[UA] Achetype: The Soldier (War)

[eti at mb.sympatico.ca]

Ok.  The core rulebook hints at it, and I know passes have been
made at it on the list before, but here's my attempt at it: The
Soldier, a.k.a. War.  Please, do what y'all do best to it.  :)

___________________
Erik Isford
Edits the quarterly Mr. Teapot fanzine.


The Soldier (War)

Attributes:

The first human to heft a rock and smash a leopard or another
human in the defense of a mate, or for the furtherance of his
family group’s well-being became the chosen defender of that
family group.  Mate and young cowered in the bush while any new
threat was met by the same furry hominid, who gestured and
hooted and hefted rocks until the threat was abated or he was
destroyed.  Quickly, this way of life spread from family group
to family group as defender met defender and family met family. 
In this way, after The Mother and The Savage but before The
Hunter, The Soldier, or War, came to be.

The Soldier is the recognized protector of a given population -
chosen by circumstance, intentional nomination, or an impartial
draft; it’s all the same.  The Soldier is the individual who
fights so that others don’t have to, and is recognized for such.
 The Soldier is a very old archetype, one of the first, and is
consequently one of the simplest and most radically bipolar
archetypes.  The positive side of The Soldier is protective: the
shining knight who mans the walls against invaders and protects
the castle against the threat of outside hordes.  The dark side
of The Soldier is oppressive, choosing to protect the defended
population from itself through strict regimentation, scrutiny,
rules and regulations, and the ever-present threat of violence
for non-compliance.

The Soldier designates a population to protect, and defense of
that population is the reason for this archetype.  A Soldier’s
chosen population is any self-defined community that accepts,
requests, or demands the Soldier’s protection, and the
responsibility for which the Soldier accepts.  

Note, please, that The Soldier is not The Martyr, for The Martyr
has no choice but to sacrifice him or herself for the good of a
cause.  The Soldier is not The Executioner, for The Soldier is
neither offensive nor defensive by definition, but is instead
reactive and dynamic in the face of opposition.  Finally, The
Soldier is not The Hunter, for The Hunter pursues a prey, and
The Soldier’s enemy does not need to be tracked.

Taboos:

Consciously decline a request or plea for service from the
soldier’s chosen population.  Choose not to act in the defense
of the population’s "side." Betray the Soldier’s population. 
Surrender when victory is still an attainable goal.

Symbols:

In history, the spear, the shield, and the suit of armour
denoted The Soldier.  Now, though the old symbols hold some
power still, the modern military uniform, many-pocketed pants,
helmet, and rank designation mean "Soldier" to the common
person, as do assault weapons and heavy long rifles.

Suspected Avatars in History:

Interestingly, The Solider is likely one of the most
oft-channeled Archetypes of the twentieth century.  Think about
it: how many uncles or grandparents do you have who have a "war
buddy" story, where their Sarge, or their PFC, or their whatever
made an impossible shot at a critical moment, or who was
nigh-unsurprisable, or was absolutely unflappable in the face of
absolute carnage?  No one likely got too high in the
Avatar:Soldier skill, and certainly very few returned servicemen
would choose to stay in The Soldier’s path, so the Godwalker (if
there is one) of The Soldier was reasonably safe once open
global conflict subsided after Vietnam.

Specific historic avatars include James Ewell "J.E.B." Brown
Stuart, Gen. Smedly Butler (who may have had a trip through The
House of Renunciation), Fumio Nakahira, and countless Unknown
Soldiers, may they rest in peace.

Channels:

1%-50%: Flip-flop any attack against an established enemy -
i.e.: Someone belonging to a population that is actively trying
to harm the defended population, or is actively trying to harm
the Soldier.
51%-70%: If the avatar fails a violence or self check, the
avatar can re-roll the check using the Avatar:Soldier skill in
place of the avatar's Mind stat.
71%-90%: With successful use of the channel, the Soldier's
initiative is taken as a success at the level of the character’s
Avatar:Soldier skill.
91%+:  The Soldier can take a round to prepare and make an
Avatar:Soldier skill roll.  If the roll is successful, the first
successful attack the Soldier makes in the next round does
damage equal to the Soldier’s Avatar:Soldier skill.  Per the
prior two channels, the Soldier must be acting in the defense of
or the service of his or her protected population.  While
preparing (breathing calmly, choosing targets, humming the
Battle Hymn of the Republic, whatever), the Solider cannot do
anything that requires concentration or involved action. 
However, the Soldier is not immobile, so anyone attempting to
attack a preparing Soldier does not get any extra positive
shifts.  The Soldier can prepare, attack, prepare, attack, and
so on for each subsequent round as long as the Soldier is able
to act.  Soldiers cannot get multiple consecutive rounds of
massive attack with multiple consecutive rounds of preparation,
though.  Sorry.  Further, the avatar only gets enhanced damage
on the first successful attack made in the attack round - no
splitting the attacks and dishing out 300 points of damage in a
single round.




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