What would you do if you could do anything?
The Free Man
They say that freedom’s one of the highest ideals that humanity can strive for, that one of the loftiest goals is a world where everyone is completely free. Freedom from want, freedom from fear, freedom from hunger, disease, and every other malady, social and otherwise.
That world scares the shit out of me. The people who talk about total freedom don’t know what they’re asking for. Total freedom isn’t just being free from whatever makes life miserable, it’s freedom from everything. Freedom from politeness, freedom from restraint, freedom from justice, accountability, responsibility, blame, and especially freedom from that pesky little rule about not killing whoever you want. This is what those people are really asking for.
Now, since we don’t live in a world where you can just do a drive-by shooting to make yourself feel better, this obviously isn’t the case. But there still burns inside each person the need to be able to do whatever you want, whenever you want. We idealize in media those who act without restraint, at least if they’re working for the public good. This isn’t enough for followers of this archetype. If a government official is corrupt, a Free Man that opposes him wouldn’t just lobby against him; he’d investigate and expose him for the lying bastard he is. If a avatar doesn’t want someone to die, they will move heaven and earth to stop their death. If a local man is known to be a child abuser, but he got off on a technicality in court, an avatar would blow his head off at the very least, but most would arrange for his lengthy torture then slow death, probably by violating him repeatedly with a very sharp instrument. If an avatar desperately wants to have sex with a woman and she refuses, he’ll rape her.
That’s freedom.
Attributes: The Free Man represents the man who refuses to obey the laws of society and the government. All that you secretly want to do, but can’t because of peer pressure, embarrassment, or jail time, he does.
Taboo: Restraining yourself. Any time you don’t do something you want to do, you weaken your connection with the archetype. This isn’t just driving on the median to avoid traffic or not doing crack because it’s illegal, but not beating the shit out of the guy who keeps on getting in your way at the office, not going to work because you really want to play golf, or not finding out who that bastard who dinged your car is and following him home and running him over with your car. However, you have to really want to do what it is that you’re stopping yourself from doing. Just a brief spurt of anger and a half-hearted desire to stab your boss in the face with your letter opener doesn’t count.
Symbols: Almost any symbol, but many have an affinity for symbols of breaking out of bondage or restraint.
Masks: John Yossarian from Catch-22 is about as close as fiction has gotten.
Suspected Avatars: No historical figures have followed the archetype closely enough to be considered an avatar of the Free Man.
Channels:
1% – 50%: Freedom from Body: With a successful roll, the amount rolled (a four and a five is 45) can be used for any roll, regardless of whether or not the avatar actually possesses the skill necessary to perform the action. This ability can only be used once per day.
51% – 75%: Freedom from Mind: With a successful roll, any single madness check can be negated. This ability can also only be used once per day.
75% – 90%: Freedom from Society: An avatar, with a successful roll, can commit one act that violates the rules of society, the legal system, and otherwise, and suffer none of the consequences. This can be applied retroactively, but can only be used once per week.
91%+: Freedom from Reality: Once per month, an avatar can personally defy the laws of reality with a successful roll. Walking through walls, flying, permanent physical changes, anything is possible. However, if the changes affect stats or skills, the effects wear off in a day, and the ability can only affect the avatar.
Aside from the over-powered channels, I’d include the sexual consequences of the taboo. After all, I’d say that most “impulses” people control are at least tangentially related to sexual roles. These avatars, or people who think they’re channeling this avatar sound like they’d be almost 100% rapists.
By the way, this Archetype reads like it’d be related to the Dark Stalker. Lots of cross over on style, but with more reasonable Channels.
It’s more intended to be a really black and white archetype, showing both the good and bad sides of humanity. If you don’t have a raging sex drive, you won’t be raping people constantly, and if you have a passion for justice or whatever, that’ll be your focus.
I made the channels powerful on purpose, but I also tried to make the taboo a bitch. I mean, you’re not going to be getting a large enough boost every time you do something to counteract all the illegal things you’ll wind up doing, so avatars of this are either extremely short lived or have been over time weaned off the more destructive urges of humanity.
I think I undestand why the powers are as powerful as they are.
The Free Man, is indeed a powerful archtype, but given the abilities they are given none the less. These powers and the attitude and actions of the Avatars begin to, or may begin to create rather harmful situations for them to get out of.
Thus the more trouble the Avatar gets into, the more power he needs to get out of. So perhaps these avatars, are quite plentiful, and many rise and fall quite fast.
This could be one archtype that continually has changing godwalkers, as they are continually burning out and dieing…
Just my early morning Canadian Dollar.
I don’t know. Just because you need more power to get out of the shit your path gets you into, doesn’t mean you should get it. UA doesn’t really try to ballance out the pros and cons that way. This sort of path (eg: Dark Stalker) often requires plenty more alienating behavior than payoff; that’s why this game leaves so-called normals in such good shape, all things considered. I still say there’s too much pay-off, despite the seeming cost.
As it reads, these avatars must attempt to get laid about as often as normal people masterbate. If they don’t find willing partners as often as they have the urge, they are required to force themselves on whoever catches their eye. Unless these guys have been castrated, they are damn sure to be serial rapists. It’s just the nature of testosterone.
Well, not all of the avatars are guys, for one thing, and the other, no one short of sex addicts needs sex as often as you’re talking about. Sure, it’d be nice to have sex, but it’s not something that’s the total focus of their lives right then.
And anyone who follows this path will be plenty alienated as it is. Just as a basic personality issue, people like this would be always mouthing off about their opinions. All that honesty gets to people.
Seems to me you could solve that problem by finding another person who’s walking this particular path, who happens to be of whatever gender you prefer and waiting for your hormones to syncronize. Presto, willing partner… or at least someone who’d understand what you’re going through. Get ready to be kicked in the genitals a few times, though.
Also, you don’t have to go along with EVERY momentary impulse… just the really powerful or persistent ones.
Really powerful or persistant… like a sex-drive, for example? If something takes enough of your attention to cause you to generate a fantasy about getting it, I’d say it would qualify as the “must indulge at all cost” section of the taboo. If they ever fantasize about sex, they’d go off and force it on the world.
On the other side, they may just frequent plenty of hookers. Either way, the path reads like you can’t sublimate without breaking the taboo, because you’re just pursuing the root of your desire.
This is just a pot-a-to/pot-ah-to thing. I happen to believe that the sex drive, while really damn persistant, isn’t powerful enough to count for taboo. Sure, people fantasize about sex all the time, but then again, people also fantasize about killing their boss all the time. Whatever you think is fine with me, but that’s just my take on it.
” Masks: John Yossarian from Catch-22 is about as close as fiction has gotten.”
I would also include “V,” from Alan Moore’s V FOR VENDETTA…
And several charachters from the online comic Road Waffles.
Not to mention, well, Number 6, the Prisoner. “I am not a number, I am a Free Man!”, “I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, briefed, debriefed, or numbered. My Life is my own,” and all that.
Of course, I’d give him totally different channels. And he gets powered from being free in mind, when his physical actions are restricted.
How about Space Moose?!
http://www.spacemoose.com
Unfortunately, this site seems to be down. Damned shame, that…