166 Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game

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 The Adamant
Principles
The Adamant will fix the world, even if it means breaking all the
rules. Play the Adamant if you want to contend with what “doing
right” means in a complicated world.

Pragmatic, fervent, dangerous, self-sacrificing. The Adamant is

deeply committed to a cause, to the point that they may break
all the rules to achieve their end. Sometimes, they might even go
a bit too far in their drive—they have no hesitation to push and
push and push when it comes to the causes they think are just.
That’s why the Adamant needs a lodestar, the one person they
Restraint vs Results
listen to who can rein them in, let them know that maybe they
should cool it and hold off a bit.
The Adamant can sometimes be dismissive of others, espe-
cially if those others stand in the way of the Adamant’s goals…
but they’re also aware of their tendency to go too far, and to
make sure they listen to the right voices telling them to hold
back. The distinction between heroism and villainy can be a fine
line for the Adamant, with their focus on results over means.
They want to stay on the right side of that line, and they need
their friends to find the right path forward. The Adamant’s two principles reflect their
self-awareness and their attempt to manage their
Starting Stats best and worst impulses. The Adamant’s Results
Creativity 0, Focus +1, Harmony -1, Passion +1 principle is all about their drive to change things
for the better and have it stick. An Adamant with
Demeanor Options a high Results principle cares more about getting re-
Above-it-all, Perfectionist, Chilly, Rebellious, Flippant, Standoffish sults than what it might cost. They’re pragmatic to
a fault, willing to make sacrifices and tough choices
History to achieve the things they deem worth it.
• What experience of being deceived or manipulated convinced
The Adamant’s Restraint principle, on the other
you to steel yourself against being swayed by other people?
hand, is all about their desire to hold back and be
• Who was your first lodestar, and why were they an
careful, to think and comprehend and plan instead
exception? Why aren’t they your lodestar anymore?
of bulling ahead. An Adamant with a high Restraint
• Who earned your grudging respect by teaching you pragmatism?
principle still wants to achieve the same ends, but
• What heirloom or piece of craftsmanship do you
they’re not doing so at any cost. They consider
carry to remind you to stay true to yourself?
different paths and are more willing to compromise
• Why are you committed to this group or purpose?
or accept imperfect solutions if it means avoiding
other terrible consequences.
Connections
• __________________ takes issue with my methods—perhaps The Adamant’s Moment of Balance pushes them to
they have a point, but I certainly can’t admit that to them! manage their principles to pursue Results without
• __________________ is my lodestar; something about them giving up Restraint. They find that place of equilib-
makes them the one person I let my guard down around. rium in seeing other people as people, not just as
pawns to achieve an end…but then understanding
Moment of Balance that those people can still help achieve results,
perhaps more so if they’re treated equally. The Ada-
You’ve held true to a core of conviction even while getting mant’s Moment of Balance has them treating other
your hands dirty to do what you deemed necessary. But dangerous people empathetically and humanely,
balance means appreciating that other people are just as and achieving their results anyway.
complex as you are, not merely obstacles or pawns. Tell the
GM how you solve an intractable problem or calm a terrible
conflict by relating to dangerous people on a human level.

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 The Lodestar Moves choose two

