Avatar - The Last FATE Bender - Condensed - Revised

Avatar: The Last FATE Bender
A Fate Condensed Setting
Art used without permission from official sources. Render made by Hanksss on Deviantart
Introduction 5
Revised Introduction 7
Character Creation 8
Bender Extra 8
Avatar Extra 10
Create Your High Concept and Trouble Aspect 11
Your Three Other Aspects 11
Assign Your Skills 13
Create your Stunts and Megastunts 14
Stress and Consequences 14
Sample Character: Avatar Korra 15
Game Creation 20
Technology 20
Rules for Technology 20
Using Equipment 21
Using Vehicles 21
List of Example Equipment 22
Electrified Glove 22
List of Example Vehicles 23
Airship 23
Dragon 24
Mechasuit 25
Mecha Tank 26
Polarbeardog 27
Satomobile 28
Sky Bison 29
Adversaries 30
Nameless NPCs 30
Supporting NPCs 32
Main NPCs 33
Exceptional NCPs 33
Advancement 34
Milestones 34
Breakthroughs 34
Some General Rules From Michael Dante DiMartino 35
Setting 38
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The Ancient Times 39
The First Avatar 40
The Warring Times 42
The Unknown Avatars 44
The Bureaucratic Age of Avatar Szeto 45
Status 46
The Peaceful Era of Yangchen 47
The Dark Shadow of Avatar Kuruk 49
Soul Taint 50
The False Avatar 51
Avatar Kyoshi's Age of Daofei 54
The Tragedy of Roku 56
The 100 Year War 58
Return Of The Avatar 63
The Harmony Restoration Movement 65
The Equalist Revolution 69
The Return Of The Spirits 72
The Missing Avatar 74
The Future 78
The Legend Of Genji 79
The United Republic Civil War 80
The Great War 82
The Space Race 84
The Great Moon Tribe War 86
Example Bencha 88
Star Bending 89
Example Starfighter 90
Example Starship 92
Example Beam Staff 93
Brave New World 94
Alternate Timelines 96
Aang: The Airbending Avatar 97
Avatar Alone 100
The Rule Of The Phoenix Queen 102
When The Water Confederation Attacked 107
Equality For All 110
10,000 Years Of Darkness 114
The Dark Avatar Cycle 117
Rise Of The Red Lotus 120
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Reign Of The Earth Empire 123
In-Depth Setting Analysis 127
Return of the Avatar Era 127
The Fire Nation 128
Earth Kingdom 130
Water Tribes 132
Air Nation 134
Adversaries 135
Fire Nation 135
Earth Kingdom 149
Water Tribes 156
Air Nation 164
Technology 172
Fire Nation 172
Earth Kingdom 176
Water Tribes 177
Air Nation 179
The Eras of Korra 181
The United Republic Of Nations 182
The Water Tribes 184
The Earth Kingdom 185
The Air Nation 187
Fire Nation 188
Pro-Bending 189
What Is Pro-Bending? 189
How To Play Pro-Bending? 190
Why Use Pro-Bending In Your Games? 191
Adversaries 192
Return of the Spirits (Book Two: Spirits) 205
Return of the Spirits (Book Three: Change) 219
Technology 246
Return of the Spirits 251
Outro 255
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Introduction
Avatar: The Last Airbender first aired on Nickelodeon in February of 2005. Which is kind of
crazy to think about, honestly. I am 26 at the time of this writing in 2019. This happened fourteen
years ago. I was 12 when I was first introduced to the sprawling fantasy world of Avatar and now
the world is older than I was at that time.
The series lasted three seasons and spawned an underappreciated sequel series. Numerous
comics and novels have kept the world alive long since the original series ended in 2008. Which
makes this one of the few series with an expanded universe where I’ve actually read, watched, or
played 99% of the content. Which is kind of cool, really.
Avatar is an expansive universe with tight rules and deep lore. I’ve always loved asian-inspired
fantasy. It’s probably because I was weeb trash when I was a kid. But there is something to
eastern fantasy that is unique and intriguing. The nature of spirits as neutral, instead of divided
into good and evil. The lack of a cosmological, benevolent, guiding force with sapience and a
plan. And the nature of magic as part of the world and coming from the cultivation of mind and
body.
Plus, the aesthetics are really cool.
And Avatar really takes those elements and makes them its own. The world has a few strict rules
it follows: only the Avatar can bend more than one element, bending is somewhat genetic, etc.
Where some writers might find this constricting, Avatar uses their rules to drive the drama of the
action. The characters can only do so much, despite the existence of magic, and it forces them to
creatively solve their problems. Even with the power of the Avatar state, characters feel really
human and cannot brute force or handwave their problems.
I’ve run a few games set in this world. The first one was set 50 years into the 100 year war. We
set it in Yu Dao and used the Legend of the Elements system by Max Hervieux of The Logbook
Project. I love Powered By The Apocalypse (PbtA) as a game engine and the game went
wonderfully. I ran a short game using Avatar: The Second Age set in between the events of
Season 3 and Season 4 with the same group. But we moved back to the Legend of the Elements
due to player preference. And we are still running that one at the time of this writing.
It’s all been fun, but I’ve personally grown tired of Legend of the Elements. PbtA in general has
grown tiresome to me as it can be a little restrictive on the game master. Moves are a great way
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of driving the narrative and custom moves are a thing, but it can feel like trying to fit a round peg
in a square hole.
That’s why I’m creating this document. Fate Core by Fred Hicks of Evil Hat Productions is a
classic stand-by in the industry for a reason. It is light, flexible, has tons of support, and is tailor
made for Pulp games. There are many generic systems, but this has always been my preferred
choice for the above reasons.
During production of this document, Fate Condensed was released. Condensed was an updated
version of Fate Core that fixed issues identified over the years. The document was updated to
Fate Condensed. An attempt was made to catch every mistake but no guarantees can be made
that small errors did not slip by.
I’m hardly the first to take the task of translating this setting to Fate, but I hope you will find this
to be a satisfactory addition to the list of hacks. I always follow a set of simple rules when I hack
a game:
1. Do not make something new if something in the core rules handles it already
2. Simplicity is key
3. Explain everything in detail, never assume the reader can read your mind
4. Always credit sources of the art you use
Following these rules, I’ve identified a rather simple way of handing Avatar in Fate Condensed.
We are not going to use the “Bending Skill” for example. A Bending Skill, even if it is typed by
element, would become overused as the default option for any bending player. Skills in general
are going to be thrown out as they are too rigid for the fluidity of the series.
Instead, the hack will use Approaches. These will focus less on what the character knows and
more on what the character does with what they know. This is more accurate to the feel of the
show. While it is true characters have different levels of mastery, the narrative doesn’t get too
granular about it. It’s not an RPG where characters train and level-up. Their successes come from
overcoming emotional trials and achieving personal development. Like how Zuko only achieved
the inner peace necessary to redirect lightning when he finally gave up his desire to please his
abusive father.
Bending itself will be handled as an Extra. As Bending gives a lot of narrative lee-way, it will be
an extra purchased with Refresh and reflected in your aspects. Specialty bending subsets like
Lightning Bending and Metal Bending are purchased through additional Refresh and reflected in
stunts and mega-stunts. Even the Avatar works the same way. However, its Refresh cost is much
higher, as you may expect.
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Bending and the Avatar is, of course, the biggest hurdle in an Avatar hack, but hardly the main
focus. Which we will discuss in the appropriate sections. But, since it is on everyone’s mind, I
thought I would discuss it here in the introduction.
The last thing to mention is that I do not plan to reiterate parts of the system already described in
the main book. Instead, I’ll directly reference the Fate SRD website through a hyperlink as well
as a page reference in the actual book.
Without further ado, let’s begin
Revised Introduction
Last year, I released Avatar: The Last FATE Bender. At the time, I didn’t have the time to
playtest the game. I released the document to get feedback. The game was untested and had
issues. Since then, I’ve actually ran a short campaign and noticed some issues.
Approaches are simply not something I enjoy as a Game Master and my players had issues with
them as well. They were just too nebulous and it was hard to get players to try things out of their
comfort zone due to them. Players just kept using the same ones for each action and it got boring
for all parties involved. As such, I am replacing Approaches with Skills in revised edition.
Bending as Stunts has its own problems. It was hard to nail down any stunt that felt right. The
system in base edition was just unfun, for that matter. Bending just never felt right in the playtest.
For revised edition, I am keeping Bending as an extra but adding the Bending skill. Bending will
function as follows:
● Buy the Extra
● Get the Bending Skill
● Assign the type of Bending i.e. Airbending, Earthbending, Firebending, or Waterbending
● Take stunts to further define your bending style
The above system should both allow for further customization while keeping the system
balanced with non-benders.
The character level was a mess. I tried to base it off Atomic Robo’s similar concept, but it got out
of hand. It was one of those “cool on paper, restricting and unfun in play” concepts. It restricted
the GM too much and served as a poor pacing mechanic. It will be removed. In its place, I am
simply giving everyone three extra stunts and, if they don’t use them all, they get extra Refresh.
Hopefully with these changes the game will run better in play.
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Character Creation
Character creation is based around the standard Fate Core method, (Fate Core, Page 29) but
slightly altered to fit the setting. That’s to be expected, no doubt, for long time users of the
system.
Some aspects have been removed and others have been clarified. Here are the steps involved to
make a character for Avatar: The Last FATE Bender:
1. Decide if you are taking the Bender or Avtar Extra
a. If so, if you will also take subsets
2. Create your High Concept Aspect
a. If you took an extra that requires permission from your High Concept Aspect,
please do so now.
3. Create your Trouble Aspect
4. Create your Origin Aspect
5. Create your Trauma Aspect
6. Create your Relationship Aspect
7. Assign your Skills
8. Create your Stunts and MegaStunts
9. Decide your Stress & Consequences
Bender Extra
The Bender Extra is rather straightforward. It covers only one type of macro Bending. Either
Earth, Fire, Air, or Water Bending, respectively. It gives the character the right to bend one of
those elements, but not a subset of those elements. An Earthbender can bend Earth, but not Metal
or Lava. This also allows them to take Stunts and Megastunts related to Bending.
The Bending Extra is as follows:
Extra: Bender Extra

Cost: 1 Benefit; High Concept must reflect status as Bender
You may take the Bending Skill. Pick one of the four Elements: Earth, Fire, Air, or Water.
You may use Bending only with your chosen Element. Rename Bending to reflect this
choice. You may also take Stunts and Megastunts related to bending your chosen
Element.
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If you would like to take a Bending subset, you must take one of the following stunts. Each one
costs Refresh to obtain.
Blood Bending (2-3 Benefit): If you’re a Waterbender, you can bend the blood in
someone’s body during a full moon using Waterbending. You can spend a Fate point to
make it the full moon or add 1 benefit to bloodbend without the need of the full moon.
When you bend blood, you get +2 to create a Blood Puppet aspect on a target. You can
invoke a Blood Puppet aspect to take an action on the bound person’s turn using their
character sheet.
Combustion Bending (2 Benefits): If you’re a Firebender, you can bend the fire inside
yourself and expel it as a combustible force from your third eye chakra using
Firebending. When you attack with combustion bending, the attack has a Weapon Rating:
2, can attack an adjacent Zone, and affects everyone in the target Zone.
Flight (1 Benefit): If you’re an Airbender, if you take a Relationship Aspect related to

being untethered by earthly desires, you may Fly unassisted using Airbending.
Lava Bending (1 Benefit): If you’re an Earthbender, you may turn Earth to Lava when
you use Earthbending When you do so when attacking, your Attack creates a Burned
advantage with a Free Invoke, even on a Boost.
Lighting Generation (2 Benefits): If you’re a Firebender, you may Attack with lighting
using Firebending. When you do, your Attack has Weapon Rating:4 or Weapon:6, but at a
cost.
Lighting Redirection (1 Benefit): If you’re a Firebender, you have Armor Rating:2

when you defend against Lighting Bending. You may spend a Fate point on a successful
defend against Lightning Generation to deal the shifts from your defend roll +2 to your
opposition's physical stress.
Metalbending (2 Benefits): If you’re an Earthbender, you may bend Metal with

Earthbending. You have a +1 to create advantages with metalbending and Armor:1
against physical stress when you have access to Metal. You get a +2 when you attempt to
create a Bound advantage with Metal Bending.
Psychic Bending (1 Benefit): If you’re a bender, you may bend your element without
needing to enact any physical movement. As such, no restraints can stop you from
bending. You must take this again to apply to its sub-element.
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Avatar Extra
The Avatar Extra is unique in that only one player in a game may take it in a game. The Avatar
extra then presents a unique problem: who gets to be the Avatar. The Avatar comes with a lot of
Protagonist power. The Avatar is often the main character in the source material. As such,
deciding who will be the Avatar should require group discussion.
I propose two solutions:

1) One player gets to be the Avatar, but this requires everyone’s consent and with the
understanding the spotlight will be shared equally among the players.
2) The Avatar is made collectively by the group and rotated from player-to-player with each
session. With the player’s main character fading into the background during a session
where that player is playing the Avatar.
The former can work with the right group. Even in Avatar, the side characters get a lot of
development and screentime. Some side characters, like Toph Beifong and Zuko, turn out more
popular than the rest of the cast. But some players may not like playing in a game where
someone is the protagonist, especially if that player can not treat the role with respect for the
other players.
The later works better in other groups. If everyone gets to be the Avatar in one session, then it
feels like like that player is missing out or secondary. The player knows that they will eventually
get to be in the driver’s seat and get to do the cool things only the Avatar can do. That said, it
comes with the risk of a player getting screwed by getting the Avatar in a quiet or
underwhelming session. If that happens, maybe the player can get it twice in a row.
Also, it may make it easier for the group to forsake their own characters and put the spotlight too
firmly on the Avatar.
What I will say is that the Avatar is not required for the game, after all.
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Extra: Avatar
Cost: 3 Benefit; Your High Concept Aspect must reflect your status as the Avatar
Pick one of the elements to be your starter element: either Earth, Fire, Air, or Water. You
can bend all four elements, but cannot do so at the start. . You can only bend your starter
element at the start. You take a Bending skill for your initial element, like any other
Bender. As a Breakthrough, you can unlock access to another element. You get +1 to
create advantages with any element you can bend. Once per session, you can enter the
Avatar State until the end of the Conflict. In the Avatar State, you get access to all four
elements using your highest Bending skill and get a +2 to use any of the four actions with
the elements. Your actions in the Avatar state either inflict a type of collateral damage
aspect on the surrounding environment or you are left Fatigued until you Refresh,
decided by the player when they enter the Avatar state.
In some games, with the Game Master’s approval, the Avatar can start with more, or even less,
elements unlocked. After all, Korra had already unlocked three of the four elements by the start
of season 1. But, she couldn’t access the Avatar state. That could serve as the trade-off, if the
Game Master felt it was an appropriate trade off.
Create Your High Concept and Trouble Aspect

Please see Your Character Idea (Fate Core page 31) for rules on making a High Concept and
Trouble Aspect.
Your Three Other Aspects

Avatar: The Last FATE Bender throws out the rules for The Phase Trio. Instead, it uses that real
estate for other goals. It also generally makes it easier to make characters if the group can’t do a
session zero.
Your Origin Aspect summarizes what your life was like before you joined the group. You could
have been A Street Urchin Looking Out For His Younger Brother, if you were Mako from
Legend of Korra or Noblewomen Treated Like Porcelain, if you were Toph. The idea is to
summarize the main factors in what your life was like when you were on your own. It is meant to
give a broad idea and broad implications. You will call on this when you want something from
your past life to be relevant. Like Mako knowing Triad contacts or Toph knowing Earth
Kingdom ettique, both of which came up in the series.
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Your Trauma Aspect summarizes the baggage your character carries with them as they
adventure. This works like another trouble aspect, but is less commonly drawn on. Trauma is
ever present, but is deeper down. You are more likely to see the symptoms than the Trauma
itself. Kataara Lost Her Mother To The Fire Nation whereas Zuko Was Scarred And Banished
By His Father. These Traumas would stand in contrast to their Trouble Aspects, which show
symptoms of their Trauma. Zuko’s trouble, for example, is Hotheaded and Rash. That comes
from his desire to redeem himself, but isn’t its own cause.
Trauma Aspects work to give compels and guide the Game Master on what internal development
the character needs to overcome. As a Breakthrough, the character can remove their Trauma
Aspect category all together and replace it with an Actualization Aspect. An Actualization
Aspect represents what the character learned from their Trauma and how they overcame it. Such
as Katara Realizing She Is Better Than Revenge when she decides to spare her mother’s killer.
Actualization Aspects are more for the endgame and have a positive effect.
Relationship Aspects tie you to someone in the group. This part should not be made during
character creation itself. I would actually suggest waiting until the end of the first session to fill
in the Relationship Aspect. This aspect represents some kind of significant relationship between
two player characters. Such as Aang’s Crush on Katara or Korra Is Like A Daughter To Me for
Tenzin. These help group cohesion, drive drama, and usually have that nice edge of invoke and
compel. These are the most likely to change in a milestone.
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Assign Your Skills
Avatar: The Last FATE Bender uses Skills. By default, players have access to the main Skill List.
However, by taking the Bender extra (see Bender Extra) or Avatar Extra (see Avatar Extra), they
may also use the Bender skill. The Bender skill is included here, but marked with an asterisk to
denote its restricted status.
Name Attack Create An Defend Overcome

Advantage
Athletics X X X
Bending* X X X X
Combat X X X X
Crafts X X
Deceive X X X
Empathy X X X
Investigate X X
Lore X X
Notice X X X
Physique** X X X
Provoke X X X
Rapport X X X
Resources X X
Ride*** X X X
Strategy X X
Stealth X X X
Will** X X X
*Requires Extra; Bending is actually four Skills (Airbending, Earthbending, Firebending,
Waterbending), you define which skill is taken when you choose the Skill
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**If Average (+1) or Fair (+2), add 1 Stress Box. If Good (+3) or Great (+4), add 3 Stress Boxes.
If Superb (+5) or more, do as before but also add a Moderate Consequence that can only be used
for Physical Stress (Physique) or Mental Stress (Will)
***When in a Vehicle, Ride has access to all Four Actions.
Notes from Fate Condensed:
● Academics and Lore are merged into Lore
● Contacts and Resources are merged into Resources
● Drive renamed to Ride
● Fight and Shoot are merged into Combat
● Burglary renamed to Strategy
Avatar:The Last FATE Bender uses the Skill Pyramid. The Skill Pyramid requires here to be
enough skills “below” an “above” skill to “support” it. While that abstraction may be hard to
visualize, a default FATE character sheet helps as it will essentially create a pyramid. To help
explain the concept, you can only have a skill at a certain rating if there is an equal number or
more skills at a lower level.
The default pyramid is:
● One Great (+4) Skill
● Two Good (+3) Skills
● Three Fair (+2) Skills
● Four Average (+1) Skills
● All other skills are Mediocre (+0)
Create your Stunts and Megastunts

These follow the normal rules for stunts and megastunts, as outlined in the Fate SRD. Every
character starts with six stunts, before buying Extras and Stunts. After those six are spent, you
must spend Refresh to add Stunts or Extra. You start with 3 Refresh and must have a minimum
of 1. You can choose not to assign all your stunts. The unused stunts increase your Refresh above
3 on a one-to-one basis. You can choose at any time to spend those unused stunts. Some players
who prefer to define their characters in play may even wait to assign their stunts until the first
session, for example.
Stress and Consequences

These work as one would expect from the base rules. The main changes involve the loss of Skills
and a slight boost to the number you start with. Players start with a 6 1-Stress Boxes for both
their Physical and Mental Stress Track. They also start with a Minor, Moderate, and Severe
Consequence. Players can take a stunt to add 3 1-Stress boxes to a Stress Track and an additional
stunt to add an additional Moderate Consequence, but must decide if it is used only for Physical
or Mental consequences.
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Sample Character: Avatar Korra
For this sample character creation, we will be attempting to make Korra as she appears in the
first season of The Legend of Korra.
Korra is the Avatar so she takes the Avatar extra to start. This comes as the cost of 3 Refresh
from the start. This leaves her with 3 Refresh overall for later. Now, Korra is different from
Aang. She excelled at the physical side of Bending, but failed at the spiritual side in her early
years. She knew how to use three of the four elements, but could not use Air or the Avatar state.
This made her the opposite of Aang when he started his journey.
As the default rules for the Avatar Extra are for Aang, we would have to ask the Game Master
for approval to change things. For the sake of this process, we will assume we get that approval.
Korra will have access to Water, Earth, and Fire bending from the start, with Water being her
starter element. But, she cannot enter the Avatar state and will need to unlock it as a Major
Milestone.
Moving on, we can start working on her aspects.
Her High Concept Aspect is easy: I’m The Avatar And You Got To Deal With It! Short, simple,
to the point, and says a lot about who she is.
Now, let's move on to her origin. Korra was raised in a White Lotus compound. She was allowed
to go out on supervised departures, but she never left the Southern Water Tribe. This left her a bit
stunted in her social development. It’s not that she didn’t know people, for the most part, but she
didn’t know the world nor was she prepared for how it would react to her. That’s why her Origin
Aspect should be Raised In Seclusion. Classic hero’s journey, really.
Next, we need to discuss a Trauma Aspect. One might think Korra lacked Trauma before
entering Republic City, but that isn’t true. Trauma is broad reaching and here it covers her lack of
individual identity. Korra was discovered as the Avatar at an exceptionally young age. By
comparison, the Airbenders didn’t tell Aang until he was 10 years old and planned on keeping it
a secret until he was around 16 years old. They wanted Aang to develop outside the identity of
the Avatar, Korra didn’t. As such, her Trauma is What Am I Without My Bending?
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The first season actually tackles that pretty well and it continues to be an issue through Korra.
She constantly tries to find her identity outside of being “the Avatar” and only really reaches an
answer at the end of the series.
Now, we are onto Relationship Aspects. Now, this is something we wouldn’t touch until the end
of the first session. But, let’s say it happened and it mirrored the release of the first two episodes
of Korra, which were originally released as an hour long special. In it, Korra gets a crush on
Mako. Bolin gets a crush on Korra. You get the picture. Honestly, kind of glad this got fridged
and Korrasami became a thing. Though, Korra and Bolin was cute, but best as friends. As such,
she would have Feelings For Mako.
The Trouble Aspect is easy here. Let’s be honest. She is rash, hotheaded, and jumps into things
without thinking. She joined Tarlok’s task force because he got the press to ambush her and call
her a coward. She called out Amon to a one-on-one fight without any backup because she was
trying to prove she wasn’t scared of him to herself. She is Brash, Hotheaded, and Rash. And
this will get her into a lot of trouble. Hell, all of those scenes are great examples of compels.
Assigning Skills for a pre-established character is admittedly difficult. You will probably find it
easier with your original characters, as you aren’t working backwards from a medium that
doesn’t keep track of such things so rigidly.
That said, Firebending is easily the highest of Korra’s skills. She is most attuned with that
element and, given her fight first nature, she often falls back on its aid. That would make
Firebending her Great (+4) Skill.
Moving to her Good (+3) Skills, Physique was an easy choice. Korra is body modeled after an
actual bodybuilder. Her muscular nature is a major part of her design and reinforces her tendency
to default to violence. Speaking of violent nature, violence is not just physical, but also
emotional. Korra is quick to try to intimidate others, either due to overconfidence or as a defense
mechanism when she feels threatened. Provoke then follows as her other Good (+3) Skill.
Fair (+2) Skills require less Proficiency. Let’s look at her Pro-Bending days. As a result of being
a Pro-Bender she had to train her Waterbending and Athleticism to compete. They don’t need to
be amazing, but she did make it to the finals. Those would work for her Fair (+2) skills.
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Average (+1) Skills are literally just things the character can reasonably try. They’re not even
that good at it, but they’re not bad. As the Avatar, Korra has a few people and resources she can
count on so she should have Resources. She knows Earthbending, but isn’t amazing. She does
seem to understand people, even if she can be thick headed, and shows a capacity for
empathizing with others so Empathy should be assigned. She did infiltrate the Equalists in
disguise so she isn’t completely terrible at Stealth. These would all fit for her Average (+1)
Skills.
Now, we consider stunts. Stunts can cover a wide range of actions, and can easily represent gear
and sidekicks. Speaking of sidekicks, like Aang, Korra has an animal guide, Naga. Naga is a
polar bear dog. She is strong, fast, and great for overland travel. She should be a stunt.
Naga, Korra’s Polar Bear Dog
This is an interesting stunt. Korra is essentially keeping Naga around as equipment. Whenever
Korra needs Naga, she can appear to help her. Normally, you would need to stat out your
equipment using the Equipment rules. However, Naga is a polar bear dog, which is one of our
example vehicles from page 252. A polarbeardog unmodified is worth 4 benefits. She is listed as
a stunt so that Korra can always claim she's available to help. She is her animal guide, after all.
We have two more stunts to go. Korra is noted as a natural prodigy with the physical aspects of
bending. This is shown in her clear combat prowess. To represent that in the game, she should
have a stunt to reflect it.
Fiery Nature: Because I’m The Avatar And You Got To Deal With It, I get a +1 when I
attack with my Firebending.
Why a +1 and not a more traditional +2? Because it is a common action. If we gave it a +2, it
would be too powerful because she would use it all the time. As such, we downgraded it to a +1.
As Fate is a low numbers game, this is still a good utility.
I’d also take this chance to see we clarified the Skill. Whenever you make a stunt that applies a
numerical bonus, it can only apply to a specific Skill and a specific action. Firebending fit since
that’s her go-to bending style and Attack fits her tendency to lash out in violence.
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We still got one more to go. There are a few options. But we should consider narrative weight.
Yes, Korra can heal with Waterbending. But she did that once. It’s an ability, but not important.
We could give her something to represent how others see her as the Avatar, but it doesn’t give
her that much in Republic City and her Aspect covers that. Instead, we should focus on her
personality. She might be rash, but she is brave and faces her problems head on.
I’m Not Afraid of Anything: Because I am Brash, Hotheaded, and Rash, I may use
Provoke to Defend against Intimidation.
Now, we move on to the Stress and Consequences. Korra has both Physique and Will above
Mediocre (+0). As such, she adjusts her Stress Tracks appropriately. Her Physique is at Good
(+3). At that ranking, she adds 3 Stress Boxes to her Physical Stress Track. Her Will is Fair (+2).
At that ranking, she adds 1 Stress Box to her Mental Stress Track.
And, with that, Korra is done. Let’s take a look.
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Art used without permission from official sources. Render made by unknown.
Avatar Korra
High Concept: I'm The Avatar And You
Got To Deal With It!
Origin: Raised In Seclusion
Trauma: What Am I Without My
Bending?
Relationship: Feelings For Mako
Trouble: Brash, Hotheaded, and Rash
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

Mental Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1]
Consequences: Mild, Moderate, Severe
Refresh: 3
Extras:
Avatar (3 Benefits)
Your starter element is Water. You can
bend Water, Earth, and Fire. You can
unlock Air as a Breakthrough. You have +1 to create an advantage with any elements you can
bend. You can unlock the Avatar State as a Breakthrough.
Great (+4) Firebending
Good (+3) Physique Provoke
Fair (+2) Athletics Waterbending Will
Average (+1) Contacts Earthbending Empathy Stealth
Stunts:
Fiery Nature: Because I’m The Avatar And You Got To Deal With It, I get a +1 when I Attack
with my Firebending.
I’m Not Afraid of Anything: Because I am Brash, Hotheaded, and Rash, I may use Provoke to
Defend against Intimidation.
Naga, Korra’s Polar Bear Dog (4 Benefits)
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Game Creation
Now that Character Creation is out of the way, we can discuss the Game Master’s side of things
when it comes to Game Creation.
We will start with the rules then move into the setting. The setting chapters will give a broad
overview of all the game master rules before going in depth with two of the eras of the setting.
During the in-depth look of the two main eras of the settings -- Avatar: The Last Airbender and
Legend of Korra --, time will be spent going over the Adversaries and Technology of the eras.
Technology
The original Avatar franchise was technologically similar to the medieval period. The Fire
Nation was special for undergoing an industrial revolution that gave them an edge over their
competitors. There were exceptions, of course. Such as the giant drill the Fire Nation planned to
use on Ba Sing Se or, to a lesser degree, their airships. Generally, however, society was roughly
technologically at a medieval level with hints of an industrial revolution.
Animal labor was common too, due to the tendency for some animals to possess natural bending
abilities. These creatures will also be treated as vehicles as they serve a similar function. This
applies to creatures like Sky Bison, Badger Moles, and Dragons.
The Legend of Korra advanced 100 years from the original series. We saw a lot of the
technology from the industrial revolution reach their logical conclusion. Some felt it was too
rushed in some areas, but the series did a decent job explaining some of its tech jumps through
implication. Energy, for example, was never a concern as the proliferation of the Lightning
Generation technique gave the world a clean, renewable energy source.
Bending and, later spirit research, gave their society a technological shot in the arm over our
society. This was consistent with the original series. Sokka, for example, invented the submarine
decades before it should have been possible using waterbenders as a crutch.
The sequel drew a lot of ire for using mecha technology. Arguably, this element did stretch the
established rules as bending was explicitly not used as a crutch to invent the first mecha tanks.
Personally, I feel the rule of cool takes precedent in these matters.
Rules for Technology

Technology is handled as a specialized form of Megastunt known as Equipment . These rules
come from the Atomic Robo RPG. Technology comes in two types: Equipment and Vehicles
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Equipment has the following:
● Name
● Function Aspect
● Flaw Aspect
● Mega-stunts
Vehicles have the following:

● Name
● High Concept Aspect
● Trouble Aspect
● Three other aspects
● Mega-Stunts
● 3 Vehicle Stress Boxes
Using Equipment
Equipment serves as a bonus to a character. Equipment is not its own character and cannot take
stress or consequences. Equipment can be temporarily disabled by compelling a Flaw Aspect or
Creating an Advantage based on the Flaw Aspect. When Equipment 's aspects are compelled, the
User has the option of accepting or rejecting as if it were any other aspect of the character. The
character would receive Fate Points as normal. If it is difficult to determine who the User of the
Equipment is, determine who has most control and the most use from the Equipment.
Using Vehicles
Vehicles work very similar to Equipment. There are a few differences.
When in a Vehicle, Ride now has access to all Four Actions, instead of its default allotment.
Almost all actions taken with a Vehicle will use Ride.
Vehicles are also different as they can be taken out like a player character. When a Vehicle is
taken out, it cannot do anything until the following scene. Vehicles can also be used in place of a
Player Character. For example, since a Sky Bison can airbend, you can spend an action having
your Sky Bison Airbend. For another example, if a Vehicle has a Weapon rating, you can use the
Vehicle to attack using the Vehicle’s Weapon Rating.
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List of Example Equipment
Electrified Glove
Function: Portable Taser

Flaw: Easily Removed
Mega-stunts (2 Benefits):
Shocking Touch (2 Benefits): When Attacking with Combat with a Electrified Glove, you may
inflict a Stunned aspect on as a boost regardless of result. Weapon:2.
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List of Example Vehicles
Airship
High Concept: Aerial Transportation

Trouble: Highly Flammable
Other Aspects: Luxurious, Room For Everyone, State Of The Art
Armored Hull (1 Benefit): Armor:2 against physical stress.
Flight (1 Benefit): You can fly.
Vehicle Stress: [1] [1] [1]
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Dragon
High Concept: Ferocious And Loyal Mount

Trouble: Tempermetal
Other Aspects: The Original Firebenders, Hunted To Near Extinction, From The Spirit
World
Dragonscale (1 Benefit): You have an additional 3 Vehicle Stress Boxes.
Firebreath (3 Benefit): Weapon: 4 or Weapon 6, but at a cost. You can attack everyone in a
zone.
Roar (1 Benefit): You get +2 to Attack with Ride when you intimidate someone.
Vehicle Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]
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Mechasuit
High Concept: Weaponized Power Armor

Trouble: Runs On Electricity
Other Aspects: Tool of Facist Oppression, Vulnerable to Lava, Pure Platinum
Flamethrower (2 Benefits): Weapon:2. The Flamethrower can attack everyone in a zone, but at
a cost.
Piston Gauntlets (3 Benefits): When Attacking someone with Ride while using your
Mechasuit’s fists, you are stronger than any human, but at a cost; Weapon:4 when fighting with
the suit's fists.
Shock Charges (1 Benefit): When Attacking someone with Ride while using your Mechasuit
from a distance with your grappling hook, you may inflict a Stunned aspect on as a boost, but
weak against Lightning Redirection.
Thick, Unbendable Hide (3 Benefits): Armor:4 against physical stress. You have an additional
3 Vehicle Stress Boxes
Vehicle Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]
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Mecha Tank
High Concept: Mechanized Walking Tank

Trouble: Bulky And Clumsy
Other Aspects: Pure Platinum, The Great Equalizer, Highly Customizable
Bola Launchers (1 Benefit): When you Attack with Ride from a distance with your Bolas, You
may inflict a Restrained aspect on a boost.
Pneumatic Joints (2 Benefits): Stronger than any human, but at a cost; Weapon:2 when
punching.
Shock Charges (1 Benefit): When someone already has a Restrained aspect inflicted on them,
you may inflict a Stunned aspect on a Boost.
Vehicle Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]
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Polarbeardog
High Concept: Lovable and Protective Guard Beardog

