Hi, I'm GMing a campaign, and I've had some questions about moves during combat.

I guess the answer to the question in the title is "yes", but I'd like to hear your insights on the subject, because I may have misunderstood the logic of some of these rules:

The broader question is: what basic and balance moves are meant to be used during combat, and how and when can they be applied?

The "Commit" technique says "the next time you live up to that principle (...)", so I deduce you can do it during combat, but the only moment it makes sense is when resolving your approach/stance, which is the only moment when dice are thrown during combat. That makes sense, except that you haven't necessarily chosen what you want to do, and you might change plans depending on your result in a way that might not align with your chosen principle. How do you solve this?

Other moves, like "plead", "trick" or "deny a callout" are most likely not meant to be used in combat, as there are techniques which cover the same situations with clear outcomes, but I'm not sure if all the remaining moves fit in the same category, or if I should decide it according to the situation, and how to do it.

Also, when would you allow PCs to use moves again? After each combat round sounds the most obvious, but there might be other considerations.

Happy to read your insights!

I'm one short. I did a fire, an air, and a water, (all homebrewed) but I haven't hit earth yet.

Curious if anyone's done the whole cycle yet. I assume you unlock actual bending when you accomplish a full set of four.

I've never gotten to play this game yet (I'm mostly a forever GM, and it's so hard to get players to sign on to a new system), but having finally watched the Aang movie the other day, and Seven Havens coming out tomorrow, I've been thinking about this system a lot more lately. Been trying to think of some new bending styles to potentially help spark some inspiration for characters. I'd love to hear anything y'all have come up with. Here's what I have so far:

A water bending brawler that maintains a layer of water over their skin, primarily around their arms and shoulders so they can harden it into ice for armor plates or weapons on the fly, OR constantly heal themself so they can tank more damage and even overexert their body for stronger hits.

A water bending sailor who soaks ropes so they could tie off sails quickly and from a distance who has adapted it into a binding art. Could they just freeze people's limbs to bind them? Yes, but ice is breakable. Rope takes a minute to get out of.

An earth bender who specializes in moving the ground to reorient and disorient foes. The person charging at them just had their lead foot suddenly slide in front of their back foot so they trip over themself and fall. That attack that was heading towards their ally just rotated 90 degrees to hit another enemy.

An air bender who focuses on the precise oscillation of air molecules to create illusory sounds and sonic waves.

I've been playing Avatar Legends for years sporadically now with my friends and the PbtA framework still clashes very often with my decades of playing d20 and d10 games. Right now, I'm thinking about the fact that it's clicking on me that games of this genre don't expect you to create information for your PCs to later discover, but rather to make that information on the spot according to what drama dictates.

So for example, when I'm preparing content for a dnd session, I will make up a town and NPCs and give them secrets. I could decide ahead of time that the potion seller is an evil cultist and there will be clues. The PCs might stumble onto them, or not. They might discover the secret or not. But the guy is a cultist in disguise and that is part of how he will be taking actions.

Meanwhile, it seems like in PtbA games, you introduce a character and don't really bother to decide stuff like that ahead of time. If a PC interacts with them and the PC is an investigator looking for bad people, and they succeed on a roll maybe the most dramatically correct thing is for me to make the move of deciding this is a cultist (now and there) and the PC discovered him. Or maybe that gets revealed in a miss because it would be a good GM for a nice PC who has a trauma with cultists to be betrayed when they attempted to Guide and Comfort the old man but missed. Either way, the drama at the moment determines that.

Am I understanding this correctly?

Articles such as this seem to suggest this is how it works in PbtA games.

Hi everyone!

I have the idea to plan a one shot evening for my group of friends around Halloween this year.

I would like to make a spooky Who Dunnit, but I actually lack the GM experience a little.

How would you tackle planning this, and do you have cool ideas to implement into the game?

I tend toward a Roku / 100 Year War eras.

Maybe something along the lines of:

A great dinner at the Beifong mansion for the midautumn festival of the spiteful ghosts.

