Greatness and weakness are two sides of the same coin.
Attributes: The Flawed Hero embodies the simple truth that no one is perfect, and that the most prodigiously talented among us often have defects to match. The archetype has probably found its most accurate representation in classical tragedy, in the form of great men destroyed by fatal hubris, but there are avatars of the Flawed Hero in all walks of life. There’s the general led to his doom by his own vanity, for instance, and the classical composer ruined by his dissolute ways. Combine incredible talent and a potentially fatal character flaw in one person, and the Flawed Hero is invariably the result.
Taboos: The Flawed Hero is in brazen defiance of the archetype if he ever tries to correct his greatest defect of character. For some, this defect is also their Obsession so they tend to stay on the path (albeit ill-advisedly).
Symbols: Anything which embodies the weakness of the individual – alcohol, drugs and cards are potent links to the Flawed Hero.
Masks: Hercules (Greek), Coriolanus (Roman), King Saul (Biblical), Sir Lancelot (Arthurian).
Suspected Avatars in History: There are quite a few. Some occultists point to characters like Oedipus and Pentheus in classical Greek drama as fictional depictions of avatars, and others harbour suspicions about a godwalker conflict between Caesar, Brutus and Antony. More recent examples of likely avatars include Mozart, George Armstrong Custer and Colonel Alfred Redl, who sold Austrian Intelligence to the Russians to prevent them from exposing his dissolute lifestyle.
Channels:
1%-50%: This is one of the reasons why the Flawed Hero so often inspires awe and jealousy. With a successful Avatar: Flawed Hero skill roll, you simply aren’t affected by any penalties in your chosen area of expertise – it always looks infuriatingly effortless. You must choose one skill that this power applies to, and only one. It can never change, either.
51%-70%: Once a day, you can make a successful Avatar: Flawed Hero skill roll and change either the tens or the digits on a stat or skill roll to produce a matched success.
71%-90%: As long as you’ve been in touch with your dark side that day, you can make an Avatar: Flawed Hero skill check. If it’s successful you can change any single roll related to your chosen field into a critical success. Greatness and folly so often go hand in hand.
91%+: At the cost of giving into your inner demons in the manner described above, you can, once per day, gain a Minor Charge if you make a successful Avatar: Flawed Hero skill roll. This charge can be used normally if you’re an adept, otherwise it will dissipate within 24 hours and trigger a Minor Unnatural Phenomena that usually does something beneficial for you. But not necessarily – if you’re going to stay on the path of this archetype you’re always going to be on the edge of the abyss. Using this power might just tip you over.
a very intreuging concept; well done.
I like this, but would change the taboo:
Taboo: The Tragic Hero must never attempt to resist an urge to act upon his Tragic Flaw. An alcoholic could never pass up an opportunity for a drink. A possessive husband wouldn’t let his wife out of his sight without harassing her about what she was doing. A sex maniac would do the rounds of bars (and failing that, brothels) as often as is within their power.
Also, another change: the first two avatar channels can only be accessed if the Tragic Hero has somehow indulged his Tragic Flaw on the same day, but to access the last two channels this indulgence must have some sort of negative effect on his life – he must drink himself into a stupor, cause his wife to leave him, or sleep with a prostitute he knows is probably diseased. The closer to self-destruction the Tragic Hero gets, the closer he gets to perfection.