Avatars

Background

Players within Marosia used to be able to have their own characters ascend to godhood. For many reasons, this was eventually changed in early 2021 to the system we have today where gods are exclusively played by staff members. Part of this change was the introduction of an ‘avatar system’ where players could now become avatars of a domain rather than the residing god. When reading through this article, please keep in mind that this system was intended as a replacement for players previously being able to play literal gods, and this should help you understand some of the reasons for the decisions behind the new system.

What are avatars?

In-game avatars could be referred to as many different things, such as High Priests, Champions, Clerics, Oracles, etc. For the purposes of this article, all of these will be collated under the singular title of ‘Avatars’. An avatar is supposed to be a character who exemplifies the values and approach of one particular domain, holding the trust and favour of the residing god who is willing to allow them to act in their image in the mortal world while they are busy in their own realm. In keeping with the dedication that avatar-dom requires: a character can only be an avatar of one domain at a time.

Their exact purpose or role is up to the god of the domain in question, as is the extent of their abilities as well as how long they remain an avatar. Some gods may opt to have a long-term, all-powerful avatar who resides in a temple that would become the site of pilgrimages. Another god may prefer to have several shorter-term avatars, all with a specific purpose in mind. If you find yourself playing an avatar but you are unsure what you should be doing - then ask! We recommend you try in-character first through an altar, though reports are always open.

Powers and abilities:

The source of an avatar’s power is their respective deity. The avatar system is still being developed, but it is the intention that they will be given mechanical powers in line with their domains. These abilities will be granted by their respective deities and can also be withheld or removed entirely if the avatar does not use them correctly.

Given how avatar-dom is the compromise for players no longer being able to play gods, some of these powers will be very strong. They are not meant to be inherently balanced: avatars will exist within a separate power tier to regular mortals. We understand that this may be alarming to other players who are concerned about the impact this might have on their own roleplay, but know that staff monitors the movements and actions of avatars very closely. Similar to god actions, everything an avatar does can be reversed by either their own god or an avatar or god of another domain.

The current abilities that an avatar may have are listed below:

Commune With Deity: This ability allows a character to send telepathic messages to the deity presiding over a given domain.
Disease Immunity: A character with this ability is immune to diseases in the same way golems are.
Free Watchtower Use: A character with this ability can use any watchtower regardless of the availability of the watchtower in question.
Healing Touch: A character with this ability can use the Healing Touch spell normally only granted to water mages.
Hunger Immunity: A character with this ability will never get hungry. Their hunger will not decrease at the daily tick, and they cannot fall incapable or die from having 0 hunger.
Mind Reading: A character with this ability will be able to read the thoughts of other characters, the same way gods or water mages can.
Old Age Immunity: A character with this ability is immune to old age death rolls, and will not die of old age for as long as they have it.
Pickpocket Immunity: A character with this ability is immune to being pickpocketed.
Poison Immunity: A character with this ability is immune to poison, the same way golems are.
Sense Bloodlines: A character with this ability can see the bloodlines of other characters, the same way gods and water mages of level 4 and above can.
True Name Sight: A character with this ability will be able to see the mechanical names of others around them, the same way gods or water mages of level 4 and above can.
Unaging: A character with this ability will remain at their current age indefinitely. They will not roll for old age.
Watchtower Everywhere: A character with this ability can see around them as if they were in a watchtower, even when outside.
Weather Manipulation: A character with this ability will be able to change the weather to whatever they want on the tile they are currently on

Remember that not all avatars will have all of the above powers, and characters can obtain the above abilities as blessings without being chosen as avatars. New abilities will be added in time.

Avatars can also roleplay certain flavour text to support their roleplay, similar to mages. This is expected to be in line with their respective domains, for example, the avatar of Death may roleplay manipulating shadows. If the players of avatars are ever unsure whether they can roleplay something, then they can send in a report to staff to ask. The question will then be brought to the player of the god and the answer will be decided between the god player and admins before being relayed back to the player. If an avatar appears to be roleplaying something which does not appear to be in line with their domain, then you should put in a report for staff to look over and double-check no permissions are being overstepped.

It is worth noting that avatars do not have access to public or private blue texts. They also cannot ‘god mod’: being unable to absolutely invoke emotions or feelings in the same way that gods can. However, they are able to attempt to do so, as long as they leave it up to the other player or whether or not it is successful. For example, the avatar of Death is able to numb people’s emotions, and this would be roleplayed as:
When a hand is placed on their shoulder they would feel their emotions and senses dulled, overcome by a layer of fog. It is able to be pushed through with enough willpower, but the majority of individuals would succumb to the effect.

