[UA] Pyrrhic Victor - Archetype Write-Up (suggestions?)

Matthew Rowan Norwood matt at adsubtract.com
Tue Jun 12 14:53:50 PDT 2001


Interesting sub-archetype of the Fool (Plutarch called Pyrrhus "The Fool
of Hope"). Also evokes shades of the Martyr and the Pilgrim. All in all,
though, this kind of obsession is more the realm of the adept than the
avatar: magical practice in UA more often than not turns into a Pyrrhic
victory over the forces of the universe.

> Suspected Avatars in History: Obviously, the Pyrrhic
> King.

Er... do you mean Pyrrhus?

http://www.e-classics.com/pyrrhus.htm

> Another is King Agamemnon (of the Greek drama
> the Orestia) for whom the price of military victory
> was member of his family.  To gain favorable winds for
> his fleet, the King sacrificed his daughter, for which
> he was killed by his wife, who would then be killed by
> their son.

Greek tragedy is saturated with this figure: Creon is a good example, as
is the guy who gets to trade someone's life for his own and ends up with
his wife dead (friend of Hercules?). Also lots of stories about being
careful what you wish for: e.g. the guy who wants eternal life but
forgets to ask for eternal youth and so ends up shriveled into a
grasshopper.

> 1-50%: Tick-Tack-Toe
>      The PV is, above all, a tragic figure.  Its
> avatars can evoke that tragedy around a conflict.  By
> making an Avatar roll, the Pyrrhic Victor can make a
> target feel that the consequences of whatever conflict
> equal or outweigh the benefits of winning.  The target
> feels that the price of winning is too high.  However,
> the target may still continue, especially if they have
> nothing to lose or if avoiding the conflict would cost
> them just as much.  (Some kind of Self check?)

Sounds like the PV is treading on Peacemaker territory here.

The other channels remind me of a mix of Martyr and Masterless Man. 

Some good ideas here, but I don't think it would fit with my conception
of avatars in UA.

-Matt Norwood

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