[UA] Jesus in the UnAverse (was RE: Interesting plotline gene rator...)

[Allen Smith]

On Dec 2, 11:50am, Nick Wedig wrote:

> Along the same lines, I once almost suggested a pair of archetypes
> taken from Plato: the tormented Philosopher and the Beloved Tyrant.
> Tormented philosophers have wisdom and knowledge, but are always
> attacked by the surrounding society (perhaps making this part of the
> martyr archetype).

Hmm... similar to the Promethan, found below.

> wonders if the Prophet has shifted to the Drug Addict archetype

Perhaps a more general drug user archetype? The oracle at Delphi (who
used volcanic vapors) would be an intermediate. Soma would be another
example. (Actually, the link between drugs and religion is quite
old... check out http://www.csp.org/index.html for some info and links.)

The Promethean (very rough draft):


                               The Promethean
                                      
   by Allen Smith (easmith at beatrice.rutgers.edu)
   
   I've been working on various versions of this Archetype for quite a
   while now, including the Scientist and the Hacker. This version is
   about the most successful I've come up with so far.
   
   Attributes:
   
   The Promethean is someone who discovers and brings (true) information
   to a culture whose authorities and/or society does not wish this
   information to become known. Prometheans known to mainstream society
   are mostly scientists, much to the relief of the Sleepers (who oppose
   all occult-oriented Avatars of this Archetype). There have been some
   exceptions, however, such as Aleister Crowley.
   
   The Promethean is not, despite the glorification of Prometheus in some
   poetry, a symbol of poetic inspiration. (It is quite possible that
   there is another Archetype for this, BTW.) It is of knowledge that is
   definitely true, including by the criterion of that acting according
   to it can be used to accomplish something (the basis both of
   scientific truth and of magickal truth).
   
   Taboo: It is taboo to the Promethean to conceal knowledge because of
   its social impact, or to avoid an area of research because its results
   may be controversial.
   
   Symbols: The most important symbol of the Promethean is,
   unsurprisingly, fire. The positive side of this symbol is expressed in
   candles, lit chalices, and lamps (fire that illuminates); the negative
   side in the burnings of past Prometheans (suspected to be a leading
   cause of Ascension) and of books. Other symbols include a white lab
   coat, lab equipment (once telescopes and chemicals, now more likely
   biological materials like petri dishes), and today the computer and
   Internet. In the Tarot, the Hanged Man is a symbol of this archetype,
   among others.
   
   Suspected Avatars in History: Giordano Bruno (thought to have Ascended
   when he was burned at the stake), Alfred Kinsey, Galileo, and Darwin.
   Ian Wilmut's announcement of cloning Dolly made him a possibility, but
   his statements since then opposing the cloning of humans have probably
   removed any chance he had. Among those publicizing magick, Aleister
   Crowley is the leading possibility; whether Gardner, founder of modern
   Wicca, was one is widely debated. Phil Zimmerman, author of PGP
   (Pretty Good Privacy; an encryption program that the US government
   considers a "munition") is a leading current candidate. Richard J.
   Herrnstein, co-author of The Bell Curve (albeit his incorrect
   conclusion that we know whether racial genetics influence IQ may
   disqualify him). Whether Socrates was an example is debated among
   occult scholars aware of this archetype; the ideas that so annoyed the
   Athenians may not qualify under provable truths, and his honesty when
   trying admirals for losing a war may have been more of a factor in his
   death. Some have claimed that Michael Servetus, a physician and
   scientist burned at the stake by John Calvin, is an example, but his
   death was because of his Unitarian beliefs, not his scientific
   discoveries.
   
  Channels:
  
   1%-50%: Any time you are attempting to persuade someone of something
   that you know to be true, you can use Avatar: Promethean instead of a
   persuasion skill, including flip-flopping rolls if Avatar: Promethean
   is your Obsession skill.
   
   51%-70%: At this level, you must select a main skill that you use to
   gain (or, as in Phil Zimmerman, use) knowledge. If this skill is not
   already your Obsession skill, you may flip-flop it. If it is, then if
   you fail on the skill, you can roll vs Avatar: Promethean; if this
   second roll is a success, you can use that roll (or a flip-flopped
   version of it, if preferred) instead of your original knowledge skill
   roll.
   
   71%-90%: This channel is the ability to get information out no matter
   what tries to stop you. By making a roll against this channel, any
   person in the world who is thinking about a particular area knows the
   information you want to transmit (similarly to All Is Known)... and
   that you are its discoverer or relator. (It has to be information that
   was not previously widely known, of course).
   
   91%+: The Avatar at this level becomes able to progress much more
   rapidly in their main knowledge skill. Experience points are half the
   normal number to gain new levels in that skill. (If using an alternate
   experience scheme in which the tens digit is used as the point cost,
   the Avatar should be able to use the lower of the tens and ones digits
   as the point cost.)

-- 
Allen Smith				easmith at beatrice.rutgers.edu
	

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