdetermine a set of skills and abilitiesand a character arc for you to roleplay.
When creating characters for a party, remember thatonly one playbook can be used per player; there can be no repeats in the party.
Here isa list of every playbookyou can select from the core rule book.
Beyond each archetype,your playbook selection determines your key abilities, starting stats, starting techniques, and balance principles, which define your character arc throughout the campaign.
Each of these titles captures a character archetypethat you should strive to embody when playing this character.
However,that doesn’t mean each playbook is limited to one type of roleplay. Playing against type can be rewarding too.
How To Choose A Training And Fighting Style
Once you’ve selected a playbook, you’ll also need toselect a training and fighting style.
When you select a training,talk to your GM about what era you’re playing in.Certain eras might preclude you from selecting a specific training.
For example,if you are playing in the Hundred Years' War Era, you will not be able to select airbendingas your training, as all of the airbenders were extinct.
How To Choose A Background
Now that you’ve selected your playbook, fighting style, and training, it’s time toselect a background. Your backgrounddetermines where your character came frombefore pursuing a life of adventure, similar to Dungeons & Dragons.
However,you may choose up to two backgroundsif you desire to describe your character’s upbringing. Use up to two of the below six backgrounds to describe your character.
Description
Military
Your character used to fight as a soldier, mercenary, or other type of warrior.
Monastic
Your character was raised as a monk, nun, or acolyte, belonging to a certain order or religion.
Outlaw
Your character was raised outside the confines of society, perhaps as a criminal or pirate.
Privileged
Your character was raised wealthy, belonging to a prestigious family name or house.
Urban
Your character was raised on the streets of a large city.
Wilderness
Your character was raised in a small town surrounded by nature.
Like most character creation elements in Avatar Legends,backgrounds are more guidelinesthan hard and fast character rulesets.
Feel free toget creative and homebrew your own backgroundby working with your GM!
Additionally, underneath backgrounds,you’ll see a handful of demeanorsunique to your playbook. You can alsoselect up to two of these demeanorsto help determine your character’s personality.
How To Choose Moves And Techniques
Next, now that you have all of your key character details in place, it’s time to choose moves and techniques.Moves and techniques determine your first set of abilitiesthat you can use in creative ways throughout your campaign.
Each playbook offers players a handful of moveson the first page, in the bottom right-hand corner. You willselect two of these to start, gaining more as you level up.
If you’re not sure what moves to take,select the ones that feel most essential to your character concept. Remember, you’ll always have a chance to gain more as you continue playing.
Additionally,each playbook begins with a mastered technique, detailed on the upper right-hand corner of the second page of your character sheet.
Techniques are special abilities, typically used in combat, that are either considered learned, practiced, or mastered, depending on your proficiency with them.
For a list of techniques, and details on the differences between learned, practiced, and mastered techniquesconsult Chapter Seven and Appendix A of the Avatar Legends Core Rule Book.
At character creation, you will alsoselect an additional technique at a certain skill level, depending on the type of campaign you are playing, as detailed below.
1
2
1 Mastered, 1 Learned
Keep in mind thatcertain techniques are only available for certain types of trainings, or are only available to learn as a group. These are denoted in the technique description.
How To Create Your Stats
Next, it’s time tocreate your stats. Every character in Avatar Legends has four core stats.
On your playbook, in the upper left-hand side, you’ll see your four stats, along with four numbers in red brackets next to the.These numbers represent your starting statsfor each skill. However, at character creation,you may add +1 to any one stat.
Once you’ve chosen a stat to improve,fill in your new starting stats in the corresponding circleson your playbook.
In your playbook,you’ll also see sections for Fatigue, Conditions, and Balance. At character creation,these all can be left blank (or centered, for balance), and do not need to be adjusted or tweaked anyway.
How To Fill In Character Details
Last but not least, you’ll also need tofill out a handful of additional character details, which include the items below items listed in your playbook:
Look and Hometown determine what your character looks like and where you’re from, which can be relatively open-ended. free to get as creative as you like with these, using your GM for inspiration and guidance.
Each playbook has a handful ofunique history questionsfor you to answer.These help shape your character’s backstory, but ultimately, are just there for general guidance. you’re able to add any number of character backstory details to your playbook.
If you’re looking for inspiration for character names,the Avatar Legends Core Rulebook has suggested names for each nation in Chapter Four.
Lastly,your connections ask you to fill in character names from your partyto help determine your connection to the adventuring party.
Your GM will guide you through this before the first game sessionwhen each character in the party introduces themselves.
From there,you’re ready to dive into your first game in Avatar Legends, with the perfect character in tow!
