To become an avatar of a specific archetype, you take it as an identity. However, it doesn’t work exactly like other identities.
You get a percentile rating in it, but there’s no “Of course…” elements, and it doesn’t substitute for any ability. It does have the features Casts Rituals and Use Gutter Magick, but really, you don’t get to do specific things because you’re an avatar, you get to be an avatar because you do specific things.
Instead, you get channels. If you’re low-level, you get subtle, deniable mystic powers.
- You start with one when your ability is at 1–50%.
- When you cross into 51–70%, you get a second, without losing the first.
- At 71–90%, you access a third channel
- There’s a fourth at 91% and, in the unlikely event of hitting 99%, you get to choose a godwalker channel. That one’s unique to you and, as long as your GM says it’s all right, anything goes.
Unfortunately, you don’t improve your avatar identity by failing, because it’s not something you learn, it’s something you are. Any session in which you roll a success, you can put a check next to an avatar identity. But if you break taboo, you don’t improve at all. In fact, you may lose 1–5%. If your avatar identity is low and you need a boost, improving it can be an objective. Succeeding at an objective that makes you more of an avatar is local if your score is under 50%, global if it’s 50–90%, and anything further is cosmic. Success at any level of avatar improvement gives you a +1d10% boost — unless that would take you to 99% or above.
Avatar identities don’t get features (sorry) and they can decrease if you break taboo (not sorry).
On the plus side though, avatars have no-kidding paranormal powers.
I’m an Avatar, of course I can channel the powers of my archetype.
Substitutes for: Nothing.
Feature: Casts Rituals.
Feature: Use Gutter Magick.