Mook Archtypes

[Marcus Impudite]

Something I'm working on for a villains campaign, some common archtypes for criminal henchmen who will be available for hire:

 

#1: The Palooka

 

Also Called: The Bull Moose, The Tough, The Goon

 

General Description: Heavy on brawn, light on pretty much everything else. Usually a fellow who spent a lot of time in prison bulking up and lifting weights.These are the most commonly available criminal henchmen and the sort you hire when you just need muscle and don't particularly care if they have brains or finesse.

 

Typical Abilities: High strength and toughness (for a normal).

 

#2: The Nutjob

 

Also Called: The Wacko, The Fruitcake (as in nutty as a...), The Psycho

 

General Description: These guys live for the opportunity to cause chaos, mayhem, and destruction... though getting paid for it is a nice side benefit. Most in the underworld will be reluctant to hire them due to their volatile, unpredictable personalities. The more skilled Nutjobs usually find employment simply because anyone with the same chops who is willing to work for the same pay scale is in all likelihood just as crazy.

 

Typical Abilities: A disturbingly high percentage of these characters are skilled at committing arson and/or using explosives.

[Spidey88]

Re: Mook Archtypes

 

Would you like contributions of other mook archetypes?

[Marcus Impudite]

Re: Mook Archtypes

 

Yes please.

[Spidey88]

Re: Mook Archtypes

 

#3: The Professional

 

This is a guy who's been around the block as a henchman. He may or may not actually hench for a living, but he could if he was so inclined. His two primary strengths are his work ethic and stability (which is how he continues to get work with supervillains). Basically, he knows how to take orders, knows when to ask questions and when to keep his mouth shut, looks out for the needs of his employer, and most importantly, he knows who to work for. He'd never work for a nutjob like the Joker, or a fanatic like King Cobra - it's just too risky. He's loyal, but only to a point - he's seen enough jobs go south to know when it's time to cut and run!

 

 

 

#4: The Copycat

 

This sort of henchman is stuck knee-deep in hero (villain) worship. He's taken up with his employer due to overwhelming admiration for his style, methods, goals, or even just motif; and he wants desperately to follow in his footsteps and impress him. Obviously, this sort of mook tends to be a little unhinged - manifesting primarily as obsessive loyalty to the villain (which can sometimes switch to abject fury if he's been sufficiently spurned). The copycat may also view the villain as a romantic interest - these types tend to be REALLY intense.

 

The main difference between a Copycat mook and a sidekick is primarily in the way the villain treats the other - a mook isn't generally treated with much respect.

 

Example: Harley Quinn

[Nothere]

Re: Mook Archtypes

 

#5 the Suck Up

 

Considered a nobody by much of society, this type of hjenchman takes it as a sign of pride that somebody powerful finally has a use for them. This type is a double eged sword though. In groups and around the boss their strengths are loyalty, dedication, and a willingness to commit just about any crime to impress the boss. But when they get cut off from the group the speed with witch they cave and tell all they know shows why most people don't like them.

[Shadow Hawk]

Re: Mook Archtypes

 

#6 Mr. Prepared

 

He's the one with the second chance body armor, the hold out weapon, a smoke grenade, the fake ID claiming to be a undercover FBI agent... He may be well prepared (high quality forgery!) or not (Is this in crayon?). Many of his fellow henchmen and bosses don't like him, because his preperations often seem to involve escaping the boss's failures...

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: Mook Archtypes

 

#7: The Smart Guy

 

Also Called: The High-Brow, The Know-It-All

 

General Description: Typically not as physically imposing as, say, the Palooka, the Smart Guy is probably too much of a thinker to make a good henchman. His fellow henchmen may look at him with distrust, but if things are desperate, they might just listen to him.

 

Typical Abilities: A science skill or two, and perhaps a handy gadget. He might also know about a hero's vulnerabilities or weaknesses.

 

#8: The Three-Time Loser

 

Also Called: Bottom-of-the-Barrel

 

General Description: This guy just can't catch a break. He's a henchman because, frankly, it's the best job he could get, and he's really not that good at that, either. Nobody else wants to spend too much time with Mr. 3-Time, fearing his bad luck will wear off.