Trouble: Not Durable
Other Aspects: Always in the Knick of Time, Hound's Nose, Highly Maneuverable
Beast of Burden (1 Benefit): Faster than any human, but at a cost.
Roar (1 Benefit): You get +2 to Attack with Ride when intimidating someone.
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Satomobile
High Concept: Fast, Affordable Transportation

Trouble: Limited Fuel
Other Aspects: Loud Engine, Hard Metal Frame, Status Symbol
20 Horsepower (1 Benefit): Faster than any human, but at a cost.
Ram It (1 Benefit): You get +2 when you Attack with Ride, but your enemies get a Boost against
you as the Car has been rammed into something.
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Sky Bison
High Concept: Your Personal Flying Sky Bison

Trouble: A Fleshy, Living Animal
Other Aspects: Surprisingly Fast and Agile, The Original Airbenders, Your Companion For
Life
Roar (1 Benefit): Roar (1 Benefit): You get +2 to Attack with Ride when intimidating someone.
The First Airbenders (1 Benefit): You may use Ride instead of Airbending when using a Sky
Bison. If you can already Airbend, you get +1 when using Airbending for any action.
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Adversaries
Every game is going to have villains of some sort. Perhaps they are nuanced with understandable
goals but flawed execution like Amon and Zaheer. Perhaps they are bad people who don't realize
they are the bad guys like Kuvira and Unalaq. Or perhaps they know they're bad and they just
don't care like Ozai, Azula, and Long Feng.
They don't need to be big movers and shakers either. The world is full of mooks that will fight
for coin, cause, or otherwise. Not every hired goon is a faceless zaku. Some of them can give
PCs a run for their money, even if they are ultimately inconsequential in the grand scheme of
things. Regardless, there will be those who stand in opposition to the player's goals and, thus,
must be confronted.
These are Adversaries and they come in three types:

● Nameless NPCs
● Supporting NPCs
● Main NPCs
Nameless NPCs
Some people are just soldiers for a paycheck and care little for their country. Some people just
fill the seats because this isn't their expertise. We can only acknowledge so many people as
important and the rest are just nameless faces passing by us.
These are the Nameless NPCs.
Nameless NPCs come in three varieties:

● Average
● Fair
● Good
Average
● Rank-and-file
● Mostly there to make PCs look awesome
● One Aspect
● One Average (+1) Skill; +0 to all other Skills
● No Stress Track - One Shift of harm is enough to take them out
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Fair
● Trained professionals
● Minor drain on PC resources (one or two fate points, stress boxes, at-most a mild
consequence)
● One Aspect
● One Fair (+2) Skills, maybe an additional Average (+1) Skills
● One Stress Track with one Stress Box - two shifts of harm are enough to take them out
Good
● Tough opposition like the Dai Li or elite guards
● Moderate drain on PC resources (like fair but more so)
● Two Aspects
● One Good (+3) Skills and either a Fair (+2) or Average (+1) Skill
● One Stress Track with two Stress Boxes - three shifts of harm are enough to take them
out.
Often Nameless NPCs appear in large groups. This is actually ideal for bookkeeping purposes as
every Nameless NPC in the Mob shares one stat block. Mobs should be kept to just 2-4
Nameless NPCs. They receive a Teamwork Bonus for every NPC past the first but only when the
actions play to their skills. Three soldiers blocking a door will get a +2 bonus but those same
three soldiers trying to barter a deal would not get a Teamwork bonus.
Mobs should be made of the same type. They share the Stress of each member of the Mob. Four
Average Nameless NPCs would have no stress boxes. Four Fair Nameless NPCs would have a
single stress track with four 1-Stress Stress Boxes. Four Good Nameless NPCs would have a
single stress track with a whopping eight 1-Stress Stress Boxes.
Remember, they are not meant to be major obstacles. Try to avoid using powerful mobs to avoid
drawing out fights unnecessarily.
Keep in mind the Overflow rule. If enough damage is done to a Mob to take out one member, the
remaining damage is applied to the next member in the Mob. Four damage to a Four Average
NPC Mob would take them all out whereas four damage to a Four Fair NPC Mob would take out
two members of the Mob.
Mobs receive one turn per round per member of the Mob. They don't all act on the same turn and
have their own individual turns.
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Supporting NPCs
Supporting NPCs have some more detail to them, like a proper name. They play a supporting
role, not a main one. Supporting NPCs are the middle managers of the Adversaries, so to speak.
Many stories have a right-hand man to the main villain, such as Esna and Desna serving Unalaq
in Book Two. Those are one type of Supporting NPC.
Supporting NPCs can be characters like Aiwei, the spy Zaheer had in Zaofu. His role was small
and temporary, but he was distinct from the group and served as a distinct obstacle to overcome.
The Warden from the Boiling Rock is another example. He was only present for that two part
storyline. The Warden was a large player in that short story but played no role elsewhere.
Supporting NPC can also be a great source of interpersonal drama as they can be close personal
acquaintances, such as Aang's descendents in Legend of Korra. More specifically, Tenzin could
be built as a supporting NPC to Korra's Team Avatar for most of the series.
Supporting NPCs can be upgraded to main NPCs and similarly Supporting NPCs can be
downgraded to a supporting role. Kuvira is an example of a Supporting NPC upgrading: a minor
soldier in Book Three who became the main antagonist of Book Four. Conversely, Zaheer was
downgraded from Main NPC to Supporting NPC from Book Three to Book Four, where he went
from main villain to a cameo.
Supporting NPCs are like Nameless NPCs but with more character elements:
● Three or four aspects, including High Concept
● One Great (+4) Skill , one Good (+3) Skill, two Fair (+2) Skills, two Average (+1) Skills
● One to two benefits for stunts
● Physical and Mental Stress Tracks with three Stress Boxes each
● Mild and Moderate Consequences
Sometimes, it might be worth it to give a Supporting NPC a Superb (+5) Skill to give the
Supporting NPC an edge on the player characters. This should only be done for opposing
Supporting NPCs to help them fight the PCs. You might even given them an extra Great (+4) and
Good (+3) Skill, if you really want to give the Supporting NPC some bite.
These advancements to Approaches are meant to compensate for Milestones and Breakthroughs
the PCs may have obtained throughout the Campaign. Otherwise, a consistent difficulty curve
would be hard to maintain.
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Main NPCs
Main NPCs require the least explanation for their creation. They are the PCs equal and are made
in the exact same way as a PC.
Main NPCs should receive Milestones and Breakthroughs equal to the ones the PCs received to
ensure they remain a consistent threat.
If a Main NPC is meant to fight on their own, they get a Teamwork bonus per PC in the scene.
This bonus helps equalize the battle.
Exceptional NCPs
Remember, the above descriptions are just guidelines for game balancing purposes. Game
Masters are free to customize threats however they feel appropriate. You can give more stunts to
a Nameless NPC or take one away from a Supporting NPC. Game Masters should use these
guidelines to avoid overwhelming players, but they should not feel these guidelines are hard
restrictions that hold back their creativity and/or limit their ability to challenge players.
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Advancement
Advancement is based heavily off of the generic rules for Advancement from Fate Condensed.
Unlike Fate Core, there are only Milestones and Breakthroughs. Furthermore, Avatar: The Last
FATE Bender uses Approaches instead of Skills. As such, some explanation may be necessary.
As your characters muck about in the storyline, they’ll grow and change. At the end of each
session you’ll earn a milestone, which lets you move things around on your character sheet. As
you conclude each arc of the story, you’ll earn a breakthrough, which lets you add things to your
character sheet.
Milestones
Milestones happen at the end of a session, part of the way through dealing with a story arc. They
are focused on adjusting your character laterally rather than advancing the character. You may
not wish to use a milestone, which is fine. It doesn’t always make sense to change your character.
The opportunity is there if you need it.
During a milestone, you can do one of the following:
● Switch the ranks of any two Skills, or replace an Average (+1) with a Skill not on your
sheet.
● Rewrite one stunt.
● Add a stunt or add a benefit to a stunt (Remember to alter your character level)
● Rewrite any one of your aspects, except your high concept.
Breakthroughs
Breakthroughs are more significant, letting your character actually grow in power. A
breakthrough lets you do one thing from the milestone list. On top of that, you do all of the
following:
● Rewrite your character’s high concept, if you care to.

