As adapted (by me) for a revised version of Palladium's Robotech RPG:

IDEALIST
A combatants life requires killing and violence and that is okay as long as the cause is just. An idealist will try and only hurt 'the bad guys'. Seeing an innocent person killed, or worse yet, killing a bystander themselves, will cause an Idealist a great deal of emotional pain. Idealists will try to stop injustice by any means possible, even to the extent of threatening fellow military personnel including officers. Physical torture for the purpose of interrogation is not acceptable to an Idealist.
Goals: To do good, helping other people and to try and make the galaxy a better place.

IDEALIST-PACIFIST
This is the logical conclusion of the Idealistic mindset. Killing another sentient being is wrong! And it can be fairly easy to avoid killing. Often a Pacifist will only fire warning shots or disabling/crippling ones to enemy mecha during an entire firefight. A Pacifist will not kill to save their own life. The lives of their buddies, or even innocents, are another problem altogether. Sometimes, in extreme cases, a Pacifist may have to take the life of an enemy to protect the lives of their buddies. This will cause the Pacifist a great deal of personal anguish. Generally, officers and team leaders distrust and dislike Pacifists, often giving them the dirtiest jobs.
Goals: To avoid killing anyone.

OPPORTUNIST
Following orders is natural to Opportunists. They aren't in the military for their health. They likely enjoy the life they lead, but they wouldn't do it without being paid. Innocents get killed, non-combatants die in every war and you can't stand around crying for every poor alien who gets caught in the cross-fire. On the other hand, helping people feels better than hurting them. Staying alive means being an effective warrior. If you are good at your job you'll kill the enemy before he kills you.
Goals: Getting you and your buddies out alive is your main objective.

OPPORTUNIST-RIGHTEOUS
In the name of 'the cause', all things are justified. Killing or torturing the enemy is alright if it advances the cause. This is usually the ideologies of the leaders of most Robotech societies, even those that are opposed to one another. Righteous characters are willing to die at the drop of a hat. Charging into certain death or holding a position after it becomes hopeless is second nature. These characters also see nothing wrong in the deaths of innocents so long as the cause is advanced. Accidents happen but there is no reason to get upset about them. After all, some must suffer for the betterment of all.
Goals: Advancement of 'The Cause' is more important than anyone's life, including their own.

OPPORTUNIST-KARMIC
Some discover that the 'game of war' is more important than winning. This is the kind of character who will toss away a weapon to make the fight more even or who will let a particularly noble enemy escape. To their way of thinking, only a select few on each side of a war are true warriors. Karmic characters think of themselves more as Knights or Samurai than as modern warriors. In their worldview, the concept of 'fair play' has meaning. Killing lowly Invid drones, rogue Zentraedi or even Bioroid clones is unimportant. Even their own death is irrelevant so long as it is at the hands of a worthy opponent. The battles that are important are the ones where man and machine are pitted against the skill of another. This kind of character will stay in the military or become a Private Military Contractor so that they can continue to find battles worthy of their talent. Karmic characters are usually respected and feared by everyone. People seem to sense that they are no longer afraid of death and they will rarely be hassled by anyone.
Goals: To fight in challenging battles and prove oneself.

MALIGNANT
Anyone who happens to get in the way of a Malignant character is so much dirt to be scraped off their boot. Lives count for absolutely nothing. Getting paid and getting revenge are the only things that really matter. People will just naturally dislike Malignant characters. Their fellow soldiers will think of them as scum. This kind of character will often have traps deliberately set against them. Officers of this type, often martinets, have a nasty track record of being 'fragged' by their subordinates. Even teammates will be reluctant to save the life of a Malignant.
Goals: Stay alive and get ahead.

MALIGNANT-PSYCHOTIC
In every war there are people who are just plain nuts! These are the maniacs who just go kill-crazy. Since everyone is a potential enemy, they feel its best to kill them all before they do the same. Even their fellow soldiers are not to be trusted. In extreme cases, this character just lives for killing, demanding they be assigned to where they can kill the maximum number of hostiles. These characters generally have little or no regard for their own lives. They either know they are not going to die or else they know that death is inevitable. Either way, their the most dangerous people around. Psychotics are instantly recognized and feared by everyone. Since they are simply time bombs waiting to go off, most people will work stay out of their way.
Goals: Kill as many 'enemies' as possible.

I quite like the notion of mechanics informing roleplay (if handled correctly) to me a stat that gives you bonuses in combat, but also prevents you from leaving said combat such as Bravery sounds interesting, it implies a double edged stat, one you roll with for benefits, but also can screw you in the right moment.

Quote from: Insane Nerd Ramblings on May 24, 2024, 11:27:30 AMAs adapted (by me) for a revised version of Palladium's Robotech RPG:

IDEALIST
A combatants life requires killing and violence and that is okay as long as the cause is just. An idealist will try and only hurt 'the bad guys'. Seeing an innocent person killed, or worse yet, killing a bystander themselves, will cause an Idealist a great deal of emotional pain. Idealists will try to stop injustice by any means possible, even to the extent of threatening fellow military personnel including officers. Physical torture for the purpose of interrogation is not acceptable to an Idealist.
Goals: To do good, helping other people and to try and make the galaxy a better place.

...

MALIGNANT-PSYCHOTIC
In every war there are people who are just plain nuts! These are the maniacs who just go kill-crazy. Since everyone is a potential enemy, they feel its best to kill them all before they do the same. Even their fellow soldiers are not to be trusted. In extreme cases, this character just lives for killing, demanding they be assigned to where they can kill the maximum number of hostiles. These characters generally have little or no regard for their own lives. They either know they are not going to die or else they know that death is inevitable. Either way, their the most dangerous people around. Psychotics are instantly recognized and feared by everyone. Since they are simply time bombs waiting to go off, most people will work stay out of their way.
Goals: Kill as many 'enemies' as possible.

Thanks !

Yeah, I do see how that fits a military / Spy game. I will keep that in my wheel house !

Quote from: Socratic-DM on May 28, 2024, 05:40:02 PMI quite like the notion of mechanics informing roleplay (if handled correctly) to me a stat that gives you bonuses in combat, but also prevents you from leaving said combat such as Bravery sounds interesting, it implies a double edged stat, one you roll with for benefits, but also can screw you in the right moment.

I'm right there with you on that !  The trouble is the "if handled correctly" . That can go wrong on both the DM & and the player side.