The Gaming Den

Prak_Anima wrote:another solution: your bending stat depends on your element:
Fortitude: Earth
Reflex: Water
Wisdom: Air
Charisma: Fire

I was going to suggest the same (with water and air switched), but I don't know about making the fire guys diplomancers.

So I got 5 points I'd like to make:

• First: Bending will be based on the Combat skill. Feats will exist to allow the Combat Skill to run off of Reflex, Wisdom, and/or Charisma.
  
  Second: because of that, the only thing that is thematic for benders to change is what they soak Exaustion with. Just like in Shadowrun, the Drain stat differentiates between different styles of bending.
  
  Third: Earthbenders are based on Fortitude. And nobody dissagrees with this.
  
  Fourth: I am not going to base Bending off of Desteny, as mook benders exist in all nations.
  
  Fifth: The other benders are not so clear cut. The following arrays are possible permeutations of what benders of all types will soak Exaustion with. Earth benders get Fortitude Exaustion.
  

  • Element	Array #1	Array #2	Array #3	Array #4	Array #5	Array #6
    Air	Reflex	Reflex	Wisdom	Wisdom	Charisma	Charisma
    Earth	Fortitude	Fortitude	Fortitude	Fortitude	Fortitude	Fortitude
    Fire	Charisma	Wisdom	Charisma	Reflex	Wisdom	Reflex
    Water	Wisdom	Charisma	Reflex	Charisma	Reflex	Wisdom

    
    

Personally, I am partial to array #1, because airbenders get Aerial Agility and thats just like Earth Armor, but for Reflex. Opinions on your favorite justification are welcome.

Permutation number 1 definitely fits the canon best.

I see one problem: "pussy boils". Now that is a nasty visual. I believe the word you're looking for is 'pustulent.'

I'm with uber: Firebending is based on force of will (either through rage, harmony, or suppression), so Firebenders being diplomancers is understandable.

Also sorta makes sense with the fighting styles they're based off of.

Array #1 editied in. The Boils have now been made kid friendly.

A master list of conditions is now included near the beginning of the document, and the conditions have been unified accross the document (no more immobilized, unconsious, or stunned references, and the Prone and Paralyzed condition have been defined). Sneaking allows you to Sneak Attack creatures who haven't noticed you.

Mask_De_H wrote: Firebending is based on force of will (either through rage, harmony, or suppression),

Que?

I have only one complaint, but it's a big one:

In a game that is called AVATAR, based on a series called AVATAR, when the main character is THE AVATAR and for which the forthcoming sequel series details the adventures of the next AVATAR.

Why do you have to insist that players "are not the avatar'?

Aang in pretty much a player character in the context of the-series-as-a-RPG, which to me indicates that it should be possible to have a PC avatar.

Furthermore, the series sets up that each avatar faces challenges and adventures in their time (Roku and Fire Lord Sozin, Kyoshi vs Chin the Conquerer, the water dude who had his wife's face stolen by the face-stealing spirit, etc, etc) so in a ruleset for a game based on the series, there should be the possibility of playing as an avatar.

Furtherfurthermore, the forthcoming series is about Korra - the next avatar after Aang, and presumably in that series she will totally have adventures and totally be a player character type. So to do that, it would need to be possible to have the avatar as a player character.

Whether any individual game involves an avatar past, present or future is a decision to be made at the start of any campaign by the GM (and players) and should in no way be a possibility excluded from the ruleset.

Make it a six point merit; or a three point merit that requires you to already have a bending type; make it an option only for high-point campaigns; or take other creative stabs at balancing it's cost and usefulness: perhaps the avatar character could be democratically controlled by the PC group instead of any single player; or starting points might only let you build an avatar with their chakras locked; or think of other options. But you need to make it available in the ruleset or you haven't written any set of rules that should be called AVATAR.

You can't solve the stat assignments because you started from a flawed premise: that earthbending is connected to fortitude: it's not. When assigning a stat to an elements there are three considerations:

Are []benders generally good at the skills associated with this stat?

Would []benders need this stat to perform their bending moves?

Is there a philosophical/magical relationship between the stat and the element?

Let's try this for Earth/Fortitude:

Are [Earth]benders generally good at the skills associated with Fortitude? No. The world's greatest earthbenders are a sedentary little girl and an incredibly old man. Neither would be a logical pick for mundane feats of power.

