Elements of Surprise – Go undercover in Avatar Legends

Creating your character

All characters will start with no advancement (i.e. at Level 1). All Playbooks (classes) are allowed. Player characters should be appropriate to the Hundred Years War Era (no airbenders, metalbenders, etc.). If you would like to create your own character before the session, please let me know and send me some information on your character's backstory. Either way, I will help everyone to finish creating their characters in the first session and provide the character sheets and rulebooks. This will be a great chance to bounce ideas off of the other players and to find out how your characters know each other and what their relationships are. I will add an extra hour to the first session for no additional cost, so that we have time for everyone to finish their character and to begin the campaign.

Preparing for the session

Let me know your Discord username or message @jimangi on Discord. I will then add you to the Discord server for the game. When we play, I'll invite you to join my Foundry VTT server in your browser. I recommend joining on a computer because Foundry works best on a monitor. You don't need to make your own account for this.

What Jim the GM brings to the table

I will explain all of the rules as we play, and I have access to all of the Avatar Legends content. If you want to know more about the game, feel free to message me. I follow the Rule of Cool when playing, and I believe in 'failing forward'. A roll should always move the story in an interesting direction, whether a character succeeds or fails. Rolls and combat move quickly in my Avatar games, but they should always be exciting. I bring sessions to life with dramatic voices for NPCs and bombastic descriptions of action. I like to involve players in setting scenes too, so we create the world together. I have a Discord server where we can record session logs, discuss game admin and even share art. After each session, if you write a summary of what happened as your character, you will get a free growth point.

Homebrew rules

I adapt the 'Rely on Your Skills & Training' Basic Move to allow players to use it with Stats other than Focus, based on what they want to do. For example, players can use their Passion if they use this Move to break something. I made this change because my players found they used this Move far more than any other outside of combat, and it put characters with low Focus at a disadvantage. This change helps every character's personality and skills shine through. After each session, if you write a summary of what happened as your character, you will get a free growth point. This helps everyone to remember what happened, and is a fun way to get into the head of your character.

How Jim the GM creates a safe table

The tone of the adventure will be similar to the original Last Airbender and Legend of Korra cartoons. This means it will be appropriate for children but may engage with some darker themes. This story is set during an era where the major nations are at war, and each side uses propaganda to control their own people. There will be a ten-minute break in the middle of the session. Players can request a five-minute break at any time. We will use the X and N card system to provide an easy way for players to halt play, change a scene or move on if part of the game makes them uncomfortable. It’s crucial to me that all players feel comfortable and have fun. Before the one-shot, I will send all players an anonymous form where they can share their topic exclusion and wish list.