● If you have any moderate or severe consequences not yet in recovery, you can begin the
recovery process and rename them. Any that were already in recovery may now be
cleared.
● Increase a Skill by one step, even from Mediocre (+0) to Average (+1) -- you must still
abide by the Skill Pyramid rules when doing so.
If the GM feels a major plot development has concluded and it’s time for the characters to
“power up,” they may also offer the option to gain a point of Refresh
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Some General Rules From Michael Dante DiMartino
In the Rise of Kyoshi by F. C. Yee, Michael Dante DiMartino, Michael Dante DiMartino, one of
the creators of the franchise, discussed what elements he felt were essential for an Avatar story.
Some of these things you might throw out, but they are important to keep in mind.
First, you must have an Avatar -- the reincarnated being who holds the ability to
manipulate, or bend, all four elements, who has a connection to the mysterious Spirit
World, and who deals with conflicts among the Water Tribe, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation,
and Air Nomads. The Avatar can’t do all this alone and thus must also have a core group
of teachers and friends -- a Team Avatar, as we like to call it. Political conflict is also a
must: whether it’s a world war or a revolution, the Avatar inevitably ends up in the center
of the fight before he or she is ready. And of course, there is never a shortage of epic
bending battles.
-Michael Dante DiMartino, Rise of Kyoshi, 2019
Now, the first element that Michael Dante DiMartino feels is a must is something that, for a
tabletop game, is arguably optional: the Avatar itself. As the Avatar is the stereotypical
protagonist, that can cause some group dynamic issues. Some groups might not mind and the
character could even be shared amongst the group, but some groups might prefer the Avatar is
not around at all. It’s not like there aren’t extended periods without the Avatar: the 100 year war,
the three years after the Red Lotus gambit, or just the time between the death of an Avatar and
the discovery, and training, of their successor.
Even if the Avatar is present, the world is big. If you set the game during season 1 of Legend of
Korra, for instance, you could set the game in the Fire Nation. That simple change of scenery
basically pushes all of the events of the show to the side. It’s happening and some people may
reference it, but it’s all far away and doesn’t affect the affairs of the Fire Nation. While the
official stories may focus on the Avatar, every character has their own story to tell.
The second element is the Spirit World. This is another factor to consider. The Spirit World
exists, but it’s importance and role in the game may vary. Ironically, in the more spiritual times
of the 100 Year War, spirits don’t appear too often. They matter a lot in season one with the
Water Tribe, but they make few appearances afterwards. Outside of the Wan Shi Tong’s library
and Aang’s visit to the Lion Turtle, they don’t factor too often in the later seasons. In Korra’s
time, however, the spirit world becomes integral to the plot from season two onward. From
Unalaq’s plans, to the conflict with the opened portals and return of the airbenders, to Kuvira’s
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use of spirit vines as weapons, the spirit world takes a very active role in the story. This is due to
Korra having the conflict of “technological progress vs spiritualism” as a central theme.
Some groups may prefer the Avatar The Last Airbender approach. Spirits are there. They are
powerful. They are unknowable. And people are best appeasing them and avoiding them. More
of a traditional eastern fantasy. Other groups might love the clash between science and spirits, as
it were. The spirits are back in the world, but people have no reverence for them. They are a
nuisance to some and a tool to others. But they are there and they are driving events.
And, of course, everything in between those extremes. Maybe it is the time before the Avatar and
the Spirit Wilds are dangerous but ever present. Maybe it is the far future and mankind has left
Earth and find the Spirits missing on the dead worlds they find.
The third element is the notion that conflicts arise between the four nations: Water Tribe, Earth
Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads. Since Rise of Kyoshi was set during Kyoshi’s time,
Michael Dante DiMartino likely kept to only the relevant factions at the time of the story he was
introducing. But, as we know, the world of Avatar is not stuck to the four nations dynamic. It has
certainly remained a constant in history, but Avatar Aang added a fifth nation: the United
Republic of Nations. The nature of the world is something you need to decide.
The four nations came from mankind finding refugee on the back of four great Lionturtles. Each
one was aligned to an element. When the spirit portals were closed by Avatar Wan, the first
Avatar, the humans living on the Lionturtles colonized the land around the turtles as their new
home. It’s entirely possible the four nations did not exist before this time. And it’s not like the
four nation sprung fully formed from this event. There were tons of fights and wars fought over
land as the warlords of the world consolidated power. We know this for a fact with the fire nation
and its heavily implied in the Earth Kingdom.
You can set your game in a world before the four nations crystallized. The world is splintered
into many factions, with the only connective tissue being the Avatar and the fact that people in
the same land can bend the same element. Or you can go further ahead. When the Earth Queen
fell, the Earth Kingdom broke into many tiny fiefdoms. Maybe something like that happens in
the Fire Nation. Or perhaps Omashu breaks off from Ba Sing Se and the Earth Kingdom is split.
Maybe the Southern and Northern Water Tribes unite as a single Confederation.
And of course, the option to use the Four Nations is always there.
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We can skip the Team Avatar comment. After all, you’re not going to play a one-on-one game,
most likely. But the idea of political conflict is interesting. Politics has always stood at the center
of Avatar. Sometimes it’s the subtle imperialist qualities of the fire nation and sometimes its the
open political propaganda of a character.
Avatar was never one note in its politics either. The Fire Nation was militaristic and imperialistic.
They ransacked the world and put it under their control. But that doesn’t mean everything was
fine on the homefront. We saw that the Fire Nation polluted their own waters to fuel the war
machine. And this leads to the near death of the local small fishing villages. And even the
affluent were subject to harsh propaganda and lacked civil rights that our modern sensibilities
view as basic.
Avatar also avoided showing one side as wholly evil. In Zuko Alone, we saw Earth Kingdom
soldiers preying on their own people. This doesn’t mean the Earth Kingdom was the bad guys in
the war. But it did remind us even the “good guys” could have bad actors within. Or how Legend
of Korra did show Tarrlok abusing his status as a bender to oppress non-benders, exactly as the
Equalists claimed in their propaganda. But we also see Mako and Bolin be more impoverished
and disadvantaged than the Sato family, who are non-benders. The world of Avatar is not
black-and-white when it comes to politics.
There is no real way to avoid politics. Politics is so encompassing that even a game about
mobster in Republic City would brush against the concept. But, the question is scope. Will there
be a big war like the 100 Year War? Or will it be like the beginning of Rise of Kiyoshi, where the
Avatar has to stop a minor warlord called the Pirate Queen from abducting and enslaving coastal
villagers in the Earth Kingdom? That scope and scale is something that needs to be worked out.
Scale could even grow in time. Legend of Korra did this well. The first season really only
affected Republic City. The second season brought in the Northern and Southern Water Tribe.
The third season saw all the world leaders enter the fray and the Earth Kingdom is thrown into
disarray. And the final season involved a conflict that could have ended one of the five nations
entirely and returned the world to four nations. And that’s assuming Kuvira stopped her
ambitions there.
Michael Dante DiMartino mentions of the Avatar often has to face these things before they are
ready. The Last Airbender focused on children and Korra focused on teenagers. There is this
notion that the series is not about adults and that the main cast should be younger and
inexperienced. This is something to keep in mind when players make their characters. There is
this element of unreadiness.
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That doesn't mean the cast has to be children or teens. You can have a game of adults but the
adults are not ready for the conflict at hand. There is this element that either resource-wise,
skill-wise, or emotionally that the cast is not ready to deal with the main conflict. The Trauma
Aspect is your friend here. That aspect is the player telling you what is not mature yet about the
character. What element internally needs to be overcome. I would also look at the trouble aspect.
Use these aspects to reinforce how the cast is unready and give them a goal of what needs to
change so that they can beat the final challenge.
Lastly, there is mention of there being many epic battles. Not much needs to be said there. That
will just come naturally with play.
Setting
A big question to ask yourself is what the setting will be for your Avatar game. This might seem
like a silly answer, but there are a lot of nuances here. Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of
Korra are two distinct settings. And that is just two timelines within the seventy years of each
other. We also have the time before the Avatar’s return, the time of Kyioshi as described in Rise
of Kyioshi, we have the Ancient Times before the rise of the Four Nations, and the time before
the Avatar. And then there is always the future, a great blank slate.
And that’s not even considering alternate timelines and canons.
We’ll be going through every setting. Summarizing it. And explaining how best to game in it.
We’ll do this in chronological order going from The Ancient Times to The First Avatar to The
Warring Times to The Unknown Avatars to The Time of Kyoshi to The 100 Year War to The
Return of the Avatar to The Harmony Restoration Movement to The Equalist Revolution to The
Return of the Spirits to The Missing Avatar Years. After that, we will discuss possible futures
and alternate timelines.
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The Ancient Times
Art used from Smoke and Shadow comic series by Gene Lene Yueng and art by Gurihiru. Used without permission.
The Ancient Times are never mentioned in the series proper. But, in the Smoke and Shadows
comic series, there is a reference to a time before the Avatar. Before the Avatar, the lands that
would be the Fire Nation were broken up into many tribes. Warlords ruled their fiefdoms with
ironclad rule. There was no bending, only traditional weaponry.
Very little is known of this era. The spirits did exist and interacted with mankind as the story
goes on to mention their involvement. The spirits seem distant. Like they were in Aang's time.
This would make sense as this would be during Raava's rule and she kept the two worlds
separate when she rules.
It's hard to recommend anyone play in this era. At this point, you might as well just be playing a
generic eastern fantasy game. You could play it, but it's hard to even suggest what to do.
Everyone would be in little tribes that make up warring states across the world.
No bending, none of the recognizable factions, no Avatar. You could play in this era. Maybe as a
flashback. If you keep to the spirit of the narrative, it may even feel appropriate. But I would
argue that most players would feel very cheated if there avatar game was set in this era.
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The First Avatar
Art from The Beginning Part 2 from The Legend of Korra. Used without permission.
In the time before the Avatar, the world had already suffered great turmoil. Vaatu, spirit of chaos
and darkness, had beaten its twin, Ravaa, spirit of light and order, and had broken the boundaries
between the human and the spirit world.
The spirit world flooded the human world. People were unable to cope with the changes and
sought shelter from the strange and dangerous environment. Finding mercy from the oldest and
most powerful of spirits, the Lionturtles, mankind was permitted to live on their shells. Four
Lionturtles, four elements, four nations.
This was a time when bending was just coming into being. The Lionturtles were energybenders.
As food was limited on the Lionturtles back, they would give humans the ability to bend an
element they were aligned with so that they could venture out and bring back food. There were
no bending arts, however. It was a tool for going hunting and gathering in the spirit wilds. Not a
means of warfare.
The nature of the world was only glimpsed. It was said there were dozens of Lionturtles. A Fire
Turtle had the Chou family ruling over the Turtle with a weapons ban. An Air Turtle had monks
who lived in peace with the surrounding spirits. Water and earth turtles were not explored. It’s
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likely safe to assume their way of life had some mirrors with what would later develop in their
nations.
The spirit wilds are not lawless. Spirits live in them in small communities. They generally look
down on humans as violent brutes. Spirits are known to forcibly fuse with humans to control
them and cause permanent disfigurement. When humans try to form communities off the
Lionturtle’s backs, they tend to get picked off by spirits who dislike humanity cultivation of
nature.
This is an odd era to set a game within. Bending is new and it’s unlikely that many players would
have bending, unless they had stolen it from a Lionturtle like Wan did. Even still, most player
groups would all be from the same Lionturtle and, therefore, only bend the same element. There
could be room for a player group of people who were all banished from their Lionturtle going
around the world trying to survive. But it would be hindered by the relative lack of people in the
Spirit Wilds. One could have a small town of colonists here and there to keep things interesting.
Thinking more and more, it could be a bit of a wild west. There are four big cities, but the rest of
the world is overrun in dangerous spirit wilds. Travel is long and dangerous. There are tiny
towns dotted around, but they are on precarious grounds. Bending is likely either rare or very
common. It was established that, out of pity, Lionturtles bestory bending on banished people or
those leaving its safety. So everyone off the turtle will have bending. But anyone on the turtle
would not.
The greatest benefit is the freedom in the setting. The only guarantee in this setting is that Avatar
Wan eventually is born and frees the world at Harmonic Convergence. Considering that event
occurs every 10,000 years and that Vaatu destroyed the barrier during the last Harmonic
Convergence, the world was like this for the last 10,000 years. That’s a lot of time to set your
game in.
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The Warring Times
Art from The Beginning Part 2 from The Legend of Korra. Used without permission.
A time of division among the lands that would become the four nations. People were freed from
the constraints of the Lionturtles and awoken to a world that they haven’t treed on en mass in
10,000 years. The older rulers would not necessarily have claim to these new lands and it would
be a time of chaos and upheaval.
What this entails, however, is a mystery.
The Earth Kingdom has two kings. That suggests that there was a time when the Earth Kingdom
was two distinct nations. Considering the Si Wong desert, this even makes sense. The lands to
the north of the desert were likely covered in this time by Ba Sing Se. And the lands to the south
were governed by Omashu. With time, the land was united, with the southern kingdom kept
either out of appeasement or bureaucratic necessity in such a large land.
The Water Tribes are already divided. In this time, they were likely divided further into smaller
tribes. The unity festivals referenced in Kuruk’s time likely did not occur yet. And small
skirmishes for food and resources were probably common among the tribes, especially
considering how resource starved they would be.
The Air Nomads would be the least changed. They four temples probably were four nations onto
themselves. With conflicting teachings and different beliefs. The modern Air Nomads seemed to
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have a much more unified culture. But that likely was not that case when they were in four
corners of the globe. Especially after mass diaspora when they could travel further from their
Lionturtle.
The Sun Warriors would be in charge of the Fire Islands at this time. But I feel like the island is
divided. From what we see of the battlefields, I think there are two distinct forces in the Fire
Islands. The Sun Warriors, as previously mentioned, and the ancestors to the modern Fire Nation.
We saw firebenders leave their Lionturtle and try to form villages in the prior era. I feel these
people would form their own civilization. And that the Sun Warriors and the Fire States, my
name for these warring states, would be in conflict. My feeling is the Sun Warriors unity protects
them as the Fire States fight each other. When the Fire States are united under the Fire Lord, that
is when the Sun Warriors are brought to the edge of Extinction.
This is great for a sengoku or medieval game. There would be many fiefdoms darted across the
globe. Tiny little kingdoms with their own laws and overseers. One would find the world lawless
in many places. Roads would be nonexistent in most places. Only the Earth Kingdoms would
likely have any roads and they would not be connected between kingdoms. Trade would be more
scarce and people would know little about those from different lands.
Essentially, it would be a more ignorant, dangerous, and chaotic time. Once again, there is a lot
of freedom in this setting. Thousands of years would pass before Kiyoshi rose. That is a lot of
time for the characters to have meaningful adventures that shape their world and time.
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The Unknown Avatars
Art from The Art Of The Animated Series: Book 2: Sprits. Used without permission.
This right here is free real estate. At some point, the four nations stabilized into a form similar to
what we are familiar with. And there were Avatars in that era to protect the world. Who were
they? What did they do? There is atleast a couple thousand years of adventure in this era and we
know nothing about it. We know the most recent Avatars before Kyoshi: Kuruk and Yanchen.
But all we know of them is that Yangchen was revered and Kuruk failed.
Since Wan, there were roughly 100 Avatars in that 10,000 year period. Some lasted longer and
some were shorter. If we assume that the world came to be as we know it a couple of thousand of
years into the reign of the Avatar, that is thousands of years for players to explore.
This is a playground. Anything that happens that far back would not have an effect on the
modern day. You could tell whatever you want.
You could tell of a time where the Earth Kingdom was almost thrown into civil war when the
King of Omashu and the King of Ba Sing Se were drawn into conflict. You could tell of a time
where the Water Tribes and Fire Nation were brought into conflict over a claim on islands
between their territories. You could make a game where the Air Nomads have to deal with a
disgraced monk who is using their airbending to perform assassinations and heists.
You have a lot of options with this era. It’s probably one of the best choices for someone who
just wants to adventure in the setting of the original series, but doesn’t want to write around the
events of the original series.
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The Bureaucratic Age of Avatar Szeto
Art from The Avatar Spirit from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Used without permission.
The earliest known Avatar after Avatar Wan, Avatar Szeto was raised in an age of strife that
threatened to shatter the Fire Nation. The Avatar’s homeland was wrought with plague and
natural disaster, weakening the ties holding the many clans of the Fire Nation together. Szeto
adopted an usual solution.
Forgoing his privilege, Szeto joined the Fire Nation government as a lowly bureaucrat. He
worked his way through the court on his skill and talent. With time, he was elevated to the seat of
Grand Advisor. His knowledge of law, politics, bureaucracy, and accounting strengthened the
nation and helped it weather the disasters it faced. His choice to situate himself in Coldera City,
the Fire Nation Capital, restored power to the throne and stability to the nation.
By his end, he had brokered a lasting peace that saved his nation.
However, his single minded focus on his homeland came at the cost of the rest of the world.
While he saved the Fire Nation, the other nations fell out of balance. Thus, his successor, Avatar
Yangchen, would be tasked with keeping the peace between the other nations that had fallen
apart in her predecessor's time. Not to mention fostering the growth of those other nations.
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The Age of Szeto is a unique one that takes advantage of the freedom afforded by the Fate
Condensed engine. Szeto’s life was one of bureaucracy, courtly politics, business dealing, and
peace brokering. While he was a known lavabender, his main task was purely behind a desk.
Adventures in this era that feature Szeto, or center around him, would be an irregular Avatar
adventure. The main scene would be the national politics of the Fire Nation in a time of strife.
Instead of battles, players would need to navigate the complex web of politics that made up the
ancient Fire Nation. The Great Clans had yet to be consolidated by Fire Lord Zoryu and their
petty squabbles can mean great danger for the nation.
The Fate Condensed ruleset featured in this ruleshack does not have skills, instead using
Approaches. This means it is easy to shift the character generation to a courtly game. The
approaches work as-is. They are all different ways of trying to get an edge in politics. The
bending extras would mean little. However, Firebending would help denote status. Whereas any
other form of bending would likely decrease one's status.
To facilitate such an adventure, I suggest the following additional rule for this era:
Status
Every player character has a status of 1. If they are a firebender, their status is raised to 2.
If they are any other type of bender or a foreigner, their status is lowered to 0. If they are
the Avatar or the Fire Lord, their status is 3.
When players oppose each other in a contest or conflict, they compare status. The player
with the higher status replaces one Fate Die from their check with a d6 for every point of
status that exceeds their opponent.
Status may be raised as a Breakthrough. Status may never exceed 4.
This rule only applies in contests of courtly politics or in situations where status would
matter.
It is also a time where the other nations are essentially untouched by the Avatar. Avatar Szeto
selfishly focused on his homeland, rooting himself to the capital. The rest of the world fell into
petty squabbles in that interim. Players could also use this as a sandbox to have adventures with
an Avatar who would never show up to intervene.
The above may be an easier sell. Their is no denying some players may not jump at the idea of
playing an Avatar The Last Airbender or Legend of Korra game -- two series known for action
and adventure -- that played out like an episode of the West Wing.
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The Peaceful Era of Yangchen
Art used from The Rift comic series by Gene Lene Yueng and art by Gurihiru. Used without permission.
Avatar Yangchen inherited a world that was mostly neglected by her predecessor. The other
nations were not a true concern for Szeot. At least not when compared to the Fire Nation, where
he rooted himself firmly in the capital as a bureaucrat. The rest of the world needed an Avatar.
The rest of the world needed prosperity and peace. The rest of the world needed to advance.
And thus was Avatar Yangchen born.
Yangchen put the world before herself. She tried her best to help humankind to advance,
regardless of national origin. Her tenure as Avatar was legendary. Her praises were still sung in
the time of Avatar Kyoshi, two Avatar cycles after her passing. She ushered in an era of peace
and prosperity that endured the neglect of her successor. To many, she would seem the best
Avatar who lived in recent memory.
However, there was a dark secret to her reign. Yangchen was so focused on humanity
advancement that she forgot the world’s spiritual needs. Ironic, considering she was an Air
Nomad. When man and spirit clashed, she almost universally sided with man. The needs of
spirits were ignored time and time again, often in brutal conflict.
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These spirits would grow dark and restless in their world, forcing her successor, Avatar Kuruk, to
hunt them one day for the safety of the material world.
Adventures with Avatar Yangchen are guaranteed to be focused on the spirits. Her time saw
humanity expand farther than it ever had before. This often brought people in conflict with
spirits. These inhuman creatures possess strange powers that only the Avatar, bridge between the
human and spirit worlds, could combat. Spirit adversaries from Return Of The Spirits (Book Two
Spirits) would help give inspiration for this era.
Outside of Avatar Yangchen herself, this is an era of peace and expansion. Players and Game
Masters may enjoy a nice blanket era without any great strife to set their games. Little is known
about the era so there is little for canon to interfere with. It was known as an era of peace and
prosperity which gives rises to many little stories of small heroes. Something not often done in
Avatar games, but could fit just the same.
No rule changes necessary, just a change in expected scope. Instead of adventures that hold the
world at risk, there would be stories of small groups of people exploring the world, prospering,
and building legacies.
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The Dark Shadow of Avatar Kuruk
Art from Sozin Comet Part 3 from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Used without permission.
Avatar Yangchen ushered in an era of peace and prosperity that would earn her an enduring
legacy. Even in the time of Kyoshi, people would call out to Avatar Yangchen for salvation.
Avatar Kuruk was born into this peaceful era.
With time, he made a small group of friends to enjoy this era of peace. He was known as a
hedonist who forsook the world, neglected his duties, and died young. His early death threw the
world into tumult, besmirching his name and reputation for generations to come. Avatar Kuruk
was considered a failure, even by his own metric.
This recollection, however, ignores the reality of the situation. Avatar Yangchen brought in an
era of peace and prosperity at the cost of the world’s spiritual needs. Avatar Kuruk would
discover the angry spirits attempting to rip into the human world and seek revenge. Morphed into
Dark Spirits, Avatar Kuruk had no way to calm them. The technique he would have needed to
calm their rage would not be invented for centuries, until Unalaq of the Water Tribe in the Return
of the Spirits era.
Avatar Kuruk was the greatest hunter of his era. The spirits planned to enter the world through
strange rifts that had formed between the worlds. Avatar Kuruk used those very rifts to enter the
spirit world physically and hunt these spirits. Killing spirit after spirit tore away at the Avatar’s
soul. He threw himself in drink, sex, and party to cover his pain. Afraid for the well-being of his
friends, the Avatar kept them in the dark and pushed them away. Only his spirit guide knew the
truth.
With time, Avatar Kuruk would discover a mighty spirit named Father Gloworm was behind the
rifts. An ancient spirit, Father Glowworm had made rifts across the world since the era of the
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First Avatar. Fighting the creature into submission, Avatar Kuruk had all but removed its ability
to open rifts. However, he could not end the beast, despite his best efforts.
Avatar Kuruk tried to retire and enjoy what remained of his life. His spirit guide long since
confirmed that his years were numbered as a result of his sacrilege. However, Koh The Face
Stealer, one of the oldest spirits, was not pleased with the Avatar. One night, the immortal spirit
used a rift to steal the face of Kuruk’s wife. The grief ended Avatar’s life.
Dying at age 33, the world fell into chaos. Avatar Kuruk’s friends were forced to quell the worst
of it, taking many lives in the process.
Adventures in this era can take two different forms. Stories featuring Kuruk would be a dark
tragedy. A story of a broken man living a double life. At one moment, he is a playboy and a
drunk. At another moment, he is risking his soul fighting beings beyond comprehension. Unlike
with Yangchen, Avatar Kuruk was not simply repelling spirits. Yangchen had exhausted that
option in her era. Kuruk was killing spirits. Each one tearing at his spirit.
It was said Kuruk did this task alone, but such things could be altered. A story of mercenaries
working alongside Kuruk to fight these impossible beasts would fit an interesting Monster
Hunter vibe to your game. Each kill, however, would come at a cost of one’s soul. Consider this
a reverse milestone:
Soul Taint
When the party kills a Dark Spirit, one member is selected. This character loses one of
the following of their choice: a stunt, an extra, a skill (lower the value by 1), a Refresh, or
a Stress Box.
A character cannot be selected again for Soul Taint until every other character in the party
has been chosen.
Soul Taint can be reversed as a Milestone
Ignoring Avatar Kuruk, players can still have adventures away from Kuruk in much the same
manner in the Peaceful Era of Avatar Yangchen. The world is at peace. Many can find their own
adventures in their own nations without any looming catastrophe above their heads. After all, no
one knew Avatar Kuruk saved the world. Thus, it can be inferred no Dark Spirit escaped the
world to torment it. Though, one could argue a small confined escape of a Dark Spirit could
make a rather thrilling adventure.
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The False Avatar
Art from The Shadow Of Kyoshi. Used without permission.
Kyoshi’s predecessor, Kuruk, died at age 35. His young death set the world into chaos. Many
looked to the announcement of the next Avatar, but it never came. All attempts to find the Avatar
failed.
The world began to fret as the Avatar remained undiscovered. The Fifth Nation rose in the seas
between the Southern Tribe and the Earth Kingdom. A band of pirates, the Fifth Nation was an
ethnically diverse band of pirates and slavers who terrorized the coast. They had been stopped
with a treaty from Avatar Yangchen. But the Fifth Nation returned to their destructive ways when
Kuruk died and the Avatar went missing for seven years.
Then there was the Yellow Neck Uprising. A firebender who had discovered the art of Lighting
Generation led a band of earthbenders in a small uprising against the Earth Kingdom. They were
powerful and near unstoppable, but they were quelled by Jianzhu in a massacre.
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Numerous fires flared up across the four nations. Kuruk's companions did their best to put them
out. They could not use religious reverence or overwhelming power to quell the chaos. Many
took lives, even against their sacred oaths, to bring peace.
Finally, Jianzhu found a boy who played Pai Sho just like Kuruk and declared them the new
Avatar: Avatar Yun.
This was not the new earthbending Avatar, however. It was a coincidence that was jumped on
due to desperation. While Jianzhu made Yun one of the greatest earthbenders of his era, he could
never make him the Avatar.
The real Avatar, Kyoshi, lived in squalor. Ironically, she ended up working as a servant at Avatar
Yun's palace.
Avatar Yun proved an amazing negotiator. Many throughout the four nations considered him a
direct successor of Yangchen. He was even a close personal friend of Fire Lord Zoryu.
The era of the False Avatar is short and can be divided into two clear groups. The period before
Yun and the period after Yun.
The period before Yun was a chaotic age. Kuruk's Team Avatar felt responsible for Kuruk's
failure. They protected the world in Kuruk's place. Criminals ran rampant across the land and
were violently brought down. Corruption flourished in government. The poor become poorer and
the cruel flourished.
The epitome of the disorder was the Fifth Nation. A criminal empire at sea disregarded by their
parent water tribes. Tagaka led the group. She used fear to keep people in line. She was also a
brilliant tactician as well as a skilled swordswoman and waterbender. The Earth Kingdom could
do nothing to stop her abducting and enslaving their coastal citizens.
Avatar Yun's final act as Avatar was trying to stop her.
The period after Yun's discovery was more relaxed, but still chaotic. Only the Fifth Nation was
still prominent. The other groups were either squashed or biding their time and feeling out the
presence of the Avatar. The fear was gone, even if the threats remained the same.
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The False Avatar era is a nice blank canvas for those seeking an age of turmoil for their games.
Avatar Yun did not take an active role in things until the day he was revealed as a fake. Games
would focus on groups unaffiliated with the Avatar as they try to survive this age of crime and
chaos.
It is a great time to play a criminal game. Not all criminals are bad people. Some just have a bad
hand, such as the Flying Opera Company that assisted Kyoshi. Your group could play a group of
criminals surviving in this era. It was certainly their time.
Rise of Kyoshi showed what life was like for criminals through Kyoshi's membership with the
Flying Opera Company. It delves into the structure, culture, and "laws" of the daofei. The novel
would be excellent for inspiring such a game.
On the opposite end, criminals were rampant and the law did little to stop them. Vigilantes were
certainly common. Your group could be heroes who help the poor and downtrodden when the
law would otherwise abandon them. Some media outlets joked that Shadow of Kyoshi made
Kyoshi act like Batman. Playing into that, and especially studying how Kyoshi used force to
stamp out the worst criminal groups would be great inspiring for such a game.
The main benefit for the False Avatar era over Avatar Kyoshi's Age of Daofei is the lack of a
strong Avatar presence. You have a blank canvas, as the books cover the following era. You have
little oversight from an Avatar. You have the freedom in how you resolve most issues as little
from this era directly affected the next era. It's a playground of crime and chaos for players on
either side of the law.
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Avatar Kyoshi's Age of Daofei
Art by Jeinu Used without permission.
When Avatar Yun went to free the slaves of the Fifth Nation, he was found to be a fraud. His
servant, Kyoshi, proved herself to be the true Avatar. The entire world was flipped on its head
and thrown into chaos once more.
Kyoshi had to crawl in the shadows for the first few months of her rise to power. She worked
alongside the Flying Opera Company as a daofei and learned bending under them. There she met
an airbending assassin and learned a technique to unnaturally prolong her life. Eventually, she
took revenge on Jianzhu for killing Kelsang, her surrogate father, and Yun, her predecessor.
Afterwards, she squashed criminal empires to return order. She also set her sights on corrupt
bureaucrats across the lands. Originally, she focused on the Earth Kingdom, but she was led
directly into an inter clan conflict in the Fire Nation. There she constantly switched sides as she
dealt with the complexities of politics. Ultimately, she found the path of least harm.
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Many years later, a peasant uprising almost took down the Earth Kingdom. A greedy and aloof
king was ultimately to blame. Kyoshi brought the king to heel and formed the Dai Li to protect
the Earth Kingdom from its own king.
Following that, Chin the Conqueror rose to power in this time. He united many Earth Kingdom
towns into an army and almost took over the entire Kingdom. Chin is considered a controversial
figure. While he was known as a tyrant, some still believed he could bring honor and glory to the
land. Chin was killed when he tried to take over Kyoshi Island.
What we have is a time of constant, major threats in the Earth Kingdom. We know little of what
happened outside the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation, however. Considering Kyoshi lived over
200 years, however, we could expect some minor issues in those lands as well during her time.
Directly before her time, we have bandits, warlords, and rebellion. And, during her time, it didn’t
seem to change much.
Her ultimate efforts seemed to bear fruit, however. Roku’s time seemed peaceful before Sozin.
We have a setting that allows for a lot of skullduggery. Rise of Kyoshi showed how powerful
bandits and criminals had grown in this era. This likely is what led to the peasant rebellion. If
there is any time to be a band of criminals in a campaign, this would be the perfect time. The
novels go deep into the nature of criminals and their underworld. The only better time is during
the time of Republic City.
Outside of bandit groups, you have a lot of uncertainty and strife, as is often the case in Avatar.
The Earth Kingdom seems incapable of policing itself properly and its people suffer for it. There
is extreme poverty and extreme crime. And, therefore, there is a lot of opportunity for people to
do good.
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The Tragedy of Roku
Art from The Avatar And The Fire Lord from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Used without permission.
The peace brought by Avatar Kyoshi lasted long after her demise. Her successor, Avatar Roku,
grew up in peace and comfort. In many ways, Roku was awarded what Kyoshi was denied. Roku
was born a noble. He enjoyed a childhood of comfort and plenty. He was even a close personal
friend of Fire Prince Sozin, who he shared a birthday with. On his 15th birthday, he was revealed
to be the Avatar and went off on a journey to master all the elements.
Without strife plaguing the world, Roku was able to master the elements in peace. He enjoyed a
quiet life of plenty. At Roku’s wedding, his best man, Fire Lord Sozin, brought him aside to talk.
The pair discussed the nature of the world. Sozin felt the Fire Nation’s prosperity should be
shared with the world. Roku, sensing dark ambition, shut his friend down.
Years later, Fire Lord Sozin would go ahead with his plan and start a colony in the Earth
Kingdom. Avatar Roku defeated Sozin, sparing him out of reverence for their old friendship.
Sozin never got over this embarrassment.
Late in life, Roku would move to an island with his wife. A volcanic eruption would destroy his
village. When he fought back the volcano, Sozin came to his aid. However, at the most
opportune moment, Sozin left Roku to die with his island.
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With Roku gone, Sozin was free to enact his plans. He enacted the Airbender Genocide to try to
stop Avatar Aang from ever opposing the Fire Nation. He, of course, failed. Fire Lord Sozin
would spend the rest of his life searching in vain for Aang.
The Tragedy of Roku is a story told in broad strokes. Avatar The Last Airbender only showed us
the most relevant elements of Roku’s reign. A lot of what we know from this time is an
extrapolation from that one episode. We can discern that Roku enjoyed a relatively peaceful era.
Which would track with Kyoshi’s efforts.
Roku’s age is, on the surface, one that would not allow for a lot of adventure. However, there is a
beauty in tragedy. We missed a lot of Roku’s life. There was no doubt trials and tribulations that
Roku faced in his career. Adventures we never got to show. There is a concept called dramatic
irony. That’s when the audience knows something the character’s do not. A game centered
around Roku would allow for the exploration of dramatic irony in the Avatar universe.
We all know that Avatar Roku’s leniency will lead to the downfall of not just himself but the
entire world. Everything that would occur in such a game would be framed in that context. We
know Roku will fail. We know Sozin will betray him. We know the world will be embroiled in
war. However, no one knows it yet.
This can create a fun, somber tone to the game which isn’t often explored in tabletop roleplaying
games. Even when not playing Roku, the shadow of the One Hundred Year War would loom in
the player’s minds. Anything they accomplish, any good that they do, any peace they create is
doomed to be undone in a short time period.
Players and game masters may enjoy this mood to their games. It’s also a setting that is classic
Avatar. All bending styles, but not substyles, would be available to players. It’s yet another blank
canvas to play with, but one with a sense of dramatic irony to give a unique feeling to it.
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The 100 Year War
Art from Avatar The Last Airbender: Art of the Animated Series. Used without permission.
“Water. Earth. Fire. Air. My grandmother used to tell me stories about the old days, a
time of peace when the Avatar kept balance between the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom,
Fire Nation, and Air Nomads. But that all changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only
the Avatar mastered all four elements. Only he could stop the ruthless firebenders. But
when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years have passed and the Fire
Nation is nearing victory in the War.”
During the time of Avatar Roku, the Fire Nation experienced a period of peace and prosperity.
The steady and long-rule of Avatar Kyoshi is partially to thank. During this period, the Fire
Nation became the first nation to enter an industrial revolution. They advanced leaps and bounds
past the other nations as they rocketed through technological advancements such as the steam
engine.
Fire Lord Sozin began to feel that this technological prowess made the Fire Nation superior to
the other nations. Sozin rationalized his lust for power as a desire to spread the prosperity of the
Fire Nation to other lands.
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His first attempts to colonize Earth Kingdom land was stopped by Avatar Roku. Spared due to
their old friendship, Sozin promised to abandon his desires for world domination. When Roku
passed, however, Sozin used the Great Comet, a comet that passes every 100 years and grants
firebenders enhanced abilities, to start the 100 Year War.
The Airbenders were his first target, fearing the new Avatar. Unbeknownst to Sozin, the Avatar
had escaped the Air Temples. But, Avatar Aang found himself trapped in a horrible storm and
used the avatar state to save himself by going into suspended animation. Sozin continued his
march of destruction against the airbenders. While some airbenders escape the initial attack,
tricks slowly kill off the stragglers. Eventually, there are no living airbenders left in the world.
Believing the airbending Avatar dead, Sozin changed his focus to the next potential Avatar, the
water tribe Avatar. Until his death, Sozin led raid after raid on the Water Tribe. While the
Northern Tribe were able to ward off the Fire Nation, the Southern Tribe was diminished to near
extinction. Sozin passed 20 years into the war.
Sozin’s reign saw a radical change in Fire Nation culture. Same-sex marriage was outlawed, civil
liberties such as freedom of expression were drastically reduced, and the official curriculm of the
Fire Nation schools were changed to forward a political narrative. Fire Nation youths were raised
to believe in power and strength over all other pursuits, leading to a diminishment of traditional
values like honor. The Airbender Genocide was recontextualized as a military campaign, despite
the fact that the Air Nomads lacked a formal military. In essence, the children of the Fire Nation
were being raised to view themselves as superior to the other nations and morally just in all
matters.
The Fire Lord was put in a stronger position in Fire Nation culture. While the Fire Nation had
always respected the Fire Lord as their leader, the Avatar was viewed as standing above him in
many matters. Sozin’s reign saw this sharply reversed. The Avatar was a criminal to be captured
on sight. Even groups traditionally loyal to the Avatar, such as the Fire Sages, were put through
purity purges. Those who fell in line were allowed to keep their position. Those who swore
loyalty to anyone other than the Fire Lord were removed.
Azulon took over from his father and continued the war effort for the next 75 years. Azulon
continued the policies of his father: raiding the water tribe, focusing on the Earth Kingdom, and
instituting new educational standard to spread Fire Nation propaganda among the populace.
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The only notable event during Azulon’s rule was the Siege of Ba Sing Se. General Iroh, Azulon’s
eldest son, sieged the capital of the Earth Kingdom for three months. Iroh may very well of
conquered the city, but surrendered when his son was slain in battle. Azulon took pity on his
eldest and grew furious when Ozai, his second and youngest son, suggested changing the line of
succession as punishment for Iroh’s surrender.
Azulon ordered Ozai to kill his eldest son, Zuko, for his transgression. Ozai was willing to do so
as he hated his eldest son for being like Ursa, Ozai’s wife. Ursa, however, offered to accept
banishment in place of Zuko’s death. Ozai would only allow Ursa to perform such a deal if she
helped him end Azulon’s life. Using a poison Ursa knew to brew, Azulon died, Ozai lied about
Azulon agreeing to a change in succession, and Ozai was crowned Fire Lord.
For the next five years, Ozai would continue the 100 year war. Ozai kept many of the policies of
his fathers, but pushed for tougher and tougher measures. Ozai would often approve plans that
would result in the death of his own soldiers. When Zuko opposed such a plan, Zuko was scarred
and banished. His seat on the line of succession was given to Ozai’s favored daughter, Azula.
And such it remained until the Avatar returned in the final year of the war.
The 100 Year War is arguably the darkest time to set your Avatar campaign. This is a 100 year
period where the Avatar is missing and an imperialistic force is given free reign to act as they
please. The Fire Nation is not one dimensionally evil, to be clear. There are honorable members
in their ranks. However, the prevailing culture of the time despises such individuals as. weak. As
such, such soldiers rarely hold positions where they can influence the overall campaign. Those
positions instead being given to sociopaths.
The rest of the world is in a state of ruin.
The Air Nomads are all but wiped out in the beginning of this period. Some stragglers do remain
for those who wish to play them. But, Aang is canonically the only survivors of this period. Any
airbending PC would know that their character was destined to suffer a dark fate before The
Return Of The Avatar era.
The Water Tribe is barely fairing better. While the Northern Tribe retains some semblance of
their civilization in a great city, the Southern Tribe has lost everything. Constant raids has cost
the tribe almost all of its waterbenders. By the end of this period, Katara is the last waterbender
of the southern tribe. As the northern tribe still has plenty, it’s not as if waterbenders are extinct.
But their numbers are lessened. And, since the airbending Avatar has yet to be found alive, the
Fire Nation would be quick to capture any waterbender that is discovered.
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Outside of waterbenders, any who can fight are sent off to battle. By the end of this period, all of
the adult males of the Southern Tribe go off to battle. While the Northern Tribe had more men to
spare and more were needed to protect the homefront, most men are away from home and off in
military battle.
The Earth Kingdom is the only nation that can really stand against the Fire Nation. While much
of their lands are conquered, the vast size of the Earth Kingdom keeps the land free. The Fire
Nation’s campaign started in the northeast and continues along the coastline. It grows ever
inward, but the Earth Kingdom manages to keep them back. The impregnable Ba Sing Se is the
pillar of the war movement. The city’s vast resources and safety from Fire Nation capture allow
the capital to supply the Kingdom with materials needed for the war effort.
At some point near the end of this period, the Dai Li, under Long Feng, will launch a soft coup
against the Earth King. The Earth King is led to believe the war is over. Maybe they were never
informed of its existence to begin with. Regardless, the policy of “There Is No War In Ba Sing
Se” is strictly enforced and those found discussing the war are captured and brainwashed.
The rest of the Earth Kingdom fairs worse. The main focus is on the war campaign. Many of the
outlining townships are left to fend for themselves. As the Earth Kingdom is mainly a feudal
agrarian land, this is not too harsh on the citizens in most instances. Most townships were mainly
self-sustaining and had their own local rulers. However, if no Earth Kingdom forces are nearby
to defend the land, they are easy pickings for the Fire Nation war machine.
Those under the Fire Nation rule tend to face uneven treatment. As the war has yet to cease, it
seems the Fire Nation has yet to institute universal policies for the captured regions. Instead,
local generals are allowed to act with impunity. This turns captured territories into
mini-dictatorships. Only in rare instances are governors brought in to manage the land. Usually
only when major cities are captured or the land has been kept for an arbitrarily long enough time.
Some Earth Kingdom citizens are subject to high taxes under threat of violence. Others find all
of their earthbenders jailed as they are viewed as too dangerous. While others find their lives
mostly unchanged under fire nation occupation. While they are treated as second class citizens
and traditional noblemen find their riches plundered, the peasants see little difference in the
manner in which their elite rule them, some already used to being seen as second class citizens.
This usually only occurs in colonies which were ruled for at least a single generation and have
grown accustomed to their imperialist rulers.
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Setting your campaign in this era means accepting one clear fact: hope isn’t here yet. The world
is out of balance and its savior is still trapped in ice. Any victory or defeat in this era is
ultimately made moot by the Return of the Avatar era. This is why it's the best era for a story one
would not expect to tell in this setting: the faceless soldier.
War campaigns focused on the faceless soldier tell the story of regular people caught in the
machine of war. They aren’t the big heroes who will change destiny, but the average joes who are
just trying to protect their homes.
A joint battalion of Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe forces battling the Fire Nation’s Northern
forces while the front is constantly pushed back into Earth Kingdom territory. A Fire Nation spy
captured by the Earth Kingdom and forced to work for Earth Kingdom forces, as the spy slowly
begin to realize that they were the baddies in the war. A Fire Nation defector met with distrust by
their new comrades-in-arms as they go to stop a potentially devastating attack on Omashu.
The limits come in from your selection of benders. While the above examples intentionally were
made to show some examples where a player could play a firebender, earthbenders would be the
most common characters to find. Waterbenders are near extinction and are captured on sight,
firebenders mainly serve the enemy, and airbenders are literally extinct by the end of this period.
I would also like to take a moment to say I’ve run a game set in this era. We ran a game set in Yu
Dao 50 years into the 100 Year War. The game became the life of times of two noble families
during this age of strife. It involved some skullduggery from the governor's son attempting to
seize power from his father, an airbender raised secretly by one of the fire nation nobles, and a
crazy little sister. In the end, the son took power and half of the cast lived the rest of their lives in
banishment. Kind of a dark end, but at least we had a lot of fun with it. Especially when the
airbender became a masked vigilante called Tigerhawk, which would spawn our next game in the
setting.
I bring this up to say that one can also run a less war-focused game in this era. People still lived
their lives and had their own little struggles in this era. It wasn’t all about the war.
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Return Of The Avatar
Art from Welcome To Republic City from The Legend of Korra. Used without permission.
In the last year of the 100 year war, Sokka and Katara of the Southern Water Tribe found Aang,
the airbending Avatar, frozen in a block of ice. Awakening him from his slumber, they set-off a
change of events that would save the war.
This is the timeline of the Avatar of the Last Airbender television series. There is a lot to discuss
here and many are already familiar with Aang’s journey. As such, I’ll summarize on a lot of
details and focus more on the big picture.
Much of the status quo of this era is like the previous era. The main chance is the return of the
Avatar. This bring hope back to the people of the world. It also changes the Fire Nation’s focus
from raiding the Water Tribes to hunting the returned Avatar.
During this era, the Fire Nation neared the end of the war.
Admiral Zhao launched a near successful assault on the Northern Water Tribe. Killing one of the
physical embodiments of the moon spirit, Admiral Zhao almost removed waterbenders from
history. However, he was ultimately thwarted by the joint efforts of the Avatar, the surviving
spirit, and Princess Yue.
Omashu fell to Fire Nation rule. King Bumi, observing neutral jing, decided it best to surrender
against the superior forces and await his chance to escape and defeat them.
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Princess Azula and her forces successfully impersonated Kyoshi Warriors and infiltrated Ba Sing
Se. From this position, they gained valuable intel that stopped the invasion of the day of Black
Sun, a solar eclipse that saps firebenders of their bending. Furthermore, Azula took control of the
Da Li and successfully launched a coup against the Earth King. Taking over Ba Sing Se, the war
was technically over in the Fire Nation’s favor.
Fire Lord Ozai declared himself the Phoenix King on the day of the Great Comet. Launching an
assault against the remaining opposition, Ozai planned to scorch the Earth Kingdom of all
remaining holdouts against his rule. Had he succeeded, only the Northern Water Tribe would
remain as any real opposition to Fire Nation supremacy. And that would not last long. However,
Avatar Aang defeated Ozai and used a gift from the Fire Lionturtle to take away Ozai’s bending
permanently. At the same time, Prince Zuko and Katara defeated Fire Lord Azula and took over
the Fire Nation. The White Lotus freed Ba Sing Se from Fire Nation rule. Sokka, Toph Beifong,
and Suki stopped the brunt of the Fire Nation assault.
And thus ended the 100 year war.
Running in a Return Of The Avatar game is much like running a 100 Year War game. The status
quo shifts by the end into much more dire times, but the entire era is a single year. There is little
downtime between the major events. But the big difference is people have hope. The only break
from that is the brief two month period where the Avatar fakes being dead. People know the
Avatar has returned and can feel the end of the war coming.
You can more of a heroic game in this setting. With the war nearing its end, there are more
important, decisive victories that could be won off-screen. There could easily be their own band
of heroes running around in this era and righting the wrongs of their own. Jet and his Freedom
Fighters serve as an in-universe example, even if their methods were extreme.
You can also play a faceless soldier game in this era. There would be higher highs and lower
lows as the most decisive battles, both good and ill, occur in this era.
The only thing to consider is that bending options are even more restricted. While waterbenders
can travel more freely now that the Fire Nation does not suspect a water avatar to exist,
airbenders are entirely extinct by this era. The only way to play one would be if your group
played Team Avatar and played out your own version of the original series. Or if you broke from
canon, which is always an option.
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The Harmony Restoration Movement
Art from The Promise comic series by Gene Lene Yueng and art by Gurihiru. Used without permission.
The 100 Year War came to an end and Fire Lord Zuko pledged to restore honor the Fire Nation.
But such things are never that simple.
With the end of the war came the question of what to do with the Fire Nation colonies. Initially,
Zuko agreed to relinquish all lands to the Earth Kingdom as part of the Harmony Restoration
Movement. However, this proved controversial.
The older colonies had multiple generations to intermingle culturally and ethnically. The
governing family of Yu Dao, a major city that had advanced greatly due to the mix of Fire Nation
and Earth Kingdom Citizens, were a mixed race couple with a child who was gifted with
earthbending but viewed themselves as a member of the Fire Nation, to give an example. This
situation was not uncommon in the older colonies.
Questions began to arise. Some of the deported Fire Nation citizens had no idea what to expect in
their ancestral home and had no cultural ties to those lands. Some Earth Kingdom citizens feared
losing friends and loved ones. Families were at risk of being torn apart for political convenience.
Turmoil rose as groups from both ethnic groups began to oppose the movement. At the same
time, a group of traditionalists began their own counter-protests of the protesters.
Placed in a difficult position, Fire Lord Zuko rescinded his agreement to the Harmony
Restoration Movement. This act almost resparked the 100 Year War. Avatar Aang was almost
forced to fulfill a promise he had made to Zuko to end his life were Zuko to ever return to the
warlike ways of his father. But, in the end, Zuko was vindicated.
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Avatar Aang, considering his own multiethnic partnership with Katara and the potential for this
movement to rip families like his own apart, sided with Zuko. Using the power of the Avatar
State, Aang ripped Yu Dao out of the ground and placed it on the coast line. He declared this
land and the surrounding colonies as its own nation, the United Republic of Nations. And that
this land would be a neutral ground where people of all nations could call home.
After some political discussion, the leaders of the four nations agreed to these terms and the
United Republic of Nations was officially recognized as its own nation. A great war narrowly
avoided.
Down in the Southern Water Tribe, the Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, and Northern Water Tribe
were working together to rebuild the shattered tribe. While local opposition existed to the
perceived encroachment on their traditional way of life, this soon fell through. The Southern
Tribe was rebuilt in a modern style that benefited from other nations working together. They
adopted new technologies quickly as the destruction of the old world gave space for these new
technologies to flourish. However, despite all this, there were many who could not shake the
feeling that the Southern Tribe lost their traditional ways in the process.
The creation of the United Republic of Nations led to swift technological advancement. The Fire
Nation’s industrial revolution spread quickly in this new land. With no traditional world leaders
or restrictive government bodies to monitor the nation in its early years, the United Republic
quickly advanced over this 70 year period. But not all was well.
Industrialization came at the cost of the spirits and those who traditionally called the lands home.
Avatar Aang was placed in a difficult situation when Cranefish town, which would later be
renamed Republic City and serve as the United Republic’s Capital, began to embrace the
industrial revolution. The Town was built on land once held sacred to the Airbenders and the
industrialization poisoned the land and angered the indengious spirits. Aang, reluctantly, sided
with the factory owners and defeated the spirits, losing his ancestral land in the process.
Cranefish town would continue to advance. As time went on, tensions would grow between
benders and non-benders. With no formal government, the local business leaders started a
council to govern the city. This would slowly form into the Republic City Council. At the time,
the benders of the city began to embrace a cultural meme that suggested non-benders were
inherently inferior.
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When a factory invented new technology that removed the necessity of benders from the moving
assembly line, these groups began to engage in sabotage and terroism to scare away the
non-benders who ran the factory. Ultimately, Avatar Aang overthrew the head of the Bender
Supremacy movement. The nonbenders were trained in chiblocking by Suki in the hopes of
equalizing the two segments of society. A decision that would have ramifications in the next era.
The point is that this seventy year period was known for rapid technological advancement,
within the United Republic. The rest of the world slowly began to benefit from this technology,
but their embracement of it was slow. This would eventually lead to the next era, where the
United Republic mirrors New York in the 1920s and the rest of the world has just begun to
embrace these new innovations.
During the middle of this era, Cranefish Town is renamed to Republic City and eventually
reaches the heights we see during The Legend of Korra. Republic City, a modern city in the vein
of 1920s New York and Hong Kong, is unlike anything seen in the world before. Toph Beifong’s
metal bending academy gave way to her Metalbending Police Force. The Council evolves from
business leaders to representatives of the Four Nations, with Sokka serving as the Water Tribe
representative.
Organized Crime flourishes within Republic City. The rise of the Triple Threats, Agni Kais,
Creeping Crystals, The Redmonsoons, The Terra Triad, and many others occur in this era. At this
time, Yakone, gifted with psychic bloodbending, rises to power and is dealt with.
Finally, Avatar Aang dies in this era. While Korra is found quickly, she is kept in seclusion until
she is 17 years old. Her departure of the White Lotus compound marking the end of this era.
I would like to take this time to mention to some detractors who feel that this advancement
occurred unrealistically quickly. Hello Future Me on Youtube does a good job of explaining it.
The general gist is that the rate of technological advancement is not far off from our own in the
real world. Especially when you consider the Fire Nation had already undergone an industrial
revolution for almost two hundred years by the end of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
This era has a lot of space for familiar Avatar adventures, just like the 100 Year War era, but with
less of a gloomy vibe. The world is at peace after a long war and is rapidly advancing. People are
waking up to a world without war for the first time in 100 years. There were children who were
raised knowing only the war who are now able to raise children in peace. It is a time of
celebration.
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While Avatar Aang and Team Avatar are around, their adventures seem to have less of world
shattering consequences. After the formation of the United Republic, Avatar Aang’s
accomplishments seem more regionally focused. This gives a lot of freedom for groups to
explore the world. Since the War is over and canon material is slowly coming out, there is a lot
of free reign to tell stories as you wish. Every comic is set one year apart and you have 70 years
to play in before The Legend of Korra starts.
Adventures would be rather light hearted. Younger or older, groups would likely be made of
people exploring the now peaceful world. The only main downside is that there are no airbenders
in this era, an unfortunate commonality in the last trio of eras. Airbenders do not return until The
Return Of The Spirits era so players who want to play one will feel left out.
If adventures are set later on in the era, you can have the kind of adventures one would expect
from a Legend of Korra game. 1920s aesthetic, organized crime running around, noir drama,
corrupt businessmen, crooked politicians, and the seeds of what would bring about the Equalist
Revolution. Before Legend of Korra premiered, I don’t think anyone would associate Avatar
with swing music, fast cars, and professional sports. But those kinds of adventures are right at
home in the middle of this era.
Groups could be street urchins, overworked cops, or just your average city dwellers. They are
just trying to make their way in the crazy city they call home. Or you can set your adventures
outside the city. The rest of the world is still in an agrarian, pre-industrial lifestyle, but they are
slowly adopting the technologies coming out of the United Republic. You can still have your
fantasy adventures, but, out of nowhere, a rich family might have a car or the central government
sends an airship after you.
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The Equalist Revolution
Art from The Revelation from The Legend of Korra. Used without permission.
Yakone, a psychic bloodbender, took over the Republic City underworld until Avatar Aang took
away his bending. His two sons, Tarrlok and Noatak, would return to make the city their own.
Tarrlok would take a seat on the council. Noatak would take on the identity of Amon and lead
the Equalists.
The Equalists were a group of non-benders who opposed bending in all of its forms. Under the
guidance of Amon, they were led to believe that bending was the cause of all the world’s wars
and problems. Since benders were often world leaders and the Fire Nation held bending prowess
above all else, with few non-benders given any seats of power, during the 100 Year War, this
wasn’t a hard narrative to sell. Republic City’s own history worked against it as benders did
attempt to oppress non-benders when the city was still called Cranefish Town.
At first, Equalists could act openly. When they were just viewed as rabble rousers on podiums
handing out fliers, they were allowed to act without consequence. In this time, they amassed
followers and trained them in chi blocking techniques. These techniques were perfect for
neutralizing benders as it would temporarily take away one’s bending.
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Hiroshi Sato, leader of Future Industries, was a non-bender who lost his wife to a firebender.
Radicalized by the event, Sato used his wealth and technology to arm the Equalists. He provided
them with shock gloves and tonfas to give them an edge in battle. Sato also built non-bendable
mecha tanks out of platinum. All of this was conducted in secret.
When Avatar Korra came to Republic City, Amon advanced his plans. In a grand display, he took
away the bending of the Triple Threat’s boss permanently. Amon claimed this was a gift from the
spirits. In reality, Amon used his inherited psychic bloodbending to permanently sever the chakra
points of an individual. This technique is a perversion of how waterbenders use their gift to heal
others.
In response, Tarrlok convinced Republic City to form a task force to take down the Equalists.
Through media pressure, Korra was convinced to join this task force. Initially, the task force
proved successful in rooting out Equalist strongholds throughout the city. However, as Tenzin
warned, these actions rallied non-benders to Equalist causes. Non-benders felt threatened by the
taskforce, made entirely of benders, rounding up non-benders and arresting them. This came to a
head when a curfew for non-benders were initiated by the council. When non-benders tried to
defy the curfew in protest, they were arrested. The Equalists swelled in ranks.
After a failed gambit by Tarrlok which saw the kidnapping of the Avatar and the lost of Tarrlok’s
bending, the Equalists decided it was time to strike. They successfully sieged Republic City and
brought it under their control. One by one, benders were rounded up and had their bending
removed.
Through the joint efforts of the Republic Navy and Team Avatar, Amon was outed as a fraud and
the Equalists disbanded.
The Equalist Revolution is an interesting couple of months for the Avatar universe. At no other
point in the franchise are non-benders the main villains of the story. The Equalists also benefit
from having a kernel of truth in their propaganda. It is clear that benders do oppress non-benders
in Republic City. The Council is entirely made of Benders, after all, with no non-benders in
governance. This is what paved the way for Tarrlok’s extreme anti-non-bender policies to be
implemented.
To ease tensions, the Council disbanded and was replaced by a Presidency. The first President,
President Raiko, was a non-bender. With this change in leadership, the Equalist remnants were
appeased. This serves as a subtle acknowledgement that things were not right in Republic City
beforehand. And the story, with Tarrlok’s actions easily bulldozing their way through the council,
reinforced.
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North and South even showed that Sokka had some Equalist sentiments before the movement
even began. Sokka felt himself second rate to his sister due to his status as a non-bender and
quick to be excited by new technology that made benders and non-benders more equal. Katara
was quick to reassure Sokka that wasn’t the case, but it goes to show how far back these
sentiments go.
You have a corrupt government and a corrupt revolution. A bad war run by two brothers acting in
bad faith. If that’s not enough, you have Republic City. A post-industrial city in the vein of Hong
Kong in the 1920s, this city is full to the brim with intrigue. While much of this can be explored
in the previous era, you have the added tension of the Equalists and the disruption caused by the
lost of the Triple Threat’s leadership.
You can play a game on many sides of this conflict. Maybe you’re a group of benders and
non-benders torn over the issues at hand. Maybe you’re a member of the underworld disrupted
by Equalist activity. Maybe you work for the police and you have to deal with the Taskforce
abuses and the Equalists. Players have a dangerous world split in many directions to play in. And
there is a lot of intrigue and action to explore.
Goes without saying, but Airbenders are still not an option for player characters. The only
Airbenders are Tenzin and his three children. One could play Tenzin or his kids, but the only way
to play an original Airbender is to break from canon. Which is fine as long as your group is okay
with it. But, on the positive side, player characters now have access to mecha tanks, shock
gloves, cars, and airships. Not to mention that Metalbending is even more commonplace than it
was during the previous era.
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The Return Of The Spirits
Art from the episode Breathe of Fresh Air from The Legend of Korra. Used without permission.
Shortly after the Equalist Revolution, Korra went to the Southern Water tribe to enjoy the
festivities. During her stay, she is attacked by a dark spirit. When the Northern Water Tribe
Chief, Unaloq, defeats the spirit, Korra decides to study under him for spiritual guidance.
Unaloq uses this opportunity to further his own goals. Tricking Korra into reopening the spirit
portals, Unaloq begins to work on his plan of freeing Vaatu, spirit of Chaos and Darkness, and
bringing the spirits back to the world by force.
Despite becoming the Dark Avatar, Unaloq is defeated and purified. Thus ending the Dark
Avatar cycle before it begins.
Korra decides to reject the teaching of the past Avatars and keep the spirit portals open. The
spirits return to a world that has long since lost its spirituality. Especially in Republic City, where
Vaatu’s attack created a new spirit wilds in the city center. While people hate Korra for her
decision to keep the portals open, her decision turns out to be a fruitful one. People across the
globe are suddenly manifesting the ability to airbender.
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Korra and Team Avatar successfully recreate the Air Nation from these new recruits. A people
long thought dead are returned to the world. But, a powerful criminal named Zaheer escapes.
Freeing his cohorts, they successfully capture the Avatar and take the life of the corrupt Earth
Queen. While Korra defeats them, she is left physically devastated from the event and must
attend years of physical therapy. The restored Air Nation promising to keep balance in the world
until Korra is healed.
For the people waiting for an era where they can play an Airbender again, congratulations!
Midway through this era, the airbenders are back! And they are all over the world! Anyone can
be an airbender! Finally! That took literally 170 years and five eras before that could happen
again. And you got mecha tanks, cars, and airships to boot.
This time is similar to the previous era. Not much time has changed. But it now has the turmoil
of the Red Lotus’ schemes and the return of the Airbenders. The Legend of Korra showed how
the Earth Kingdom were forcing their airbenders into military service. The door is wide open for
similar adventures into how the world responds to the resurgence of airbenders.
The official comics play with the idea of airbenders trying to fight for their sacred land back. We
see in the series that people hunt skybison for profit after the airbenders died off. We also know
that there is conflict between many new airbenders between joining the air nation and remaining
members of their birth nation. There are a lot of avenues to explore here.
Outside of that, players and GMs are free to explore adventures that would work in the prior two
eras, but with the inclusion of airbenders to spice up the mix.
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The Missing Avatar
Art from The Battle of Zaofu from The Legend of Korra. Used without permission.
The world moved on while Korra recovered from her injuries. After Zaheer took the life of the
Earth Queen, the Earth Kingdom shattered into many tiny fiefdoms and Prince Wu was sent to
live in exile in Republic City. In his stead, Kuvira of Zaofu led unification efforts throughout the
Earth Kingdom lands. While the original plan was for her to relinquish control back to Prince
Wu when her work was done, she refused.
Declaring her forces the Earth Empire, Kuvira enacted a facist regime on the land. Fiefdoms
were already coerced under fear of trade embargo and military force to swear loyalty to Kuvira
and her empire. Her forces were already fiercely loyal to Kuvira and her ideals of a united,
modern empire. She had planned for her coup early on into her unification efforts. There was a
reason she was known as the "Great Uniter."
Kuvira's empire was focused on Earth Kingdom natives. Those of different ethnicities were
forced into camps. While the actions in the camps are unknown, it is known that people would
rather flee the country than enter those camps.
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Kuvira modernized the Earth Kingdom’s military. Mecha Tanks were advanced into Mecha
Suits, which offered more maneuverability and better in-built weapons. Metal bending was
taught to all of her troops who could bend. The army was reorganized with modern military
strategy in mind and its generals were taught modern military tactics. The military was also
given a dedicated research and development division to ensure the military remained on the
cutting edge of weapons tech.
Kuvira employed Varrick, ethnically a water tribesmen, to invent technology for her. That’s how
the mecha suits came to be. With time, Varrick successfully found a way to harvest spirit vine
energy into a powerful, explosive force akin to a nuclear bomb. When Varrick got cold feet,
Kuvira used fear and intimidation to force his cooperation. When her chief Public Relations and
Humanitarian Aid Officer, the mover star Bolin, found out about Kuvira’s human rights abuses,
Bolin helped Varrick escape and the two warned Republic City of Kuvira’s plot.
Korra, who was emotionally traumatized from Zaheer’s actions, was on a journey of
self-discovery at the time. For a while, she even believed the world was better without an Avatar,
blaming herself for the state the world was in. With time, she overcame her fears and insecurities
and returned to defeat Kuvira. Kuvira, having perfected the spirit vine weapons and made a 50ft
tall mecha suit, had declared war on the United Republic. Since the United Republic was
originally Earth Kingdom land, it was the last piece needed to complete her Empire.
Through the combined forces of the Air Nation, Republic City Navy, and Team Avatar, Kuvira
was defeated and forced to surrender. The Earth Empire disbanded. During the assault, Korra
bent the energy of a spirit vine cannon strike. Doing so created a new spirit portal at the center of
Republic City. The cold, secular city now would forever have a piece of the spirit world at its
center.
The Missing Avatar era is another time where the world falls into chaos because the Avatar is out
of commission. Korra thought the world was better without her, but, without the Avatar, it nearly
fell back into the warfare that consumed it during Aang’s absence.
There is so much fun to be had here. First, you got the build up to it all . You have a time where
the Avatar is missing. The Earth Kingdom is in ruins. And the world is recovering from the
return of the spirits and airbenders. That is a lot for the status quo to take.
This is where my current Legend of the Elements game is set. Following a Republic City cop
duo navigating the city after the Avatar vanished. It focused on the increase in crime with the
Avatar’s departure, the flood of refugees from the Earth Kingdom and the political fallout of the
Kingdom’s split-up. Just to give you an idea of what you can deal with in your games.
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Our first adventure focused on the Creeping Crystals staging a series of bombings on the
Republic City immigration offices to stall refugee admittance. The end goal of the Creeping
Crystals was to push refugees to use their human trafficking operation by limiting their other
options. By doing so, the Creeping Crystals could then force these people into indentured
servitude under threat of exposure. I’ll be honest, that’s a little heavy. Our games tend to get
darker. And this is a serious topic that requires delicacy. But, it’s an example of what you could
do at the beginning of the era.
Moving on to the end of the era, we have the Earth Empire’s rise to power. There is so much can
be done with this setting. The Earth Empire is a cool antagonist. I personally like their aesthetic.
Especially how they use the sheets of metal on their armor to metal bend. It’s rather stylish. It’s
also the perfect “faceless bad guy” setup. You got a bunch of faceless goons in cool getups, giant
mechs, and a charismatic dictator behind it all.
The show alludes to how Kuvira forces fiefdoms to join their Empire. It mainly seems to be trade
embargos. Anything more bold would give her away too early. But, a lot of fun could be had
with resistance to the Earth Empire. A story could be set in a small fiefdom and focus on a group
of locals resisting Kuvira’s attempts to integrate the land. Maybe she tries a trade embargo and
the kids try to break past the embargo and feed the people. Maybe she tries undercover sabotage
and the kids have to try to thwart it. Maybe she eventually gets permission to integrate the lands,
but these children fight the integration efforts. That’s just one idea.
After the mask falls off, you have an openly facist military dictatorship on the advance. We only
see Kuvira advance on Zaofu and Republic City. But there are probably still efforts through the
Empire to keep it cohesive.
Only sour note is that the show very briefly gets a bit dark with things. It’s not as if the series is
afraid from having villains engage in ethnic genocide. The Airbenders were wiped out and the
Waterbenders were routinely captured and imprisoned. But, it’s a little worse with Kuvira.
Kuvira is a facist and parallels can be drawn between her and Hitler. That’s not even reading into
things. The prototype spirit cannon from Operation Beifong was visually based on the “Dora”, a
prototype weapon from Nazi Germany. And that’s from the words of the creators themselves on
the Operation Beifong audio commentary. There are more parallels throughout the season, but I
won’t waste time listing them here.
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As such, her efforts to place ethnically water tribe and fire nation individuals into camps is iffy.
The wikia for the series even says they were imprisoned during a time of ethnic cleansing. The
Ruins of the Empire comic series refers to these camps as “inhumane prison camps.” That
doesn’t directly call them death camps, but does make it clear that the conditions were inhumane.
That’s a word with a wide range of meanings. It could mean prisoners were locked up all day,
given the bare minimum of food and water, and suffered physical abuse from the guards. Or it
could mean much worse.
While its not said what occured in the detainment camps, it is clear what they were a reference
towards. Since sometimes people need things spelled out, it’s a holocaust refernece.
This places game masters in an iffy spot. The holocaust is a very serious real life event that can’t
be treated lightly. While the series dealt with ethnic cleansing before, it wasn’t based so directly
on a real life event, to my knowledge.
I don’t have a good answer for how to deal with this in your games. It’s kind of weird, honestly.
The creators threw this detail into both the cartoon series and comic, but did next to nothing with
it. It’s a very heavy issue. I felt it was worth bringing to a game master’s attention. These guys
are Avatar’s equivalent of Nazis. Whether or not they went “full-on Nazi” is something for you
to decide. Both answers have their own issues, honestly. Having them not commit the holocaust
might seem like Nazi apologia, but having them commit such acts brings in a whole mess of
issues that even the series itself doesn’t want to deal with.
Or you can just have it happen in the background and only give it a cursory reference. That’s
what the series does.
Back onto a lighter note, all the tools are in the toolbox for this era. You have access to every
form of bending: earthbending, waterbending, firebending, airbending, metalbending,
bloodbending, lighting generation, etc. You have mecha suits, cars, and all the tech of a
steampunk 1920s. Your players will have a field day with the options and toys they get to play
with in this era.
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The Future
With those settings done, we reach the end of the canon material. Turf Wars and Ruins Of The
Empire expand on the time after The Legend Of Korra ended, but there isn't enough to really go
off of yet. At least in comparison to The Last Airbender Comics that actually had six graphic
novels at this point.
That means the future is up in the air. We know the next Avatar will be an earthbender. But what
does that mean? This has become a popular avenue for fanfiction. Besides, who says we can only
go forward one Avatar? What if went a full cycle? Or even multiple cycles? Perhaps you want to
go for more of a science fantasy game like Star Wars, you might be able to reach that timeline in
two or three complete Avatar cycle. After all, that would be thousands of years in the future.
We will go over some possible futures for the Avatar world and how you could game in them. As
one might gather, these settings, at least the ones I made, are intentionally open ended in a
fashion where it will be easier to game in them. Running in an official timeline can be restrictive
as you have to work around the major events. I’ve done it, but it can be cumbersome.
Last week, I decided to bring Kuvira in as a one-off obstacle for my Legend of the Elements
game by having the party accidentally get involved in a false-flag kidnapping attempt against
Prince Wu that Kuvira setup to get more emergency powers. The party was just trying to expose
police corruption and ultimately could not pin Kuvira down on enough to hurt her. Everyone said
they enjoyed the session, but I could tell one of my players was disappointed they couldn’t take
Kuvira down because our game was canon compliant. These future settings can allow you to
avoid that as no such restrictions exist.
We use the AG system for denoting relative time. This stands for Airbender Genocide and is a
fan method of keeping track of time in the Avatar Universe. 0 AG was when Aang was frozen in
the iceberg.
Lastly, after writing all these settings, I will admit that this is the dumbest stuff I’ve ever written.
It blatantly misses the point of Avatar. However, I made it so I might as well include it.
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The Legend Of Genji
Art by Mackydraws. Used without permission.
The Legend of Genji is a fanseries by a team of fans. The project expanded a lot of the series. I
vaguely remember a fan fiction series with this premise. Then two issues of a webcomic. And
now an animated fan series. Not that any of those were completed. The feature creep suggests
that this will never actually be finished. But, regardless, it is a rather well-thought out future for
the Avatar universe. It’s loosely defined and gives game masters a lot of room to work with. The
section title is a hyperlink to one of the websites for the series and goes into detail on the world
and its characters.
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The United Republic Civil War
Art from Skeletons In The Closet from The Legend of Korra. Used without permission.
In 340 AG, a power struggle develops in Republic City. The United Republic dissolved their
council in favor of a single President. While a few leaders used their power respectfully, the
current sitting President has acted openly corrupt. Without any system to check his power, he has
expanded the power of government. Most notably, the president suspended all elections
indefinitely. As commander-in-chief of the military, the president has violently cracked down on
those demanding free elections. Through close alliance with business leaders, leaders of the
military, criminal empires, and foreign heads of state, no one can question the President's rule
successfully.
A group of United Republic citizens across the country have been organizing in secret to
overthrow the acting President. This group refers to themselves as the Purple Lotus. Many were
radicalized by the writings of Zaheer. Zaheer's books grew in popularity after the infamous
Republic City Square Incident, where the United Republic Army mass arrested protesters for a
peaceful gathering. The event is infamous as soldiers that held extremist loyalties to the
President used excessive, and sometimes lethal, force during the arresting process.
The Avatar is still only a child and cannot be trusted to wade into this tense political
environment. While many tut-tut those fighting for their rights against the oppressive
government for "not waiting for the Avatar to fix everything," the younger generation is tired of
waiting and the Purple Lotus is growing in number constantly. However, the group is plagued by
internal strife and lack of clear leadership.
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The United Republic has become the center of commerce for the world. Many nations are
directly interfering to keep the current administration in power. The current administration has
been kind, arguably bordering on corruption, to businesses. There is fear that the Purple Lotus
will damage the economic power the entire world has become dependent upon. Little
consideration is given to the lives of those forced to live under the current regime, only a desire
for profit remains.
The proliferation of Purple Lotus doctrine across the world has led to splinter groups to form
across the world. There is a fear that, if the Purple Lotus succeed in freeing their world and
bringing freedom to their people, wars for freedom will erupt across the planet. The elite of the
world will do everything in their power to squash that hope into dust.
The United Republic Civil War era is political as all hell. It's a mishmash of numerous political
issues that many modern countries have faced in the last forty years. It draws on inspiration from
failed democracies, communist governments, fascist regimes, and some modern political strife in
struggling democracies. Not to mention the references to foreign powers interfering with the
political strife of developing nations for political and economic gain, a crime almost every
developed nation is guilty of committing at some point.
This era comes with an inherent trigger warning. It deals with subjects not everyone will feel
comfortable in their games. It also invites discussion some may prefer not to have in a campaign.
To those who prefer their setting to deal with real world issues, this is a good setting for such
things. Unlike most settings, this setting draws intentional parallels to modern strife which will
allow players to explore those issues with some level of distance.
Games would center around the strife in the United Republic of Nations. Similar to Season one
of Korra, most of the action would take place within the city. All player options would be
available, as is common in futuristic setting. The Avatar is only around 10 year old. They could
get involved, but this situation can just as easily be resolved without them. The Purple Lotus
certainly are tired of everyone relying on the Avatar instead of solving their own problems.
Players would be expected to fight against the corrupt president. They could be Purple Lotus
members, former government officials who realized they were the baddies, or citizens pushed too
far and fighting unaffiliated with any group. The President would have the city, its army, its
police, and foreign aid on their side. Players would be fighting an uphill battle. Whether the
President is a physical threat or not is up to the game master themselves.
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The Great War
Art from The Promise comic series by Gene Lene Yueng and art by Gurihiru. Used without permission.
It was 540 AG. No one could have seen it coming. The Water Tribe had united into a
confederation. The new Chieftain had come to Republic City for a diplomatic meeting. They
were to be escorted by the Avatar themselves. Then, they were assassinated in the middle of the
night.
Every nation blamed each other. No one took credit. The Avatar tried to find peace. They failed.
Treaties from the end of the 100 Year War were called on. Old animosities reared their head.
Armies were mobilized.
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Now, the entire world is at war with each other. This is the Great War, a war where the entire
world is warring with each other.
War has happened before. The 100 Year War comes to mind. The Great War is unlike any war
before. There are no allies. No alliances exist between the Five Nations. It is open, unrelenting
combat between five modern, industrial nations. Mechasuits, benders, spirit weapons, etc. are all
part of the raging machine of war.
Nowhere is safe. The war will eventually reach you. Every nation expects its citizens to do their
part. Every nation is giving their all to win. Every nation is engaging in total war.
And yet, it’s all pointless. The War is utterly pointless. No one has anything to gain from this
conflict. It’s a sick joke.
The Great War is a dark take on the 100 Year War. The 100 Year War had a clear “good guy vs
bad guy” narrative that often makes war easy to sell to a population. This same tactic is used by
actual governments. However, reality is not always that clean. There are wars where there are
clear bad guys -- like World War II -- but then there are pointless wars, like World War I.
The Great War is World War I. There is no point in this battle. It’s also an industrialized war
between numerous combatants. This only heightens the potential for global devastation.
The Great War era exists for a war narrative that is outside the paradigm set with the 100 Year
War. You don’t need to worry about the canon events or factions. It also appeals to the edgier
faction of fans who prefer a grittier, dark story with no clear morality. War narratives are good
backdrops for campaigns as they tend to have clear objectives, allies, and justify violence.
The Great War does come with an issue. With no clear “Good guy vs bad guy” narrative, it may
be hard to find out how to spin the war. The answer is that war itself is the villain. Whoever the
player characters are, they should be attempting to stop the war and return peace. The Avatar
themselves would definitely be at the center of these peace attempts.
Of course, given this is Avatar, peace will likely be brought at the end of a climatic battle.
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The Space Race
Art from unknown. Most likely a Gundam series. Used without permission.
In 780 AG, the five nations entered a period of cold war. The last Avatar brokered a peace deal to
stop one nation from ending the world in Spirit Weapon Apocalypse. While the prior Avatar
stopped utter devastation, they did so by ensuring all nations had access to the technology. The
threat of mutually assured destruction was intended to keep the nations from ever using the
weapons. Instead, the Avatar may have brought the world closer to destruction than ever before.
The five nations have also noticed resources are depleting due to rapid industrialization over the
last few years. Mining efforts in the Spirit World, which a prior Avatar fought to protect, are no
longer enough to keep the machines of industry running. The spirits are dying off and their world
is vanishing.
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The trend of spirit death started with the forests of Earth vanishing. This coincided with severe
pollution that has made the oceans of Earth 20% human garbage. The air in most major cities is
so dirty most citizens are required to wear masks. Now, the poles near the spirit portals are
melting, rising the sea levels and altering global climate.
There is a pressure amongst the five nations to find a way forward in this era of Spiritual Death,
the name given to the myriad of ecological disasters facing the world. The answer every nation
reached independently was to set their skies on the largest spiritual body left: the moon. The Fire
Nation considered the sun for a hot minute, but thought better of the idea.
The Five Nations considered cooperation in this endeavor, but nothing could be reached. Wounds
from the Great War have made cooperation difficult. Instead, competition became the name of
the game. The first person to colonize the moon will dominate the world. With mutually assured
destruction, war was out of the question. The Five Nations have used spies, espionage, and
underhanded tricks to try and steal information on space travel from each other.
The Space Race era is a time of subterfuge and espionage. This is the time for those who prefer
subtle games. It tests a different type of action from most eras. Instead of open battles and big
wars, the Space Race is built on tiny, quiet missions where open battle is a sign of failure.
Success means not being seen.
Players would be encouraged to act like Zuko in The Blue Spirit episode of the Avatar: The Last
Airbender. Your goals would be clear: get in, accomplish your objective, get out without being
seen. Of course, you might get seen. Then, things get complicated. Even more so when your
mission takes you into a hostile nation. Every law enforcement agency is bearing down on you.
You need to get back to your home country or you’ll be jailed forever.
It’s tense. You can’t trust anyone. You don’t know who's a double agent. And someone you’re
working with just might be one. Likely not a player character, unless everyone agreed on that in
advance, but non-player characters are free game.
It’s certainly not a playstyle encouraged by the other settings. If you want an espionage game,
this era could fit the bill.
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The Great Moon Tribe War
Art by Tad Young. Used without permission.
In 2,450 AG, the world is a very different place. The colonization of the Moon by the Water
Confederation has given mankind a foothold into space. The five nations have collapsed due to
environmental disasters that lowered the global population by 10%. The remnants of the five
nations have since formed into a single nation: the World Federation. The Avatar still
reincarnates per the Avatar cycle, but their place on Earth is random. Earth Avatars have been
born in traditionally water tribe lands, for example.
The World Federation has deemed it necessary to try to bring the Moon Tribe government in-line
with the new world order. In response to the overeaches of the World Federation, the Moon Tribe
has declared independence from the World Federation. The World Federation’s Council of Five,
five regional governors who lead the World Federation, has responded with military force against
the Moon Tribe.
The current Yue or leader of the Moon Tribe, Nootaikok, has consulted the spirit of the Moon,
Yue, and garnered her support in their defense of their home. Nootaikok has rallied the Moon
Tribe in defense of their home.
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In the time since Korra, Mecha Suit technology has advanced. Varric’s flight suit technology was
mixed with his magnetic rail design allowing for levitating suits capable of autonomous flight.
As the world’s bender population decreased mysteriously, the suits were designed to enhance
latent bending ability. The “Benderized Mecha Suit” or "Bencha" can fully replicate bending
moves and bend the elements. However, the element is still limited to the latent element within
the pilot. Lastly, they have incorporated the colossus design from the Earth Empire: Bencha are
as large as skyscrapers.
Making matters worse, derelict structures were found in space in the last twenty years. They
appeared to be fully simulated human environments. Colonization efforts into these "Space
Colonies" were planned before the war. Now, both sides are using reverse engineered technology
to boost their capabilities. The Space Colonies also make a great site for military bases in space.
Their discovery might hold the secret for mankind surviving Earth's slow spiritual death and
related disasters, but for now they just drive the war to more dramatic outcomes.
All of this has caused the warfare of The Great Moon Tribe War era to be destructive, gigantic,
and flashy. Thankfully, due to the Southern Tribe Treaty, use of Spirit Vine weapons have been
forbidden during the war. If one side uses them, the other side will retaliate. Then neither will
remain.
For those familiar with the Gundam franchise, this future timeline is meant to be a mashup of
Gundam and Avatar. The themes of loss, senseless violence, warfare, mental illness, and
spirituality in a time of conflict mesh well between the two series. Korra’s introduction of giant
mecha even make it a plausible possible future of the franchise.
The game will use the Mechasuit rules. Furthermore, it will utilize a new rule called: Scale.
Scale
Every character has a scale rating. People and animals have Scale 1. Vehicles have Scale
2. Mechasuits, which are the size of a house, have scale 3. Bencha, which are the size of
skyscrapers, have Scale 4. When characters of different Scale interact in a physical
contest, the players subtract the lower scale from the higher scale to determine the Scale
Bonus. The character with the higher scale gets the Scale Bonus. The Scale Bonus
replaces a number of Fate Dice equal to the Scale Bonus with an equal number of
six-sided dice during a check.
It also has a very strong limitation on Bending: the Bending stunt cannot be used outside of a
Mecha Suit. This is intended to imply that the spirituality of mankind has diminished so far that
the bending arts are almost lost. However, life goes on.
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This is borderline crossover fanfic terrority. Adventures in this future timeline are meant to
invoke the themes of the 100 Year War era with flash and style of a giant mecha show. While
some players will feel this is too far removed for what they were looking for, others may enjoy
the mashup and the freedom such a far future provides.
Example Bencha
Artist Unknown. From Gundam Build Fighter Try. Used without permission.
High Concept: Giant Of Metal And Flame