The players are unlikely guests with different (secret?) reasons to be here. When the host unexpectedly dies, only one in the room could have been the killer!

Thanks a lot in advance!

Hello, I'm a DM and I would love to incorporate some Minis as NPC, but I have no idea where to look or what to search for.

What sites are you using to get good Minis?

EDIT: I own a resin 3D Printer

Earth

Water

Fire

Air

Since long ago, the story of the Jade Tiger was told to every child in all four kingdoms. Every 12 years the Jade Tiger spirit leaves the spirit realm to run free across the human world. Wherever it went, anyone who saw it would be brought good fortune. All across the world, cities would hold lavish festivals to celebrate the year of the Jade Tiger’s return. But this year, the people of the Earth Kingdom and the Water tribes do not celebrate. The Jade Tiger has not returned. Just as the Avatar vanished 90 years ago, so too has the Jade Tiger abandoned humanity.

Balance has been lost.

Balance between the four nations, the four elements, the spirit realm and the human world. When balance is lost, chaos reigns. And it’s only when heroes step out of the crowd, that balance can be found in the disorder. Be those heroes. Rescue the Jade Tiger, and return good fortune to the people of the four nations.

Howdy!

I’m looking for a group of 3-4 players interested in building a story set in the world of Avatar the Last Airbender. The story will be set roughly 5 years before Avatar Aang was freed from his Iceberg. I am looking for people who enjoy building complex characters and putting them in complicated situations that require creative solutions to escape from. I’m looking to run a game that mixes light hearted adventures with drama filled action. If this sounds like something you’d enjoy I would love to have you join us!

This will be an Asynchronous PBP campaign, players and GM will be expected to post at least once a day. If you have any questions or comments about the campaign feel free to reach out! I will be closing the google form this Monday Sept 28th, and will reach out to people shortly after to begin the campaign! For application, please apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScCUphcj9r_sUixVoSspFaIl9qu_GPb03wGy1dAnZrJ866c-A/viewform

Both for myself and my friends, I’m trying to get better at envisioning the playbooks better, and I’d like some feedback on who you think would fit? I’ve got a few, and some others I need more help with.

The Bold - Sokka

The Guardian - Suki/Katara?

The Hammer - Toph

The Icon - Aang

The Idealist - Katara/Suki?

The Succesor - Zuko

The Adamant - Korra?

The Pillar - ???

The Prodigy - ???

The Rogue - Kai???

The Destined - ???

The Elder - Tenzin/Iroh?

The Foundling - ???

The Razor - Kuvira???

The Adrift - ???

The Aspirant - Asami???

The Outcast - ???

The Architect - ???

The Authority - ???

The Bound - ???

The Broken - ???

Hello! This will be my first time playing, and I don't want to slow things down for people. I chose Razor because the story possibilities, but need some help making sure I know everything that it's doing. Would anyone mind giving me a kind of simple explanation of its abilities and the connection/control and all that, please?

Hey folks, I am new to GMing Avatar Legends. We are loving the game and having a great time exploring it and Ba Sing Se currently.

This game is Friday Nights 5pm est. weekly and it is paid, but only $10 a head.

I have room for up to 2 players if anyone is interested, let me know.

You can reach me here, or Discord is a great place to connect.

Username: theadventurenexus

Age of Archons

Era: Aang’s Era (The Post-War Reconstruction)

Location: Ba Sing Se, The Impenetrable City

The Great War is over. The Fire Nation’s airships no longer darken the skies, and the Earth Kingdom has begun the long, painful process of healing. But in the shadows of the city, a new kind of darkness is taking root—one that cannot be fought with a simple stone or a blast of fire.

As the world looks toward Avatar Aang to maintain an impossible peace, the city of Ba Sing Se has become a pressure cooker of competing interests. A radical new movement, the Elemental Vanguard, preaches that benders are the true heirs of the world, treating the non-bending "Silt" of the city with increasing cruelty.

You are a group of young heroes—some born of tradition, others cast out by it—tasked with a duty the Avatar cannot fulfill alone. Aang must remain the symbol of global unity, but he cannot be everywhere. He needs guardians on the ground who are objective, unbiased, and morally unshakeable.

