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GoblinGilmartin
2014-09-24, 05:51 PM
Can someone give me a list of Avatar RPGs out there? I'm considering making my own with FATE, but I just wanted to see what was out there in the ether.

TheTeaMustFlow
2014-09-26, 12:09 PM
There seem to be quite a few around. This (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?board=93.0) D20 one looks pretty detailed, but I haven't looked at it much, so I can't speak for how good it is.

obryn
2014-09-26, 02:36 PM
I'd say your instinct to use Fate is a good one, honestly.

Amaril
2014-09-26, 02:39 PM
When I started watching the show a few days ago, my immediate thought was to use Exalted and refluff the Dragon-blooded. I've never actually played more than a tiny bit of Exalted, though, and none of it with a Dragon-blooded character, so it might not actually be appropriate at all.

By the way, would the game you mention by any chance happen to be here in the Playground, or for a group elsewhere?

obryn
2014-09-26, 03:11 PM
With Fate Core, you actually already have a really good start in the Toolkit. Using the "Five Storms" magic system as a baseline would be a great starting point.

Heck; Fate Accelerated might be an even better fit.

Hyooz
2014-09-26, 03:35 PM
I'd almost recommend the Dresden Files version of FATE, actually, and just ignore thaumaturgy. The Evocation magic system will allow Benders to produce a huge number of effects without it getting mechanically sticky.

CarpeGuitarrem
2014-09-26, 03:48 PM
Echoing Fate, and if you ask me, use Fate Accelerated instead of Fate Core. The show never really seems to care much about specific skills that characters have, and more about the method by which a character approaches a problem. You can use Extras and Aspects to represent special knowledge/techniques.

The Random NPC
2014-09-26, 04:51 PM
I'm going to be playing an Avatar based Fate game next Wednesday. So far, my GM's main concern is how to get mulitiple styles of benders to meet and decide to travel in a group.

Hyooz
2014-09-26, 06:29 PM
I'm going to be playing an Avatar based Fate game next Wednesday. So far, my GM's main concern is how to get mulitiple styles of benders to meet and decide to travel in a group.

My favorite GM cheat: rob them.

Have a small band of thieves take something from each of them and BAM, instant comraderie and a really easy plot hook.

CarpeGuitarrem
2014-09-26, 07:28 PM
My favorite sneaky GM trick in that vein is to ask them why they're traveling together. :smallbiggrin: I get them to do my work for me!

The Random NPC
2014-09-26, 07:52 PM
I'm sure something will be figured out, but I'll pass on your suggestions. Thanks!

rg9000
2014-09-27, 12:58 AM
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?67493-Avatar-d20-Project-Setting-Main-Hub

GoblinGilmartin
2014-09-29, 06:23 PM
When I started watching the show a few days ago, my immediate thought was to use Exalted and refluff the Dragon-blooded. I've never actually played more than a tiny bit of Exalted, though, and none of it with a Dragon-blooded character, so it might not actually be appropriate at all.

By the way, would the game you mention by any chance happen to be here in the Playground, or for a group elsewhere?

I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I'm probably just going to write it for a skype game, but I'm not sure.

Oracle_Hunter
2014-10-03, 01:18 AM
If you want a system with more, well, substance than Fate or Fate: Accelerated, try Edge of Empire.

It's a robust Magic Tea Party system which can easily be turned into an Avatar RPG. It even comes with free-form magic (The Force). Yes, it's set in Star Wars but at its core is so potent a system I wouldn't be surprised to find it dominating the non-d20 RPG world in the next 10 years.

Hell, if you want, I'll even help you convert the system. The only thing I need is a few Careers (i.e. broad categories of character types like "Warrior" or "Civilian") and the job is half done. The other half is fleshing out the Bending system -- which is only an issue of effort, not genius, since the Force Exile Specialization has examples of how to handle free-form magic in the system.

The only reasons I haven't done this myself are (1) I'm not a huge fan of Avatar and (2) my friends who are are too lazy to work with me on it :smalltongue:

Oh, and (3) I would never, ever be able to make a dime off it

CarpeGuitarrem
2014-10-03, 11:51 PM
Pretty sure that the so-called "Magic Tea Party RPG" can't ever be robust. :smalltongue: A quick Google indicates that it refers to a system controlled by DM whim. So, in fact, that won't give you more detail or substance than Fate (which has its own form of substance).

That said, Edge of the Empire is a pretty snazzy system, but it feels like a lot of work to completely reskin and hack the game for a different setting. It's a bit like saying "you could totally do World of Darkness in D&D; just reskin all the powers!". (And it took Monte Cook to do it.)

I like the Edge core, though. You could do something with that. Write up your own bending and combat and scholar skill lists and whatnot, and have at it.

Oracle_Hunter
2014-10-04, 12:09 AM
Pretty sure that the so-called "Magic Tea Party RPG" can't ever be robust. :smalltongue: A quick Google indicates that it refers to a system controlled by DM whim. So, in fact, that won't give you more detail or substance than Fate (which has its own form of substance).

