Rules Overview
The Avatar TRPG is a rules-light role-playing game loosely based on the D20 system.
YOU HAVE 4 STATS:
Water is the element of change. Your water statistic should be added to rolls where your intent is to change a situation. Ex. persuasion; corralling animals
Earth is more stagnant, defensive. Use this stat when you are trying to be unyielding. Ex. holding a rope in place while someone else climbs it; keeping a door closed
Fire is the element most entwined with emotion. Use this stat for emotionally motivated action. Ex. performing a play; intimidation
Air is the element of freedom. Use this stat for avoidance. Air is also the most spiritual element, & can be used as a catch-all for spiritual matters. Ex. Talking your way out of being detained by a city guard; attempting to enter the Spirit World
Whenever your GM asks, you must roll 1d20 + the relevant modifier for your character to perform a specified action in the game.
Character Creation:
To determine your statistics, do the following:
Roll 4d6 and find the sum of the highest three values. Notarize that number. Do this a total of 4 times.
Subtract 10 from those numbers, then divide them by 2 rounding down.
Assign these numbers to an element as you see fit.
Choose whether or not your character is a bender. If so, add +2 to the appropriate element. If not, add +1 to any two stats of your choice.
If a PC has more than 1 negative stat, they may re-roll.
There are two more non-elemental stats, Armor Class & Hit Points.
Your AC is 10+[air]
Your HP is 65+10[earth]
Skills:
Your character should be better at some things than other things. Work with your GM to decide what these skills are. You have advantage on rolls your GM decides are within the confines of these skills. Generally, benders and chi-blockers should have 4 skills, and non-benders should have 5 or 6. These do not encompass combat training.
The following are some example skills:
Stealth
Intimidation
Bushwhacking
Seafaring
Smithing
Acting
Points:
You also have 20 skill points that are used for attacking, bending, & general badassery. Generally, if you want to do something cool, & the GM decides it should cost something, you are asked to spend an amount of points to do so. As a rule of thumb, if something cost points it should not be rolled for; it just happens. To get an idea of how much things should cost, refer to the combat section.
Combat:
Combat is essentially made of the same components of any other d20 system. First, players roll a d20+[water] to determine the initiative order. Each player’s turn in a round, they can move & perform an action. They also have 1 reaction per round as usual.
An action can be used to:
Attack: Trying to hit an enemy.
Do something cool: Something that costs points, like knocking a bunch of enemies prone with airbending.
Dash: Using your action to move.
Disengage: Your movement cannot invoke an opportunity attack.
Dodge: Avoiding attacks. Attacks made against you have disadvantage until your next turn.
Help: Grant another character advantage on a task.
Hide: Trying to be undetected. Roll 1d20+[air].
Ready: Wait for something to happen to take your action.
Search: Looking for something
Use an object: Do the thing!
A reaction could be:
Opportunity attack: Attacking an enemy as a reaction to them moving away from melee range.
Dodge: The dodge action can be taken as a reaction for 2 points.
Attacking:
If you choose to attack, you have two options:
Attack a single target for 2d10+2(your base modifier) damage
Attack up to 3 targets for 1d4 + your base mod damage each
Your Base Mod is determined by the "tool" you are using. For benders, this is usually their element. For non-benders, it's typically a weapon. For instance a hammer would be [earth], while a bow and arrow is [air]. If your tool is your hand(s) or your body, there are two methods: One, the GM determines the stat like any other role, based on context. Two, at character creation, you choose a catch-all stat that would be used anytime a bender would default to their element. Chi-blocking is an exception; one could easily argue for the case of any element in this regard, so it has its own statistic - energy , which is equal to 1+ that character's highest (elemental) stat.
You may also spend points to upgrade a die’s value. For one point, 1d4 can be exchanged for 1d6, or 1d6 could be exchanged for 1d8. A d8 or 1d10 could each be exchanged to 1d10 of 1d12, respectively, for two points apiece.
After your dice are sorted, you roll 1d20+[fire] against your target’s AC, if you roll that number or above, you hit.
Once you’ve hit your target, you may then roll your damage dice, & that number (+ your base mod) is subtracted from the target’s HP.