Articles
Totem Avatar
A warrior vocation with a bestial twist.
Totem Avatars
Not every tribesman who is called by a Spirit Guide follows the path of the shaman. Some are able to better serve their people by supplementing their martial skills with the powers of a spirit guide. Known as Totem Avatars, these warriors channel the animal instincts and physical traits of their spirit guide through their minds and bodies. This fusion of man and beast is a force of nature to be respected and feared by all who oppose him.
Totem Avatars are almost always the progeny of tribal civilizations or those peoples who live very close to nature. Rarely, lone individuals from civilized lands leave the confines of their city homes and find that they are called to this path. In any case, the commitment required to follow this vocation, coupled with the rigors of wilderness life, mean that only the heartiest, most strong-willed individuals are called to become Totem Avatars.
Creating Totem Avatars
A Totem Avatar is a warrior who specializes in the skin walk skill of Totem magic. While a skilled warrior in his own right, he supplements his abilities by channeling the physical powers of his spirit guide. A Totem Avatar usually chooses an animal that his tribe reveres, though with Director approval any animal can be chosen. In any case, Totem Avatars must possess the tribesman background. Important abilities for Totem Avatars are Fitness, Awareness, Reasoning, and Totem magic.
The following are three example Totem Avatar vocations. Players and Directors wishing to design their own Totem Avatars should use these vocations as guidelines for their own creations.
Wolf Avatars
The unnerving howl of these cunning warriors has often been enough to crush the resolve of those who stand against the wolf avatars. Typically found in northern forest-dwelling tribes, wolf avatars prefer to use pack tactics to run down and overwhelm their enemies. The loyalty a wolf avatar has to his tribe, and especially his fellow wolf avatars, is unbreakable. Within a tribe there may be many wolf avatars. The strongest, most cunning one among them serves as their leader, a highly respected position within the tribe. Jockeying for this post causes constant fights between the wolf avatars, though such contests are rarely lethal. But when wolf avatars from rival tribes meet, the ensuing battles are brutal, grisly reminders that in nature, only the strongest survive.
Typical Races: Wolf Avatars are almost always human, though some tribal elves and goblins have been known to produce these warriors. Orclin Wolf Avatars are usually brutal, sadistic, and evil members of orcish tribal packs and take to the adventurer’s life only in the rarest of circumstances.
Recommended Gimmicks: animal bond, blood feud, cold stare, dark sight, man’s best friend, one of the pack, quick stepped
Recommended Ability Flairs: Awareness (hearing, smell)
Recommended Skill Flairs: Athletics (Running), Brawling (Biting), Dueling (Tribal Weapons), Stealth (Forest), Geography (Specific Locale), Legends (Tribal), Survival (forests), Skin Walk (Eyes, Fangs, Fur, Nose)
Vocational Skills: athletics, brawling, dueling, stealth, geography, observation, survival, skin walk
Skin Walk Qualities: eyes, fangs, fur, nose
Typical Weapons & Armor: Wolf Avatars favor light, quick weapons when entering combat. Weapons such as knives, daggers, and small axes make their wolf-pack tactics easier to use and don’t slow them down on long hunts. A Wolf Avatar generally prefers to wear little or no armor for the same reasons. When armor must be worn, it is almost always leather or hide and is sometimes supplemented with a small shield.
Owl Avatars
Like their avian namesakes, Owl Avatars are known for their quick, silent, and deadly attacks. Commonly found in tribes that dwell on the border of forests and plains, Owl Avatars often function as tribal scouts, snipers, and archers rather than front-line warriors. Indeed, these warriors are well known for their skill with bow and arrow and have a propensity for ambushing their quarry in the dead of night. Usually acting alone, Owl Avatars may spend weeks away from their tribes scouting out enemy positions, combating roaming monsters, or simply looking for new resources to keep their people safe and secure. Loyalty to the tribe is paramount, but Owl Avatars greatly value individual freedom and liberty as well. The latter trait causes many Owl Avatars to become loners, some of whom leave their tribes to wander the wider world.
Typical Races: Humans, elves, and halflings are the most common Owl Avatars. They are virtually unknown among the other races.
Recommended Gimmicks: animal bond, cold stare, dark sight, empty-stepped, frail, quick-witted, ranged time, signature weapon (bow), true heading
Recommended Ability Flairs:Fitness (agility, dexterity), Awareness (hearing, vision)
Recommended Skill Flairs: Archery (Bows), Athletics (Dodge), Brawling (Claw), Stealth (Forest, Plains), Geography (Specific Locale), Legends (Tribal), Survival (Forests, Plains), Skin Walk (Claws, Ears, Eyes)
Vocational Skills: archery, athletics, brawling, stealth, geography, observation, survival, skin walk
Skin Walk Qualities: claws (talons), ears, eyes, feathers (repels water, insulates against cold)
Typical Weapons & Armor: An Owl Avatar’s primary weapon is the bow. Small, light dueling weapons such as knives and daggers are carried as backups and utility tools, and sometimes a walking stick is used as a quarterstaff. In order to better utilize their stealth abilities and skills, Owl Avatars shun heavy armor and almost always resort to wearing light leather or no armor at all.
Bear Avatars
Physical prowess and a savage fighting style are the hallmarks of the Bear Avatar. Found in a wide range of lands, from the frozen wastes to sub-tropical forests, these powerful warriors are few in number but well-known for their ferocity in battle. As shock-troops for their tribes, Bear Avatars are among the first warriors to wade into battle, their mighty blows and berserker tactics striking fear in the ranks of the enemy. When the lesser warriors join the fray, the Bear Avatar turns his attention to the enemy tribe’s champions. Against them he will prove his worth, slaying them and bringing glory to his name for generations. It is these triumphs that truly drive the Bear Avatar, for through defeating great enemies he brings honor to his gods, his tribe, and his name.
Typical Races: Humans are the only known Bear Avatars. It is possible for an Orclin to follow this vocation, though like Wolf Avatars, they are usually evil beyond reproach.
Recommended Gimmicks: animal bond, clumsy, hesitant, musclebound, oversized, rage, slow-stepped, steadfast
Recommended Ability Flairs: Fitness (Muscle), Awareness (Hearing, Smell), Reasoning (Recall)
Recommended Skill Flairs: Athletics (Climbing, Swimming), Brawling (Biting, Claws, Wrestling), Dueling (Tribal Weapon),Geography (Specific Locale), Legends (Tribal), Survival (Forests, Arctic), Skin Walk (Claws, Ears, Fangs, Fur, Increased Musculature, Nose)
Vocational Skills: athletics, brawling, composure, dueling, geography, observation, survival, skin walk
Skin Walk Qualities: Claws, Ears, Fangs, Fur, Increased Musculature, Nose
Typical Weapons & Armor: Bear Avatars favor large, heavy weapons like maces, war hammers, and war axes—any large, devastating weapons suit them. Though they sometimes eschew armor, Bear Avatars are likely to don heavy leather or hide armors. If heavier armor is available, Bear Avatars will not hesitate to employ it in battle but will not wear it for everyday use.
|