Trouble: The Fire Grows Out Of Control
Other Aspects: Pure Platinum, Larger Than Life, Capable Of Space Travel
Firebender (2 Benefits): You may use Ride in place of Firebending for all actions. Weapon:2 when
using your mounted fire cannons.
Platinum Chassis (2 Benefits): Armor:4 against physical stress.
Scale: 4
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Star Bending
Art by shorelle.. Used without permission.
In 16,780 AG, Earth is completely uninhabitable. The planet has undergone complete Spiritual
Death. Mankind has been forced to live in space colonies they found orbiting the space around
the Earth.
Mankind barely made it off the Earth. They would not have made it were it not for the Final
Avatar. The exact details have been lost to time, but the Final Avatar allegedly stopped evil
spirits from destroying mankind and its space colonies during the last Harmonic Convergence. In
the process, the Avatar Spirit was torn into a thousand pieces.
The destruction of the Avatar cycle had an interesting effect. Humans have regained their ability
to bend the elements. However, something is a little different. The four elements have become
Fire, Water, Air, and Metal. Earth is nowhere to be found in the colonies. Those who can
naturally bend are not out of luck. Advancements in technology have led to the creation of cyber
benders. These artificial benders use platinum implants to gain a pseudo bending ability.
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The natural benders have formed two spiritual orders: the Order of Raava and the Outcasts of
Vaatu. There two sides have warred for a long time, dragging mankind along with their personal
squabbles. The Order of Raava believes in balance through peace and understanding. The
Outcasts of Vaatu believe in peace through force and violence.
The Outcasts of Vaatu have formed the Empire. This oppressive regime uses their vast military
power to keep the Space Colonies under their control. The Rebel Front has to work in the
shadows to fight against the Empire.
The Bencha tech of The Great Moon Tribe War has fallen out of favor. Fast and maneuverable
starships have replaced these mechs. Space dogfights are the main battlefield. Each ship is
capable of using pseudo-bending, using the same tech as cyber-benders.
This era is Star Wars with Avatar. It is kind of unnecessary, but some may enjoy it. It also has
elements of Mobile Suit Gundam with its Cyber Benders. It's definitely missing the point of why
someone would want to play an Avatar game, but it's here none-the-less.
Use the Vehicles rules for airships as a basis for starships. The main difference would be the
prevalence for bender armaments on the ships. Cyber Benders are just a reskinning of traditional
benders. They are based on Cyber Newtypes from Gundam. As such, their main issue would be
their Trouble Aspect would likely be linked to some pain caused by the Cyber Bender implants.
The Benders of the bending order could use lightsabers called Beam Staves, an example is
provided below.
Metalbending is no longer a sub style. Instead, Metalbending is simply another element choice
when selecting the Bender Extra. Metal completely replaces Earth as an element choice when
picking the Bender Extra.
Some may bemoan the loss of an Avatar. That is something I said was core to the Avatar
experience earlier on. It’s just part of the decline of the world. However, it’d be totally fine to
include a type of chosen one. An Avatar surrogate who begins a new cycle of the Avatar in this
new era. Perhaps, from a humble birth on a remote desert space colony.
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Example Starfighter
Artist Unknown. Used without permission.
High Concept: Fast And Quick Fire Striker

Trouble: Lightly Armored
Other Aspects: Pure Platinum, Air Jets, Can Do Some Maneuvers
Spaceship (1 Benefit): You are capable of both spaceflight and in-altitude flight.
Sleek Design (2 Benefits): You have +1 to Defend with Ride against enemy fire by
outmaneuvering them. You have +2 to Create An Advantage with Ride by
outmaneuvering your opponent.
Twin Fire Blasters (2 Benefits): Weapon:4
Watershields (1 Benefit): You have 3 additional 3 Stress Boxes.
Vehicle Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]
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Example Starship
Artist Unknown. From Phantasy Star Online Used without permission.
High Concept: Heavily Armored Metaldestroyer

Trouble: Slowly And Bulky
Other Aspects: Pure Platinum, Impossibly Large, Nigh Indestructible
Heavy Metal Frame (2 Benefits): Armor:4 against physical stress.
Metal Slug Launchers (2 Benefits): Weapon:4
Spaceship (1 Benefit): You are capable of both spaceflight
Triple Layer Watershield (2 Benefits): You have 6 additional 3 Stress Boxes.
Vehicle Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]
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Example Beam Staff
Art by Zed_Edge. Used without permission.
Function: Laser Sword

