Sipex
2011-11-01, 09:58 AM
Recently I came across rules to play benders from Avatar for 4e, actually, I'm pretty sure these rules were made by a few of you guys here.
4e Avatar the Last Airbender: A Guide to Playing Elemental Heroes in Dungeons and Dragons 4e (http://www.scribd.com/doc/16920521/COMPLETE-Avatar-the-Last-Airbender-A-Guide-to-Playing-Elemental-Heroes-in-Dungeons-and-Dragons-4th-Edition)
Being one who always looks ahead and is always planning my next campaign I naturally started putting some thought into what sort of campaign could be run with these rules when I came up with the following premise.
Campaign Premise
The Avatar was once said to be a force of balance for the world, a source of peace and prosperity, ensuring the four tribes continued to live in peace and acting as a link between the physical realm and the spirit world. If this was ever true then it is not so now.
For as long as humanity can accurately remember the Avatar has been a malevolent force, preying upon the innocent and ruling the four kingdoms with an iron fist. Many have tried to defeat the avatar but it is a force which cannot be matched by mortal hands.
Despite this, some have succeeded but, as always, the Avatar is reborn and re-surfaces sixteen years after it's previous death, already powerful and ready to command the world from a top one of it's four thrones.
Without the Avatar keeping the peace between the spirit world and the mortal world things have gotten out of hand. Villages are ravaged by strange creatures, travellers often go missing and everyone is under constant fear.
However, the people have learned a new way of dealing with the spirits. When four benders of the four nations, Earth, Fire, Water and Air, come together and combine their powers they are able to act as a link to the spirit world, just like the Avatar. These individuals call themselves Spirit Warriors(need a better name maybe).
You are a Spirit Warrior, travelling the four kingdoms with your group to resolve spiritual unrest in the Avatar's absence.
Campaign Play Details
Essentially the campaign is based around following the PCs around as they resolve conflicts between the Spirit World and the physical realm. However, the idea is to make sure the resolution isn't combat (or isn't combat all of the time) although combat will still be present.
Instead resolution should have the PCs figuring out why the spirits in the area are upset (while defending the people from said spirits) and eventually coming up and enacting a solution.
As the campaign moves along it should also begin to steer the PCs towards figuring out why the Avatar is acting this way, maybe allowing them to stumble across lost libraries or the avatar statue rooms seen in various episodes.
DM Notes & Story Progression
This section is for those who wish to DM this particular campaign, don't read it if you are going to play it.
First thing you need to do is figure out who the Avatar is. In this scenario, at the age of 16 the Avatar re-appears, already fully realised and ready to rule. Depending on which nation the Avatar is born into decides the throne from which he/she rules. You can change this of course but the basic idea is:
Fire Avatar - Rules from the Fire Lord's Throne
Water Avatar - Rules from the Northern Water Tribe
Earth Avatar - Rules from the throne in Ba-Sing-Sei
Air Avatar - Rules from a custom throne in the Northern Air Temple (as Air Nomads don't typically have a ruler)
This does mean that typical monarchs don't really exist, or if they do, they understand that they are simply stand ins. You can use this dynamic if you wish to spice up your campaign.
You could also choose to have the Avatar unrealised at this point, meaning it's been less than 16 years since the last Avatar died/was killed.
The Avatar's change in behavior is due to a malevolent spirit hijacking it's body. Either due to an event which happened long ago which upset the spirit or some other reason (DM choice) this spirit was able to seal away the Avatar's spirit during a re-incarnation cycle and step in to take his place.
Due to this nature the spirit re-awakens when it's body turns 16 and it immediately becomes proficient in all styles of bending. It also regains all of it's past memories.
However, one thing the possessed Avatar cannot do is access the Avatar State (for obvious reasons).
This is, of course, setting the campaign up for a final battle either between the current avatar or the spirit. You could have your PCs racing the clock to find the new avatar before they fully realise once again, or maybe the PCs have to assassinate a fully realised Avatar once they break the cycle and free the Avatar's true spirit form?
This campaign would be designed to be run for 4 or 5 people but would probably require four of those players be benders of the various types. This probably won't be hard (it's an Avatar campaign, everyone will play a bender) but I can see some problems arising if...say...nobody wants to be a Fire Bender.
Other classes would be available as well, especially if you have a group of 5 or more. You'll have to use your discretion on what can and cannot be allowed though. I'd probably disallow most magically flashy characters (wizards, sorcerors, warlocks) as benders tend to take this role in the Avatar world.
Races is a mixed bag, while you could simply use D&D races I would be tempted to reflavour them simply into different tribes (ie: Dwarves become Earth Kingdom, Elves become Air Nomads, Tieflings become Fire Nation...not sure what else just yet). Or you could go farther and homebrew races (not that difficult to do after all).
