Post by NPC on Oct 21, 2009 11:08:32 GMT -5
HEROES
Hero - One that shows great courage. A man admired for his achievements and noble qualities
They play an important role literature. They are usual the protagonists. They are usually given an impossible task which they must over come.
In Heroes, heroes play a major role. Since season 3: Villains, many heroes have become villains and vice versa. There are two people who have always been heroes and stick out in my mind; Hiro and Matt.
For Eclipse: A Heroes RPG, heroes play a major role too. We have many Company members and Villains. Heroes are far and few in my opinion. Hopefully this guide can help those who wish to RP a hero and have trouble. I know a lot of people do.
ARCHETYPES
Archetypes are something that might help you in choosing a base to build off of when making you character. I will list common Hero Archetypes and examples of them in modern media.
1.) Purposeful Hero The purposeful hero is one who usually knows about his powers and wants to use them for good. This type of hero usually has good moral valves, has a good environment and his influences helped shape who he/she was.
Examples: Captain America and Superman.
Eclipse Examples: Patrick Solidus and Anzhela DeFrancisco.
2.) Antihero An antihero is a hero who doesn't follow the rules exactly. He is not like the Purposeful hero and will go outside his bounds to get the job done. For better or worse. Playing this character can go one of two ways. You can play it good, having everyone read your posts with excitement or you can play this very bad. Becoming a bad cliché. Playing this character for beginners is tough. And even for those who are a normal Role player. It can be a good transition for those who play the villains but I would suggest playing a character less muddled in between the lines of good and evil.
Examples: The Punisher and Batman.
Eclipse Examples: Pacy McNeil and Rachael Davis.
3.) Reluctant Hero The reluctant hero is one that is a step before an antihero. This character still doesn't know their role in the world and are still confused about their powers and how they should use them. People playing these characters should have fun. They would be considered "Neutrals". This character can shape into a unsung hero or a murderous villain. It's fun because you can have those who roles are define try and sway you. This is also a good choice for those beginner heroes.
Examples: Spider-Man and Han Solo
Eclipse Examples: John Kirkman (Went Good) and Trinity Stern (Went Bad)
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
There are a few things you must think about when choosing to make a hero.I will list three important things that I use to make a heroic type of character. I will also give an example of this is comic book heroes.
1.) Moral Obligation- Moral Obligation, or Motivation is probably the most important part in making your character. The demeanor of your character. This is shaped by many things, including Environment and Influences. It can come from consequences of the character's actions.
Example: Spider-Man learned the line "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility." Spider-man's tragedy is the loss of his Uncle Ben, he had ultimate power and used it selfishly. It caused the death of his Uncle. Something Spider-Man wouldn't forget and used to become heroic.
2.) Environment- A character's environment (roots) plays and big role in the shape of the character. Whether the environment is good or bad it will help your character into what he/she will become.
Example: Batman's environment was a horrible one. Crime caused the death of his parents at an early age. This fueled Batman to take up the mantle as becoming a hero, something Gotham City didn't have.
3.) Influences- Influences are again a huge part of a character's roots. Again this can be for better or worse. It can instill something good and wholesome or make a character wish he isn't like his parents/guardians. Influences include Outside Influences of the character. Later in life.
Example: Superman is a good example for this. His foster parents Jonathan and Martha Kent instilled a sense of moral justice and responsibility upon Superman which affected the type of hero he became.
MIXING AND MATCHING
Mixing and Matching archetypes is highly encouraged for maximum originality in creating your character. Remember that the archetypes are there to help you create a base of your character. His/her "shell". Adding and subtracting parts of the archetypes makes your character seem more complex and real, which makes good roleplays.
Example: Jack is a cross between a Purposeful Hero and a Antihero, which means he tries to do the right thing but sometimes his way of doing things are morally questionable. He grew up in abusive environment with a drug addicted father who often beat him when Jack was younger. This has shaped Jack's life that he hates drug dealers and those who abuse women and children and tries to use his power to help others. In fact he goes to Odessa, Texas to save the town from Crowe.
However, Jack can also be stubborn and overconfident due to his ability. Also he tends to dislike some forms of authority like the police due what he feels was part of the problems affecting society. And despite his concern for the rights of battered women and kids, it leads him to sometimes act condescending towards women which might make people think he picked a few bad habits from his father. He does do things outside the law which earns disapproval from those who are more heroic than him. But given the right influence, he is a Hero.
[ Hero definition from Merriam-Webster]
[Example in Mixing and Matching by Jack Murdock]
[Credit to John Kirkman for this lesson)