Avatar

The term avatar refers to many different things in both game mechanics and Warcraft lore. In this latter, it especially refers to a physical, less powerful incarnation of a very powerful deity or deity-like being. Examples of such avatars are those of Sargeras (in the battle against Aegwynn) and Aggramar (as seen by players in World of Warcraft: Legion).
==Avatar spells and abilities==
*The warrior ability Avatar (warrior ability), a tier 9 class talent.
* In Warcraft III, Avatar was the name of an ability for the Mountain King hero that temporarily turned him to stone.
: Activate Avatar to temporarily give the Mountain King 5 bonus armor, 500 bonus hit points, 20 bonus damage and spell immunity.
:: By focusing the energies of the dwarves’ “newly discovered enchanted heritage”, the mountain kings can grow in size and strength – and take on the physical characteristics of carved stone. In this form, they are impervious to magical attacks and have greatly increased durability.Warcraft III manual, pg. 9
* In World of Warcraft, Vanndar Stormpike and Magni Bronzebeard have this ability, but it is less powerful.
: Increases the Physical damage dealt by the caster by 50% and enhances their armor by 50% for 15 sec.
* In Heroes of the Storm, Avatar is Muradin's Heroic Ability that gives him bonus Health upon activation for a short duration. In the past, the ability also used to make Muradin's Basic Attacks mini-stun the target.
* In the Warcraft RPG, Avatar is a spell used by powerful sorcerers, wizards,Magic & Mayhem, pg. ?? mages, and priests of any race,World of Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, pg. 280 as well as a dwarven mountain king ability.Alliance Player's Guide, pg. 57
:: Upon casting this spell, a mage or priest becomes a fighting avatar of his ideals. The caster screams a war cry as he grows in size and strength. His flesh hardens. His skin, clothing and all his possessions become a dimly luminous silver-gray. His mindset changes so that he relishes combat. He loses his spellcasting ability, including his ability to use spell activation or spell completion magic items, just as if the spells were no longer on his class list. He gains enhancement bonuses to Strength, Stamina, and Agility. His armor increases, and so does his spell resistance. He becomes proficient with all simple and martial weapons. He doubles in height and increase in weight.
:: To summarize, a mage gains combat ability and loses spellcasting ability,World of Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, pg. ?? and a priest becomes a mean, grey-sheened fighting machine. A mountain king is able to use avatar as a "spell-like ability".
:Note: The mountain king's avatar ability is separate from the mountain king's stoneflesh ability. The latter ability is learned later.Alliance Player's Guide, pg. 57-58
==Other avatars==
* Avatar of the AncientsManual of Monsters, pg. 50
* Bone crushers - "the living avatars of Nath"Horde Player's Guide, pg. 58
* Dwarven avatar - prestige class from Alliance & Horde Compendium.
* Pandaren transcendent - spiritual avatars of the pandaren race.Dark Factions, pg. ??
==Other definitions==
In the context of a MMORPG, avatar has come to mean an iconic representation of a user, especially with chat or forum interfaces. In World of Warcraft, it is the visual representation of your character.
==References==
 
 
Category:Game terms
Category:Magic & Mayhem
Category:World of Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game
Category:Alliance Player's Guide