Thoughts?
4e Avatar the Last Airbender: A Guide to Playing Elemental Heroes in Dungeons and Dragons 4e (http://www.scribd.com/doc/16920521/COMPLETE-Avatar-the-Last-Airbender-A-Guide-to-Playing-Elemental-Heroes-in-Dungeons-and-Dragons-4th-Edition)
Being one who always looks ahead and is always planning my next campaign I naturally started putting some thought into what sort of campaign could be run with these rules when I came up with the following premise.
Campaign Premise
The Avatar was once said to be a force of balance for the world, a source of peace and prosperity, ensuring the four tribes continued to live in peace and acting as a link between the physical realm and the spirit world. If this was ever true then it is not so now.
For as long as humanity can accurately remember the Avatar has been a malevolent force, preying upon the innocent and ruling the four kingdoms with an iron fist. Many have tried to defeat the avatar but it is a force which cannot be matched by mortal hands.
Despite this, some have succeeded but, as always, the Avatar is reborn and re-surfaces sixteen years after it's previous death, already powerful and ready to command the world from a top one of it's four thrones.
Without the Avatar keeping the peace between the spirit world and the mortal world things have gotten out of hand. Villages are ravaged by strange creatures, travellers often go missing and everyone is under constant fear.
However, the people have learned a new way of dealing with the spirits. When four benders of the four nations, Earth, Fire, Water and Air, come together and combine their powers they are able to act as a link to the spirit world, just like the Avatar. These individuals call themselves Spirit Warriors(need a better name maybe).
You are a Spirit Warrior, travelling the four kingdoms with your group to resolve spiritual unrest in the Avatar's absence.
Campaign Play Details
Essentially the campaign is based around following the PCs around as they resolve conflicts between the Spirit World and the physical realm. However, the idea is to make sure the resolution isn't combat (or isn't combat all of the time) although combat will still be present.
Instead resolution should have the PCs figuring out why the spirits in the area are upset (while defending the people from said spirits) and eventually coming up and enacting a solution.
As the campaign moves along it should also begin to steer the PCs towards figuring out why the Avatar is acting this way, maybe allowing them to stumble across lost libraries or the avatar statue rooms seen in various episodes.
DM Notes & Story Progression
This section is for those who wish to DM this particular campaign, don't read it if you are going to play it.
First thing you need to do is figure out who the Avatar is. In this scenario, at the age of 16 the Avatar re-appears, already fully realised and ready to rule. Depending on which nation the Avatar is born into decides the throne from which he/she rules. You can change this of course but the basic idea is:
Fire Avatar - Rules from the Fire Lord's Throne
Water Avatar - Rules from the Northern Water Tribe
Earth Avatar - Rules from the throne in Ba-Sing-Sei
Air Avatar - Rules from a custom throne in the Northern Air Temple (as Air Nomads don't typically have a ruler)
This does mean that typical monarchs don't really exist, or if they do, they understand that they are simply stand ins. You can use this dynamic if you wish to spice up your campaign.
You could also choose to have the Avatar unrealised at this point, meaning it's been less than 16 years since the last Avatar died/was killed.
The Avatar's change in behavior is due to a malevolent spirit hijacking it's body. Either due to an event which happened long ago which upset the spirit or some other reason (DM choice) this spirit was able to seal away the Avatar's spirit during a re-incarnation cycle and step in to take his place.
Due to this nature the spirit re-awakens when it's body turns 16 and it immediately becomes proficient in all styles of bending. It also regains all of it's past memories.
However, one thing the possessed Avatar cannot do is access the Avatar State (for obvious reasons).
This is, of course, setting the campaign up for a final battle either between the current avatar or the spirit. You could have your PCs racing the clock to find the new avatar before they fully realise once again, or maybe the PCs have to assassinate a fully realised Avatar once they break the cycle and free the Avatar's true spirit form?
This campaign would be designed to be run for 4 or 5 people but would probably require four of those players be benders of the various types. This probably won't be hard (it's an Avatar campaign, everyone will play a bender) but I can see some problems arising if...say...nobody wants to be a Fire Bender.
Other classes would be available as well, especially if you have a group of 5 or more. You'll have to use your discretion on what can and cannot be allowed though. I'd probably disallow most magically flashy characters (wizards, sorcerors, warlocks) as benders tend to take this role in the Avatar world.
Races is a mixed bag, while you could simply use D&D races I would be tempted to reflavour them simply into different tribes (ie: Dwarves become Earth Kingdom, Elves become Air Nomads, Tieflings become Fire Nation...not sure what else just yet). Or you could go farther and homebrew races (not that difficult to do after all).
Thoughts?