Can you rise to the Challenge?

Can you maintain your principles when the "right" choice is buried beneath layers of political intrigue and ancient spiritual dread? Or will the siphoning hollow claim your spirit as well?

All Materials Provided Roll20 Discord Voice and Hosting: theadventurenexus Connect with me there for details after joining.

What the Critics Are Saying:

"Avatar Legends perfectly captures the heart of the series, shifting the focus from 'how hard you punch' to 'why you punch'—it’s a masterclass in character-driven storytelling." > — Polygon

"The balance system is a revelation. It transforms the internal struggle of being a hero into a living, breathing mechanic that makes every conversation as dangerous as a firebending duel." > — The Daily RPG

"A gorgeous, respectful expansion of the Avatarverse that provides the tools to tell stories just as meaningful as the original shows." > — Critical Role’s Review Corner

Has anyone got any experience applying this sustem to other IP? I think it would work amazingly for Cobra Kai as it supports teen drama and crunchy martial arts fights. I would be super keen to run a cobra kai version of it, so I'm wondering if anyone has any experience doing anything similar.

I’m struggling to understand combat a bit, the stuff for the players mostly makes sense to me but from the examples in the books it seems like NOCs just instantly hit? Not sure what I’m missing but that seems really unfair

Hello everyone, my friends and I finally took the idea out the drafts and started our actual-play podcast! It takes play in the Korra era and follows four players as they untangle the mystery of what's happening to Republic City's missing turtle ducks. It's more of a light-hearted and unserious comedy podcast, but it fits our group dynamic well.

Our characters:

- KOSHI: a non-bender turned pro-Airbender trying to make a name for herself

- DAE QUILL: an ex-politician amending for his past mistakes

- LEYA AURUM: a goldbending blacksmith who fights for justice

- KARNA VAHL: a naive teen who wants to explore the world and his hidden past

Our first three episodes are out, and we would greatly appreciate a listen and/or feedback about the campaign! Episode 1 was a rough start, but we got the hang of it by the second episode.

You can find us on most platforms, but I will attach our Linktree. Thank you so much, and we hope to continue keeping this amazing game alive!

https://linktr.ee/howlowcanyouroll

https://media.rss.com/how-low-can-you-roll/feed.xml

Hello, does anyone know what happened to Magpie's Curated Play Program? It was where they used to have their own GMs and you could pay to play in short or long campaigns. I really enjoyed it when I played and found it really helped me learn the mechanics. I got busy and had to stop playing for awhile but when I came back to the site, that section seems to be gone. I was just wondering if anyone knew what was up. Thanks in advance.

I’m finally trying out some content from the Republic City source book and thought it would be cool to make some Exchange cards specifically for the driver in a race or chase, so just want to show them off a little here.

*Trigger warning* I did use some AI to artify pictures of the toy cars I’m using for tacking positioning in the race. The rest I made in Affinity Designer and Publisher.

Although not perfect, I think they turned out okay. Hope the race mechanics go over well with the group!

I ran a one-shot recently, based on the Movers and Shakers booklet.

Toward the end, there was a combat exchange on top of a moving vehicle, with one NPC using three techniques against two PCs. All told, a handful of fatigue was burned by both sides, and the NPC forced one PC to disengage, which could be read as pushing them away. I didn't push them off the van.

Then another PC, in the enclosed passenger seat of the van wanted to attack the NPC, specifically to get her off the van. I decided that a combat exchange wouldn't make sense, because he wasn't mobile or very reachable and I thought it might result in some odd rules collisions. So I told him to use Rely on Skills and Training. He heaved some earth at her to knock her off the van, and rolled really well, so he succeeded.

The NPC was an Earthbender, so I had her catch herself with the ground and bounce her on top of a pursuing vehicle.

In this case, I think a clear takeaway for these players would be that just stating a clear goal and Relying on Skills and Training has a better chance of accomplishing a major effort than a combat exchange.