Flaw: Disarmed
Burning Edge (2 Benefits): Weapon:4
Intense Heat (1 Benefit): You can cut through anything if you wait long enough.
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Brave New World
Art from Legend of Korra. Episode unknown. Used without permission.
Mankind long ago left their home behind. Warfare, climate change, and complete spirit death had
left it an inhospitable mess. For the last 10,000 years, mankind has languished in space colonies.
Now, the systems are breaking down. A home had to be found for mankind before the systems
fail or it will be the twilight of the human race.
Readings and preliminary findings suggested the Earth may be habitable once more. Landing,
the people of Earth spread-out to claim this much needed home. However, they soon found the
land was already taken.
Strange energy beings that call themselves spirits made their presence known. Mankind was
shocked to find their origin in a parallel dimension that the local beings called the Spirit World.
At first, scientists tried to force their way into the Spirit World to study these amazing new
phenomenon. However, this angered the Spirits. Conflict broke out and humanity found
themselves on their backfoot.
To make matters stranger, a small group of colonist went off to live amongst the spirits. These
monks have begun to develop the strange power to manipulate air. They claim that the
Lionturtles have bestowed this gift upon them. However, any attempt to study this gift has led to
the monks fleeing. The knowledge of this power has encouraged many to leave. Allying with
spirits, many of the colonists now live on the back of Lion Turtles, living like pets and
occasionally being bestowed this power when needed.
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The original government of the Space Colonies, The United Human Front, remains in decaying
advanced structures. Their advanced tech is slowly breaking down from repeated Spirit attack.
The people of the United Human Front try their best to keep to the ways of science and
technology, but it is a losing battle. More people either fall to spirits or seek refugee among the
Lion Turtles. It is only a matter of time before any knowledge of mankind’s history in the stars
will be lost.
What has been will be again, and what will be has already been. For this is not the first time
mankind has gone into space and returned. That their society has grown to the heightedt heights,
only to fall back into a medieval society. The Earth has similarly undergone periods of spirit
birth, growth, decline, and death. Nor is this the last time these events will occur.
The world exists in a cycle of death and rebirth. Every time, the same players appear on the stage
but things go a little differently. Perhaps one time this future can be avoided and the cycle can be
broken.
This era is either far in the future or far in the past. It is a mixture of two tropes. The hindu belief
that the world will be destroyed and reborn many times and the farfical concept of ancient alien
theory. The implication is that mankind starts in a lawless, spiritual land, seperate from the
spirits, advance to a medieval society, an industrial society, go to space, lose Earth, return to
Earth, forget everything, and repeat it all. Perhaps it is a little silly, but it is far from the only
asain fantasy story using this twist.
The era is a mixture of the First Avatar era’s lawless spirituality and the far future’s technology.
The United Human Front have no benders, but use powerful Weapon:4 laser tech. They are
people of logic who refuse to bend to the spirit’s world view. Those who live amongst the spirits,
however, have forgotten their past and are like the people of the First Avatar era. Only the
recently integrated speak of the reality of mankind’s past and are treated like crazy people. It is
the only era where you can expect people to use power armor, mecha suits, and laser rifles to
fight spirts while people till lands and use bending to hunt deer.
Like many of these future timelines, players may feel this is not an Avatar setting. In some ways,
they are right. Others might like the sci fi twist on the Avatar universe and to try something so
different from what they expected.
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Alternate Timelines
The future isn't enough for you? Then there's always alternate timelines. Some people just don't
want to play in another person's sandbox. Even if you're far removed from canon events, some
people would rather have everything be fair play. And that's where alternate timelines come in as
they are free from any canonicity.
They are all born out of asking a question. What if Aang never ran away? What if Aang was
never discovered in the iceberg? What if the Water Tribe were the aggressors in the 100 Year
War? What if the Red Lotus kidnapped Korra? What if Kuvira killed Korra at the Battle of
Republic City?
And so on and so forth.
As you can see, the possibilities are endless. We'll explore a few of them I think are good as
possible campaign settings.
And, just like with the possible futures, these might be easier to set your game in. There are no
official events you have to adhere to for canon compliance.
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Aang: The Airbending Avatar
Art from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Episode unknown. Used without permission.
When Aang discovered they were to send him away to be the Avatar, he ran. He feared the
responsibility. He feared the Fire Nation. He was afraid of losing everything he knew. In the end,
after his 100 year slumber, all three of these fears were thrust upon him with a vengeance.
However, on the night he left, Monk Gyatso was coming to him to discuss these things with him.
He wanted Aang to have a normal life and not be thrust into the world of the Avatar. In the main
timeline, he was too late. In this timeline, he wasn’t. He arrived just in time. After discussing
things with Aang, the pair decided to begin their adventure together.
After leaving the Southern Air Temple, Aang and Gyatso went to the Southern Water Tribe. With
Monk Gyatso guidance, they arrived safely. While they began their training there under a
powerful and friendly water bending teacher -- the Chief Panuk --, the news arrived: the Fire
Nation had attacked the Air Temples looking for the Avatar and many of the airbenders were
lost. Devastated, Aang wanted to head back. However, Monk Gyatso told him to stay as he left.
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When word came through that the Fire Nation was coming to the Southern Water tribe, Aang left
with his teacher to the Earth Kingdom. While hiding out there, he was discovered by the Earth
Kingdom soldiers and brought to Ba Sing Se. While there, the Earth King Guo provided Aang
the best Earthbending teacher he could provide: the stern and unmoving Gang.
While he studied, he was surprised by Monk Gyatso’s arrival. Gyatso had went to the temples
and found the few survivors there. The Airbenders had shrunk to the hundreds from the initial
attack, but were not lost. With the Earth King’s approval, they could remain in Ba Sing Se.
As time went on, Aang was pushed by the Earth King to go after the Fire Nation. However, the
teachers made clear that Aang wasn’t ready. Understanding their point, the Earth King had his
best agents of the Dai Li to infiltrate the Fire Nation and find Aang a Firebending teacher who
was loyal to the Avatar. Being so early into the war, this task was much easier than in the canon
timeline. In a few month's time, Aang was studying under four masters. His firebending teacher
Minoru was a nobleman who was exiled by Sozin for protesting the war.
Aang’s bending wasn’t perfect, but the war had reached its third year. Under pressure from the
other nations, they launched a joint attack on the Fire Nation. Sozin was a powerful bender and
his forces were mighty, but they could not stand against a fully realized Avatar backed by an
army of the united forces of the world. His advanced age did not help. Sozin was captured alive.
The Fire Nation had a succession problem. Sozin was an only child and his son, Azulon, was
only three years old. The current government of the Fire Nation was sent to live in exile on
Wanning Island, the sister island of Crescent Island. Azulon’s mother, Hibiki, chose to live with
the exiled government and brought her son with them: a testament to her commitment to the war.
There were talks of electing a Regent. The Earth King pushed for it to be led by his own
government, but Gyatso put a stop to that. However, without an easy answer, they ultimately
decided on Minoru to lead the Fire Nation as Regent. This decision was not looked kindly on by
the rest of the citizens of the Fire Nation. When Azulon comes of age, the world will need to
decide if they are going to return the Nation to the royal family.
The world is coming to know peace. As far as the world is concerned, the Three Year War was a
foolish endeavor of the Fire Nation that ultimately amounted to little. A small bit of Earth
Kingdom land spent half a decade under Fire Nation control. The Water Tribes suffered some
fierce attacks, but ultimately recovered easily.
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It’s only the Air Nation that truly suffered. Their numbers only in the hundreds, the Air Nomads
are limping along and stretch thinned amongst the four temples. The nomads currently enjoy aid
brokered by the Avatar, but they still had to change. Taking on a group of non-benders as
acolytes to learn under them, the Nation is doing the best to rebuild. Their purity has been
changed, but it is not a fatal would in the slightest.
Those in political circles either salivate or fear the future. Azulon is only a toddler, but it will
only be fourteen years until he is an adult. Once he reaches age, the world will need to decide
how to treat the Fire Nation. For some in the Earth Kingdom, this succession crisis is a chance to
take land from the Nation or, for war hawks in the Fire Nation, restart the war. For others, this
fact becomes a looming fear of conflict and destruction.
This timeline is the one of least bloodshed. Aang managed to protect the entire world in a timely
manner. The Air Nomads are hurt, but they will recover. The Earth Kingdom is unphased. The
Water Tribe suffered minimal damages. Even the Fire Nation, with its traditional government in
exile, is led by a nobleman focused on restoring the old traditions. The world is exactly as Aang
was born into.
And, such, it is stagnant.
Without the 100 Year War to move the world forward, it remains trapped in an unmoving
present. The war forced progress by the mixture of Earth and Fire citizens, but half-a-decade
hardly caused any change. Korra will be born into a world similar to Aangs and likely avoid the
numerous strifes that she faced in the main timeline: Amon will have no impetus, Unalaq will
not be born yet, Vaatu will be sealed for another hundred years, Zaheer will not be driven to
action, and there will be no modernatizon for Kuvira, who isn’t even born, to enact.
As I said, it is peaceful, but it is stagnant.
For those who wish to adventure in a world just as they remember from the Original series, but
without the fear of war and strife or the burden of recovery, this era may be perfect for them. It’s
a light era. There are tons of possibilities to explore in this new, happier timeline. While all of the
main bending types are alive and well, some sub-bending types -- like bloodbending and
metalbending -- have not come to be.
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Avatar Alone
Art from The Day Of Black Sun Part 2 from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Used without permission.
When Aang discovered they were to send him away to be the Avatar, he ran. He feared the
responsibility. He feared the Fire Nation. He was afraid of losing everything he knew. In the end,
after his 100 year slumber, all three of these fears were thrust upon him with a vengeance.
However, on the night he left, Monk Gyatso was coming to him to discuss these things with him.
He wanted Aang to have a normal life and not be thrust into the world of the Avatar. In the main
timeline, he was too late. In this timeline, he wasn’t. He arrived just in time. After discussing
things with Aang, the pair decided to stick together: Aang would enjoy a normal childhood.
All of that changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Despite the best efforts of all involved, the
Fire Nation slew Aang. The only silver lining being that, with the Avatar confirmed dead, the
stragglers of the Air Nation were simply enslaved instead of killed.
The Fire Nation moved to the Water Tribes. While the goal was capture, the Water Tribe Avatar,
still a child, refused to surrender and died in combat. The war raged on as the world awaited the
Earth Kingdom Avatar.
The Earth Kingdom quickly took their Avatar and hid her behind the walls of Ba Sing Se. As
best they could, they trained her in secret. However, during Iroh’s campaign, the Avatar died
from injuries sustained fighting General Iroh. The Earth Kingdom kept the knowledge of the
Avatar’s death secret.
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Now, in the confines of the Fire Nation, a new Avatar is being born in secret. The official ruling
of the Fire Lord is that the Fire Nation Avatar is to be found earlier and be indoctrinated or, if
found a dissident, be jailed for life as a safety precaution. Who this Avatar is? Who they will side
with? What they will do? It’s impossible to say.
The forces of the Earth Kingdom live in terror of the Avatar turning against them. The Water
Tribe is convinced the Avatar is amongst the Earth Kingdom, drawing hope. The Airbenders,
enslaved servants, wish only to be free once again. The Fire Nation acts cautious until Sozin
Comets return, thinking the Avatar is acquiring their strength in the Earth Kingdom.
This timeline may seem dark, but it is no darker than the main timeline. The war has still raged
100 years. None of the bending disciplines have gone extinct so the Avatar cycle is not ruined.
The loss of two Avatars is tragic, but no more tragic than the loss of any other life. There is still
hope this world can be saved and made right. All it takes is one to enact that change: the Fire
Nation Avatar.
The expected adventure in this timeline is for a Team Avatar formed around this Fire Nation
Avatar. Why the Fire Nation and not simply letting it be the Water or Earth Avatar? The conflict.
There is no difference if a Water or Earth Avatar fights the Fire Nation. It’s just the main timeline
with a different coat of paint. A Fire Avatar, however? Now, there is a source of conflicted
interest. Even the possibility that they may side with the bad guy.
Players could even start on the side of the Fire Nation. However, after seeing the horrors of the
Fire Nation, they change sides and aid the rebels. They could be rebels sent in secret by the Earth
Kingdom to rescue the Avatar, already discovered and imprisoned by the Fire Nation. The Fire
Nation Avatar could even be born in the colonies like Yu Dao to add a layer of nuance to the
situation. Or, like in the story “Avatar: The Last Firbender” by Tera253, the Fire Nation Avatar
could even be a conflicted Zuko in exile. This is the reason for the preview picture and inspired
the entire idea for this era.
There is no limit on Bender selection. The main difference is how people start off. Mainly,
Airbenders. They are enslaved and have lived as servants in the Fire Nation for the last 100
years. They have become a second class that either live as poor monks or are forced to assist the
Fire Priests. They are tolerated, but, if the war rages when the Air Nation would host a new
Avatar, they know a culling will come.
Whatever the choice, this timeline serves a nice, alternative take on the maintimeline that allows
the players a chance to make their own mark on the Avatar World.
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The Rule Of The Phoenix Queen
Art by kelly1412 Used without permission.
In the Southern Water Tribe, there were two children: Sokka and Katara. One day, they went on a
fateful fishing trip that changed the world. They stumbled across Avatar Aang frozen in a block
of ice and freed him. Their actions set off a chain of events that resulted in the Fire Nation's
defeat in the 100 Year War.
Except, in this timeline, they didn’t. Maybe Sokka felt sick and decided to go the next day.
Maybe Katara didn’t try to waterbend the fish and set everything off. Maybe the two didn’t get
into an argument. But the end result is that Aang remained sleeping in that ice. The pair never
left the Southern Water Tribe. And the world suffered for it.
Many changes happen throughout the timeline as a result. Zuko never found any Avatar and
spent years searching for nothing. No one could stop Zhao’s kidnapping the moon spirit.
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Waterbenders were sapped of their power and the Tribes were conquered and colonized. Mai and
Ty Lee were never recruited to hunt the Avatar and Zuko. Without them, Azula never infiltrated
Ba Sing Se. However, the pair never betrayed Azula and broke her self-confidence either. The
day of Black Sun was never discovered so no operation was launched at that day. When Sozin’s
Comet arrived, the Fire Nation leveled Ba Sing Se and claimed victory over the Earth Kingdom.
Without the ego-shattering betrayal of Ty Lee and Mai, Azula’s self-image was still intact on the
day of Sozin’s Comet. The calm, collected Azula of this timeline did not take kindly to her
father’s ascendance to Phoenix King. Abandoning her to take victory for himself was bad
enough. But to give her a puppet position while taking real power for himself was unforgivable.
Only a year into his reign as Phoenix King, Ozai ate a bad fish and was found dead the next
morning. Under Phoenix Queen Azula’s orders, no further investigations into the death were
necessary as the cook was ultimately responsible for the undercooked meal.
Azula needed someone she could control to be the Fire Lord as she ascended to Phoenix Queen.
Someone she knew would never have the guts to do to her what she did to Ozai. Thus she
contacted Zuko and Iroh. She was willing to end Zuko’s banishment on the grounds that he had
earned back his honor for his years of loyal service to the military. Furthermore, she would even
give Zuko the title of Fire Lord, as is his birthright. All Zuko would need to do is declare loyalty
to the Phoenix Queen. While he was no fan of his sister’s, Zuko had no reason to refuse.
Her offer to Iroh to be the Earth Colonies' governor was a harder sell. Iroh had no love for her
niece. He had grown spiteful after the capture of the moon spirit and had even secretly aided
rebel forces in the war. However, Azula said that she might have to give Zhao control of both
lands if Iroh did not take the position. Fearing the worst for the people of the former Earth
Kingdom, Iroh accepted the offer.
Thus began the reign of Phoenix Queen Azula.
The world is out-of-balance. There is no longer four nations. There is simply three territories of
The Great Phoenix Empire. The Fire Nation, the center of wealth, commerce, technological
advancement, and culture. The Water Colonies, a frontier land used mainly for oil refineries and
manufacturing factories. And the Earth Colonies, a vast land of agrarian farming communities
and vast mining projects that serve as the breadbasket of the Empire.
Citizens are force fed an alternative version of historical facts. According to the schools opened
by the Phoenix Empire, the world was in chaos before the Fire Nation brought unity to the world.
The Fire Nations victory gave birth to the enlightened rule of the Phoenix Empire. Thanks to the
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War of Harmony and Unification, the lands were united under one language, one culture, one
ruler. While some youths can see through the lies and there are still many who remember life
before the war’s end, they keep their mouths shut in most cases. While rural regions in the Earth
Colonies are under looser rule due to the logistics of governing such a large land and Iroh's
loosening of free speech restrictions, the Water Colonies and Fire Nation have strict policies
against “spreading slanderous lies about our great land.” Zuko may be the ruler of the Fire
Nation lands and loosened the restrictions on free speech, the Phoenix Queen is centered in those
lands and still enforces the old regulations.
The presumed setting is around 115 AG or about 15 years after the end of the war. Azula would
be 29. For reference, Azula was 14 in the original series. Technology is still close to as it was in
the Last Airbender. But, the Fire Nation has spread some of its industrial technology around the
world. The mixture of Earth and Water citizens is having the same effect on technology as it did
in the main timeline. But, since it is so early on, not much advancement has been made.
The Avatar is considered a non-threat at this point. The capture of the moon spirits has robbed
the world of waterbending. There are no more airbenders to teach airbending. And the lands of
the Empire are under enough surveillance that it would be hard for an Avatar to act in secret.
While some cursory searches are still sent out from time-to-time across the Empire, they turn up
nothing. Azula finds them a waste, but, in these times of peace, they do serve as a reason for the
military to stretch their legs. The searches help root out rebel elements, at least.
If any of the original characters exist, they are in their thirties and much different than we would
expect. The world they would come to call home is a much harsher one for them all. Sokka and
Katara would be under strict rule by Zhao’s forces. They would be forced to live as second class
citizens in their own land and work in factories and refineries to fuel the Empire. Toph and her
family would have seen its wealth seized by the Phoenix Empire and turned over to Fire
Noblemen. Left out on the street, Toph would turn to banditry to help her family survive. Suki
would have her warriors disbanded and be forced to train the Phoenix Empire's approved
replacements, the Sozin Warriors.
Azula left the Fire Nation to Zuko, the Water Colonies to Zhao, and the Earth Colonies to Iroh.
As a result, the Fire Nation and Earth Colonies have eased some of their more restrictive
policies. But the Water Colonies face harsh and inhumane treatment.
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Everything flows back into the Fire Nation, where the Phoenix Empire is seated. Money, food,
fuel, etc. As a result, a poor man in the Fire Nation lives better than a rich man in the Earth
Colonies, with the exception of Fire Nobleman living in those colonies. Fire Nation peasants
living in the colonies have the benefits of preferred services, being first pick for job opportunities
and advancement, and representation in government. Non-ethnically Fire Nation citizens are
treated as second-class citizens in every capacity. Paid less, educated less, with fewer rights and
protections, and not allowed to hold public office.
Zuko and Iroh fight against this in their lands, but Zhao, under Azula's secret orders, pushes for
this more and more in his lands. During the annual summit of governors, Zhao is always quick to
criticize the two for their lax policies and push for harsher policies to be implemented. With the
Queen's vote, these policies often go through. Iroh can see through Azula's ploy, but Zuko is
hotheaded and foolish and sets his aggression towards Zhao, not Azula.
All according to plan, as far as Azula is concerned. Zuko finds himself more concerned with
Zhao than aiding his uncle in overthrowing Azula. Iroh, fond of the former Earth Kingdom, is
unwilling to leave his position and allow a potentially crueler replacement to take power. With
the responsibility of ruling such a large land weighing on him and his advanced age wearing on
him, he cannot divide his focus effectively between governing the Earth Colonies and thwarting
Azula. And Zhao is more than happy to have his little fiefdom to do with as he pleases.
And all this time, Aang remains in his block of ice. But could he even save the world were he
freed?
This is the darkest timeline for the original series. Everything that could go wrong has gone
wrong. Players in this timeline would find themselves in a harsh and unforgiving world. The Fire
Nation’s victory has ensured complete dominance of the entire world.
Players would likely play rebels of one sort or another. Maybe they are your run of the mill
freedom fighters in the Earth Colonies. Maybe they are Fire Nation soldiers who realized they
were the baddies and defected. Maybe they are water tribesmen who escaped their forced
servitude and are attempting to free their brethren and end Zhao’s rule. There are a lot of
possibilities, but they are all dark.
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If the 100 Year War era is a time where hope hasn’t come yet and The Return of the Avatar era is
the return of hope, then this is the death of hope. Any player group might see it as impossible to
ever stop the Phoenix Empire. Of course, that isn’t actually true. Azula’s game of chess among
her governors can easily fall against her with the right push. Take out Zhao and help Iroh focus
on Azula and you could get aid from Zuko and Iroh in overthrowing the Phoenix Queen. But the
average citizen wouldn’t know that.
As a way hope could live, maybe the story is about how someone does find Aang and how they
journey with him to save this lost world. Aang is a popular character so I can see some groups
latching onto this idea.
A fun facet of this era is the ability to interact with these altered characters. The original Team
Avatar has a lot of fans and I can see groups getting a kick from seeing their dark counterparts.
The only downside is that both airbending and waterbending is restricted by default. You can
probably drop the “moon spirit is kidnapped” thing and bring back waterbending. Maybe they
released it back into the pond after the war as the Tribe was no longer a threat and Azula wanted
the moon back.
But airbending is hard to justify. You could say you are a straggler who someone survived, but
that’s a stretch. You could allow Aang for airbending, as another option. A third option could
even be a karmic balance option, if you advance the timeline forward enough. But, at that point,
we’d been dealing with Legend of Korra characters.
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When The Water Confederation Attacked
Art by Xuliabot. Licensed owned by the author.
The Water Tribes united and formed the Water Confederation under twin dynasties. An age of
prosperity began in the Water Confederation. With time, the Southern Tribe became a mirror of
the north.
Old wounds heal slowly and perceptions are hard to change.
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100 years ago, Chief Nukilik of the North knew the world still belittled his people as savages and
their snobbish demeanor set his heart cold.
Eventually, these feelings avalanched. He launched a series of assaults against the other
territories of the world with the aid of the full moon.
Their first target was the Avatar, thus leading them to the Air Nomads. The Avatar was their
greatest threat, but also a potential resource. Were the current Avatar to die, his reincarnation
would be among the people of the Water Confederation: a weapon to ensure absolute victory.
Scattering and destroying many of the Air Nomad temples, the Water Confederation’s assault
created a diaspora, bringing the people of the Air Nation to the brink of extinction. Many do not
even know of the hidden Air Comunes and are convinced the nomads are gone. However, as the
Avatar has yet to reincarnate among the Water Confederation, the Water Confederation continues
its search.
The Water Confederation's domination of the ocean allowed them to decimate the Fire Nation,
their next target due to its vulnerability to sea assault. This reduced it to the Fire Alliance after
the fall of its centralized government and the splintering of its islands into Nation States. This
division proved to be a strength in some ways. Its separation has allowed it to survive the loss of
territories more easily. The separation has also allowed its government to more efficiently devote
resources to their local protection. However, even with trade and relief between the states of the
Alliance, the stress on resources and vulnerability of trade routes is looking to be the folly of this
arrangement.
Their war with the Earth Kingdom has not gone as well for the Water Confederation. While
coastal territories have given way to inroads and innovation has taught the Water Confederation
how to obtain water from harsh environments, Ba Sing Se, the capital, lies in a desert. This
natural barrier has left the two nations at a stand still. This has driven the Water Confederation to
more and more innovation, both in their bending techniques and technological endeavors. Even
without these improvements, the cycle of the moon continues to be a valuable weapon in their
arsenal. With every full moon, the soldiers of the Water Confederation push deeper into the
Kingdom.
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Aang, the latest Avatar, has been in stasis for these 100 years. The pressures of being the Avatar
in a time of war proved too much for the boy. He fled his home. During his escape, he found
himself in the Fire Nation during a volcanic eruption. His flying bison, Appa, fainted from the
noxious gas and the pair plummeted into the lava. Before he could fall to his doom, Aang
activated the Avatar state and sealed the pair inside of a volcanic gem. The pair has remained
their undistributed for much of the war
Based on a fanfic I wrote, (which itself was a play on Distorted Reality) this setting is your
classic mirror universe. The long and short of it is that the Fire Nation never got its industrial
revolution, the water tribes united in a confederation, and, after years of being looked down upon
as savages, they began conquering the world. The document I linked goes into much, much more
detail with the overall premise and goes into how I think people should be swapped. But, as
always, the particulars are up to you.
You got a united, dynastic Water Confederation waging war with a splintered Fire Islands
separated into states and an Earth Kingdom that is taking drastic action intended to ultimately
lose the war due to a bad adviser. Or you can mix around those details. For example, I expected
Azula to be the cause of Zuko’s scar in this fanfic and that would be an issue between the group,
but it was an accident. But you don’t need to do that. You don’t need to use the mirror characters
at all, but I do argue finding out how they were mirrored is part of the fun for the players.
The big draw to this alternate universe is being able to play the original series without having to
adhere to the official timeline. You can mix and match the details as you see fit. Like I said, this
was originally a fanfic idea. Heck, all of these settings can pass for one. Go nuts. Have fun. This
is your chance to tell the original series in a new way with some nice twists and an altered
premise that will keep your players guessing.
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Equality For All
Art by DESneaky Used without permission.

At the height of the Equalist Revolution, Amon was confronted by Korra and Mako. For a
moment, Amon’s lieutenant surprised them and gave Mako a moment to fight back. This was the
first cracked that shattered the anti-bending revolution.
And, in this timeline, it never happened. Amon was never interrupted. Mako was stripped of his
bending. The pair were captured.
However, the rest of Team Avatar successfully stopped Amon’s forces from attacking the United
Forces’ reinforcements. The Equalists were hit by the initial wave of reinforcements from the
United Forces and lost ground in the city. But, they held firm. While Hiroshi Sato was put into
United Forces’ hands, this proved only a temporary setback. Hiroshi’s designs were stored in his
warehouses and his moving assembly line made it easy to mass produce these weapons of war.
With the support of his fanatics, Amon regrouped, rebuilt, and began pushing back.
With time, the United Forces were pushed to surrender. The biplane and mechatank proved too
much for their forces. This would be viewed by later historians as the death of the warship and
would begin the rise of the aircraft carrier.
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The United Republic was renamed the Equalist Union. Benders fled the nation in droves, but
many were captured and stipped of their bending. This stunning turnabout set the world on fire.
Benders across the world pushed for action to be taken immediately against this ever present
threat against their bending. Support for an invasion of the Equalist Union grew among the three
nations.
However, the breakout of the Water Tribe civil war only a few months later stymied
militarization efforts in the other nations just as they began. Unaloq wished to start an immediate
invasion of the Equalist Union. He needed Korra to open the spirit portals before Harmonic
Convergence and did not care how many of his soldiers would die in the process. However,
Amon threatened the Water Tribe that, if they were to make any moves, Korra would be
executed. The South, under Tonraq, opposed military action unless Korra’s safety could be
secured. She was their Avatar, their tribesmen, their chieftian's daughter, and their friend: they
did not want to lose her. Unaloq’s push to move regardless became the spark that set-off the
powder keg that had been growing between the tribes for years.
With this massive naval war occuring, the waters became dangerous for travel, which limited the
Fire Nation’s ability to send troops. Furthermore, the North and South each petitioned both the
Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation for support. Neither nation would give the support, citing the
need to fight the Equalists. But, doing so, lost the two nations access to naval routes in the tribe’s
waters. Fearing being drawn into a war with the water tribes, the Fire Nation was severely
limited in how it could respond to the Equalist Revolution. As Fire Lord Izumi was already a war
dove, this put an end to their military campaign.
As for the Earth Kingdom, it was a disaster. While the Kingdom forces had bending on their side,
the technological disadvantage was apparent. The Earth Kingdom engaged the Equalist Union
with medieval military tactics and used only bending forces with little to no technological aid,
similar to the 100 Year War. The Equalist Union responded with Mechatanks, biplanes, and
modern military tactics. The Earth Kingdom forces were pushed back over the next five years
until all lands north of Ba Sing Se were in Equalist Hands.
Even then, Ba Sing Se became a warzone. Their walls did little against Equalist biplanes. It took
a while for the Earth Queen’s forces to develop anti-air capabilities against the Equalists.
Throwing rocks at planes, as it turns out, was a poor strategy. The Equalist bombing runs razed
the city. But, the city has managed to hold firm and remain as the line. The Queen’s practical
rationing, “acceptable losses” and general sociopathy has helped keep the city and the Kingdom
standing, at the cost of thousands of lives within the city. Officially, she remains in the palace,
but, unofficially, she hides in the catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se.
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Life in the Equalist Union is a first of its kind. Amon is Supreme Secretary, the first among the
servants of the people. He leads an assembly of secretaries who govern a specialized role in the
Union. A military secretary, an agriculture secretary, etc. Former benders can receive these
positions on paper, but none have ever been appointed by Amon to any roles. Beneath the
secretaries are a series of government workers and bureaucrats who actually run the government.
One’s placement often depends on their standing before the revolution. Those who were early
supporters rise to the top. Late supporters can reach the middle. Non-supporters who were never
benders remain low, but former benders are always at the bottom doing the worst work.
Officially, benders retain all rights as non-benders after being “equalized.” But, in reality, they
often find trouble getting work and end up in ghettos. They are often called “Benders” or
“former oppressors” by the new non-bending elite. Non-benders tend to get first choice of jobs,
job advancement, and the such. The economic inequality of the nation tends to split between
bender/non-bender lines.
An annoying phenomenon is that former benders can still give birth to benders. Since Amon is
simply severing the chi pathways of the body with bloodbending, this should not be a surprise.
Even when Aang used energybending on Yakone, his children both developed his unique,
mutated form of water bending. Amon’s lesser form of riding one of bending would similarly
have no effect on the parent’s offspring.
If the child is brought immediately to the government to be equalized, then there is no issue and
the child will often see no discriminatory effects in their treatment. If they are hidden away and
the government finds out, the punishment is life imprisonment for the parents, the child is
equalized and becomes a burden of the state, and the child is often discriminated against as if
they were a bender their whole life.
The world is in the midst of two major wars. The north and south clash in the seas. The Equalists
battle the Earth Kingdom. And, all the while, the Fire Nation, who could end both wars, remains
neutral. The avatar has spent the last five years in prison. The last things the Equalists want is the
avatar to reincarnate and give the Earth Kingdom a trump card. And yet, amongst it all, is the all
too real fact that this will eventually crumble in on itself as Amon can not truly rid the world of
bending. Something dawning on some of Amon’s supporters with each report of a former bender
giving birth to a bender. After all, if his power is truly from the spirits, why is it so flimsy?
It is a rough time and, like many of these alternate settings, a dark time. But, the seeds are there
for a lot of adventures. From benders living in the slums and sewers of the Equalist Union
running guerrilla tactics against Amon’s regime, to soldiers of the Earth Kingdom fighting a
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losing battle against Amon, to members of the North and South torn between their own conflicts
and the ones of the Union.
Wherever you set your game in this era, you have a few core factors: benders are afraid and
threatened by the Equalists, the world is embroiled in war, technology is unequal, and the Union
is a racially-based authoritarian oligarchy. It’s pretty different in some ways than a normal avatar
setting.
Your main opposition are non-benders using advanced technology. Sure, the Equalist Revolution
era is the same way, but this is more extreme.
The loss of the Avatar, as usual, is a symbolic loss of hope. But, Korra is still alive and, in the
intervening time, has regained her bending through the help of her past lives. But, she has yet to
escape from her prison. Hope is alive, even if people don’t know it. Especially as Amon slowly
loses supporters with each bender born within the Union. This horrible era will pass with time
and effort.
The technology difference of the equalists is a big factor in the era. The rest of the world is still
at medieval or industrial revolution era technology while the Equalists are in the equivalent to
our World War I technology. Ba Sing Se, for example, used walls to protect itself for years. That
means nothing when biplanes drop bombs from hundreds of miles in the air. The world is being
forced into a new, dark era of warfare that, ironically, does equalize benders and non-benders.
Bender selection is limited a bit. The chance for the air nation to get a kickstart has been lost and
the only living airbenders have lost their abilities, but they can still give birth to more airbenders.
However, it’s only been five years. As such, there are no airbenders who can currently airbender.
Unless you say Harmonic Convergence brought back airbenders regardless, but that kind of
diminishes Korra’s decision at the end of season 2.
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10,000 Years Of Darkness
Art from Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind by Hayao Miyazaki. Used without permission.
Every 10,000 years, Harmonic Convergence decides the fate of the world. The forces of Order
and Chaos, Light and Dark, Good and Evil clash to decide which force will govern the next
10,000 years. The last time Vaatu, spirit of Chaos won, the world became overrun with spirits
and humanity was forced to live on the backs of Lionturtles for 10,000 years.
In the main timeline, Korra won her confrontation with Vaatu. Vaatu was purified and the world
was saved from Chaos for another 10,000 years. That was the main timeline. In another world,
she failed. Vaatu destroyed her and started his 10,000 years of Darkness. The spirit world burst
out into the material world.
Humanity tried its best to fight back. Spirits were strong, but mankind was not the superstitious,
powerless lot it was 20,000 years ago. With science and bending, there had a chance against the
spirits this time.
Small towns became impossible to maintain. People were forced into the cities, which all built
powerful walls. Travel by land became a death sentence. The biplane and airship became the
only safe form of transit. With time, the Five Nations became six city states. The Cities
themselves resembling Ba Sing Se with its multi-ring design. Thus, the cities were
self-sustaining with their own farm land, water supplies, and such.
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Life was hard. People had to live ontop of each other the best they could. The Five Nations never
built their great cities to house their entire nation. Though, the loss of life before the walls could
be built certainly eased some of the strain. Resources were thin and the outside dangerous.
Every able bodied person was forced to serve three years in the armed forces to defend their
borders from spirits at age 18. Few made it to the end of their term, a planned side-effect to
ensure resources could last. Those who survived were powerful warriors who could retire or
remain in the service. With a lack of work available in the cities for middle and lower classes,
many stayed on the border and remained their till their dying day.
The six city states -- Republic City, The Northern Tribe, The Southern Tribe, Ba Sing Se, and
Capital City -- grew more authoritarian in time. The crisis killed democracy and personal
freedom. Not out of necessity, however. Forces at be simply used the excuse of the conflict to
seize power from the people and enslave them.
In this time of Chaos, there is still hope. Avatar Korra reconnected with Raava before she was
defeated, similar to the main timeline. The Avatar can still close the spirit portals and save the
world from 10,000 years of this existence. However, their journey will be arduous. Traveling
between the city state for a teacher can be a death sentence. The world is divided into petty
fiefdoms that have given up on cooperation. UnaVaatu has grown stronger by feeding off the
chaos. The situation is dire. Even in these dark times, however, there is still a chance.
The 10,000 Years of Darkness is a post-apocalyptic Avatar timeline. It is a mix of the Spirits
Return Era and the First Avatar Era. You have an industrial civilization with technology similar
to the 1920s. Bending is highly developed and spread across the world. However, the world has
been overrun with spirits and mankind has grouped itself into city states. The concept was
inspired by Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki.
Players familiar with roleplaying games can see this as the Dark Sun to Avatar’s Eberron. It is
the dark timeline where the world is a greater threat than anything else. Alternatively, one could
set an entire game within a City State and make it a weird noir story. Where people living in the
cities fight against the facist overlords and try to restore power to people in this time of struggle.
Players can even be one of the Outlanders. The small groups of bender societies that live in the
Spirit Wilds. Life is harsh and death comes easy. However, humanity presses onward. These
adventures would have a more traditional roleplaying game feel: small towns living in a harsh
world full of monsters.
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Adventures in this era would have a feel of loss of a perceived golden age. We know full well
that the prior eras had problems, but,to people living in this era, those were the good days. Those
were the days where the Avatar kept people safe, the land belonged to people, and the
governments of the world tried to do best for their people. Not all of that was true, of course, but
it is the belief people would hold onto. There would be a strong desire to return to that more
innocent time. It won’t be easy. Only the Avatar can truly save the world, but even ordinary
people could do much to make this world easier to live in.
Players looking for a very different experience. One where they can mix the pre-history of
Avatar and its future, then this is an interesting play on Avatar’s motifs. Such a broken world
gives a lot of opportunity for people to make big differences. When the world only have six city
states, even small changes in law can help or hurt millions of people.
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The Dark Avatar Cycle
Art from Darkness falls from The Legend of Korra. Used without permission.
When KorRaava purified UnaVataau, she broke the Dark Avatar Cycle before it began. The
world was saved from the fear of an evil Avatar operating in secret and Vaatu was locked away
inside Raava. She made the right call, but what if she didn’t? In another timeline, she couldn’t
purify UnaVaatu and simply damaged his form enough to form it to dissolve. Unalaq and Vaatu
were not locked away inside Raava, but instead let loose. A new Dark Avatar Cycle began.
At first, no one noticed the Airbender born with the power to bend water. Airbenders were still
rebuilding and the Avatar was discovered amongst the Earth Nation, as expected. The Airbender
was told by the voices in their head to keep quiet about their powers. The spirit of Unalaq
convinced the aggressive Airbender to bid their time and grow their power. That this lifetime
would not be their time for revenge. When the airbender died, they had amassed a large amount
of wealth and hid it away in a place only they would know.
When the Firebending Dark Avatar was old enough to see their past lives, they dug up the wealth
and moved further with their plans. Using the money, the Firebending Dark Avatar began to
destabilize the world by funding rebel groups and criminal organizations. By the end of the Dark
Avatar’s life, the Light Avatar was forced to accept that they could not fully bring the world back
to the stability it once knew.
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The Earthbending Dark Avatar wormed their way into politics. The newly democractic Earth
Federation was still cooling. With a few properly pulled strings, the laws of the Federation were
changed to allow for many backdoors to power for the Avatar, using the destabilized world as
proof. Officially, the Earth Federation could agree to give the Avatar control of the Federation as
a form of emergency power if 90% of both houses agreed. The Light Avatar did not question this
kindness, unaware of the Dark Avatar’s existence or their plans.
Now, the Waterbending Dark Avatar has been born. As the cycle of the Avatars overlap on the
Water Tribe, they acted fast and revealed themselves as the Avatar. With each life, the powers of
bending were unlocked for the Dark Avatar and stored in Vaatu. The Dark Avatar has setup a
perfect chessboard. All they need now is to setup a crisis and use it to take control of the Earth
Federation. And they have the perfect crisis in mind: the existence of the Dark Avatar.
The Dark Avatar plans to claim the Light Avatar is the Dark Avatar. They plan to say that the
Dark Avatar is a force for chaos and will destroy the world. With a few well-placed attacks from
their criminal and rebel contacts, they will scare the people into giving them power. With the
emergency powers, they will capture the Light Avatar and redo their battle: sealing Raava away
and enacting the 10,000 years of Darkness.
That’s the blueprints, anyway. It still must be enacted. However, the first steps are already
coming together. The Dark Avatar is being trained in the Light Avatar’s stead. The Light Avatar
is unaware of their nature yet. With the knowledge of their past lives, the Dark Avatar simply
needs to contact the right people at the right time.
This timeline is set pretty far into the future. With four Avatars forward, the world is no longer in
the 1920s-esque era of Korra. If you ask me, it would likely be more like the 1970s. Why?
Because that is a fun era. It’s also an era of warfare, racial and social division, authoritarian
governments, world conflict, and protest. All of that wrapped up in a funky aesthetic and
psychedelic music.
Any Team Avatar would need to deal with the fact that they are believed to be the Dark Avatar
and denied the rights and benefits the Avatar is usually bestowed. They are on the run from the
world, like the 100 Year War era. Team Avatar and the Avatar may even believed it, before
finding out the truth about the Dark Avatar and his plans.
The reality that the Dark Avatar can control an entire nation adds further fear and conflict to the
mix. Not only would the Earth Federation have a modern military, it would be led by a facist
Dark Avatar who has mastered all form elements and their own Dark Avatar state.
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Like all of the Alternate timelines, the fanfiction elements are strong. Arguably stronger in this
era than any other. However, it is a very different era for players to involve themselves with. It
also has a villain equal to the Avatar to ensure a challenging opponent. The Light Avatar can’t
rely on their supernatural powers as a trump card, as is often the case in the main series.
All bending elements would be available. There would also be a chance to introduce new
bending styles and even more advance tech since so much time has passed. Maybe the world has
colonized the moon already, like in the Space Race era. Or maybe Earthbenders have developed
sandbending into glassbending. There is a large enough time gap to justify new styles all
together.
The question arises how much you want to bring in for this new future era. I suggested the 70s
and that means you could bring in elements of the Cold and Vietnam wars. Perhaps the United
Republic has gone to war with a new rogue state called the Equalist Union in the Southern Earth
Federation. The Earth Federation keeps them out of open warfare, but they are currently involved
in proxy battle in the Foggy Swamp where the residents are fighting over joining the United
Republic or the Equalist Union. You have quite a few possibilities to customize the era.
In the end, the main draw is the Dark Avatar. I left a lot vague about them. The only thing set in
stone is they are from the Water Tribe, but that could mean a very different thing so far in the
future. They have access to all four elements and their own Dark Avatar state. Since they have so
few past lives, their connection to them is stronger and they share memories more readily. They
plan to use a backdoor they placed into the Earth Federation government to seize power and
destroy the Light Avatar. Then, they plan to bring about 10,000 years of darkness. The rest is up
for the group to decide.
As a parting thought, if the players fail to stop the Dark Avatar, the game could move into the
10,000 years of Darkness era.
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Rise Of The Red Lotus
Art by AATKAW in collaboration with Felle-Dragon-Domain Used without permission.