If an avatar ever tries to ‘god mod’ your character then know that you are not obligated to go along with it, and you should ignore the attempt if you wish to as well as put in a report.

Avatars do not have innate access to prayers that come through but their god may choose to relay relevant ones to them.

Selection

It is up to gods whether they would like to make someone an avatar, and it will be exclusively a result of in-game actions. There are no set requirements that have to be met or a defined procedure for how this will happen, and it will differ significantly from domain to domain.

On the backend, when the staff member who plays the god wishes to choose someone as an avatar then they will approach admins who will talk through the decision. They will look at the reasoning for making the character an avatar and double-check it has been earned in-game rather than granted as a result of player favouritism. Once signed off, it is up to the god player to roleplay the appointment in-game as they see fit. Admin's personal opinion of the player in question has no weighting on whether or not they will give the go-ahead for an appointment.

When an avatar is selected, they will have the following bold text on their character card which is separate to any other unique brands:
You exude an aura of [domain].

Other characters can roleplay the impact of this aura however they see fit.

A character can refer to themselves as “chosen” or a “High Priest” should they wish, but note that only those with the aura have officially been appointed as avatars.

Deselection

Someone’s position as an avatar is not permanent. If the avatar starts to stray from the teachings of the domain, or continuously misuses their powers, then there is a chance they will have their avatar-dom taken away. This will not happen instantly. Staff understand that becoming an avatar is a big deal, and we would not want this to suddenly be taken away without warning, or for a player to be scared to roleplay their character due to the OOC fear that their avatar-dom will be taken away. The deselection process will be handled entirely in-character by the god involved and the player would suffer no OOC punishments. Similar to the selection process though, if the player of a god was considering de-avataring someone, then they would approach the admins who would discuss the decision and decide if it was a fitting course of action.

Expectations on Players

The expectation of players of avatars is to keep playing their character to the best of their ability. Gods may place very high expectations on their avatars, but please remember this is always only in-character expectations and does not extend out-of-character. Staff will never be annoyed, mad, or disappointed in the player of an avatar for failing to fulfil in-character tasks, or for misusing their powers in an IC way. As always, we encourage players to try and maintain good etiquette. But, most importantly, have fun! If players are not having fun, then they can of course hibernate or cull. Staff are also available for moral support if you ever want to talk something through.

FAQ

Will they be immortal?
Some avatars will be given the unaging or immunity to old age ability, but they are still susceptible to being killed by other characters or by their own hand. The position of avatar is not necessarily a permanent status, so while some characters may be immortal for the time they are employed, it does not necessarily mean they will live forever.

How many avatars can one player play?
In the interest of trying to “spread the love”, each player can only have one active avatar on their account.

Can a God have multiple avatars?
Yes. How many avatars a god has is up to them, and admins will ensure there is a good reason that the god has appointed more than one.

Can staff play avatars?
Moderators, wiki-writers, and helpers are all able to play avatars. Those who play gods are unable to have their regular characters become avatars.

Does playing an avatar impose any prayer restrictions on your other characters?
None at all! Your characters remain free to pray to whomever they wish.

Is there a way to know if a domain has an avatar yet?
No. This information must be found out in-game. We do not publish a live list of which domains have avatars to respect current players of avatars: specifically surrounding possible character death or deselection.

Do domains have to have avatars?
No.

Is there anything that automatically disqualifies a player from becoming an avatar?
There are no OOC disqualifiers that stop a player from being able to play an avatar, including previous rule breaks or bans. If you are currently playing the game, then you are able to have a character become an avatar (unless you also play a god).

Can players "opt-out" of playing avatars?
Yes! If you either do not wish to play an avatar any longer or if you have had the offer extended or suspect the roleplay is heading in that direction but you do not wish to play one, then you will not be forced to do so. We suggest you try and address this in-character, but please put in a report to staff if you are stuck and wish to talk it through.

Are there any restrictions on how avatars can use their abilities?
If an avatar has a mechanical ability then they are welcome to use it as they wish. If the player decides to misuse this ability, then they should let staff know ahead of time so they can be ready to deal with it in-game. The go-to example for this is changing the weather. At the moment, some avatars can mechanically change the weather. The avatar of Strife could change the weather to be beautifully sunny with raining marshmallows, should they wish. However, this is obviously not in line with the domain, and as such would be considered a misuse of the power. This behaviour would be addressed in-character - and the player themselves would face no repercussions. If staff have agreed to give an avatar a power, then they are allowed to use it however they wish, as long as they are ready for what in-game consequences it may result in (such as the removal of that particular ability, the rolling back of the outcomes, or the potential deselection of the character as an avatar).

If you have any more questions that are not covered on this page - then please put in a report or ask in the Discord!