Is
the Archetype Avatar Superior to the Unordered One?
Another
Exclusive for the Dragonsfoot LA Game Section
By
Gary Gygax
©
2001 Trigee Enterprises Company. All rights reserved.
The table below appeared in a recent issue
of LEJENDS Magazine, These changes in the rules for advancement
of Unordered Avatars were engendered because there was discovered
an imbalance. That is, players were encouraged to create Ordered
Avatars because of the advantages of advancement when belonging
to a society, guild, or such similar association as is suggested
by belonging to an Order.
The Ordered Avatar is an archetype that
is generally recognized by human societies in the LEJENDARY
EARTH TM World Setting. In addition, each Order
has the sorts of fellowships noted—association, brotherhood,
company, guild, etc. In no event does the system otherwise
promote the Ordered Avatar as superior to the one created
freely, the Unordered Avatar as conceived and executed by
the player in accordance to his or her desires in regards
a character through whose game adventures entertainment and
enjoyment will be realized.
Here are the new awards for advancement
of the Unordered Avatar, now officially the rule for the game:
Unordered Avatars
The following tables replace those found
on page 46 of the Lejendary Rules for All Players
book.
First Ability is Health Based
Ability at 61: Add 2 points to each other
Health-based Ability.
Ability at 71: Add 3 points to each other
Health-based Ability.
Ability at 81: Add 2 points to each other
Health-based Ability and 5 points to any one Precision-based
Ability of your choice.
Ability at 91: Add 2 points to each other
Health-based Ability and 5 points to any one Precision-based
Ability of your choice.
Ability at 101: Add 4 points to each other
Health-based Ability.
Ability at 111: Add 5 points to each other
Health-based Ability.
Ability at 121: Add 4 points to each other
Health-based Ability and 5 points to any one Precision-based
Ability of your choice.
Ability at 131: Add 4 points to each other
Health-based Ability and 5 points to any one Speed-based Ability
of your choice.
First Ability is Precision Based
Ability at 61: Add 2 points to each other
Precision-based Ability.
Ability at 71: Add 3 points to each other
Precision-based Ability.
Ability at 81: Add 2 points to each other
Precision-based Ability and 5 points to any one Speed-based
Ability of your choice.
Ability at 91: Add 2 points to each other
Precision-based Ability and 5 points to any one Speed-based
Ability of your choice.
Ability at 101: Add 4 points to each other
Precision-based Ability.
Ability at 111: Add 5 points to each other
Precision-based Ability.
Ability at 121: Add 4 points to each other
Precision-based Ability and 5 points to any one Speed-based
Ability of your choice.
Ability at 131: Add 4 points to each other
Precision-based Ability and 5 points to any one Health-based
Ability of your choice.
First Ability is Speed Based
Ability at 61: Add 2 points to each other
Speed-based Ability.
Ability at 71: Add 3 points to each other
Speed-based Ability.
Ability at 81: Add 2 points to each other
Speed-based Ability and 5 points to any one Health-based Ability
of your choice.
Ability at 91: Add 2 points to each other
Speed-based Ability and 5 points to any one Health-based Ability
of your choice.
Ability at 101: Add 4 points to each other
Speed-based Ability.
Ability at 111: Add 5 points to each other
Speed-based Ability.
Ability at 121: Add 4 points to each other
Speed-based Ability and 5 points to any one Health-based Ability
of your choice.
Ability at 131: Add 4 points to each other
Speed-based Ability and 5 points to any one Precision-based
Ability of your choice.
To be sure, the above changes help, but
do not guarantee parity for, the Unordered Avatar. Not belonging
to a group has some disadvantages. The main advantage to the
free-form approach to creating and developing an Avatar in
the LA game is that the player is able to design and develop
the “perfect” sort of character to suit his or her idea of
what will be the most interesting sort.
There are ways in which to maximize the
advantages offered by advancement of the Unordered Avatar,
and to this end I have prepared the bare-bones stats for two
such characters:
Unordered Avatar: Carlos Delgato
Carlos Delgato is the third son of a petty
noble. Always up to some mischief, hot-headed and troublesome,
his father, Don Diego, determined to send Carlos to the priesthood.
Of course, the youth would have none of that. When a
carnival troupe passed through, Carlos left the castle, joined
up. He took his "rightful inheritance" with
him, thus totally alienating himself from his father.
As he learned the skills of these entertainers, he maintained
his rigorous personal routine of arms practice. Being
bright and charming, Carlos soon managed to wheedled the hedge
magician of the troupe, became her apprentice. Now,
several years later, he has the following stats and Abilities.