Would [Earth]benders need Fortitude to perform their bending moves? No. Bumi doesn't even *move* when he bends. Toph *stands still* for most of her fights. Also, sandbenders.

Is there a philosophical/magical relationship between Fortitude and Earth? No. The obvious and expected difficulty they could have hit Aang with in his earthbender training was the need for hard work. He gets physically exhausted carrying rocks, doesn't want to do it, cue speech about the virtue of perseverance and hitting the wall. It didn't happen. Aang's problem wasn't that he was lazy, it was that he was timid. When Toph threw a rock at him, the lesson was about acting decisively, not about being enduring. Bumio's sermon on the virtue of doing nothing, while it could be read as praise of endurance and long-suffering, also ties into the "decisive" idea.

So if earth and fortitude don't go together so well, what do we do? Let's try Earth/Wisdom:

Are earthbenders generally good at the skills associated with wisdom? Yes. The earthbenders are all physically observant and good judges of character.

Would earthbenders need wisdom to perform their bending moves? Yes. Toph stands perfectly still and pays close attention to tiny vibrations. She and Bumi both have fight by negating whatever their opponents do.

Is there a philosophical/magical relationship between wisdom and eartbending? The cardinal virtue of earthbending is patience, in the service of measured but decisive action.

Oh snap but what happens to fortitude?

Are firebenders generally good at the skills associated with fortitude? They are the only benders who wear armor. Also, Zuko and Iroh are skilled with weapons and unarmed martial arts far beyond any other benders on the show.

Would firebenders need fortitude to perform their bending moves?
Firebending katas look more energetic and aerobically demanding than any of other styles. Also the ultimate firebending move requries that you be hit by lightning, and perform a kata while being electrocuted.

Is there a philosophical/magical relationship between fortitude and firebending? Firebenders generate energy internally, rather than manipulating their environment.

So where does that leave Water?

Are waterbenders generally good at the skills associated with charisma? They are the least powerful nation and they have ships. I assume they did a lot of travel and trade before the great war. Waterbender PCs are likely to be permanently exotic, and thus in dire need of social skills.

Would waterbenders need charisma to perform their bending moves? Well, their moves are graceful and pretty, compared to those of other benders.

Is there a philosophical/magical relationship between tcharisma and water? There is an erotic connection between moon and earth which generates the tides, and all watebending everywhere is powered by Sokka's girlfriend. Also, there *needs* to be a "drunken master" school of waterbending in any adult-oriented Avatar product.

Orion wrote:The world's greatest earthbenders are a sedentary little girl and an incredibly old man. Neither would be a logical pick for mundane feats of power.

While your larger point stands, you're wrong on Bumi here. Guy's fucking ripped.

he still barely moves while bending. I think this had something to do with why he was able to escape from the fire nation once the chain suspending his box had been broken.

Prak_Anima wrote:he still barely moves while bending. I think this had something to do with why he was able to escape from the fire nation once the chain suspending his box had been broken.

Right at the end of book 2, episode 3 Bumi has a little speech about neutral Jin or some shit. But more importantly, he says that he can bend because his chin is able to move still.

ah, right. I forgot about that. So really it's the fact that earth benders are able to bend with small movements. Conceivably, godly high level earth benders could be completely immobilized, and when their enemies sputters in incoherent rage about how they shouldn't be able to bend, simply reply "On a cellular level, I'm actually quite busy".

I just had the absolutely horrible idea of cutting out Earthbender tongues and severing ear muscles, removing eyelids so that they can never bend at all.

Or you could just kill them. That works too.

Reworked Intro, Initiative, Artifice, and had Bending folded into Martial Arts.

I am currently open to suggestions for all the unfinished Air Bending techniques, and I need a basic Fire Bending technique made of whole cloth.

Bending is tied to spirituality according to canon. Not necessarily the good/evil modality, but spirituality nonetheless.


Maybe make all bending reliant on Wisdom OR Charisma, with the drains handled by the various save categories?

Is this finished now?
I think it is awesome, but I don't exactly have the patience to read through everything in one sitting.

Yeah. Air bending was never really fleshed out, but there is enough of everything else for you to sit down and play a game with minimal muss or fuss. If you have any questions, just ask.