While superheroes sometimes have trouble telling one UNTIL agent from another, the truth is they’re not the faceless drones their helmets, uni-forms, and military efficiency sometimes make them seem to be. Each agent is an individual — a person with his or her own hopes, dreams, fears, and motiva-tions. Some of the more common personality types found among the ranks of UNTIL include:
THE AUTHORITARIAN
The Authoritarian is a control freak. He thinks the world is too disorderly a place; all the chaos and bickering nations lead to countless problems, including crime. He’d prefer it if a right-minded person — himself, perhaps — were in a position to make people do as they ought to. While he’s not a fascist, the Authoritarian definitely has a tendency to want to be in a position where he issues orders and other people obey them. That leads a lot of this type of agent to try for command positions, which sometimes is a good thing for UNTIL and some-times not.
The Authoritarian usually belongs to Urban Division. A specialization in Tactical Command is common.
Possible Disadvantages
Psychological Limitation: Control Freak (Common, Moderate) (10 points)
Psychological Limitation: Must Be In Charge In Any Situation (Common, Strong) (15 points) BLASTER BOY
The Blaster Boy (or Girl) is a high-tech gun nut. He joined UNTIL because it would teach him to use cutting-edge firearms, and then actually let him use them in combat conditions. He’s the sort who, if he had criminal inclinations, would almost certainly join VIPER for the exact same reasons;
fortunately, he’s a decent sort of guy who’d rather help people than hurt them.
Blaster Boys almost always join the UD, often becoming Heavy Weapons agents.
Possible Disadvantages
Psychological Limitation: Love Of Combat (Common, Strong) (15 points)
Reputation: likely to start firefights 8- (5 points) THE FOREIGN LEGIONNAIRE
The opposite of the World Patriot, this type of agent retains a strong loyalty to his home nation.
In many cases he would have preferred to join his national military or police, but something — family tradition, a disgrace known in his homeland but which he hid from UNTIL recruiters, the folly of youth — steered him into UNTIL’s arms instead.
While he wouldn’t, generally speaking, betray UNTIL, his first love is his homeland. He often speaks highly of it (or denigrates other countries), and might be tempted to sell UNTIL’s secrets to it in some situations.
Possible Disadvantages
Psychological Limitation: [Nationality] Patriot (Common, Strong) (15 points)
Psychological Limitation: Hatred Of [Rival Nation]
(Uncommon, Moderate) (5 points)
Reputation: something negative in his homeland that wouldn’t matter so much to UNTIL
THE POLITICIAN
This agent joined UNTIL as much for the political and leadership opportunities it affords as for the chance to fight supercrime. Smart, quick on his feet, and suave, he often intends to enter poli-tics one day, either in his home nation or the UN itself, and wants UNTIL service on his record for some reason. Or he may prefer to enter the upper ranks of UNTIL as quickly as possible; it’s a better organization that offers him more opportunities than his nation’s military. In either case, he often has diplomatic skills (Conversation, High Society, Persuasion, and so on) and is as likely to try to use them as his blaster if he has the chance.
The Politician usually signs up for the Urban Division, though the EWD, C&F, or the IC may suit his preference for “an indirect approach” enough to attract him.
Possible Disadvantages
Psychological Limitation: Looks Out For Number One (Common, Moderate) (10 points)
Psychological Limitation: Prefers Reason To Force (Common, Moderate) (10 points)
THE PROFESSIONAL
The Professional has a military mindset — he’s the consummate soldier. Prior to joining UNTIL, he may have belonged to his national military. If so, he chose to leave for some reason, shifting to UNTIL because it, like an army or navy, operates with military efficiency; being an agent also offers the opportunity for combat experience. Given his efficient approach to UNTIL actitivities, he may be well-suited for command, but his intolerance for people who don’t think and act like him often cause his men to loathe him.
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Professionals usually join the Urban Division.
Combat Pilot, Heavy Weapons, Sky Cavalry, and Vehicular Operations are all favored specializations.