That said, Edge of the Empire is a pretty snazzy system, but it feels like a lot of work to completely reskin and hack the game for a different setting. It's a bit like saying "you could totally do World of Darkness in D&D; just reskin all the powers!". (And it took Monte Cook to do it.)

I like the Edge core, though. You could do something with that. Write up your own bending and combat and scholar skill lists and whatnot, and have at it.
Trust me, it's more robust that FATE :smalltongue:

It's more like FATE: Accelerated in that they added a bunch of bells & whistles to distract you from the fact it's a Magic Tea Party system. The primary advantages include: custom dice (give more guidance than Fudge Dice), structured character creation (not just "write stuff down and run with it") and -- importantly -- a free-form magic system.

It should go without saying that it takes more work to make a system than not make a system -- which is what FATE et al are. But IMHO you can turn EoE into an excellent Avatar TLA RPG if you wanted to; it's probably the best option currently on the market.

Steel Mirror
2014-10-04, 12:52 AM
Edge of Empire definitely has a more defined structure than FATE, but for that very reason I'm not sure it would be a very good template for an entirely new setting and 'magic' system. You'd spend a lot of time just learning how EoE works, and then you'd have to build basically an entirely new game from scratch to make it work for Avatar. About the only thing you could really keep are the dice mechanics (which admittedly are pretty darn cool, in their weird narrativist-by-way-of-wacky-dice-hijinks way).

I'd vote for the FATE approach too, double vote for the Dresden Files magic system if you can get a hold of it. You could use give everyone Channeling for free (one for each of the four elements of course), with specialized elemental applications like lightning, healing, or metal-bending available as refinement purchases, or possibly using mortal stunts. Maybe each element also comes with one of the unarmed combat or weapon mortal stunts for free, as appropriate for the element's theme as shown in the martial arts styles in the show? So Water might come packaged with a stunt that lets you redirect your opponent's strength against them, air with a stunt that improves your dodging ability, earth with one that gives more physical stress, etc.

DeafnotDumb
2014-10-04, 05:44 AM
To go askance to the general thread, I'm going to recommend Rivers and Lakes (http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/ben-wright/rivers-and-lakes/ebook/product-17387884.html), a wonderful Wuxia game that my group used to play a fantastic avatar campaign. The pdf is free, so it's certainly worth a look if nothing else.

Seriously, the combat system is just trading/playing pre-rolled dice, but in play it's amazing and surprisingly flexible - there's nothing that says your opponent has to be an actual human opponent instead of, say, the iceberg you're trying to waterbend back, to use an example from our game.

If you pick it and like it send me a PM and I'll give you the quick details on how the different types of 'bender were differentiated in the system.

Nahro
2014-10-06, 09:10 AM
After watching the second Season of Kora - I would really love to get a Pre-Avatar Game going,
I thought about a system to play it on and came up with this idea, base on homebrewed d100 system (would love to know what you & other think)

Attributes are Presented by an ordinary % value - not quit sure what Attributes I will fit into it, but standard stuff like Strenght, Intelligence, Dexterity, Agility and so forth is a give in.

The Bending would work as Follow:
Each Player can only have one Element at a time, but theoretically is able to switch and use all Elements (Someone who has seen the Episodes, will get what I am saying I hope ^^), therefore each Bending Type has his own % value.

I would prepare a List of Bending techniques - but basically a player can announce what he attempts to do, and the DM decides how Difficult it is to do.

f.E Just throwing a fist size rock is easy - so it would have difficulty 2 or 3.

What does Difficulty? - For each Difficulty Level the player takes a d6 (so f.e for lvl 3 - 3d6) and rolls:
- If a number shows up 2 Times (f.e: he rolled 3,3,6) he would loose 5% on his Bending Value
- If a number turns up 3 Times he would loose 10%
- If a number turns up 4 Times, he would loose 20%
- If a Number Turns up 5 Times he would loose 30%
- If a number Turns up 6 Times - it fails completely and the DM makes up something funny :P
- If all numbers are DIFFERENT - the player gets a bonus of 10%

This would represent how accurate the Bending Movement is performed, while the d100 Roll would state if the Maneuver actually was hitting/doing what was intended

For special Bending like Metal, you could just either make the Difficulty higher - or give a straight up penalty to his Bending Attribute.

It seems to me that this system is very simple, approachable but also flexible for something like Bending - but I might be wrong - would be cool to hear some feedback

Knaight
2014-10-06, 11:20 AM
To go askance to the general thread, I'm going to recommend Rivers and Lakes (http://www.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/ben-wright/rivers-and-lakes/ebook/product-17387884.html), a wonderful Wuxia game that my group used to play a fantastic avatar campaign. The pdf is free, so it's certainly worth a look if nothing else.

Seriously, the combat system is just trading/playing pre-rolled dice, but in play it's amazing and surprisingly flexible - there's nothing that says your opponent has to be an actual human opponent instead of, say, the iceberg you're trying to waterbend back, to use an example from our game.

If you pick it and like it send me a PM and I'll give you the quick details on how the different types of 'bender were differentiated in the system.