When Korra was just a child, the Red Lotus, an extremist group splintered off from the White
Lotus, attempted to kidnap Korra and raise her as a weapon against authority. They were
stopped, jailed, and, outside of a prison break in the Return of the Spirits era, they spent their
lives in jail.
But, in this timeline, they succeeded. Since the particulars of that day are unknown, its hard to
say what changed the outcome. But the important factor is that the Red Lotus officially made it
off with the Avatar. Furthermore, they faked the Avatar’s death in the process, playing off their
efforts as an assasination. Burning Korra’s house to the ground to hide their kidnapping.
Thankfully, Senna and Tonraq survived, but have been crestfallen ever since their daughter
passed.
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Korra was then placed under a strict bending and indoctrination regime. Unlike most, I don’t
believe this would have made Korra exceptionally more powerful than she was in the main
timeline. After all, she obtained some of the best tutelage in the main timeline from some of the
best benders of the era. The main difference would be her earlier adoption of metalbending and
learning how to lavabend. Her style also changed to be more aggressive. Ming-Hua’s style of
waterbending, for example, is not as nice as Katara’s. The end result is a Korra who has been
raised to think world leaders are evil and has been trained to kill them all.
Not that Korra would be a fanatic. Korra is still Korra. She is stubborn and slow to follow what
others tell her. Even though some of this was beaten out of her, she retained much of it. Her
willfulness keeps a spark of doubt in all of her affairs. But, Zaheer is a strict teacher and keeps
her under her thumb. However, they need Korra to master airbending and the Avatar state. Even
though Zaheer knows the motions, he has not been able to help Korra master the art. It is the
element of freedom and, even more in the main timeline, Korra has never known freedom.
Let loose in Republic City, Korra is under close watch by the Red Lotus. Tenzin is Zaheer’s last
hope in teaching Korra airbending. Under the assumed name, Weizhi, Korra has been given
credentials as a Watetribe scholar. As far as Tenzin knows, she is here to research air nomad
culture in Republic City. While she studies the airbenders, she studies the city and airbending.
Furthermore, the Red Lotus wish to examine the Equalist Revolution and see where it leads, as it
can have major effects on their plans. Korra is, officially, their agent to scope out the threat.
Unbeknownst to her, lesser members of the Red Lotus have been tasked with keeping tabs on her
and reporting back to Zaheer.
So far, she has made no progress.
More importantly, the world has changed a lot without their Avatar. Search efforts into the Earth
Kingdom continue to bring up nothing. Criminal elements have become more emboldened as
they did in Kyoshi’s time when similar circumstances arose. These crimes have driven the divide
against benders and non-benders more rigidly. Bender criminals, after all, can do a lot more
damage and amass power more easily.
This growing influence makes it impossible for Mako and Bolin to walk away from the
underworld as easily. Their pro-bending days are looked upon with interest by Lightning Bolt
Zolt, who took interest in Mako and taught him lightning bending. After some pressure, Mako
agrees to return to the Triple Threats if they let Bolin live a normal life. Zolt’s agreement
changed both of their lives.
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Bolin, without pro-bending or his brother, had to fend for himself. While doing a Pabu circus in
front of city hall, he bumps into the Earth Kingdom representative on accident. Through his
charm, he gets a position as his page. Learning the tricks of the trade and with his natural
charisma, Bolin becomes the new Earth Kingdom representative.
Mako, meanwhile, worked reluctantly for the Triple Threats. He still ended up bumping into
Asami while out-and-about and the two hit it off like in the main timeline. As far as Asami knew,
Mako was a construction worker. In his actual job, Mako’s skills continued to impress Zolt.
When Zolt lost his bending to Amon during Amon’s rally, Mako was chosen as Zolt’s successor.
Mako tries to steer the group towards better ground and less violent methods, but that’s hard for
an organization built on dirt.
Mako tried to keep his criminal life away from his new girlfriend, Asami. But, eventually, the
truth came out when Hiroshi exposed him. Asami had lost her mother to a firebender and, when
she let one into her life, he turned out to be a criminal. Heartbroken and distrustful, she followed
her father into the clutches of the Equalists and became one of their chief inventors.
And, in the background, the engines of war reve up for revolution.
Rise of the Red Lotus is based on “No Gods, No Masters” by Felle-Dragon-Domain. I never
finished it and only read the first few chapters, but this is the general premise. As you can see,
it’s an alteration of the Equalist Revolution era. We have the same pieces and they’re going to a
similar crescendo, but they are all in different places. This leaves a lot more room for a party to
be the big mover and shakers.
Maybe the party plays everything straight. They don’t know the original timeline in-character,
after all. They’re just concerned citizens trying to deal with a city brimming with crime and the
growing threat of anti-bending terrorists. Or maybe you are the main characters living these
altered lives and you’re trying to make things right even though the board was shuffled.
The seeds are pretty similar to the Equalist Revolution era. The main change is the lack of an
official resolution as it is an altered timeline and the aforementioned altered history. As always
with these alternate settings, players and game masters who hate being stymied by the official
events but want to play in the Equalist Revolution, might prefer this altered era.
It also bleeds somewhat into the Return of Spirits as you can advance the clock to that era.
Zaheer would definitely leave the portals open and Korra would still defeat Vaatu. But, now,
Korra is helping the Red Lotus kill the world leaders.
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Reign Of The Earth Empire
Art by Attyca Used without permission.
At the battle of Republic City, Team Avatar, the United Republic Navy, and the Air Nation
defeated Kuvira and forced the surrender of the Earth Empire. But it easily could have gone
differently.
What if Kuvira's attack on the mecha suit factory was worth betraying her husband? Bolin's
earthwall came too late and Team Avatar and Bataar Jr were lost.
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Without Korra, Kuvira's victory was assured. Without the Avatar state, the remaining forces
could not freeze Kuvira's Colossus in place. Unfrozen, the Colossus wards off the attempts to
infiltrate it. After a long, pitched battle, Kuvira forces a surrender.
The United Republic is dissolved and the lands and citizens are seized by the Earth Empire. All
those who are not ethnically of the Earth Kingdom are taken prisoner and placed in inhumane
camps.
Kuvira has accomplished her goal: all of the former Earth Kingdom lands are her Earth Empire.
With her spirit vine weapons, she could continue her conquest. But her forces need time to
regroup and resupply. And, after all, this was just about unification and building a stronger Earth
Kingdom, not world domination. Though, tasting victory, Kuvira can't help but marvel at the
prospects of modernizing the world like she did in her Empire. Maybe another time when her
forces are ready.
The Southern Tribe begins gearing up for war until Fire Lord Izumi and the Northern Chiefs
intervene. The Earth Empire is too powerful. Were the nations to go to war in their current state,
they would lose. While Tonraq, the southern chief and Korra's father, is in disbelief at the other
leaders and Katara urges them to fight, his people oppose the battle out of fear of Kuvira.
Ultimately, Tonraq resigns and the new Tribe chief joins the appeasement talks.
Despite her strong negotiating position, Kuvira agrees to some concessions. All of the prisoners
of her ethnic cleansing operations will be deported to their ancestral nations. Citizens of the
United Republic are to be given a choice of remaining in the conquered city as Empire citizens
or be deported to a country of their choosing. Non-ethnically Earth Kingdom citizens of
Republic City were not given a choice, in practice, and were all deported. Prisoners of war were
to be released to their ancestral nations. Since the land traditionally belonged to them, the Air
Nomads can keep their temples.
As one last concession the other leaders will have visitation rights to the new Earth Avatar.
In exchange, the Earth Empire is recognized as a sovereign government and officially declared
the rightful rulers of the former Earth Kingdom lands. In addition, a series of treaties involving
trade, extradition, and others factors are signed. All of these treaties are favorable to the Earth
Empire. Furthermore, the Earth Empire will be given teachers to train the new Avatar when they
are reborn in the Empire instead of having the Avatar go on a journey to the other nations. And
this training will be supervised by the Empire, not the White Lotus.
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When the new Avatar, Genji, is found amongst the sandbenders, Kuvira snatches him up and
begins indoctrinating him. With time, Genji masters all four elements and the avatar state.
However, he is fiercely loyal to the Earth Empire, despite his past lives' protest. This is all
according to Kuvira's plans. With this, she has both the spirit vines and the Avatar. The other
world leaders foresaw this and would have refused her demands, but the threat of her spirit vine
weaponry was a strong deterrent to any opposition.
Life in the Earth Empire is harsh. While resources are plentiful, freedom is scarce. All media is
approved by the state. Everyone is monitored 24 hours a day by secret police across the Empire.
Dissidents tend to disappear in the night. Travel between regions is restricted and heavily
monitored. Everyone undergoes a state run education that strictly enforces conformity and
obedience to the state. The indoctrination is capped off with a mandatory five year service in the
military when they reach age eighteen. The average citizen is smart, disciplined, and physically
able, but servile, uncreative, and fanatical.
Officially, Avatar Genji is fulfilling his civic requirement to serve 5 years in the Empire military.
Unofficially, Genji is being prepared for an invasion of the Fire Nation. While Genji's past lives
are bringing him to conflict over his orders, he wishes to please his surrogate mother and
Empress. Having been in Empire care since age 5, he was withheld contact with his birth parents
and family so that he would grow loyal to the state. The Empire military and the Empress has
become his family.
The rest of the world has been gearing up in secret. Officially, the modernization of the Earth
Empire has inspired the other nations to modernize their own militaries. In reality, this is a
deliberate counter-measure to Kuvira's forces. The modernized Fire Nation military has
incorporated bi-planes, modern naval aircraft carriers, and the proliferation of the lightning
generation technique. Tonraq and Senna have overseen the development of the Water Tribe's
joint armed forces. The integration of fully automated submarines and flying mecha suits are a
game changer courtesy of Varrick Industries. Despite some rumours, bloodbending is still
officially illegal in the Water Tribe forces. The deportation of non-ethnically Earth Kingdom
citizens from the Earth Empire have swelled the ranks of both nations with Earthbenders from
mixed race backgrounds.
The Air Nation is officially neutral and has no standing army. However, airbenders of other
nations are welcome to train at the temples, even if their end goal is to return home and join their
armed forces. There are the occasional rouge air nomads joining Water and Fire forces as well.
After all, the death of Tenzin and Jinora was a heavy blow for the newly formed nomads.
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The world is on the brink of its first fully industrial war. The 100 Year War only had a single
industrial nation. When war inevitably breaks out, all parties involved will be using state of the
art technology. The results will be devastating. To make matters worse, the Avatar stands on the
wrong side of history.
Reign of the Earth Empire is a dark take on the Legend of Korra universe's near future. Like
many of these alternate settings, it is an examination of what it would mean if Korra failed.
Kuvira was a fascist and fascist state are no picnics. I cheated a little by having Kuvira agree to
deportations: horrible but not as horrible as keeping them in inhumane camps. If you want full
grimdark and think you can handle the subject matter respectfully, you could ignore that and
include camps.
I borrowed Genji from Legend of Genji but hes nothing like his counterpart. Cold, conflicted,
ruthless but guilty, insecure and nervous, Genji is a child of Kuvira's empire: a son of the state,
not his parents. Having the Avatar this way opens two possibilities: the Avatar as a powerful but
redeemable foe or playing as this confused child. You can have him be a powerful reoccuring
bad guy who either bulldozes the party until they get better or fails and disappoints Kuvira
constantly until the mother facade fades. Or you can serve as rebels or defectors who free Genji
and play or help him as he comes to terms with what happened.
For adventurers, you got rouge air nomads, fire or water nation soldiers, rebel earth empire
citizens and soldiers. Mecha suits, spirit vines, bi planes, submarines, etc. Your full steam punk
fantasy lineup. And no restrictions on bending. Everything is on the table.
Plus, the Earth Empire are good "bad guys." A bunch of cool, faceless stormtroopers, an
operating war machine, cool robot suits and metal powers, competent leadership, and a
charismatic and threatening leader. And they look cool. It's the whole package.
The adventure seeds write themselves. You can be spies from the other nation infiltrating the
Empire before the war. The Avatar being kidnapped and/or joining the rebels and turning against
the Empire while wrestling with internal conflict. The war could break out and set the stage for
massive, large scale battle. From a small band of heroes trying to take out the Empress and win
the war a la the original series to soldiers battling on the front lines, the war itself only presents
more options for adventure. There can even be a good three act escalation from peacetime to
warfare to the final confrontation.
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In-Depth Setting Analysis
It goes without saying there are two settings players will be most interested in: The Return of the
Avatar Era and the Eras that cover the Legend of Korra. All of the other Eras are there for those
who like the Expanded Universe of Avatar.
As such, we will analyze both eras in-depth to really show off the world that players would be
most interested in exploring. Outside setting details, this will also show off relevant technology
and adversaries.
Return of the Avatar Era
The Return of the Avatar Era is the setting of the original series. It starts when Aang is
discovered in an iceberg and ends with the defeat of Fire Lord Ozai. Fans of the original cartoon
are most likely interested in setting their game in either this era or a similar era.
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The Fire Nation
The Fire Nation in the Return of the Avatar Era were the main villains. After Fire Lord Sozin
started the 100 year war, the Fire Nation entered a state of military rule. Every facet of human
life was altered to promote the government’s new agenda.
The propaganda was centered around the notion that the Fire Nation was the most prosperous
nation in the world and that the war was the Fire Nation trying to share their prosperity with the
war. This was the lie that Fire Lord Sozin told himself to justify the war. The citizens of the Fire
Nation were successfully indoctrinated to hold this belief.
The Fire Nation was enjoying a golden age. Thanks to their master of fire, their nation was the
first to undergo an industrial revolution. Metallurgy, steam engines, and the like propelled their
technology to new heights. The Fire Nation’s technological edge is what allowed them to so
successfully wage war for 100 years.
The average Fire Nation citizen enjoyed a comfortable life, if restrictive. They enjoyed a high
quality of life, in most areas. The Fire Nation was the only nation in this era to have public
schooling. Their schools served to not just educate the population but cultivate loyalty. Their
school system promoted a form of nationalist history where the Fire Nation had done no wrong.
Students were encouraged to follow their superiors. Free expression was condemned.
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After school, most areas had plentiful work. The wartime economy had made demand for
resources in most areas. Of course, this prosperity was not universal. The war was resource
intensive. The Fire Nation valued military pursuit over the health of their citizens. Some areas
were heavily polluted in the name of the war efforts. Those citizens suffered in squalor.
The Fire Nation used to be a feudal system made up of clans. Fire Lord Zoryu ended the era of
clans a long time ago. Remnants of the feudal era remain, however. Nobles possess a lot of
freedom in their activities. Some are able to even curry favor from the royal family, such as Ty
Lee and Mai’s family.
The Fire Nation was now an absolute monarchy. The Fire Lord was the head of state. The Fire
Lord was head of all facets of government. However, like any bureaucracy, the actual work was
delegated amongst numerous ministers. These ministers may have once been picked in a
patronage system. However, the more cutthroat rule of Fire Lord Ozai had ended any such
pleasantries. If you could not perform your duty, regardless of your birth, you were treated
harshly. Even the Fire Prince was not above such expectations. This irreverence to bloodlines
made the Fire Nation a meritocracy.
The Fire Nation war effort was cruel. Their military held little scrubbles in how they engaged
with combatants. The Fire Nation military attacked civilian targets, held civilians indefinitely in
makeshift prisons for crimes as frivolous as “born an earthbender”, destroyed precious resources,
and even threatened the very spiritual balance of the world. Admiral Zhao was willing to destroy
the moon to rid the world of waterbending and topple the Northern Water Tribe.
The Fire Nation had a dismissive attitude to other nations. The government education trained
people to view their nation as the best in the world. Furthermore, firebending was promoted as
the superior form of bending. Fire Nation citizens were told they were the greatest people in the
world. When they colonized, the indegenious people were made second class citizens. This
attitude was clearly somewhat racist, though the extent was never fully explored in series.
The show mainly showed the Fire Nation military, however. Civilians were shown to be the same
type of people you could find anywhere. While the nation may have been enacting awful policy,
one can’t pretend every citizen supported these efforts. Nor can we assume that every citizen
would support the efforts if they saw the truth of the situation. Avatar: The Last Airbender
wanted to remind viewers that the entire Fire Nation was not evil.
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Earth Kingdom
The Earth Kingdom has been the main target for Fire Nation’s war efforts in recent years. The
people of the Earth Kingdom are a hardy and tough people, just like their nation. The Fire Nation
has little inroads into the Earth Kingdom at the beginning of Aang’s return. Much of the Earth
Kingdom is still free. This resistance might be due to the fact that the Earth Kingdom is over ten
times the size of the Fire Nation, spreading Fire Nation sources thin. However, the Earth
Kingdom’s saving grace has been that their two centers of government -- Ba Sing Se and
Omashu -- are heavily fortified. Ba Sing Se in particular had garnered a reputation for ruining the
reputations of generals who tried to conquer its walls.
There is no one Earth Kingdom culture. Inefficiencies in bureaucracy have made it difficult for
the Kingdom to effectively manage its land. As a pre-industrial society, communication is
difficult. A cohesive culture is just not possible. Laws vary wildly from region to region.
Omashu even claims to have its own King, King Bumi. This dual monarchy is almost certainly a
side-effect of Ba Sing Se being too far for it to effectively manage the southern tip of the Earth
Kingdom.
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Ba Sing Se, however, is the unquestioned capital of the Earth Kingdom, King Bumi
notwithstanding. The Earth Kingdom military is centered in Ba Sing Se while Omashu lacks any
military forces beyond the borders of its own city. The Ba Sing Se is completely self-sufficient,
while Omashu must rely on external trade. Only King Kuei, leader of Ba Sing Se, is officially
recognized as the Earth King. King Bumi does not hold that title.
Ba Sing Se is the crown jewel of the Fire Nation. It is believed that its capture would officially
end the war with the Earth Kingdom. As such, the Fire Nation has tried many attempts to capture
it. Most famously, Prince Iroh laid siege for multiple months and broke the first ring of the city.
However, his siege ended when Iroh’s son, Lu Ten, died in battle.
King Kuei of the Earth Kingdom is not the true ruler of Ba Sing Se or the Earth Kingdom. He is
the puppet of his advisor, Long Feng. Long Feng has spread his deceptions so successfully that
King Kuei is unaware that a war is even occurring.
All citizens of Ba Sing Se, despite knowing better, are required to keep the secret from everyone.
The Dai Li, the secret police of Ba Sing Se, arrest those who disturb that peace. The Dai Li use
advanced hypnotism to then erase that information from their minds. This process is also how Ba
Sing Se trains its “Joo Dee”, a class of servants who are kept under mass hypnosis to ensure they
do not spill the secret of the war to King Kuei.
Outside of Ba Sing Se, the Earth Kingdom is suffering. Many lands are occupied. Those lands
are treated however the fire nation warlords deem fit. Some go so far as jailing all Earthbenders.
Others simply keep the Earth Kingdom citizens as second class citizens. Those that are
unoccupied usually experience hardships due to the war. Famine, skirmishes, bandists, unruly
soldiers, etc. The Earth Kingdom is in a time of crisis.
131
Water Tribes
The Water Tribes are divided into two sister tribes. Their experiences could not be more
different.
The Southern Tribe has suffered more than any other nation in the war. Their once great tribe has
dwindled down to a small village. All of their waterbenders were captured, with only one
escaping notice. They are almost all dead. The Southern Waterbending style went with it. All of
the men have gone off to war. Only women and children are left in the tiny village.
The Northern Tribe has fared better. The Northern Tribe completely fortified their city from Fire
Nation raids. Despite their best efforts, the Fire Nation never took the Water Tribe capital in the
war. Their satellite cities have all consolidated into a major metropolis.
132
The Southern Tribe was more liberal in their beliefs. Perhaps this was simply out of necessity of
war. However, women were allowed to join the battle and defend the south. The North does not
share these beliefs. Even in these dire times, women are required to remain housekeepers.
Female waterbenders can only learn how to heal with the art. Men can be leaders and waters as
well as use the art of waterbending for its combat perhaps.
The Water Tribes have both contributed many men to the war effort. This burden fell more
heavily on the South during this era. Once all of the waterbenders in the south were captured, the
Fire Nation lost interest. The Fire Nation was trying to stop any future Avatars from arriving,
convinced that the Air Avatar was likely dead. Without any benders in the south, the Fire Nation
moved their interests elsewhere. Thus, the South was free to send more warriors out to defend
foreign soil.
The Water Tribes have suffered severe hardship. Traveling outside their homeland was a death
sentence for waterbenders, until Aang came back. While many tribesmen have joined the war,
they are usually only seen in naval operations.
133
Air Nation
Around 100 years ago, the entire Air Nation was wiped out. All of the survivors were hunted to
extinction. All that remains are their temples. If it were not for Aang’s return, there would be no
living airbenders left in the world. Such was the brutality of Fire Lord Sozin. He comitted a near
complete genocide of a people for political ambition. Most have forgotten what air nomads look
like, which has helped Aang. Only the really old remember anything about the nation. Much of
what they could do has fallen into legend, such as their flying bison.
134
Adversaries
Fire Nation
Fire Nation Soldiers (Nonbender)

Average Nameless NPC
Average (+1): Combat
Aspect: Bottom Of The Fire Nation

Totempole
Fire Nation Soldiers (Bender)

Fair Nameless NPC
Fair (+2): Firebending

Average (+1): Provoke
Aspect: Backbone Of The Military
Stress: [1]
Elite Fire Nation Soldier

Good Nameless NPC
Good (+3): Firebending

Fair (+2): Provoke
Aspect: Best Of The Best, Guardian Of The

Throne
Stress: [1] [1]
135
Admiral Zhao
Supporting NPC
Great (+4): Provoke

Good (+3): Investigate
Fair (+2): Firebending, Resources
Average (+1): Deceive, Notice
Aspects:
Power Hungry Admiral
Always Has A Plan
No Restraint
Blowhard
Stunts:
Explosive Temper (1 Benefit): When you lose your cool in a fight while Attacking with
Firebending, you may add a Burning Scenery aspect to the scene and, if this aspect is to your
detriment, you may add +2 to the results of the attack.
My Information Says Otherwise (1 Benefit): Once per session, you can add Investigate to
the result of your roll by revealing your secret plan.
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1]

Mental Stress: [1] [1] [1]
136
Combustion Man
Supporting NPC
Great (+4): Firebending

Good (+3): Physique
Fair (+2): Provoke, Stealth
Average (+1): Notice, Will
Aspects:
The Strong, Silent Type
Mountain Of The Man
Sparky Sparky Boom Man
Stunts:
Combustion Bending (2 Benefits): You can bend the fire inside yourself and expel it as a
combustible force from your third eye chakra. When you attack with combustion bending
using Firebending, the attack has a Weapon Rating: 2, can attack an adjacent Zone, and affects
everyone in the target Zone.
The Terminator (1 Benefit): Armor:2 against physical stress, but weak to attacks directly
targeting his third eye.
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

137
Iroh (Book One)
Supporting NPC
Great (+4): Empathy

Fair (+2): Lore, Rapport
Average (+1): Deceive, Notice
Aspects:
Kindly Old Man
Words of Wisdom
Raising A Teenager
Taking Things Slow
Stunts:
Master Firebender (2 Benefits): You have +1 to create advantages with Firebending and +1
to defend against all forms of physical combat.
Your Stance Is Lacking (2 Benefit): You have +1 to carefully create an advantage or attack
using Firebending when exploiting an inexperienced or untrained opponent.

138
Iroh (Book Two)
Supporting NPC
Great (+4): Deceive

Fair (+2): Empathy, Rapport
Average (+1): Lore, Notice
Aspects:
Kindly Old Man
Words of Wisdom
Afraid His Son Is Losing His Way
Just A Humble Refugee
Stunts:
Just A Humble Refugee* (1 Benefit)

Lighting Generation (2 Benefits): If you’re a Firebender, you may Attack with lighting using
Firebending. When you do, your Attack has Weapon Rating:4 or Weapon:6, but at a cost.
Lighting Redirection (1 Benefit): If you’re a Firebender, you have Armor Rating:2 when you
defend against Lighting Bending. You may spend a Fate point on a successful defend against
Lightning Generation to deal the shifts from your defend roll +2 to your opposition's physical
stress.
Sit Down And Let’s Have Tea (1 Benefits): You have +2 when you try to carefully defuse a
situation nonviolently using Rapport.

139
Iroh (Book Three)
Supporting NPC
Superb (+5): Firebending

Great (+4): Physique
Good (+3): Empathy
Fair (+2): Deceive, Rapport
Average (+1): Lore, Notice
Aspects:
Kindly Old Man
Words of Wisdom
Proud Father
Member Of The White Lotus
Stunts:
stress.
Sit Down And Let’s Have Tea (1 Benefits): You have +2 when you try to carefully defuse a
situation nonviolently using Rapport.
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

140
Zuko (Book One)
Supporting NPC
Great (+4): Provoke

Good (+3): Deceive
Fair (+2): Firebending
Average (+1): Stealth, Will
Aspects:
Exiled Prince Of The Fire Nation
I Need To Capture The Avatar*
Hotheaded And Rash
Stunts:
I Need To Capture The Avatar* (1 Benefit)

Obsessed With Restoring His Honor (1 Benefit): Once per session, when an attack would
take you out, you can perform one more turn before being taken out.

141
Zuko (Book Two)
Supporting NPC
Great (+4): Stealth

Good (+3): Deceive
Fair (+2): Provoke
Average (+1): Firebending, Will
Aspects:
Exiled Prince Of The Fire Nation
My Name Is Lee
At A Crossroads
Hotheaded And Rash
Stunts:
Remember Who You Are, Zuko (1 Benefit): Once per session, you can swap your
Firebending and Stealth until the end of session, by revealing your identity.
We’re Just Refugees (1 Benefit): Once per session, if someone is close to finding out your
true identity, you hide it behind a simple, dismissive backstory.

142
Zuko (Book Three)
Main NPC

Great (+4): Will
Good (+3): Empathy
Fair (+2): Deceive, Notice, Stealth
Average (+1): Lore, Physique, Rapport,
Strategy,
Aspects:
High Concept: The Prince Who Restored
Their Own Honor
Origin: Exiled Prince
Traumed: Raised By A Violent Sociopath
Relationship: Uncle Iroh Is More A Father
To Me Than My Father Ever Was
Trouble: Still Overcoming His Dark Side
Stunts:
Learned From The Dragons (2 Benefits): You have +1 to create an advantage or attack with
Firebending.
stress.
Wisdom From The Dark (1 Benefit): You have +2 to create an advantage with Deceive when
drawing on your experiences as a villain.
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1]

Mental Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]
143
Azula (Recurring Threat)
Supporting NPC
Superb (+5): Deceive

Good (+3): Will
Fair (+2): Notice, Provoke
Average (+1): Athletics, Lore
The Sadistic Princess Of The Fire Nation

Raised By A Violent Sociopath
Ty Lee And Mai Are Kept In Line By Fear
No One Is My Equal
Stunts:
Blue Flame (2 Benefits): You have +1 to create an advantage or attack with Firebending.
I Can’t Wait To See Your Show (1 Benefit): Once per session, you can add your Deceive to

Mental Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]
144
Ty Lee
Supporting NPC
Great (+4): Athletics

Good (+3): Combat
Average (+1): Deceive, Stealth
Aspects:
Bubbly Noblewoman Circus Performer
Master of Chiblocking
Slow On The Uptake
Stunts:
Circus Performer (1 Benefit): You have +2 when you create an advantage using your
Athletics to perform a feat of acrobatics.
Chiblocking (2 benefits): You have +2 to create a Bending Block advantage with Combat
and, when quickly attacking, you may inflict a Bending Block aspect as a boost.

145
Ty Lee
Supporting NPC
Great (+4): Will

Good (+3): Combat
Fair (+2): Athletics, Stealth
Average (+1): Investigate, Notice
Aspects:
Stoic Noblewoman
Endless Knives
I Love Zuko More Than I Fear You
Stunts:
Emotionless (2 Benefits): Fearproof and Armor:2 against all other emotional attacks, but
weak to Zuko.

Mental Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]
146
Azula (Boss)
Main NPC
Fantastic (+6): Deceive

Great (+4): Will
Good (+3): Notice, Provoke
Fair (+2): Athletics, Lore
Average (+1): Investigate, Notice, Physique
High Concept: The Sadistic Princess Of The

Fire Nation
Origin: Raised By A Violent Sociopath
Trauma: My Mother Thought I Was A
Monster
Relationship: Ty Lee And Mai Are Kept In
Line By Fear
Trouble: No One Is My Equal
Stunts:
All The Resources Of The Military Are At My Disposal (1 Benefit): Once per session, you
may create an advantage with a free invoke without rolling to reflect how your military
resources benefit you in the current situation.
Blue Flame (2 Benefits): You have +1 to create an advantage or attack with Firebending.
I Can’t Wait To See Your Show (1 Benefit): Once per session, you can add your Deceive to
You Should Have Feared Me More (1 Benefit): Once per session, when you attack with
Provoke or Firebending, you may inflict a Terrified aspect as a boost with a free invoke,
regardless of the result.
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

Mental Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]
147
Ozai
Main NPC
Fantastic (+6): Firebending

Superb (+5): Physique
Great (+4): Will
Good (+3): Athletics, Provoke
Fair (+2): Deceive Resources
Average (+1): Investigate, Lore, Notice
High Concept: Ambitious And Cruel Leader

Of The Fire Nation
Origin: Second Best To A Cruel Father
Trauma: Iroh Was Always The Favorite
Relationship: Azula Is My Most Useful
Pawn
Trouble: All Will Bow To Me!
Stunts:
No Remorse (2 Benefits): You are fearproof and guiltproof, but weak to overwhelming
displays of force.
Strongest Firebender In The World (6 Benefits): You have +2 to defend any Firebending
and +1 to defend against all other forms of combat. You have a +1 to create an advantage and
attack with firebending, not including its subbending styles. You have Weapon:2 when you
attack with firebending.
This Is My World (1 Benefit): Once per session, you may roll 8dF and take the best four
results when you attack with firebending.
You’re Weak (1 Benefit): You have +2 when you attack with Provoke someone by pointing
out their weaknesses and flaws.
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

Mental Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]
Consequences: Mild, Moderate, Moderate (Physical), Severe
148
Earth Kingdom
Earth Kingdom Soldiers (Nonbender)

Aspect: Canon Fodder
Earth Kingdom Soldiers (Bender)

Fair Nameless NPC
Fair (+2): Earthbending

Average (+1): Physique
Aspects: Capable Of Enduring Much

Hardship
Stress: [1]
Royal Guard
Good Nameless NPC
Good (+3): Earthbending

Fair (+2): Physique
Average (+1): Resources
Aspects: Best Of The Best, Guardian Of The

Throne
Stress: [1] [1]
149
Kyoshi Warriors
Good Nameless NPC
Good (+3): Combat

Fair (+2): Athletics
Average (+1): Stealth
Aspects: Followers of Avatar Kyoshi, All

Women Elite Group, Never To Be
Underestimated
Stress: [1] [1]
Dai Li
Good Nameless NPC

Fair (+2): Investigate Stealth
Average (+1): Notice, Resources
Aspects: Cultural Protectors Of Ba Sing Se,

Secret Police, There Is No War In Ba Sing
Se
Stress: [1] [1]
150
Long Feng
Supporting Exceptional NPC
Great (+4): Deceive

Good (+3): Provoke
Fair (+2): Resources, Stealth
Average (+1): Earthbending, Strategy
Aspects:
Power Hungry Advisor
True Ruler Of Ba Sing Se
Leader Of The Dai Li
Coward
Stunts:
Earthbender (1 Benefit): You get a +1 to create advantages with Earthbending.