 

Typical Abilities: Does Unluck count as an ability? How about Whining? On the plus side (for the heroes), this guy is more likely than others to make a deal, because he doesn't have much to lose.

[David Blue]

Re: Mook Archtypes

 

#9: The Hero Killer

 

Also Called: The Turk (based on Turk Barrett, from Daredevil comics)

 

General Description: Medium brawn, strong on shamelessness and vengeful ambition, light on pretty much everything else. The Hero Killer is determined to kill a particular hero, but he has just enough awareness to appreciate that his odds of doing so solo are not good, so he works for a villain, waiting for The Day! When that day arrives, The Hero Killer will leap, elbow, shout and argue his way to the head of the queue to be the (sole) executioner. With big occasion nerves and a wildly over-elaborate imagination, he will thoroughly botch the task. (If he introspects on this afterward, he'll realize that he was nervous before but he'll be fine next time, and that what he really needed was a fancier plan.)

 

Typical Abilities: Moderate to good strength and toughness (for a normal), surprisingly high PRE for a thug, and the ability to go straight-faced and with full confidence into schemes that even other bottom of the barrel thugs think are embarrassing. Since killing super-heroes doesn't put supper on his table, what gets him by from day to day is shaking down the disabled, dressing up as Santa and robbing kids at Christmas, kidnapping de-clawed cats and other family pets for ransom, and so on. If a scheme might just work, but only when carried out by a goon with immense effrontery and no character at all, the Hero Killer is on it, and any embarrassment when a hero frustrates the scheme Must ... Be ... Avenged!

[Big Monkey]

Re: Mook Archtypes

 

#10: What the Heck Am I Doing Here?

 

Also Called: Clueless

 

General Description: Can be of any physical type, and may cross-over with any of the other Mook types. An interesting combination of smarts and stupidity. He's stupid enough to have signed on with the supervillain in the first place, but smart enough to realize that, now that the villainy is going on, working for a supervillain is likely to end up badly for him. He wants out, but he's not sure how to do it. He'll be hesitant when the crimes are going down, and will be the first guy to sing like a canary when captured.

 

Typical Abilities: Can have almost any skills or abilities consistent with basic Mookdom, but is generally competent enough to not be considered a drag on the team (at least based on his skills). May actually have one or two areas in which he's an acknowledged expert (computer hacking, driving, safecracking, demolitions, and so on... and on this basis he was sought out by the villain), but has little to no actual history as a criminal.

[GoldenAge]

Re: Mook Archtypes

 

#11: Conflicted Crook

 

General Description: Can be of any physical type, and may cross-over with any of the other Mook types. The Conflicted Crook is a normally righteous man who, due to forces beyond his control, has been compelled to lead life of crime. The Conflicted Crook seeks out Mookdom as a means to provide for his family or due to blackmail, often rationalizing that he is only taking orders and that the ends of his actions justify the means.

 

Typical Abilities: The Conflicted Criminal can come from any walk of life be it blue or white collar. He can be either totally out of his element or particularly good at his work. The premier talent of the Conflicted Crook is his conscience. Often he will covertly help in the defeat of his employers, sometimes rallying behind his own sense of morality to the point of self sacrifice.

[death tribble]

Re: Mook Archtypes

 

#12 Loyal Lieutenant

General Description: Often these are like the professionals only they don't run they fight to protect the boss. They either share the same beliefs as the boss or are loyal to the boss.

 

Typical Abilities: Some sort of leadership skill and other professional skills are a must. Examples would include Jussac the Captain of the Cardinal's Guard or indeed Darth Vader.

#13: Forced employee

 

General Description: They don't want to work for the boss but they have to. Maybe they owe a large debt. Maybe the boss holds their kids hostage or maybe the bomb filled disc around their neck ensures their loyalty.

 

Typical Abilities these may be combat specialists or specialists in other fields such as computing. They perform their tasks well so that either they don't die or the loved ones don't.