Apropos of nothing, thanks for bringing this up. This looks seriously cool, and at the very least has some mechanics that can be stolen. I'm seconding this recommendation, and am interested in seeing the bending mechanics.

Steel Mirror
2014-10-06, 06:29 PM
I took a look at Rivers and Lakes, as well. It does look cool, I think it would fit Avatar quite nicely. I wish I had time to try out a game of Rivers and Lakes myself, but it's always hard to convince a group to give something like that a shot!

obryn
2014-10-07, 12:27 AM
Apropos of nothing, thanks for bringing this up. This looks seriously cool, and at the very least has some mechanics that can be stolen. I'm seconding this recommendation, and am interested in seeing the bending mechanics.
Agreed. I like the example of combat, and wonder how well it'd work in practice.

Erasmas
2014-10-07, 08:43 AM
I also downloaded and checked out Rivers and Lakes. Wow... what a refreshing take on conflict resolution! I think this would fit Avatar like a glove, with little to no tweaking at all. There are elements of this system that I am seriously tumbling around in my head to try and get them to work in one of my own upcomong games.

Thank you, DeafNotDumb, for turning us all on to that and for providing the link to the free PDF!

DeafnotDumb
2014-10-07, 04:42 PM
Well, since there's interest in the bending mechanics:

In standard Rivers and Lakes, you roll all of your dice and spend them in the conflict. You can attack with a single die, or with a set - say a set of three sixes. If the attack hits, it does damage equal to the value on the dice. These attacks can be blocked by a die of equal value, preventing any damage, or be countered by a die of +1 or greater value, meaning that damage is prevented and it is now your turn. A set has to be defended with a set containing an equal number of dice: you cannot defend a set of five ones with one of two sixes, for example.

The bending moves are as follows:

When firebenders attack with a single six sided dice and score a 6, it counts as a seven. This encourages a lot of quick, aggressive attacks.

Earthbenders get 12 health instead of the usual two, and can block an attack targeted at another person at a value equal to the attack, instead of +2. Encourages group defence and individual toughness.

Waterbenders never block - they always counter as long as the value is at least equal to the attack. They're all about stealing the momentum from their foes and turning it back on them.

Airbenders Can block or counter a set of multiple die with a die value one lower than usual. They're good at avoiding big, obvious attacks but more vulnerable to lots of smaller ones.

If nonbenders successfully hit someone with an unblocked/uncountered set of two or more sixes, that character is instantly taken out of the fight and incapacitated in some way - trapped, chi-blocked or pinned by a weapon. This is less overpowered than it sounds when you remember the health is always 10, or 12 for earthbenders.

If you really want to model a terrifying foe in an enemy Avatar, give them multiple of these advantages. Note that this has not been play-tested to ensure it does not curbstomp a group of competent PCs, but it does sound interesting.

D-naras
2014-10-12, 05:10 AM
Well, since there's interest in the bending mechanics:

In standard Rivers and Lakes, you roll all of your dice and spend them in the conflict. You can attack with a single die, or with a set - say a set of three sixes. If the attack hits, it does damage equal to the value on the dice. These attacks can be blocked by a die of equal or +1 value, preventing any damage, or be countered by a die of +2 or greater value, meaning that damage is prevented and it is now your turn. A set has to be defended with a set containing an equal number of dice: you cannot defend a set of five ones with one of two sixes, for example.

The bending moves are as follows:

When firebenders attack with a single six sided dice, it counts as a seven sided dice. This encourages a lot of quick, aggressive attacks.

Earthbenders get 12 health instead of the usual two, and can block an attack targeted at another person at a value equal to the attack, instead of +2. Encourages group defence and individual toughness.

Waterbenders never block - they always counter as long as the value is at least equal to the attack. They're all about stealing the momentum from their foes and turning it back on them.

Airbenders Can block or counter a set of multiple die with a die value one lower than usual. They're good at avoiding big, obvious attacks but more vulnerable to lots of smaller ones.

If nonbenders successfully hit someone with an unblocked/uncountered set of two or more sixes, that character is instantly taken out of the fight and incapacitated in some way - trapped, chi-blocked or pinned by a weapon. This is less overpowered than it sounds when you remember the health is always 10, or 12 for earthbenders.

If you really want to model a terrifying foe in an enemy Avatar, give them multiple of these advantages. Note that this has not been play-tested to ensure it does not curbstomp a group of competent PCs, but it does sound interesting.

Cool ideas. Though what does seven-sided die really means? After all, from what I understand of the system, the dice are rolled once and the results stay visible until the end of the conflict. So maybe you ment that firebenders increase their die result by one when they use a single die? So they attack with a 6 and it's treated as a 7?

DeafnotDumb
2014-10-13, 04:09 PM
So maybe you ment that firebenders increase their die result by one when they use a single die? So they attack with a 6 and it's treated as a 7?

Only when that die result is a six. So a 6 becomes a 7, but a 5 does not become a 6 and a 4 does not become a 5 and so on.

Metahuman1
2014-10-15, 04:24 PM
When in Doubt, Mutants and Masterminds.