There’s only one person you often let past your emotional walls. „ This Was a Victory
When you reveal that you have sabotaged a building,
Name your lodestar (choose a PC to start):____________________
device, or vehicle right as it becomes relevant, mark
You can shift your lodestar to someone new when they guide and comfort fatigue and roll with Passion . On a hit, your work pays
you and you open up to them, or when you guide and comfort them and off, creating an opportunity for you and your allies
they open up to you. If you do choose to shift your lodestar, clear a condition. at just the right time. On a 7–9, the opportunity is
fleeting—act fast to stay ahead of the consequences.
When you shut down someone vulnerable to harsh words or icy silence,
On a miss, your action was ill-judged and something or
shift your balance toward Results and roll with Results. On a hit, they mark a
someone you care about is hurt as collateral damage.
condition and you may clear the same condition. On a 10+, they also cannot
shift your balance or call you out for the rest of the scene. On a miss, they
„ Takes One to Know One
have exactly the right retort; mark a condition and they shift your balance.
When you verbally needle someone by finding the
You cannot use this on your lodestar.
weaknesses in their armor, roll with Focus. On a hit,
When your lodestar shifts your balance or calls you out, you cannot resist ask 1 question. On a 7–9, they ask 1 of you as well:
it. Treat an NPC lodestar calling you out as if you rolled a 10+, and a PC • What is your principle?
lodestar calling you out as if they rolled a 10+. • What do you need to prove?
• What could shake your certainty?
When you consult your lodestar for advice on a problem (or permission to
• Whom do you care about more than you let on?
use your preferred solution), roll with Restraint. On a 10+ take all three; on
Anyone who lies or stonewalls marks 2-fatigue. On a
a 7–9 they choose two:
miss, your attack leaves you exposed; they may ask
• You see the wisdom of their advice. They shift your balance; follow their you any one question from the list, and you must
advice and they shift your balance again. answer honestly.
• The conversation bolsters you. Clear a condition or 2-fatigue.
• They feel at ease offering their opinion. They clear a condition or „ No Time For Feelings
2-fatigue. When you have equal or fewer conditions marked
than your highest principle, mark fatigue to push
On a miss, something about their advice infuriates you. Mark a condition or
down your feelings for the rest of the scene and
have the GM shift your balance twice.
ignore condition penalties until the end of the scene.
When you resist an NPC shifting your balance,
mark a condition to roll with conditions marked (max
The Adamant’s Lodestar +4). You cannot then choose to clear a condition by
As the Adamant, your lodestar is the person you listen to and rely on to set you immediately proving them wrong.
straight. You let them in and keep others at bay. Make sure your lodestar is another
PC when you create your character. „ I Don’t Hate You
Shutting someone down, as described within your lodestar feature, rep- When you guide and comfort someone in an awk-
resents the way that your Adamant character tends not to let people besides ward, understated, or idiosyncratic fashion, roll with
the lodestar into their heart. Shutting someone down can be useful for you to Passion instead of Harmony if you mark Insecure or
inflict conditions and sometimes clear them, but it’s important to note that Insecure is already marked.
you can never use it on your lodestar. When your lodestar tries to call you out
on your principle, it’s treated in the worst possible way for you—you have no „ Driven by Justice
way to resist it without cost. Take +1 to Passion (max +3).
On the other hand, you can gain advice from your lodestar that can actual-
ly help you accomplish your goals…when you have a high enough Restraint
to take the time to actually talk to them. Note that only the first option—they
shift your balance; follow their advice and they shift your balance again—produc-
es an effect that depends upon you actually following their advice.
You can change who your lodestar is over the course of play. If you guide
and comfort someone and they open up to you, you can make that person
your new lodestar. If someone guides and comforts you and you open up to
them, you can make that person your new lodestar. In either case, if the person
being guided and comforted doesn’t open up, you can’t switch. When you do
switch, make sure to clear a condition above and beyond any you might clear
for the guide and comfort.

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 Moves Advice
For I Don’t Hate You, you must have Insecure marked to represent how awk- Pinpoint Aim
wardly you act. If you don’t have it marked, you can choose to mark it. Defend & Maneuver

For This Was a Victory, you reveal your sabotage after you could have per- Take the time you need to line up a perfect shot;
formed it. You mark fatigue not at the moment you engaged in sabotage, but become Prepared. In the next exchange, if you advance
at the moment it actually matters and comes into play, like revealing that you and attack, roll with Focus or Passion, your choice.
weakened a bridge just as the soldiers chasing you start to cross it. On a 7–9, If you use Strike, you do not have to mark fatigue to
your sabotage only creates a quick opportunity. On a miss, your sabotage now choose what you inflict.
causes different, worse, or more expansive problems than you anticipated.
For No Time for Feelings, there are two discrete effects to this move that
both point to how you try to resist your feelings, even when others push you For Pinpoint Aim, the Adamant’s playbook ad-
on them. Whenever you resist an NPC shifting your balance, you can mark a vanced technique, you are preparing a more pow-
condition to roll with conditions instead of rolling without any bonus. The erful shot in the next exchange. You don’t have to
condition you mark immediately helps you, but you can’t roll with higher than choose any particular option—you can try to use
a +4. If you choose to do this, however, you can’t choose to clear a condition this as a bluff, and just take the Prepared status! But
by immediately acting to prove them wrong—you’re stuck with whatever con- if you do advance and attack, you get to roll either
dition you marked, at least for a bit. You can, however, choose to mark growth Focus or Passion , your choice, and if you do use
by immediately acting to prove them wrong. Strike, you get to choose what you inflict without
For the other part of the move, you can only internalize your conditions and marking fatigue.
ignore their penalties when you have conditions marked up to your highest prin-
ciple—so if your Restraint is at +3, and you have four conditions marked, you Growth Question
can’t ignore the penalties by marking fatigue. Otherwise, though, you can do it
at any time, and you ignore penalties for the rest of the scene you’re in. Did you seek support or guidance from others?
For Takes One to Know One, make sure you actually needle your target,
saying things that pick at them and mess with them! Be aware that doing
so can reveal something of your own character at the same time, as on a The Adamant’s growth question is all about learn-
7–9 they get to ask you a question as well. This move is different from most ing to see other people as sources of wisdom and
question-centered moves in that the other party doesn’t have to answer the understanding. When the Adamant seeks support
question, even out of character. They can instead mark 2-fatigue to stonewall or guidance from others, they learn to temper their
and try to hide the answer. On a miss, however, you don’t get the option of own drive with the ideas of others.
stonewalling, and must answer honestly.

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