Crazy Survivalist

Basic Information

The Crazy Survivalist is a stock character who's certain that one day society will collapse, and he'll be one of the survivors. He prepares for this eventuality - stockpiling supplies, practicing with his rifle on lunchbreaks, setting up booby traps around the perimeter of his little shack in the woods, etc.

Related Tropes:

• Crazy Prepared
• Death By Pragmatism
• I Call It Vera
• Untrusting Community

Sources

Bibliography

1. TV Tropes Wiki

Game and Story Use

• One Crazy Survivalist in a shack in the woods is a Lone Nut, or maybe a retired badass looking to get away from their past.
• Two Crazy Survivalists are almost certainly Corrupt Hicks, and will probably go Ax Crazy after The Most Dangerous Game.
• A whole community of Crazy Survivalists are either a Cult or an Adventuring Party.

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Building This Character

Character Level and Attributes

• The power level of the character really depends on the needs of the story.
  • If they're the hero, they'll have a high level and high Physical Attributes.
  • A minor villain on the other hand, will not.
• In every version, Social Attributes tend to be a weak spot.

Skills

• Survival Skills are the most important, of course. Hunting, Tracking, and Agriculture, if they don't automatically fall under the survival umbrella.
• Repair and First Aid are a really good idea for anyone expecting civilization to collapse.
• Awareness and Stealth are common, and useful if you're paranoid or expecting to have to avoid looters, government agents, or zombies.
• Trapsetting, Security, Demolitions and/or Metalworking may help establish a perimeter.
• Marksmanship is a good one, as out in the woods you can practice without drawing too much attention, at least during hunting season.
• Melee too, specializing in knives, but probably not rated as highly as the shooting skills.
• Animal Handling is an option, as they are often depicted as having a big dog or two.
• Knowledge skills, with a specialization in Conspiracy Theories and Disasters.

Special Abilities

• The character has been stockpiling supplies for some time. In some systems, you can buy a Merit or Advantage of having extra resources - usually it's money, but your GM will probably let you have it be food, water, ammo and spare parts.

Flaws and Hindrances

• Paranoia, Persecution Complex, or other Mental Disorder would fit the trope to a T.
• Health issues, caused by living out in the woods, eating dehydrated food, and avoiding doctors.

Variants

• Some Crazy Survivalists are former Commandos, with all the specialist training that suggests. They may be qualified snipers, and have just more skills and points in general. In this case, any health issues will be old war wounds, and mental issues will be Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.