We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
The most reluctant of reluctant heroes, the everyman does not particularly crave adventure and excitement. He just wants to live his live and has no particular need to prove himself or engage in thrilling heroics. The everyman steps into the role of the hero because nobody else can or will and in many cases because it’s The Right Thing To Do.
Likely Stories
Reluctant heroes can be found anywhere, but are particularly popular in action and horror stories.
The Name Game
The everyman hero is a common man, and therefore will have a common name.
The Numbers
Although the everyman often seems ill-suited for heroics, his resourcefulness, determination, or strength of character ultimately make up for his lack of more traditional heroic traits. A good Brain Number will give the character the resourcefulness he needs to survive, while a good Nerve score will reflect the content of his character and his willpower. While an everyman hero may have a slightly above average Body Number, they are rarely in top physical condition.
Suggested Jobs: Actuary, Artist, Bootlegger, Boxer, Businessman, Civil Servant, Comic Book Geek, Community Organizer, Construction Worker, DJ, Doctor, Ex-Con, Farmer, Fratboy, Garbage Man, Gentleman of Leisure, Good Ol’ Boy, Iron Worker, IT Guy, Janitor, Mailman, Mechanic, Miner, Musician, Nuclear Plant Employee, Personal Trainer, Plumber, Repo Man, Roller Girl, Roofer, Roughneck, Scientist, Slacker, S-Mart Associate, Student, Taxi Driver, Test Pilot, Traveling Salesman, Truck Driver, Used Car Salesman, Waitress
Suggested Gimmicks: Cool Toy (Power Ring, High-Tech Tuxedo, etc.), Danger Sense, Die Hard, Duct Tape & Chicken Wire, Fearless, Friends In Low Places, Hard to Kill, Hears Things, Hide In Plain Sight, Iron Will, Ladies’ Man, Knows A Guy, Mr. Fix-It, Notices Everything, Prepared for Anything, Right Place/Right Time, Survivor, Tough As Nails, Weird Luck
Suggested Weaknesses: Big Mouth, Code of Honor, Cowardly, Getting Too Old For This Shit, Heart of Gold, Hits Like A Girl, In Over His Head, Legend In His Own Mind, Looks Suspicious, Sqeamish, Weird Luck, Wrongly Accused, Wrong Place/Wrong Time
Suggested Skills: Arm Wrestling, Athletics, Area Knowledge, Bartending, Bowling, Brawling, Breaking and Entering, Bullshit Detector, Chess, Comic Book Trivia, Computers, Cooking, Couch Potato, Driving, Drug Lore, Eavesdropping, Fast Talk, Firearms, Good With Tools, Google-Fu, Improvised Weapons, Martial Arts, Music Trivia, NASCAR, Parrot Head, Poker, Pool, RPGs, Sailing, Salesman, Stealth, Swimming, Video Games
WWPHITM? David Arquette, Patricia Arquette, Drew Barrymore, Jack Black, Nicholas Brenden, Jeff Bridges, Bruce Campbell, Neve Campbell, Jackie Chan, Jamie Lee Curtis, Mos Def, Johnny Depp, Minnie Driver, Barbara Eden, Mike Epps, Emilio Estevez, Chris Evans, Harrison Ford, James Garner, Rupert Grint, Woody Harrelson, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Angelina Jolie, Jason Lee, Rob Livingston, Rose McGowan, Willie Nelson, Edward Norton, Bill Paxton, John Ritter, Kurt Russell, Sean William Scott, Alia Shawkat, Christian Slater, Will Smith, Sylvester Stallone, Kristy Swanson, Billy Bob Thornton, Alan Tudyk, Vince Vaughn, Bruce Willis, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Elija Wood
Tag Line: “Cavalry’s here. Cavalry’s a frightened guy with a rock, but it’s here.”–Xander Harris, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Tools of the Trade: Varies according to the character’s Job.
Where You’ll Find Him: At home, the local bar, a truckstop–just about anywhere, really.
Social Circle: Other regular folks appropriate to the characters background and social status. However, most everyman heroes have that one friend whose on a mission, always in trouble, or otherwise likely to get the everyman involved in his misadventures.
Sample Character
Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski
Body: 12
Brain: 12
Nerve: 12
Job: The Dude (15)
Gimmick: The Dude Abides (13)
Weakness: Strange Luck (13)
Skills: Bowling +3; Driving Around +2; Politics +1
WWPHITM? Jeff Bridges
Dumb Fact: You know the Seattle Seven? That was him…and six other guys.
Tag Line: “This aggression will not stand, man.”
HP: 12
YY: 4
Inspirational Materials
Books & Comics
Harry Potter series (Ron Weasley)
The Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy (Arthur Dent)
The Hobbit (Bilbo Baggins)
Justice Society of America (Ted Grant)
The Lord of the Rings (Frodo Baggins)
Starman (Jack Knight)
Movies & TV
Armageddon (Harry Stamper)
Big Trouble In Little China (Jack Burton)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Xander Harris)
Cellular (Ryan)
Evil Dead trilogy (Ashley J. “Ash” Williams)
Fight Club (The Narrator)
The Fisher King (Jack Lucas)
The Fugitive (Dr. Richard Kimble)
Harper Valley PTA (Stella Johnson)
Over The Top (Lincoln Hawk)
The Simpsons (Homer)
Tank (Sergeant Major Zack Carey)
True Romance (Clarence Worley)