Now, I know combat exchanges are a major criticism of the game. This one exchange seemed to go well, without moving right into another "round." The NPC stated their goals, threatened a bit and then, honestly, yeah, was probably going to engage again with PCs on the roof. But the one in the cab intervened.

And I know I could have had the NPC weather the attack. Burning a fatigue or taking a condition or status to negate the attack seems fair... in an exchange. It seems less fair on a clean Rely on Skills and Training hit. I could have had the NPC be Impaired, dangling from the side of the truck.

Everyone seemed to have fun, but I'm still struggling a lot with this game.

I ran an Avatar oneshot for the first time yesterday and I think I got most things right and the players really enjoyed it, but as a forever DnD DM, I'm struggling. I know you roll a lot less in Avatar than you do in DnD and that makes sense, but I can't get behind the fact that the DC is always 7. One of my players, non bender and weapons master, tried to pick the lock on his handcuffs. I made him roll (Rely on your skills and training) and he rolled a seven, he succeeded, I'm happy. Next roll is the firebender trying to pull off the flying move that less than 10 people in canon can do and I went roll for it (Rely on your skills and training) and he rolled a 7. I didn't want him to succeed with a seven because what do you mean a random fire nation soldier can now just do that move, which Ozai needed the Comet for. I said something like, "You get off the ground, but the fire beneath you is flickering, you have about 7 seconds in the air, what do you do with it?"

How do the rest of you deal with things like this? I'm one of those Dnd DM's that will never say no but I will make the DC 25+. I'm still figuring out the system, but this one thing is really bothering me.

TLDR: Success roll always being 7+ is confusing to me, because I feel like it makes some things too easy.

Edit/context: I probably should have included more context about my table. I'm a first-time Avatar Legends GM but a longtime D&D DM, and all of my players were completely new to the system. They're also very enthusiastic about attempting increasingly ridiculous things, so part of my concern wasn't just "how do I represent difficulty mechanically?" but "how do I communicate to my players that some things are dramatically harder than others without constantly having to tell them no?"

During the session I eventually started treating 12+ as "exceptionally difficult" and the players immediately understood what I was communicating. I realize this isn't RAW, but it gave me a way to preserve the fiction without constantly arguing about whether their characters could do something.

Hi all,

I’ve built a lion turtle inspired city for my legends game set at the very beginning of the Roku Era. When the players arrive the city will be celebrating their annual festival of the lion turtle, where the community celebrates bending (primarily earth bending since it’s in the Earth Kingdom).

I’m thinking there will be bending displays, cultural exchange and that Tiq will be there representing non-benders/technologists. This way they have a chance to learn moves/reconnect with masters to try again. But otherwise I’m kinda stumped. Does anyone have any suggestions/ideas for running this for my players?

I still need to create a council etc. but the players are currently escaping the Dai Li, who have just released flyers for their arrest/warrant posters. So while they don’t know it, bounty hunters are hot on their trail.

Thanks!! ☺️

Okay, I’m still fairly new to the TTRPG scene and don’t totally know what I’m doing, and this summer has been crazy with moving and college so I totally missed the kickstarter campaign. I would’ve totally bought dragon tier too. 😭 My question is if the rewards like the scrolls and coin set and world map are gonna be available for purchase with magpie or beadle and Grimm? Are they just for the people who got to pledge, or will they be released to the public in the future? I don’t really know how this stuff works.

I’m starting a campaign in this system for the first time. I have a habit when running games based on existing works: I prefer not to focus on the original main characters, choosing instead to reinvent the cast and certain story events while still respecting the world's rules. I’d like to give one of my players the chance to BE the Avatar to create an interesting impact on the story. Has anyone done this before? From what I’ve researched, creating a player-character Avatar is generally discouraged, but I’d still like to take the risk. If there aren't official guidelines in the manual, do you have any ideas on how I could handle it?

Another really interesting point is that I want to build this world from scratch, starting from the "Wan" era (though it won't be Wan's era, since one of the players will be the Avatar), to create a more customized world-building experience that feels personal to the players. Have you ever done this? If not, do you have any ideas on how I could go about it?