Callous with Sense of Duty

[nerdvana]

With both Col. Casey and Jayne mentioned one should think about reviewing the career of Adam Baldwin... I think he plays that type very often and he does such a good job (as evidenced by the aforementioned examples)

[vicky_molokh]

The Renegade version of Shepard from Mass Effect (esp. ME2) is exactly that. Or Kreia from KotOR2, until the final chapters (but she only cares about the Exile, not so much about the rest of the party).

[Rocket Man]

Captain Signy Mallory of the Norway (from "Downbelow Station") would seem to fit the pattern, too.

[Lord Carnifex]

Some devout Buddhists can come off this way, too. Sort of a "I care about your well-being and the state of your soul, but my dispassionate emotional removal from the situation keeps me from being emotionally attached or involved."

Some Christians, too: they care about you as one of God's children, but don't necessarily get emotionally caught up or attached.

[chris1982]

Sense of duty works fine with callous. You don't really care about people, but the party must stick together for the benefit of all.

[su_liam]

When you, as a member of his party, absolutely, positively need to get that projectile removed from your abdominal cavity before it explodes and you forgot to bring the anesthetic, he's your guy.

[martinl]

Also see Dexter.

[Kelly Pedersen]

Depending on the author, Batman can be another good example. He feels a deep sense of duty to the innocent, protecting their lives and well-beings at the risk of his own, but he's not very considerate about their emotional well-being. This is particularly evident in his behavior towards his close associates, Alfred and his various sidekicks. The "Goddamn Batman" version, if you will. :-)
Of course, as I said, this all depends on who's writing him - some versions of Batman are only harsh to criminals, and deeply, openly care for others.

[whswhs]

An odd nuance of this occurs to me: In a sense, this describes the libertarian political outlook. On one hand, libertarians believe that the government is absolutely obligated to protect people from force and fraud, to give them the maximal freedom of action, and to enable them to pursue their own interests and to help each other as they choose, so that they can pursue their own happiness as they see it; and one variety of libertarian justification claims that you will end up with more total well-being by forbidding people to benefit themselves by inflicting costs on other people than in any other way. But on the other hand, libertarians flatly reject any idea of the government stepping in to help people in need, or redistribute income or wealth, or guarantee a minimum level of subsistence. The classic libertarian view on the poor and the disabled is Ayn Rand's "If you want to help them, you will not be stopped." But underlying this is the idea that market forces produce the greatest well-being overall, and that the hardships they create along the way are for the general good in the long run. That looks a lot like Callous to me, but with the aim described for Sense of Duty. Of course, if you don't agree with libertarian economic views, you might also say there's a Delusion there, but I think the other two are still valid.

Or, as the old saying has it, "If you're not a socialist at 20, you have no heart. If you're still a socialist at 40, you have no brain."

I suppose you could say the same about other social philosophies; for example, a Marxist might want a society of universal freedom and wealth, but be willing to accept harsh necessities in getting there. But libertarianism is the case I know best.

Bill Stoddard

[davidtmoore]

My first thought was Leon from Leon/The Professional (depending on where you live).

He's a cold, ruthless murderer, but cares quite deeply for his plant and for Mathilde.

I'd allow a PC with Callous/Sense of Duty to trump the former with the latter.