Never Alone (1 Benefit): Once per session, when fighting alone, you can summon a mob of 4
Dai Li agents.
Schemes Within Schemes (1 Benefit): Once per session, you may create an advantage with a
free invoke without rolling to reflect how you planned for this contingency.
Viper Waiting To Strike (1 Benefit): Once per session, your opponent cannot negate an
attack with stress when you get a success with style.

151
Suki
Supporting NPC

Good (+3): Combat
Average (+1): Lore, Physique
Aspects:
Leader Of The Kyoshi Warriors
Master Combatant
Can Take Care Of Herself
Stunts:
Master Warrior (1 Benefit): You have +1 to defend against all forms of combat.
Often Underestimated (1 Benefit): You have +2 to create an advantage with Combat when
being underestimated.

152
King Bumi
Supporting NPC
Superb (+5): Earthbending

Great (+4): Deceive
Good (+3): Physique
Fair (+2): Investigate, Stealth
Average (+1): Athletics, Will
Aspects:
The Mad King Of Omashu
One Of The World’s Greatest Earthbenders
Knows More Than He Lets On
Neutral Jing
Stunts:
Gone Senile (1 Benefit): You haveArmor:2 against all emotional attacks reliant on logic.
One Of The World’s Greatest Earthbenders (5 Benefit): You have +2 to defend any
Earthbending and +1 to defend against all other forms of physical combat. You have a +1 to
create an advantage and attack with Earthbending, not including its subbending styles.
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

153
Toph (Book Two)
Main NPC
Great (+4): Earthbending

Good (+3): Physique, Provoke
Fair (+2): Notice, Stealth, Will
Average (+1): Deceive, Lore, Resources,
Strategy
High Concept: The Greatest Earthbender In

The World
Origin: Rebellious Noblegirl
Trauma: Sheltered From The World Due To
Her Blindness
Relationship: Secret Crush On Sokka
Trouble: I Do Want I Want!
Stunts:
Faces Problems Headon (1 Benefit): You have +2 to forcefully overcome obstacles when
you refuse to back down.
Heiress Of House Beifong (1 Benefit): Once per session, you may create an advantage with a
free invoke without rolling to reflect how your noble upbringing benefits you.
I’m Just A Helpless Blind Girl (1 Benefit): You have +2 to create an advantage with Deceive
by convincing someone you are helpless due to your blindness.
One Of The Greatest Earthbenders In The World (4 Benefits): You have +2 to defend any
create an advantage and attack with Earthbending, not including its subbending styles.
Seismic Sense (3 Benefits): Ambushproof and lyingproof, but weak to enemies not touching
the ground. You have +1 to Attack with Earthbending enemies who are concealing themselves
from seismic sense.
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

154
Toph (Book Three)
Main NPC

Great (+4): Provoke
Good (+3): Physique, Notice
Fair (+2): Rapport, Stealth, Will
Average (+1): Deceive, Lore, Resources,
Strategy
High Concept: The Greatest Earthbender In

The World And The World’s First Metalbender
Origin: Rebellious Noblegirl
Trauma: Sheltered From The World Due To Her
Blindness
Relationship: Secret Crush On Sokka
Trouble: I Do Want I Want!
Stunts:
Faces Problems Headon (1 Benefit): You have +2 to forcefully overcome obstacles when
you refuse to back down.
Heiress Of House Beifong (1 Benefit): Once per session, you may create an advantage with a
free invoke without rolling to reflect how your noble upbringing benefits you.
I’m Just A Helpless Blind Girl (1 Benefit): You have +2 to create an advantage with Deceive
by convincing someone you are helpless due to your blindness.
Greatest Earthbender In The World (4 Benefits): You have +2 to defend any Earthbending
and +1 to defend against all other forms of physical combat. You have a +1 to create an
advantage and attack with Earthbending, not including its subbending styles.
Metalbending (2 Benefits): If you’re an Earthbender, you may bend Metal with Earthbending.
You have a +1 to create advantages with metalbending and Armor:1 against physical stress
when you have access to Metal. You get a +2 when you attempt to create a Bound advantage
with Metal Bending.
from seismic sense.
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

155
Water Tribes
Water Tribe Soldiers (Nonbender)

Aspect: The First And Last Line Of Defense
Water Tribe Soldiers (Bender)

Fair Nameless NPC
Fair (+2): Combat or Waterbending

Average (+1): Athletics
Aspect: Backbone Of The Military
Stress: [1]
Elite Water Tribe Soldier

Good Nameless NPC
Good (+3): Combat or Waterbending

Fair (+2): Athletics, Deceive
Aspect: Best Of The Best, We Must Protect

Our Families
Stress: [1] [1]
156
Foggy Swamp Tribe (Bender)
Fair Nameless NPC
Fair (+2): Waterbending

Aspect: Backwater Yokels
Stress: [1]
Pakku
Supporting NPC
Great (+4): Waterbending

Good (+3): Provoke
Fair (+2): Lore, Resources
Average (+1): Athletics, Investigate
Aspects:
The Most Respected Mentor In The
Northern Tribe
Respect My Traditions
Upholds Sexist Beliefs
Stunts:
Master Waterbender (2 Benefits):. You have +1 to create advantages with Waterbending and
+1 to defend against all forms of physical combat.

157
Katara (Book One)
Main NPC
Great (+4): Empathy

Good (+3): Provoke, Rapport
Fair (+2): Notice,Waterbending, Will
Average (+1): Athletics, Deceive, Lore,
Stealth
High Concept: The Last Waterbender In

The Southern Tribe
Origin: Raised My Brother
Trauma: My Mother Died For Me
Relationship: Constantly Falling For
Teenage Boys
Trouble: Cares Too Much
Stunts:
Adapting To The World (1 Benefit): You have +2 to overcome with Rapport when it comes
to getting along with others.
Indomitable Spirit (3 Benefit): Armor:2 against mental attacks. You have +2 to create an
advantage or overcome with Empathy when trying to convince people not to give up.
Self-Taught Waterbender (1 Benefit): You have +1 to create advantages with Waterbending.

158
Katara (Book Two)
Main NPC
Great (+4): Empathy

Good (+3): Waterbending, Rapport
Fair (+2): Notice, Provoke, Will
Stealth
High Concept: The Last Waterbender In

The Southern Tribe
Relationship: Budding Relationship With
Aang
Stunts:
Adapting To The World (1 Benefit): You have +2 to overcome with Rapport when it comes
to getting along with others.
Healing Water (2 Benefits): You have +4 to heal a character’s consequences using
Waterbending.
Indomitable Spirit (3 Benefit): Armor:2 against mental attacks. You have +2 to create an
advantage or overcome with Empathy when trying to convince people not to give up.
Master Waterbender (2 Benefit): You have +1 to create advantages with Waterbending and
+1 to defend against all forms of physical combat.

159
Katara (Book Three)
Main NPC
Superb (+5): Waterbending

Great (+4): Empathy
Good (+3): Rapport, Will
Fair (+2): Notice, Provoke, Stealth
Physique
High Concept: The Greatest Waterbender In

The World
Relationship: Complicated Feelings For Aang
Stunts:
Blood Bending (2 Benefits):ou can bend the blood in someone’s body during a full moon
using Waterbending. You can spend a Fate point to make it the full moon. When you bend
blood, you get +2 to create a Blood Puppet aspect on a target. You can invoke a Blood Puppet
aspect to take an action on the bound person’s turn using their character sheet.
Indomitable Spirit (3 Benefit): Armor:2 against mental attacks. You have +2 to flashily or
cleverly create an advantage or overcome when trying to convince people not to give up.
Greatest Waterbender In The World (3 Benefit): You have +2 to defend any Waterbending
and +1 to defend against all forms of physical combat. You have a +1 to create an advantage
and attack with waterbending, not including its subbending styles.
Healing Water (2 Benefits): You have +4 to heal a character’s consequences using
Waterbending.
Seen The World (1 Benefit): You have +2 to overcome with Rapport when it comes to
getting along with others.

Mental Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]
160
Sokka (Book One)
Main NPC
Great (+4): Notice

Good (+3): Craft, Strategy
Fair (+2): Deceive, Provoke, Will
Average (+1): Athletics, Combat, Investigate,
Physique
High Concept: Arrogant Warrior Of The

Southern Tribe
Origin: Left As The Only Warrior
Trauma: Fire Nation Took His Mother
Relationship: Looking Out For His Sister
Trouble: Gets In Over His Head
Stunts:
Boomerang! (1 Benefit): Once per session, when you miss an attack with your boomerang,
you can reroll the attack with a +2 bonus.
Secretly Brilliant (1 Benefit): Once per session, you can create a technology with a number
of stunt benefits equal to your Craft skill that lasts until the end of the scene.
World’s Punching Bag (1 Benefit): Once per session, when an attack would take you out,
you can perform one more turn before being taken out.
You Should See The Look On Your Face! (1 Benefit): Once per session, you can add your
Deceive to the result of your roll by revealing your secret plan.

161
Sokka (Book Two)
Main Exceptional NPC
Great (+4): Notice

Good (+3): Craft, Strategy
Fair (+2): Deceive, Provoke, Will
Average (+1): Athletics, Combat, Investigate,
Physique

Southern Tribe
Trauma: My First Girlfriend Turned Into
The Moon
Relationship: I Have To Protect Suki
Stunts:

162
Sokka (Book Three)
Superb (+5): Notice

Great (+4): Strategy
Good (+3): Provoke, Craft
Fair (+2): Combat, Deceive, Will
Average (+1): Athletics, Investigate,
Physique

Southern Tribe
Trauma: Am I Burden on the Team?
Relationship: Suki!
Stunts:
Master Swordsman (1 Benefit): You have +1 to Attack and Defend with Combat when using
a Sword.

163
Air Nation
Aang (Book One)

Main NPC

Good (+3): Airbending, Rapport
Fair (+2): Empathy, Ride, Will
Average (+1): Deceive, Lore, Resource,Waterbending
High Concept: The Lost Avatar

Origin: Raised By Monks
Trauma: My People Are Dead
Relationship: Katara Is Cute
Trouble: Man Out Of Time
164
Extras:
Avatar (3 Benefits)
Your starter element is Air. You can unlock Water, Earth, and Fire as a Breakthrough. You have
+1 to create advantages with any elements you can bend. Once per session, you can enter the
Avatar State until the end of the Conflict. In the Avatar State, you get access to all four
elements and get a +2 to use any of the four actions with the elements. Your actions in the
Avatar state either inflict a type of collateral damage aspect on the surrounding environment or
you are left Fatigued until you Refresh, decided by the player when they enter the Avatar
state.
Stunts:
Airbender Staff (1 Benefit)

Appa, The Skybison (5 Benefits)
Bridge Between Worlds (1 Benefit): You have +2 to create an advantage with Rapport when
dealing with spirits.
Innocent and Naive (1 Benefit): You have +2 to create an advantage or overcome with
Rapport when trying to win people over.
I’m The Avatar (1 Benefit): Once per session, you can create an advantage with a free invoke
by revealing that you are the Avatar.
Nomad Wisdom (1 Benefit): You have +2 to cleverly overcome obstacles involving
interpersonal conflicts using Empathy.

165
Aang (Book Two)
Main NPC
Great (+4): Athletics, Rapport

Good (+3): Airbending, Empathy
Fair (+2): Ride, Waterbending, Will
Average (+1): Deceive, Earthbending, Lore, Resource

Trauma: I Ran Away
Relationship: Katara Is Cute
166
Extras:
Avatar (3 Benefits)
Your starter element is Air. You can bend Air, Earth, and Water. You can unlock Fire as a
Breakthrough. You have +1 to create advantages with any elements you can bend. Once per
session, you can enter the Avatar State until the end of the Conflict. In the Avatar State, you
get access to all four elements and get a +2 to use any of the four actions with the elements.
Your actions in the Avatar state either inflict a type of collateral damage aspect on the
surrounding environment or you are left Fatigued until you Refresh, decided by the player
when they enter the Avatar state.
Stunts:

Never Gives Up On People (1 Benefit): You have +2 to create an advantage or overcome
with Rapport when trying to win people over.

167
Aang (Book Three)
Superb (+5): Rapport

Great (+4): Airbending, Athletics,
Good (+3): Empathy, Waterbending,
Fair (+2): Earthbending, Ride, Will
Average (+1): Deceive, Lore, Resource

Trauma: The World Thinks I’m Dead
Relationship: Katara Is Complicated
168
Extras:
Avatar (3 Benefits)
Your starter element is Air. You can bend Air, Water, and Earth. You can unlock Fire and the
Avatar State as a Breakthrough. You have +1 to create advantages with any elements you can
bend.
Stunts:


169
Aang (Final Battle)
Main NPC

Great (+4): Airbending, Athletics,
Good (+3): Empathy, Waterbending, Will
Fair (+2): Deceive, Earthbending, Ride,
Average (+1): Firebending, Lore, Resource

Trauma: How Can I Kill The Fire Lord?
Relationship: Katara Is Complicated
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Extras:
Avatar (3 Benefits)
Your starter element is Air. You can bend Air, Water, Earth, and Fire. You have +1 to create
advantages with any elements you can bend. Once per session, you can enter the Avatar State
until the end of the Conflict. In the Avatar State, you get access to all four elements and get a
+2 to use any of the four actions with the elements. Your actions in the Avatar state either
inflict a type of collateral damage aspect on the surrounding environment or you are left
Fatigued until you Refresh, decided by the player when they enter the Avatar state.
Stunts:
Energybending (2 Benefits): Once per session, when you get a success with style on an atack,
you can permanently remove a character’s ability to bend or allow them to bend any of the
four elements.
Fully Realized Avatar (6 Benefits): You have +1 to Create An Advantage, Overcome, Attack,
and Defend when bending any of the elements and have +1 to defend against all other forms of
physical combat. You can spend a Fate Point to bend the elements in an exceptional manner
such as flying unaided, causing volcanic eruptions, or bending spirit energy into a new spirit
portal.
Seismic Sense (1 Benefits): Ambushproof,, but weak to enemies not touching the ground.

Mental Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]
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Technology
Fire Nation
Air Balloon
High Concept: High Altitude Bomber

Trouble: Flimsy
Other Aspects: Full of Bombs, Small and Hard To Hit, Easy To Hide
Mega-stunts (1 Benefit):
172
Airship

Other Aspects: Absolute Symbol of Fear, Elite Crew, Scorched Earth
Flight (1 Benefit): You can fly
173
Tank
High Concept: Armored Transport Of Fire Nation Soldiers

Trouble: Clunky
Other Aspects: Can’t Be Flipped Over, Terrifying, Full of Soldiers
Grappling Hooks (1 Benefit): You can scale sheer cliffs.
Metal Hull (2 Benefits): Armor:4 against physical damage
174
Warship
High Concept: Backbone of the Firenavy

Trouble: Too Large
Other Aspects: Imposing, Heavily Staff, Weaponized
Catapult (1 Benefit): Weapon: 2 when using the catapult.
Metal Hull (2 Benefits): Armor:4 against physical damage
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Earth Kingdom
Earth Kingdom Tank
High Concept: Armored Transport Of Earth Kingdom Soldiers

Trouble: Clunky
Other Aspects: Can’t Be Flipped Over, Heavily Armored, Full of Soldiers
Unbreakable Hull (4 Benefits): Armor: 6 against physical damage and you have 3 additional
Stress Boxes.
Vehicle Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]
176
Water Tribes
Submarines
High Concept: Submersible Vehicle

Trouble: Wooden
Other Aspects: Hidden From Sight, Troop Transport
Submersible (1 Benefit): Once per session, you can submerge the vehicle and gain the
Completely Undetectable aspect with a free invoke.
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Water Tribe Ships
High Concept: Backbone Of The Water Navy

Trouble: Wooden
Other Aspects: Sleek and fast, Easily Hidden
Water Mist (1 Benefit): You have +2 to avoid detection with Stealth if you have waterbenders
on board to make a mist.
178
Air Nation
Airbender Staff
Function: Sacred Tool Of The Air Nomads

Flaw: Flammable
179
Sky Bison
High Concept: Your Personal Flying Sky Bison

Trouble: A Fleshy, Living Animal
Other Aspects: Surprisingly Fast and Agile, The Original Airbenders, Your Companion For
Life
Roar (1 Benefit): Roar (1 Benefit): You get +2 to Attack with Ride when intimidating someone.
The First Airbenders (1 Benefit): You may use Ride instead of Airbending when using a Sky
Bison. If you can already Airbend, you get +1 when using Airbending for any action.
180
The Eras of Korra
The Legend of Korra was the sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender. Honestly, it’s underrated.
One thing I have enjoyed about Avatar’s release on Netflix is how many new fans are giving the
series an honest chance. The Legend of Korra did not use the same story structure of Avatar as it
was originally planned as a mini-series. Our official history section divides Korra into four eras.
Similarly, we will divide this in-depth analysis of each nation presented by Book. This won’t be
too hard, however. Worldbuilding was less of a priority with Korra, as the writers knew fans
were familiar with the world from the previous series.
181
The United Republic Of Nations
During the Harmony Restoration Movement, it was discovered that the city of Yu Dao did not
wish to rejoin the Earth Kingdom. The land was conquered early in the war. The inhabitants did
not feel cultural ties to either nation. To avoid conflict, Avatar Aang established the United
Republic with that city. It was meant to be a land independent of the four nations, where the
cultures could meet.
The crown jewel of the United Republic started off small. Republic City was once Cranefish
Town, a factory town that grew too fast. This slum would become an economic powerhouse in a
few decades. Renamed to Republic City, the factory town became the capitol city of the United
Republic.
The United Republic’s government naturally formed from the pre-existing council of Cranefish
Town. The town’s business leaders had formed a council to govern the city’s affairs. This council
was formalized over 120 years into the United Republic Council.
During the Equalist Revolution, the Council was an organization with five members that oversaw
the legislative, judicial, and executive functions of the city and overall nation. The Council had
representatives of all four nations, with the water tribe having a councilor for each tribe. The
United Republic Council was entirely made of benders. This fact was no accident. The original
Council had strong Bender Supremacist ties. This sentiment lingered and kept an oppressive
bender regime, giving rise to the equalists.
The non-benders of republic city suffered greatly. The merger of cultures gave rises to new
threats that non-benders had no means of defending themselves against. While benders were
common enough in their home countries, the variety posed a unique threat. One would need to
defend themselves from earthbenders, waterbenders, and firebenders. Not just literally but
economically as well.
182
Politically, it could not be ignored how much the United Republic favored benders. The Water
Tribe and Earth Kingdom had histories of rule by both benders and non-benders. The art did not
denote political power. While the same could not be said for the Fire Nation, their society was
shown to give positions of military power to non-benders during the war. This sentiment also
applied to political power. The equality in government representation was ironically a result of
an aristocracy that cared more for bloodlines than bending prowess. Yet, in the United Republic,
all of their elected officials were benders. There were no non-benders in the highest positions of
political power. Non-benders did not have a face in government they could rely on to look out for
their interests.
This variety in bending arts also gave rise to a unique criminal element. Mafias formed from the
mixture of bending cultures, such as the Triple Threat Triads. Non-benders formed their own
mafias and made their place in the criminal underworld, such as Tokuga, but they were fighting
an uphill battle.
Economically, non-benders were also disadvantaged. For example, a firebender could make a
day’s wage working at a power plant, if they knew lightning generation. All types of benders
could become pro-benders. Benders were easier for all kinds of labor. This competition kept
many non-benders from economically advancing. Most non-benders succeeded by relying on
their inventions. In a twist of fortune from the Cranefish days, almost all of the major business
leaders were non-benders who made fortunes off of their inventions. However, this economic
success was exceptional and not the norm.
The Equalists were easy enough to form. Cranefish Town was built on Bender Supremacy. The
oppression remained in every facet of life, even when the majority of the current leaders did not
consciously hold the beliefs themselves. Equalizing benders and non-benders was an easy sell,
especially with the numerous non-benders in economic positions of power.
After the Equalist Revolution failed, the United Republic reformed itself. The United Republic
Council was dissolved. In its place, a single President would head the legislative, judicial, and
executive branches of government. The first President elected was Raiko, a non-bender.
After the return of the spirit, Republic City faced a new crisis. A great spirit forest grew in its
center. The vines could not be removed and displaced hundreds. Worse, spirits took residence in
these forests. The spirits did not always live well with the humans. However, fortunes did turn
when the forests proved a popular tourist trap.
After the missing Avatar returned, the spirit forest was turned into a new spirit portal. While this
was infuriating to local real estate owners, the portal kept a spiritual center in the secular city.
183
The Water Tribes
The Water Tribes had changed over the years. When the North agreed to rebuild the South after
the war, they slowly became the de facto rulers of the South. Eventually, the South stopped
having a chieftain. The North’s Chieftain ruled the south.
This established rule was accepted as the North did not overly exert their influence on the South.
However, this peace was not to last. When Unalaq tried to “bring the south into line,” a civil war
broke out between the nations. Eventually, the South prevailed and Tonraq, Korra’s father and
exiled prince of the North, was made chieftain of the South.
Both the North and the South had rebuilt from the war. Their tribes now sported great cities with
marvelous architecture. Modern technology had slowly reached the lands. While it was not as
advanced as the United Republic, the people of the Water Tribe were keeping up with the times.
184
The Earth Kingdom
The rule of the Earth Queen had not been a pleasant one. The current ruler carried only for
herself and not the people of her nation. Famine, drought, and extreme poverty had become the
norm.
Bandits began roaming the kingdom. People stopped paying their taxes. The Queen focused all
the land’s riches onto her own opulence.
185
Only the nobles really knew anything resembling a good life. The rest of the Earth Kingdom
knew only suffering. The only exception were the citizens of the shining city of Zaofu. Founded
by the daughter of Toph Beifong, this modern city enjoyed a level of prosperity unheard of in the
rest of the Earth Kingdom.
After the Earth Queen was assassinated, the country fell into anarchy. The nation broke into
numerous city states ruled by the local governors. The nation would remain that way for many
years.
Under Kuvira, the Earth Kingdom was reunited and modernized as the Earth Empire. The facist
regime would employ horrible tactics to ensure the purity of the Earth Kingdom. Ethnic
cleansing programs sprung up, for example, with non-earth citizens placed in deplorable camps.
The world and many citizens were completely unaware, however. The Earth Empire worked hard
to keep an image of being a force for good in the world. For example, they hired Bolin to head
their humanity aid efforts.
Ironically, the Earth Empire relied on the exiled Varrick of the Southern Water Tribe to invent
their technology. His discoveries in spirit energy would lead to the invention of horrible weapons
of mass destruction.
The Earth Empire refused to give control to Prince Wu, as originally agreed, and Kuvira, its
leader, attempted to conquer the United Republic. Thankfully, they were stopped.
186
The Air Nation
Avatar Aang had known that the Air Nation would not be easy to rebuild. When he discovered
those who wished to live the air nomad lifestyle, he took them on as his acolytes. The Air
Acolytes made up the majority of the Air Nation for hundreds of years. The acolytes were air
nation in spirit, but not blood. Only Aang and his family were air nomad by blood.
Tenzin, the only airbender heir of Avatar Aang, did his best to repopulate his nation. In the
Equalist Revolution, only his four children could carry on the Air Nation.
After the return of the spirits, things had changed. Harmonic convergence had randomly selected
people from across the world to gain airbending abilities. While it was difficult at first, these new
airbenders were brought to the Air Nation. With time, they grew to accept Air Nomad culture
and form a new Air Nation.
From the death of the Airbender Genocide, the Airbenders were back to their old numbers.
187
Fire Nation
Nothing is seen of the Fire Nation in the Legend of Korra eras. We know it is run by Fire Lord
Izumi, a descendant of Zuko. We know Zuko has retired. We also know that the dragons have
returned. We know from Izumi the Fire Nation tries to be more reserved and neutral to make up
for the 100 year war.
However, outside of that, we really know nothing of the Fire Nation during these eras.
188
Pro-Bending
What Is Pro-Bending?
Pro-Bending was a controversial addition to the world of Avatar. The sport was inspired by the
idea of Mixed Martial Arts. The creators felt that the mixing of cultures would naturally lead to
the different bending styles mixing together. This mixing of fighting styles is something that
actually happened in the real martial arts world in recent years, the aforementioned Mixed
Martial Arts. The physical movements for the animation was based on Mixed Martial Arts.
In real life, Mixed Martial Arts competitions are essentially matches. Two combatants enter a
ring, they must follow a set of rules, they fight to submission, and a referee overlooks the match.
While we would actually see matches like the one described above in Korra, the creators felt that
would be uninteresting in a series already focused on action. What would be the difference from
Pro-Bending and the rest of the show if it's just a straight fight?
Taking a cue from real life sporting events, Pro-Bending became a heavily formalized team
based match. There are three rounds in a match. The arena is divided into six territories. Each
team has three territories. Players start in the center. When a player is knocked into a territory
behind them, they must stay in that territory.
189
When all players of a team are knocked into a territory behind them, the opposing team advances
a territory. This is called “Gaining territory.” Players who were stuck in preceding territory
advance with their team when territory is gained. The only exception being when a player is
knocked off the ring. However, knock-outs can only occur by being pushed backwards, never
sideways.
At the end of a round, the team with the most territory wins the round. Any team to win two
rounds wins the match. If both sides have equal territory, a tie-breaker occurs where two
members of the same position fight in the center ring. The first to knock their opponent out of the
center ring wins the round.
Alternatively, a team can win through complete knock-out. This automatically wins the match,
regardless of pre-existing score. Complete knock-out occurs when all members of a team are
pushed off the edge of their side of the ring. Due to this rule, three rounds are always played,
even if one team has won two rounds already.
A Pro-Bending Team consists of three members of three different bending types: a waterbender,
an earthbender, and a firebender. It is unknown if rules were adjusted to allow for airbenders
after the return of the Air Nation.
Pro-Bending served a few subtle roles in the series. The sport allowed Korra to meet her Team
Avatar. Pro-Bending gave an interesting backdrop for Korra to begin to learn Airbending. The
competition also served to show the inherent privilege of benders in the United Republic. Mako
and Bolin were able to start to turn their life around by joining a sport that inherently
discriminates against non-bender athletes: an opportunity that would not exist for non-benders in
the same socio-economic situation to the two orphans.
How To Play Pro-Bending?

Pro-Bending is a contest. All of the characters on the same team act as a unit for determining
victories. In other, victories are shared amongst the team. The first team to achieve three
victories wins the contest.
There are three exchanges in a round. Unlike in most contests, a team receives a Point for
winning an exchange. At the end of every round, the team with the most Points gets a Victory. If
a team gets a success with style on an exchange, they can choose a Character on the opposing
team to remove from the round. If all characters on an opposing team are removed from a round,
the team automatically receives three victories and wins the contest.
190
Why Use Pro-Bending In Your Games?
Pro-Bending was, as mentioned, controversial. The controversial nature of the sport is why this
guide is so matter-of-fact about the sport. It was an attempt to sell you on the sport as a concept
for the setting.
Pro-Bending does serve a few purposes in a potential game.
The most all-encompassing would be the fact one could easily follow the exploits of a
Pro-Bending Team. Technically, the first season of Legend of Korra does just that: it follows the
Fire Ferret’s season very closely. That season would serve as good inspiration for such a game.
Someone who was looking for a street level game with little world-encompassing objectives may
enjoy such a setup for their campaigns.
You have petty rivalries with other teams, such as Tahno, which would make for good drama.
There is a strong criminal element in Republic City. These gangsters may attempt to influence
games and the players could get wrapped up in the criminal underworld as a result. You can even
just have normal sports drama: trying to turn teams around, trying to keep a team together, sleazy
managers, etc.
The reality is that a sports tournament has a nice narrative arc: the rough preliminaries, the
mid-season stretch, the play-offs, and the climatic final match. Sports, by design, work perfectly
to form an enticing narrative over a season.
Pro-Bending can also be used more sparingly. Korra did not entirely base its first season on
Pro-Bending. It arrived occasionally to add novel action scenes to keep the audience interested
and provide a break from the monotony. There is no reason Pro-Bending cannot do the same in
your campaign.
A good GM should be mixing conflicts with contests and challengers, regardless, to avoid player
burnout. Pro-Bending is simply an easy justify contest. After all, you don’t have to even be a
professional match. Like any sport, you can just go to a field and play a match there, presumably.
Most cities intentionally keep recreational sports centers in public areas to keep the populace
happy, healthy, and promote a sense of local community.
191
Adversaries
Equalist Recruit
Average (+1): Combat, Stealth
Aspect: Fiercely Loyal, Secretive
Stunts:
Chiblocking (2 benefits): You have +2 to
create a Bending Block advantage with
Combat and, when quickly attacking, you
may inflict a Bending Block aspect as a
boost.
Equalist
Fair Exceptional Nameless NPC
Fair (+2): Stealth

Aspect: Backbone Of The Equalists
Stunts:
Chiblocking (2 Benefits): You have +2 to
boost.
Stress: [1]
192
Armed Equalist
Good Nameless NPC
Good (+3): Stealth

Fair (+2): Combat
Aspect: Armed And Dangerous, Blend In

The Crowd
Stunts:
Chiblocking (2 Benefits): You have +2 to
boost.
Electrified Glove (2 Benefits)
Stress: [1] [1]
Metalbending Police
Good NPC

Fair (+2): Investigate
Aspect: Republic City’s Finest
Metalbending: You may bend Metal with

Earthbending. You may use Earthbending
instead of Athletics when using your metal
ziplines.
Stress: [1] [1] [1]
193
Lieutenant
Supporting NPC
Great (+4): Stealth

Good (+3): Provoke
Fair (+2): Combat, Will
Average (+1): Athletics, Resources
Aspects:
Right-Hand of Amon
Unwavering Loyalty
The Era Of Bending Is Over
Stunts:
Electrified Sais (Use rules for Gloves) (2 Benefits)*

194
Lin Beifong
Supporting NPC
Great (+4): Investigate

Good (+3): Provoke, Will
Fair (+2): Athletics, Earthbending
Average (+1): Deceive, Physique, Resources
Aspects:
Chief of Police
Daughter Of A Legend
Chip On Her Shoulder
Stunts:
Grappling Hook (1 Benefit): You have +2 to overcome with Earthbending when using your
grappling hook.
Master Metalbender (3 Benefits): If you’re an Earthbender, you may bend Metal with
Earthbending. You have a +1 to create advantages with metalbending and Armor:1 against
physical stress when you have access to Metal. You get a +2 when you attempt to create a
Bound advantage with Metal Bending.
Seismic Sense (1 Benefits): Ambushproof, but weak to enemies not touching the ground.

Mental Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]
195
Tenzin
Supporting NPC
Great (+4): Lore

Good (+3): Empathy, Rapport
Fair (+2): Athletics, Airbending
Average (+1): Resources, Ride, Will
Aspects:
The Leader Of The New Air Nation
The Only Airbending Master
Feels It’s All His Responsibility
Stunts:
Master Airbender (3 Benefits): You have +1 to create an advantage with Airbending and +1
to Defend against all forms of physical combat. You have +2 to defend against airbending.
interpersonal conflicts.

196
Tarrlok
Supporting NPC
Great (+4): Deceive

Good (+3): Rapport, Resources
Fair (+2): Provoke, Strategy
Average (+1): Lore, Stealth, Waterbending
Aspects:
Devious Water Tribe Representative
Using Chaos To Take Power
Bender Supremacist
Stunts:
Psychic Bloodbending (4 Benefits): You can bend the blood in someone at any time using
Waterbending. When you bend blood, you get +2 to create a Blood Puppet aspect on a target.
If you do, you get a free invoke. You can invoke a Blood Puppet aspect to take an action on
the bound person’s turn using their character sheet. You get a +2 to Defend being
Bloodbended. You can perform bloodbending without needing to move your body.
Master Waterbender (2 Benefits): You have +1 to create advantages with Waterbending and
+1 to Defend against all other forms of combat.

