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The Hermit (v2.0)

Retreat from Society

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Attributes: *Hermits, best known as being reclusive individuals, usually live alone or with a quiet pet. Often times, they are poets or religious fanatics who go in search of a simpler way of life. Motivations to do so include wanting to purify one’s self, to avoid evils and temptations in society, and to devote one’s entire self to the advancement of his or her devotion at hand. Many childless widowers start to walk this path in their grief, and several ascetic orders cultivate these virtues.

Where the Masterless Man is independent of others, the Hermit avoids dealing with them at all. To become a Hermit requires almost complete isolation from society, which includes all forms of news, along with the abandonment of comfort, family, marriage, property, and pleasure. In addition, many Hermits undertake chastity, fasting, meditation, and silence. They observe no uniform rule of life.

While the population of Hermits has declined in recent decades (no conclusive census has ever been taken, due to the Hermit’s reserved lifestyle making them difficult to locate) there is still a vital collection of recluses. Some continue to live in caves or Spartan buildings, but today most reside in more contemporary locations such as apartments and in RV’s.

Taboo: The Hermit must have a “cave.” It can be a complex or a single room, but he must spend most of his waking hours there… alone. If a Hermit is employed, he must go directly to and from work and communicate as little as possible. Initiating a conversation weakens the connection to the Archetypes, though an occasional written correspondence is OK. Extended contact is allowed only with other Hermits, and even then too much talking can draw the ire of the Archetype.

Symbols: Caves, candles and hooded clothing.

Masks: Anthony the Abbott, Siddhartha.

Suspected Avatars in History: Henry David Thoreau, Emily Dickenson, J.D. Salinger, and Ted Kaczynski (the Unabomber) all showed signs of channeling the Hermit.

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CHANNELS: 01-50%: Your solitude helps you focus your mind and enact your intentions with the whole of your will. After a successful Avatar check, your next action can gains a +10% shift.

51-70%: By turning inward, Hermits can become lambs or monsters. With only himself for moral guidance, the Hermit is gradually able to mold his own concept of normalcy. Once a month, the Avatar can add or subtract a Hardened notch to his madness meters. This does not require a check. If he has no Hardened notches on a gauge, he can then subtract a Failed notch instead. In addition, the Hermit no longer needs to make Isolation stress checks at all.

71-90%: After a few minutes of meditation and a successful Avatar check, the Hermit’s mind can retreat from his body, projecting onto the astral plane not unlike a Dipsomancer’s Astral Stumble. This profound communion with his inner essence also makes rituals and esoteric, charismatic or artistic skills (See Auras, Hunches, Intimidate, Commanding Presence, Poetry, etc.) much easier to learn, costing half the normal XP. It is not uncommon to return from these meditations with some profound or unique insight.

91+%: The Hermit is now free from worldly concerns. He is unaffected by extreme climates, can go without food, water and sleep for a number of days equal to his Avatar rating, and go without air for an equal number of minutes.

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* Attributes text excerpts by Courtney Hanneman and Megan Hawkins.

Avatars Menzoa |

5 thoughts on “The Hermit (v2.0)”

  1. Menzoa says:

    Hopefully this gets refiled in the right section. The description text is different, as are half the channels (which were also juggled a bit).

    All in all, I think it’s an Archtype that can carry both good and evil interpretations. They’re not much for immediate PC play, but this seems like a path people would walk intermittantly, like Siddhartha did. I could see having been a hardcore Hermit as a way to explain “special” skills like see auras, and such.

    Reply
  2. paladin says:

    Hmmm…I like the concept, and the channels in general. However, I can’t help but get the feeling that the 91+ channel is a little underpowered. It’s just perhaps a but mundane compared to the really mystical stuff that a lot of the other archetypes are capable of. You might even consider making the 71-90 channel more powerful and switching them. Just a thought, nice job though.

    Reply
  3. Menzoa says:

    I figured that going three months between meals would be enough. It’s roughly comparable to the Loyal Laborer’s fourth channel, if not quite as strong. Maybe if there wasn’t a time limit to the immunity?

    But then again, there’s no mandatory power match-up, like the way the third Gambler channel matches the second Merchant channel.

    Reply
  4. Menzoa says:

    Also, the fourth channel modifies the third, allowing for 3-month astral journies. That was my reasoning for not making it permanent. I wanted to give them a reason to return from the astral plane every now and then. But if you don’t mind it, you can ignore the time limits on going without food/water/sleep/air.

    Reply
  5. Menzoa says:

    In retrospect, yea, I think I agree with your change. I’ll post a revision, but I’m determined not to bother Tynes with this site more than once a month or so.

    Reply

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