Animal companions are ubiquitous in the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise. Aang’s sky bison Appa and flying lemur Momo serve as booth humor and the emotional center of many episodes. Then, when Korra’s polar bear dog Naga graced the streets of Republic City, many fans wanted one of the franchise’s fantastical creatures for their own. Now, as a result of Magpie Games’ record-breaking Kickstarter campaign, Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game is releasing to finally give fans a way to explore the bending universe for themselves.
With Avatar Legends, players can become elemental benders just like the characters from the show and, more importantly, fight alongside a cute animal friend. Fans will be happy to learn that these animals are more than just window dressing. While they are not entirely independent characters, these creatures enrich the overall experience, making the game feel more like the show.
How Riding Animals Like Appa Work in Avatar Legends
Avatar Legends uses playbooks, meaning certain archetypes have specific roles and abilities. To own a large, rideable animal like Appa or Naga, players have to choose The Icon. This playbook has characters act as representatives of a culture, and the animal whom they choose should represent this, too. By ensuring the cultural importance of The Icon’s animal companion, players will have a more cohesive origin and relationship which echoes those of the series.
The playbook supplies many options, from catgator to elephant-mandrill. In certain eras, species may not be readily available for continuity purposes, such as Sky Bison during Aang’s era. However, the mount’s species is not as important to gameplay as the potential benefits.
Rideable animal companions aren’t only useful for characterization. Choosing the “Yip Yip!” move allows The Icon and company to clear a condition when traveling on the companion, much like the characters in Avatar resting while traveling on Appa. Characters can also gain the favored perk while fighting alongside their companions. However, animal companions can get hurt in combat, which leads to The Icon marking a condition — much like Aang’s emotional fragility when Appa is in danger or harmed.
How Small Animals Like Momo and Pabu Work in Avatar Legends
Another playbook, The Bold, allows players to carry a small animal companion. This option is even more open than the descriptor for The Icon’s animal companion, so players can make their friend go along with whatever storyline they would like to establish for their character. Since The Bold balances loyalty to their party and self-confidence, an independent creature in the vein of Momo or Pabu would serve as a perfect companion for such a character.
These companions work differently from rideable animals by offering active support, rather than passive. When the player tries to commit an action, they can use their animal companion to swap to one of their stronger stats. Pumping up this playbook’s creativity stat allows their animal companion to become their ace in the hole when needed. Much like The Icon’s rideable animal, The Bold’s companion causes a status condition if harmed, making this boon a potential liability as well.
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