Possible Disadvantages
Distinctive Features: Preternaturally Neat, Nothing Is Unpolished Or Out Of Place (Easily Concealable, Noticed and Recognized) (5 points)
Psychological Limitation: Dismissive Of Non-Mili-tary Or Non-UNTIL Personnel (Common, Moder-ate) (10 points)
THE SUPER-HATER
This type of UNTIL agent harbors a deep hatred for superhumans — either a specific super-human (or superteam), or all supersuper-humans in general. The former attitude usually arises because the agent experienced some tragedy in his life that he blames on supers. For example, his parents may have died in a supervillain attack, or the New Knights may have failed to save his fiancee from some disaster. The latter attitude is more subtle; it usually results when something — such as losing his job to a new super-tech-based company — con-vinces the agent that superhumans cause more trouble than they cure.
In either case, the Super-Hater goes after supervillains with undisguised zeal, and deals with superheroes brusquely when he can’t avoid them altogether. His record may describe incidents of brutality (or suspected brutality) against supervil-lains. He may choose Heavy Weapons or one of the vehicle-oriented specializations so that he has more firepower to use against “those super-bastards.”
Possible Disadvantages
Hunted: increase his Watched by UNTIL to 11-Psychological Limitation: Hatred Of Superhumans
(Common, Strong) (15 points) Psychological Limitation: Hatred Of [A Particular Superhuman Or Super-team] (Common, Strong) (15 points) THE THIRD WORLD ESCAPEE
This agent comes from a Third World nation — usually in Africa or Asia. He joined UNTIL not so much because he believes in its mission or the mission of the UN (though he may) but because it gave him the opportu-nity to get the hell out of his impover-ished homeland. Thanks to his position in UNTIL he earns enormous (by his standards) amounts of money, gets to travel the world, can play with high-tech weapons and gadgets, and rubs shoulders with famous people. That, combined with the glamour of UNTIL, make being an agent the perfect career for him... though he might jump ship if a big corporation or the like offered him a really high-paying job.
This type of agent almost never joins the Wilderness or Oceanic/Arctic Divisions; the hardships those posi-tions often entail are exactly the sort of thing he’s trying to get away from.
Possible Disadvantages
Psychological Limitation: Greedy (Common, Strong) (15 points)
Psychological Limitation: Feels Guilty About Abandoning His People (Uncommon, Moderate) (5 points)
THE THRILLSEEKER
The Thrillseeker lives for the rush of high-speed car chases, combats against supervillains, and firefights with VIPER agents. He may have a death wish, but it’s more likely he’s simply an adrenaline junkie who considers UNTIL the best place to get his “fix.” His “swashbuckling” attitude often does not exactly endear him to his fellow agents, who think he’s dangerous and likely to get them shot.
Possible Disadvantages
Psychological Limitation: Thrillseeker (Common, Strong) (15 points)
Psychological Limitation: Adrenaline Junkie, Seeks Out Most Dangerous Way to Do Things, Can’t Do Things The “Safe” Way (Very Common, Strong) (20 points)
Psychological Limitation: Refuses To Go Along With Cautious Plans (Common, Moderate) (10 points)
Reputation: Swashbuckler, 11- (10 points) TRUTH, JUSTICE, AND THE UNTIL WAY
This type of agent genuinely believes in UNTIL’s mission to make the world a better, safer place. Being an agent gives him a chance to help people, protect the innocent, and fight crime even
though he doesn’t have superpowers. Other agents may regard him as naive or a dreamer, but they at least respect the sincerity of his beliefs.
Due to his attitude, TJ&UW is usually an excellent agent, a model of efficiency who earns commendations and promotions for his accom-plishments and spotless disciplinary record. But sometimes he prefers to focus entirely on the job and the good he can accomplish, dismissing proce-dural requirements as nonsense... an attitude that’s likely to get him in more than a little trouble with his superiors.
Possible Disadvantages
Psychological Limitation: Truth, Justice, And The UNTIL Way (Common, Strong) (15 points) Psychological Limitation: Just Wants To Get The Job Done; Can’t Stand Procedures Or Paperwork (Common, Strong) (15 points)
THE WORLD PATRIOT
The World Patriot has a firm, sincere belief in the concept of a “one world government,” and believes the United Nations will eventually become the government of a united Earth. He wants to be on the front lines of that change, helping to make it happen, and he sees UNTIL as the best way to do that. Eventually Humanity will give UNTIL the authority to enforce the Uniform Earth Code of Justice anywhere in the world, and he’s ready for that job.
Possible Disadvantages
Psychological Limitation: One World Government Patriot (Common, Moderate) (10 points)
Psychological Limitation: Hatred Of Nationalism (Common, Moderate) (10 points)
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