197
Hiroshi Sato
Supporting NPC
Great (+4): Crafts

Good (+3): Resources, Ride
Fair (+2): Deceive, Stealth
Average (+1): Lore, Rapport, Strategy
Aspects:
Founder Of Future Industries
Blames Benders For His Wife’s Murder
Secretly An Equalist
Creator Of The Mecha-Tank
Stunts:
Mecha-Tank (6 Benefits)

198
Amon (No Bending)
Main NPC

Good (+3): Deceive, Stealth
Fair (+2): Combat, Rapport, Will
Average (+1): Athletics, Investigate, Lore,
Notice
High Concept: Founder Of The Equalists

Origin: Secret Son Of A Mobster
Trauma: Abused By His Bending Father
Relationship: My Followers Are My Pawn
Trouble: The Truth Will Ruin Him
Stunts:
Amon’s Touch (1 Benefit): Once per session, when you get a success with style when you
Attack with Combat, you can permanently remove a character’s ability to bend.
Head Of The Equalists (1 Benefit): Once per session, when fighting alone, you can summon
a mob of 4 Equalists.
Master Of The Dramatic Entrance (1 Benefit): Once per session, when you enter a room,
you may make an aspect related to a trap you had prepared before with a free invoke.
Psy-Op (1 Benefit): Once per session, when you Attack with Combat, you may inflict a
Terrified aspect as a boost with a free invoke, regardless of the result.

199
Amon (Bending)
Main NPC

Good (+3): Deceive, Stealth
Fair (+2): Rapport, Waterbending, Will
Average (+1): Athletics, Investigate, Lore,
Notice
High Concept: Founder Of The Equalists

Origin: Secret Son Of A Mobster
Trauma: Abused By His Bending Father
Relationship: My Followers Are My Pawn
Trouble: The Truth Will Ruin Him
Stunts:
Amon’s Touch (1 Benefit): Once per session, when you get a success with style on an Attack
with Waterbending, you can permanently remove a character’s ability to bend.
Master Of The Dramatic Entrance (1 Benefit): Once per session, when you enter a room,
you may make an aspect related to a trap you had prepared before with a free invoke.
Psy-Op (1 Benefit): Once per session, when you Attack with Bloodbending, you may inflict a
Terrified aspect as a boost with a free invoke, regardless of the result.
Psychic Bloodbending (4 Benefits): You can bend the blood in someone at any time using
Waterbending. When you bend blood, you get +2 to create a Blood Puppet aspect on a target.
If you do, you get a free invoke. You can invoke a Blood Puppet aspect to take an action on
the bound person’s turn using their character sheet. You get a +2 to Defend being
Bloodbended. You can perform bloodbending without needing to move your body.

200
Asami Sato
Main NPC
Great (+4): Crafts

Good (+3): Resources, Rapport
Fair (+2): Combat, Investigate, Ride
Average (+1): Empathy, Lore, Stealth, Will
High Concept: Genius Heir To Future

Industries
Origin: Raised By A Loving Father
Trauma: Lost Her Mother To A Firebender
Relationship: Dating A Firebender
Trouble: Too Trusting
Stunts:
Brilliant (2 Benefits): Once per session, you can create a technology with a number of stunt
benefits equal to your Craft skill that lasts until the end of the scene.
Expert Pilot (1 Benefit): You have +2 to create an advantage when using Ride to pilot a
vehicle.

201
Bolin
Main NPC
Great (+4): Rapport

Good (+3): Earthbending, Physique
Fair (+2): Athletics, Empathy, Resources
Average (+1): Lore, Notice, Provoke, Will
High Concept: Street Urchin Trying To Go

Legitimate
Origin: Raised On The Streets
Trauma: Lost Their Parents
Relationship: Mako’s Always Been There
For Me
Trouble: A Little Slow
Stunts:
Criminal Record (1 Benefit): Once per session, you can create an aspect with a free invoke to
reflect how your criminal history helps you.
Instantly Likeable (1 Benefit): You have +2 to create an advantage with Rapport when you
flashily charm someone.
Pabu (1 Benefit): You have +2 to create an advantage with Burglary when you use your pet.
Pro-Bending Earthbender (2 Benefits): You have a +1 to Create An Advantage with
Earthbending. You have +2 to Defend against earthbending.
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

202
Mako
Main NPC
Great (+4): Will

Good (+3): Firebending, Physique
Fair (+2): Athletics, Investigate, Provoke
Average (+1): Lore, Notice, Resources, Will
High Concept: Streetwise Gangster Trying

To Put That Life Behind Him
Origin: Had To Look Out For My Little
Brother
Trauma: Raised On The Streets
Relationship: Korra And Asami Are
Fighting For My Attention
Trouble: Tired Of The World
Stunts:
Pro-Bending Firebender (2 Benefits):You have a +1 to Create An Advantage with
Firebending. You have +2 to Defend against Firebending.
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

203
Avatar Korra
Main NPC

Fair (+2): Athletics, Waterbending, Will
Average (+1): Contacts, Earthbending,
Empathy, Stealth
High Concept: I'm The Avatar And You Got

To Deal With It!
Trauma: What Am I Without My Bending?
Relationship: Feelings For Mako
Extras:
Avatar (3 Benefits)
Your starter element is Water. You can bend Water, Earth, and Fire. You can unlock Air as a
Breakthrough. You have +1 to create an advantage with any elements you can bend. You can
unlock the Avatar State as a Breakthrough.
Stunts:
Attack with my Firebending.
I’m Not Afraid of Anything: Because I am Brash, Hotheaded, and Rash, I may use Provoke
to Defend against Intimidation.
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

204
Return of the Spirits (Book Two: Spirits)
Water Tribe Soldiers (Nonbender)

Aspect:
Choose one: Oppressing Their Own or
Fighting Against Oppression
Water Tribe Soldiers (Bender)

Fair Nameless NPC
Fair (+2): Combat or Waterbending

Aspect:
Choose one: Oppressing Their Own or
Fighting Against Oppression
Stress: [1]
205
Dark Spirits
Good Nameless NPC
Good (+3): Combat

Fair (+2): Athletics
Aspect: Vengeful Spirits
Stunts:
Incorporeal (1 Benefit): Armor:2 to all

physical damage, but weaks to attempts to
appease their rage.
Stress: [1]
206
Desna and Eska
Supporting NPC
Great (+4): Notice

Good (+3): Provoke, Resources
Fair (+2): Stealth, Waterbending
Average (+1): Deceive, Lore, Strategy
Aspects:
Aloof Children Of The Northern Chief
Disinterested In The World
Inseparable
Stunts:
Master Waterbender (2 Benefit): You have +1 to Create An Advantage with Waterbending

and +1 to Defend against all forms of physical combat.

207
Tonraq
Supporting NPC
Great (+4): Rapport

Good (+3): Provoke, Resources
Fair (+2): Physique, Waterbending
Average (+1): Athletics, Deceive, Strategy
Aspects:
Chieftain Of The South
Exiled From The North
Father Of The Avatar
Stunts:


208
Varrick
Supporting NPC
Great (+4): Crafts

Good (+3): Resources, Strategy
Average (+1): Investigate, Notice, Will
Aspects:
Eccentric Billionaire Inventor
Devious Businessman
Zhu Li, Do The Thing!
Stunts:
A Finger In Every Pie (1 Benefit): Once per session, you can create an aspect with a free
invoke to reflect how your network of connection and resources benefits you.
Zhu Li, Do The Thing!* (1 Benefit)

209
Kya
Supporting NPC
Great (+4): Empathy

Good (+3): Rapport, Waterbending
Fair (+2): Notice, Will
Average (+1): Athletics, Lore, Provoke
Aspects:
Daughter Of The Aang
Spiritualist
Always Level-Headed
Stunts:


210
Bumi
Supporting NPC

Good (+3): Provoke
Fair (+2): Physique, Will
Average (+1): Athletics, Combat, Lore
Aspects:
The Only Nonbending Child of Avatar Aang
Insecure About His Lack Of Bending
Eccentric And Bombastic
Stunts:
Accidental Strategist (2 Benefits): You have +1 Create An Advantage or Overcome with

Strategy when devising an improvised plan.

211
Unalaq
Main NPC
Great (+4): Deceive

Good (+3): Rapport, Waterbending
Fair (+2): Lore, Will
Average (+1): Athletics, Investigate Provoke
High Concept: Traditionalist Who Laments

The Changing World
Origin: Stole The Throne
Trauma: Just A Remorseless Sociopath
Relationship: My Children Are Just Tools
Trouble: A True Believer
Stunts:
Devil In Your Ear (2 Benefits): You have +2 to Create An Advantage or Overcome with
Deceive by convincing someone to do your bidding.
Vaatau’s Servant (1 Benefit): Once per session, when fighting alone, you can summon a mob
of 4 Dark Spirits.

212
Vaatu
Supporting NPC
Great (+4): Provoke

Good (+3): Deceive, Rapport
Fair (+2): Lore, Will
Average (+1): Athletics, Combat, Notice
Aspects:
The Spirit Of Chaos
10,000 Years Of Darkness
Hidden Truths
Stunts:
Incorporeal (1 Benefit): Armor:2 to all physical damage, but weak to cleansing rituals.
Spirit Beam (2 Benefits): Weapon: 4 when using your spirit energy as a beam.
Spirit Possession (1 Benefit): You can merge with a person and give them the Dark Avatar
stunt (see UnaVaatau), with adjustments befitting the character. You stop being your own
character.

213
UnaVataau
Main NPC
Fantastic (+6): Waterbending

Superb (+5): Physique
Great (+4): Will
Good (+3): Provoke
Fair (+2): Athletics, Deceive
Average (+1): Lore, Notice, Resources,
Strategy
High Concept: The Dark Avatar

Origin: Stole The Throne
Trauma: Just A Remorseless Sociopath
Relationship: My Children Are Just Tools
Trouble: A True Believer
Stunts:
Dark Avatar (5 Benefits): You have +1 to Create An Advantage with Waterbending and +1 to
Defend against all forms of physical combat. You have Weapon:2 tp physical attacks, but weak
to cleansing rituals. You have +1 when you Attack with waterbending. You can spend a Fate
Point to bend the elements in an exceptional manner such as flying unaided, causing volcanic
eruptions, or bending spirit energy into a new spirit portal.
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

Mental Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]
214
Asami Sato
Main NPC
Great (+4): Crafts

Good (+3): Resources, Rapport
High Concept: Genius Heir To Future

Industries
Origin: Raised By A Traitor
Trauma: My Father Was A Monster
Relationship: Korra Is A Good Friend
Stunts:
vehicle.

215
Bolin
Main NPC
Great (+4): Rapport

Good (+3): Earthbending, Physique
High Concept: Mover Star

Trauma: Lost Their Parents
Relationship: Mako’s Always Been There
For Me
Stunts:
Mover Star (1 Benefit): Once per session, you can create an aspect with a free invoke to
reflect how your celebrity status helps you.
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

216
Mako
Main NPC
Great (+4): Will

High Concept: Gangster Turned Cop

Brother
Trauma: Raised On The Streets
Relationship: Korra And I Are Going
Through A Rough Patch
Stunts:
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

217
Avatar Korra
Main NPC

Fair (+2): Athletics, Waterbending, Will
Average (+1): Airbending, Contacts,
Earthbending, Empathy, Stealth
High Concept: An Avatar Still Learning Her

Place
Trauma: Almost Lost Everything To Amon
Relationship: Mako Isn’t Perfect
Extras:
Avatar (3 Benefits)
Your starter element is Water. You can bend Water, Earth, Fire, and Air. You have +1 to
Create An Advantage with any elements you can bend. In the Avatar State, you get access to
all four elements and get a +2 to use any of the four actions with the elements. Your actions in
the Avatar state either inflict a type of collateral damage aspect on the surrounding
environment or you are left Fatigued until you Refresh, decided by the player when they enter
the Avatar state.
Stunts:
I’m Not Afraid of Anything: Because I am Brash, Hotheaded, and Rash, I may use Provoke
to Defend against Intimidation.
Spiritbending (1 Benefit): You have +2 to appease and cleanse a dark spirit with Empathy.
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

218
Return of the Spirits (Book Three: Change)
Red Lotus Sentries

Fair Nameless NPC
Fair (+2): Combat or Earbending or

Firebending or Waterbending
Aspect:
Devoted To The Cause
Stress: [1]
Air Nomads
Fair Nameless NPC
Fair (+2): Empathy

Average (+1): Airbending
Aspect:
The New Air Nation
Stress: [1]
219
Bumi
Supporting NPC

Good (+3): Provoke
Fair (+2): Physique, Will
Average (+1): Airbending, Athletics,
Combat, Lore
Aspects:
The Former Only Nonbending Son of Avatar
Aang
New To Airbending
Too Old To Be In Boot Camp
Eccentric And Bombastic
Stunts:
Brilliant Strategist (2 Benefits): You have +1 Create An Advantage or Overcome with

Strategy when devising an improvised plan.

220
Opal
Supporting NPC
Great (+4): Empathy

Good (+3): Will
Fair (+2): Rapport, Resources
Average (+1): Airbending, Athletics, Notice
Aspects:
A Brand New Airbender
Empath
Voice Of Reason
Stunts:
Strong Willed (2 Benefits): You have +2 to Create An Advantage or Attack with Provoke
when calling people out for their mistakes.

Mental Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]
221
Suyin Beifong
Supporting NPC
Great (+4): Provoke

Fair (+2): Rapport, Will
Average (+1): Craft, Notice, Physique
Aspects:
Leader of Zaofu
Seen The World
Mother Of Five
Stunts:
Master Metalbender (3 Benefits): You have +1 to Create An Advantages with Earthbending

and Metalbending and you have a +1 to Defend against all other forms of physical combat.
You have Armor Rating:1 against physical stress when you have access to Metal. You get a +2
when you attempt to create a Bound advantage with Metalbending.

222
Hou-Ting
Supporting NPC
Great (+4): Provoke

Good (+3): Strategy
Fair (+2): Deceive, Resources
Average (+1): Lore, Notice, Stealth
Aspects:
The Cruel Earth Queen
Self-Absorbed
Not To Be Trusted
Stunts:
Never Alone (1 Benefit): Once per session, when fighting alone, you can summon a mob of 4
Dai Li agents.
Uses People (1 Benefit): Once per session, you may create an advantage with a free invoke
without rolling to reflect how you planned for this contingency.

223
Ming-Hua
Supporting NPC
Great (+4): Waterbending

Good (+3): Athletics
Fair (+2): Stealth, Will
Average (+1): Physique, Provoke, Strategy
Aspects:
The Waterbending Assassin
Water Tentacles
Unresolved Romantic Tension With Ghazan
Stunts:
One Of The Greatest Waterbenders In The World (4 Benefits):. You have +2 to defend any
Waterbending and +1 to Defend against all other forms of combat. You have a +1 to Create An
Advantage and attack with Waterbending.
Water Tendrils (1 Benefit): You have +2 to Create An Advantage with Waterbending when
you grapple an opponent with your water tendrils.

224
Ghazan
Supporting NPC

Good (+3): Physique
Fair (+2): Stealth, Will
Average (+1): Athletics, Provoke, Strategy
Aspects:
The World’s Only Lavabender
I’d Rather Die Than Go Back To Prison
Unresolved Romantic Tension With
Ming-Hua
Stunts:
Lava Bending (2 Benefits): You may turn Earth to Lava when you bend Earth. When you do,
your Attack creates a Burned advantage with a Free Invoke, even on a Boost. You have a +1 to
Create An Advantage and Overcome with Earthbending by using Lava to melt through an
obstacle or weapon.
One Of The Greatest Earthbenders In The World (4 Benefits): You have +2 to Defend any
Earthbending and +1 to Defend against all other forms of combat. You have a +1 to Create An
Advantage and attack with earthbending, not including its subbending styles.
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

225
P’Li
Supporting NPC

Good (+3): Provoke
Fair (+2): Stealth, Physique
Average (+1): Athletics, Strategy, Will
Aspects:
Sparky-Sparky Boom Woman
Almost Made A Human Weapon
Zaheer’s Earthly Tether
Stunts:
Combustion Bending (2 Benefits): You can bend the fire inside yourself and expel it as a
combustible force from your third eye chakra. When you attack with combustion bending
using Firebending, the attack has a Weapon Rating: 2, can attack an adjacent Zone, and affects
everyone in the target Zone.
One Of The Greatest Firebenders In The World (4 Benefits): You have +2 to defend any
Firebending and +1 to Defend against all other forms of combat. You have a +1 to Create An
Advantage and Attack with Firebending, not including its subbending styles.

226
Zaheer (Pre-P’Li’s Death)
Main NPC

Good (+3): Provoke
Fair (+2): Airbending, Stealth,
Average (+1): Athletics, Physique,Will
High Concept: Violent Anarchist Terrorist

Origin: A True Believer In Balance
Trauma: The Last Twenty Years In Prison
Relationship: P’Li Is My World
Trouble: Let Go Of My Earthly Tethers
Stunts:
Air Vacuum (1 Benefit): You have +2 to Create An Advantage with Airbending related to
suffocating an opponent.
Master Airbender (3 Benefits): You have +1 to Create An Advantage with Airbending and
+1 to Defend against all forms of physical combat. You have +2 to Defend against Airbending.
Unwavering Conviction (1 Benefit): You have Armor: 2 against any attempts to change his
beliefs.

227
Zaheer (Post P’Li’s Death)
Main NPC

Good (+3): Airbending, Provoke
Fair (+2): Athletics, Stealth
Average (+1): Physique, Will
High Concept: Violent Anarchist Terrorist

Origin: A True Believer In Balance
Trauma: P’Li Died In Front Of Me
Relationship: Severed My Earthly Tethers
Trouble: Nothing To Lose
Stunts:
Air Vacuum (1 Benefit): You have +2 to Create An Advantage with Airbending related to
suffocating an opponent.
Flight (1 Benefit): You may Fly with Airbending without the need of tools or Vehicles.
Master Airbender (3 Benefits): You have +1 to Create An Advantage with Airbending and
+1 to Defend against all forms of physical combat. You have +2 to Defend against Airbending.
Unwavering Conviction (1 Benefit): You have Armor: 2 against any attempts to change his
beliefs.

228
Asami Sato
Main NPC
Superb (+5): Crafts

Great (+4): Resources
Good (+3): Rapport
High Concept: Genius Head Of Future

Industries
Relationship: I’m Conflicted About Korra
Stunts:
vehicle.

229
Bolin
Main NPC

Good (+3): Physique
High Concept: A Former Celebrity Putting

The Stardom Behind Him
Trauma: I’ve Always Wanted To Be A
Metalbender
Relationship: Opal Is Pretty Cute
Stunts:
Former Mover Star (1 Benefit): Once per session, you can create an aspect with a free
invoke to reflect how your celebrity status helps you.
Create An Advantage and Overcome by using Lava to melt through an obstacle or weapon.
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

230
Mako
Main NPC
Great (+4): Will

High Concept: Star Cop Taking A Break

Brother
Trauma: Surrounded By My Ex-Girlfriends
Relationship: Slumming The Single Life
Stunts:
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

231
Avatar Korra
Main NPC

Fair (+2): Athletics, Earthbending,
Waterbending, Will
Average (+1): Airbending, Contacts,
Empathy, Stealth
High Concept: An Avatar Still Learning Her

Place
Trauma: Everyone Blames Me For The
Spirit Vines
Relationship: Asami Is A Good Friend
Extras:
Avatar (3 Benefits)
Your starter element is Water. You can bend Water, Earth, Fire, and Air. You have +1 to create
an advantage with any elements you can bend. In the Avatar State, you get access to all four
elements and get a +2 to forcefully use any of the four actions with the elements. Your actions
in the Avatar state either inflict a type of collateral damage aspect on the surrounding
the Avatar state.
Stunts:

with Metal Bending.
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

232
The Missing Avatar
Earth Empire Stormtrooper

Average (+1): Earthbending
Aspect: Faceless Fascists
Stunts:
Metalbender: You may bend Metal with

Earthbending.
Elite Stormtrooper
Fair Nameless NPC
Fair (+2): Earthbending

Aspect: Symbol Of Facist Oppression
Stunts:

Earthbending.
Stress: [1]
233
Earth Empire Officer
Good Nameless NPC

Fair (+2): Strategy
Aspect: Best Of The Best, Blinded By

Propaganda
Stunts:

Earthbending.
Stress: [1] [1]
234
Varrick
Supporting NPC
Great (+4): Crafts

Good (+3): Resources, Strategy
Average (+1): Investigate, Notice, Will
Aspects:
Worked With The Fascists
Betrayed By Zhu Li
On The Run
Stunts:

235
Prince Wu
Supporting NPC
Good (+3): Provoke

Fair (+2): Rapport, Resources
Average (+1): Empathy, Stealth
Aspects:
Crown Prince Of The Earth Kingdom
Insufferable
Man-child
Stunts:
Insufferable*
Unbearable (1 Benefit): You have +2 to Attack someone with Provoke by annoying them.

236
Toph
Supporting NPC
Fantastic (+6): Earthbending

Superb (+5): Notice
Great (+4): Provoke
Good (+3): Physique, Will
Fair (+2): Lore, Rapport, Stealth,
Average (+1): Deceive, Resources, Strategy
Aspects:
The Greatest Earthbender
Swamp Hermit
Complicated Relationships
Stunts:
Greatest Earthbender In The World (6 Benefits): You have +2 to defend any Earthbending
and +1 to defend against all other forms of physical combat. You have a +1 to create an
advantage and attack with Earthbending, not including its subbending styles.
with Metal Bending.
from seismic sense.
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

Mental Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]
237
Kuvira
Main NPC
Fantastic (+6): Strategy

Great (+4): Notice, Provoke
Good (+3): Will
Fair (+2): Athletics, Deceive, Stealth,
Average (+1): Physique, Rapport, Resources
High Concept: Facist Founder Of The

Earth Empire
Origin: Orphan Taken In By Suyin
Trauma: Her Home Fell Into Ruin
Relationship: I’m Sorry, Batarr
Trouble: True Believer
Stunts:
One Of The Greatest Metalbenders In The World (7 Benefits): You have +2 to defend any
create an advantage and attack with Earthbending, not including its subbending styles. You
have Armor:2 when nearby Metal. On a success with style, you can inflict Bound as a boost
with a free invoke. You may bend Metal with Earthbending. You have a +1 to create
advantages with metalbending and Armor:1 against physical stress when you have access to
Metal. You get a +2 when you attempt to create a Bound advantage with Metal Bending.
Your People Will Starve (1 Benefit): You have +2 to Overcome with Provoke when
intimidating someone with your resources.
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

Mental Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]
238
Asami Sato
Main NPC
Superb (+5): Crafts

Great (+4): Resources
Good (+3): Rapport
Fair (+2): Combat, Empathy, Ride
Average (+1): Investigate, Lore, Stealth, Will
High Concept: Genius Head Of Future

Industries
Relationship: Korra’s My Girlfriend And
You Have To Deal With It!
Stunts:
vehicle.
Lived Through Tragedies (1 Benefit): You have +2 when you try to heal someone’s mental
consequences with Empathy if the consequence is emotional in nature.

239
Bolin
Main NPC

Good (+3): Physique
High Concept: Celebrity That Helped A

Facist Rise To Power
Trauma: I Helped A Facist Empire
Relationship: Opal And I Are On A Rough
Patch
Stunts:
Former Mover Star (1 Benefit): Once per session, you can create an aspect with a free
invoke to reflect how your celebrity status helps you.
Create An Advantage and Overcome by using Lava to melt through an obstacle or weapon.
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

240
Mako
Main NPC
Superb (+5): Will

Good (+3): Physique
High Concept: Bodyguard of the Earth

Prince
Brother
Trauma: Surrounded By My Ex-Girlfriends
Relationship: Slumming The Single Life
Stunts:
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

241
Avatar Korra (Early Season)
Main NPC

Good (+3): Empathy, Physique
Fair (+2): Athletics, Earthbending, Waterbending, Will
Average (+1): Airbending, Contacts, Provoke, Stealth
High Concept: An Avatar Who Lost Her Way

Trauma: Zaheer Broke Me
Relationship: Asami Has Always Been There For Me
Trouble: Post-Traumatic Stress
242
Extras:
Avatar (3 Benefits)
the Avatar state.
Stunts:
Running From Her Problems (2 Benefits): You may use Athletics or Stealth to Defend
against emotional attacks.
Who's The Avatar? (1 Benefit): Once per session, when you are recognized, you can
convince someone that you are not who they believe you are.
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

243
Avatar Korra (Late Season)
Main NPC

Good (+3): Empathy, Physique
Fair (+2): Athletics, Earthbending, Waterbending, Will
Average (+1): Airbending, Contacts, Provoke, Stealth
High Concept: An Avatar Who Lost Her Way

Trauma: I Left The World Behind
Relationship: Asami And I Are Dating And You Gotta Deal With It!
Trouble: Post-Traumatic Stress
244
Extras:
Avatar (3 Benefits)
the Avatar state.
Stunts:
Fully Realized Avatar (6 Benefits): You have +1 to Create An Advantage, Overcome, Attack,
and Defend when bending any of the elements and have +1 to defend against all other forms of
physical combat. You can spend a Fate Point to bend the elements in an exceptional manner
such as flying unaided, causing volcanic eruptions, or bending spirit energy into a new spirit
portal.
with Metal Bending.
Overcame Her Trauma (2 Benefits): You have +2 to Overcome or Create An Advantage

with Empathy when trying to talk someone down from violence.
Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

245
Technology
Airship

Other Aspects: Luxurious, Room For Everyone, State Of The Art
Flight (1 Benefit): You can fly
246
Bi Plane
High Concept: Quick Airely Bombers

Trouble: Easily Shot Down
Other Aspects: Pure Platinum, Fast And Maneuverable, First Of Its Kind
Bomber (2 Benefits): You have Weapon:4 when you drop a bomb on a location.
Sleek Design (2 Benefits): You have +1 to Defend against enemy fire with Ride by
outmaneuvering them. You have +2 to create an advantage with Ride by outmaneuvering your
opponent.
247
Mecha Tank
High Concept: Mechanized Walking Tank

Trouble: Bulky And Clumsy
Other Aspects: Pure Platinum, The Great Equalizer, Highly Customizable
Bola Launchers (1 Benefit): When you Attack with Ride from a distance with your Bolas, You
may inflict a Restrained aspect on a boost.
Pneumatic Joints (2 Benefits): Stronger than any human, but at a cost; Weapon:2 when
punching.
Shock Charges (1 Benefit): When someone already has a Restrained aspect inflicted on them,
you may inflict a Stunned aspect on a Boost.
Vehicle Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]
248
Polarbeardog
High Concept: Lovable and Protective Guard Beardog

Trouble: Not Durable
Other Aspects: Always in the Knick of Time, Hound's Nose, Highly Maneuverable
Beast of Burden (2 Benefits): Faster and Stronger than any human, but at a cost.
Roar (1 Benefit): You get +2 to intimidate anyone with your loud roar.
249
Satomobile
High Concept: Fast, Affordable Transportation

Trouble: Limited Fuel
Other Aspects: Loud Engine, Hard Metal Frame, Status Symbol
20 Horsepower (1 Benefit): Faster than any human, but at a cost.
Ram It (1 Benefit): You get +2 when you Attack with Ride, but your enemies get a Boost against
you as the Car has been rammed into something.
250
Return of the Spirits
Dragon
High Concept: Ferocious And Loyal Mount

Trouble: Tempermetal
Other Aspects: The Original Firebenders, Hunted To Near Extinction, From The Spirit
World
Dragonscale (1 Benefit): You have an additional 3 Vehicle Stress Boxes.
Firebreath (3 Benefit): Weapon: 4 or Weapon 6, but at a cost. You can attack everyone in a
zone.
Roar (1 Benefit): You get +2 to Attack with Ride when you intimidate someone.
Vehicle Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]
251
The Missing Avatar
Colossus
High Concept: A Giant Carrying Weapons Of Mass Destruction

Trouble: Large Target
Other Aspects: Tool of Facist Oppression, Near Indestructible, Pure Platinum

Giant (4 Benefits): When confronted by a foe that isn’t taking advantage of your large size, you
replace 2dF with 2d6 when defending from their attack.
Nigh Indestructible (3 Benefits): Armor:4, but weak to infiltration. You have 3 additional
1-Stress Stress Boxes.
Spirit Canon (6 Benefits): When you use your Spirit Canon, you inflict an Utter Destruction
aspect on the environment with a free invoke regardless of the result. Even on a successful
attack, enemies are never directly hit. When attacking with Ride, you attack an entire zone and
the attack has Weapon:6.
Vehicle Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]
252
Hummingbird Mecha Suit
High Concept: Flying Power Armor

Trouble: Lightly Armored
Other Aspects: Pride of Varrick, Land Anywhere, Pure Platinum
Infiltrator (1 Benefit): You can ignore any of your target’s beneficial stunts when cutting a hole
to infiltrate a structure.
253
Mechasuit
High Concept: Weaponized Power Armor

Trouble: Runs On Electricity
Other Aspects: Tool of Facist Oppression, Vulnerable to Lava, Pure Platinum
Flamethrower (2 Benefits): Weapon:2. The Flamethrower can attack everyone in a zone, but at
a cost.
Piston Gauntlets (3 Benefits): When Attacking someone with Ride while using your
Mechasuit’s fists, you are stronger than any human, but at a cost; Weapon:4 when fighting with
the suit's fists.
Shock Charges (1 Benefit): When Attacking someone with Ride while using your Mechasuit
from a distance with your grappling hook, you may inflict a Stunned aspect on as a boost, but
weak against Lightning Redirection.
Vehicle Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]
254
Outro
Here we are at the end of another Avatar FATE hack. There are many on the internet, as you
likely already know. The Avatar Franchise has so many tabletop roleplaying hacks. Most use the
license directly whereas others try to generalize the concept so that the game can be sold on the
mass market. There is even an official Avatar game in the works, even if the Publisher has some
issues.
My hack isn’t anything special, I know. It’s just a very long, overdone passion project that was
created to satiate a desire. I didn’t like what I found on offer, so I made something I thought I
would like to run and play. After a single campaign, I found out I was wrong and basically
revised the whole thing into this document. Who knows? I haven’t playtested this version either,
after all. I may hate this game and either revise it again or give up. I did a Cortex Prime hack for
Avatar, but I don't think I'm ever going back to fill out the sample character section. I’m not
above abandoning projects that don’t spur my desire to continue. Character sheets for
pre-established characters are pretty tedious, anyway.
I still love the Avatar franchise. While my updates are sporadic, I still chug away at my big
Avatar mirrorverse fanfic. I still have Avatar comics on my pulllist. I plan to watch any new
series made by the newly made Avatar studios. Hell, I’ll probably even watch the Live Action
series.
I hope you enjoy the hack. It’s just another attempt at making Avatar work with FATE. If not,
then I hope you enjoy another hack or just find something else to enjoy with your time. If
nothing else, I appreciate you reading this hack. I wasted a lot of energy making it, energy I
could have spent on more rewarding endeavors. If nothing else, it means something if people
actually notice it exists.
255

Avatar - The Last FATE Bender - Condensed - Revised

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Avatar: The Last FATE Bender

A Fate Condensed Setting

Plus, the aesthetics are really cool.

Without further ado, let’s begin

The Bending Extra is as follows:

Extra: Bender Extra

Flight (1 Benefit): If you’re an Airbender, if you take a Relationship Aspect related to

Lighting Redirection (1 Benefit): If you’re a Firebender, you have Armor Rating:2

Metalbending (2 Benefits): If you’re an Earthbender, you may bend Metal with

I propose two solutions:

Create Your High Concept and Trouble Aspect

Your Three Other Aspects

Name Attack Create An Defend Overcome

Create your Stunts and Megastunts

Stress and Consequences

Moving on, we can start working on her aspects.

Naga, Korra’s Polar Bear Dog

And, with that, Korra is done. Let’s take a look.

Physical Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

Good (+3) Physique Provoke

Fair (+2) Athletics Waterbending Will

Average (+1) Contacts Earthbending Empathy Stealth

Rules for Technology

Vehicles have the following:

Function: Portable Taser

High Concept: Aerial Transportation

Vehicle Stress: [1] [1] [1]

High Concept: Ferocious And Loyal Mount

Vehicle Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

High Concept: Weaponized Power Armor

Vehicle Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

High Concept: Mechanized Walking Tank

Vehicle Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

High Concept: Lovable and Protective Guard Beardog

Vehicle Stress: [1] [1] [1]

High Concept: Fast, Affordable Transportation

Vehicle Stress: [1] [1] [1]

High Concept: Your Personal Flying Sky Bison

Vehicle Stress: [1] [1] [1]

These are Adversaries and they come in three types:

These are the Nameless NPCs.

Nameless NPCs come in three varieties:

During a milestone, you can do one of the following:

● Rewrite your character’s high concept, if you care to.

And that’s not even considering alternate timelines and canons.

What this entails, however, is a mystery.

Status may be raised as a Breakthrough. Status may never exceed 4.

And thus was Avatar Yangchen born.

Soul Taint can be reversed as a Milestone

Art from The Shadow Of Kyoshi. Used without permission.

Avatar Yun's final act as Avatar was trying to stop her.

Art by Jeinu Used without permission.

The rest of the world is in a state of ruin.

And thus ended the 100 year war.

Art by Mackydraws. Used without permission.

Art by Tad Young. Used without permission.

High Concept: Giant Of Metal And Flame

Vehicle Stress: [1] [1] [1]

Art by shorelle.. Used without permission.

Artist Unknown. Used without permission.

High Concept: Fast And Quick Fire Striker

Vehicle Stress: [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]

Artist Unknown. From Phantasy Star Online Used without permission.