The Dude abides…
The Dude is an immovable object, a totally self-actualized being who sees the world and is unchanged. However, unlike the Warrior, the Dude is devoted to no particular cause other than apathy. He may set and pursue goals, but in the end the completion of a goal doesn’t really matter to him.
The dark side of the Dude is his immaculate ego. A true Dude will never correct any of his faults, and he sees the outside world as a distraction at best and a plaything at worst.
Symbols
The White Russian, comfortable clothing, the bowling ball, and sunglasses or other barriers between the eyes and the outside world. Nietzsche’s Appolonian symbol of a small boat in a tempest would also serve as a fine symbol of the Dude.
Masks
The Dude from the film The Big Lebowski, of course. It could also be argued that Merlin and other mythological figures of great wisdom and little action were precursors of the Dude.
Suspected Avatars in History
Amish, Pennsylvania Dutch, and others who refuse to change with the times are weakly channeling the Dude. So was everyone who stood idly by while Kitty Genovese was murdered.
Taboos
Nothing changes the Dude. An avatar of the Dude must choose a hairstyle, a mode of dress, a favorite drink, etc., and maintain them permanently. He might become physically disfigured against his will, but his self-image and the choices he makes about how he looks and behaves must not change. a Dude cannot disguise himself. If a particular brand of alcohol, pomade, or other thing a Dude considers to be part of his self-image goes out of business, tough.
If an avatar of the Dude ever shows the world that he deeply cares about something, he weakens the connection to his Archetype. This includes using his Passions, forming marriages or other emotional commitments, and displaying affection.
Channels
1%-50% the Dude can abide addictions and other forces that manipulate his desires. He can roll his Avatar: The Dude skill to resist psychological dependencies, some Pornomancer spells, certain Charm or Persuasion skills, and anything else that would make him want or care about something against his will.
51%-70% The Dude can harden his body and mind. He can roll Avatar: The Dude intstead of Mind to avoid getting a failed notch in Self, Violence, or the Unnatural. If he rolls a successful Avatar: The Dude check immediately after taking wound point damage, he subtracts the sum of the two dice he rolled for that Avatar check (like hand-to-hand attack) from the damage taken. He can’t use this to ignore all the damage; at least one point will still come through.
71%-90% The avatar of The Dude lives each day as though it were the first and last. Whenever he gets a full night’s sleep, roll Avatar: The Dude. If it’s successful, all damage and lingering magickal effects are removed from the Dude. The Dude can’t turn this power off, so beneficial magickal effects will wear off as surely as harmful ones.
91%-99% The Dude’s image is set in stone. The Dude will still age and take damage, but no force will change his external appearance without his consent. When he dies, his body will fall lifeless but remain intact and undecomposed until the world ends.
Also, at this level the Dude can continue to use all of his Channels even if he’s a sociopath (if he has all ten hard marks in two or more gauges or if his total number of hard marks exceeds 35). In this case, it is actually the Dude’s lack of empathy that connects him to the Statosphere. Sociopathic avatars of the Dude still suffer all the other problems associated with being a sociopath.
That sounds interesting, but I can see it being snapped up by one of those annoying players who are obsessed with playing “loner” types. The ones with no family, friends, mentors, or anything.
True. Still, a lone Dude is less obnoxious than a lone Masterless Man.
True dat. 🙂
This reminds me of the Bles Brothers and how they always wore those black suits all the time.
Sorry, it should be ‘Blues Brothers’.