Initial H 38 + 15 + 2 = 55
Initial P 50 + 7 + 4 = 61
Initial S 12 +2 + 0.5 = 14.5 (58)
Abilities:
1st: Weapons (Precision based Ability) 61
2nd: Minstrelsy (Precision based Ability)
49 + 2 for 61 initial Ability = 51 (+5 to hand-hurled
Weapons, +5 Harm, +5' range)
3rd: Chivalry 33 (+6 to Weapons,
+6 to Harm)
4th: Enchantment 23 (see list of
Powers below)
5th Tricks (Precision based Ability) 10
+ 2 for 61 initial Ability = 12 (+1 to Harm)
Enchantment--one Memory Tablet with:
Flame Finger
Lighter than Air
Personal Armor 1
Weapon Wizard
Attack: Adjusted Weapons 66 with
striking weapon, 71 with hand-hurled weapon; Harm by weapon
+7 striking weapon, +12 hand-hurled weapon. (Weapon Wizard
Power negated attack penalty when using Minstrelsy Ability
in defense.)
Defense: Leather half armor 6, +5
Minstrelsy Ability use, +2 Personal Armor 1 Power effect
= 13.
Carlos has considerable equipment and cash
left from what he took when leaving his father's castle.
This includes a fine courser and two excellent swords.
He is growing bored with the entertainment
troupe, restless, yearning for derring-do so as to prove his
worth as a swordsman and adventurer.
Unordered Avatar: Jivros Sylgar
Jivros Sylgar is the only son of an adventurous
geourge (Leo Sylgar) and a tribal chieftain’s daughter, Jalki.
When a war party from another tribe wiped out the village,
Jivros was away at a coastal town, learning skills of martial
arts sorts. Returning, he found his parents dead, his little
sister missing. Knowing he was powerless to do anything,
he allowed his desire for revenge to cool, returned to perfect
his martial arts. Now, several years later, equipped
with such fighting capacity, and with the knowledge taught
to him by his father and mother, Jivros is a wanderer, determined
to soon seek out those who slaughtered his family and tribe,
exact a gory revenge. He has the following stats and Abilities.
Initial H 44 + 16 + 1 = 61
Initial P 44 + 10 + 1 = 55
Initial S 12 + 3 + 0.25, + 0.5, + 0.5, +
0.5 = 16.75 (67)
1st: Unarmed Combat 61
2nd: Geourgy (Speed based Ability) 54 +
2 for 61 initial Ability = 56 (see list of Powers below)
3rd: Divination (Speed based Ability)
40 + 2 for 61 initial Ability = 42
4th: Savagery (Speed based Ability) 27 +
2 for 61 initial Ability = 29 (+ 2 to Weapons and such
Harm)
5th Weapons 10
Geourgy--two Memory Tablets of father’s
with:
Command circle materials formerly belonging
to father
Protection circle materials formerly
belonging to father
(seven activations TBD)
Divination means—four types (TBD)
Attack:
Unarmed Combat base 61, +12 Harm to target
subject.
Adjusted Weapons 18 (10 + 6 for Unarmed
Combat + 2 for Savagery Ability) = 18 with striking weapon,
he having a thrusting sword, P bonus 20, this totals 38; Harm
bonus + 2.
Defense: Cloth half armor 4, + 6
Unarmed Combat Ability defense = 10.
Jivro has moderate equipment and some small
amount of cash left from what he recovered from the place
his father hid his wealth.
He is currently wandering in search of a
band of stalwarts who will join him in his quest to destroy
the murderous tribe of raiders mentioned.
In the first example, the important Abilities
of Minstrelsy and Tricks will be enhanced as the Avatar, Carlos
Delgato, advances from 61 to 71. Of course, it is expected
that the player will work on Chivalry and Enchantment improvement
about equally with Weapons score increase, so as to build
a well-rounded and very powerful Avatar. When at 81 Weapons
Ability, the 5-point increase for a Speed-based one will go
into Enchantment, of course. If this has been brought up to
50, the value of the addition in Merits will be 250 greater.
The second example, Jivros Sylgar, allows
the player to decide what stat base will be applied. The Avatar
is set for Speed Ability increases, with a new Health-based
one to be added in due course, as 81 Unarmed Combat Ability
score will allow an increase of 5 score points in such an
Ability. Physique is an obvious choice for an addition in
this regard.
The point of all of this is to demonstrate
that it is really a lot of fun to create an Unordered Avatar.
Note that both of those used above as examples have a mix
of ordinary and Extraordinary Ability potential, can be developed
further along the obvious lines, or in other ways, all the
while the player that created the Avatar having fun so doing.
Clearly, such characters are not at any disadvantage over
Ordered ones, and the player can freely alter the focus of
the Avatar’s Ability mix as suits the circumstances of play,
or merely on a whim, without adversely impacting the effectiveness
general of the character.
That’s the way I see it. Opinions to the
contrary are invited.
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