Dusty
| F Gd 10 |
A Gd 10 |
S Ty 6 |
E Ex 20 |
R Gd 10 |
I Ex 20 |
P Rm 30 |
Res Ex 20 |
Pop Sh 0 |
| Health: Karma: |
46 60 |
Origin:
Even if he seems to have supernatural prowess in the desert, Dusty is naught but a normal human. He lacks ascendant powers of any stripe, having no special abilities derived from an occult background, beneficial mutations, or anomalous phenomenon.
Known Powers:
(none)
Limitations / Enhancements:
(none)
Equipment:
Desert Survival Gear: Dusty always has desert survival gear with him on missions, stuff he can use to keep going in the hottest of climates. This includes an outfit that protects him from the sun, goggles to keep grit out of his eyes, and plenty of water canteens.
FAMAS Submachine Gun: Dusty usually carries one of these on all his missions. The Fusil Automatique, Manufacture d'Armes de St. Etienne, can fire a single round to inflict Typical (6) Shooting damage, a 3 round burst for +1 CS damage, or a full-auto spread for +2 CS damage.
Knife: in addition to his other gear, Dusty always has a knife handy - you never know when you'll need a blade. Made from Incredible (40) m.s. metals, this knife can be used to cut through items of like m.s., and allows Dusty to inflict Edged Attack damage in melee.
Sidearm: a backup for his FAMAS, should all else fail, Dusty always has one of these while 'on the job'. He can fire this hand cannon to inflict Typical (6) Shooting damage with a single shot, or +1 CS Shooting damage in a semi-auto spread.
Quirks:
(none)
Talents:
Guns: one skill he picked up in Army basic, this talent describes Dusty's mastery of ordinary firearms. Whether he's using a standard, semi-automatic, or fully automatic rifle or pistol, Dusty may do so as though his Agility was +1 CS higher than is listed above.
Languages / Arabic, English, Hebrew, Kahlka, and Kazahk: since he lives and works in deserts, Dusty has learned various languages spoken in such regions. He is fluent in Arabic, English, and Hebrew, and conversant in Kahlka (Eastern Mongolian) and Kazahk.
Martial Arts type B: a part of his essential Army training, Dusty has learned how to defend himself while unarmed. In weaponless melee, Dusty may attempt any punch, kick, head butt, knee smash, or anything else as though his Fighting score was +1 CS in rank.
Military / United States: the source for most of his skills, this 'background' talent has several handy functions. In addition to providing Dusty an inherent understanding of military protocols and procedures, it also offers him quite a few additional military contacts.
Repair / Tinkering: Dusty was a refrigerator repairman before he enlisted in the Army, much less hooked up with the GI Joe team. As such, he can repair and modify them, and most other mechanical or electrical devices, as though his Reason score was +1 CS in rank.
Survival: having a true love for the desert, Dusty is a student of desert biology as well as high temperature survival techniques. Even if he finds himself with no gear in desert climes, Dusty can scrounge up enough food, water, and shelter to get by indefinitely.
Contacts:
As a long-standing member of GI Joe, Dusty can readily rely upon his fellows for assistance should it be required; after all, it's usually him that's pulling their collective fat out of the fire. Furthermore, the man has additional, undocumented military contacts as well.
Costume:
Dusty's original, practical GI Joe field uniform includes brown camouflage trousers, a brown camouflage, collared shirt over a black T-shirt, black leather boots, a black leather belt, and a tan helmet with a cooling shroud mounted on the back.
Personality:
Dusty loves the desert and its unforgiving nature. He's quite an easy-going, cheerful fellow despite his inner toughness, and tries to see the best in any situation. This occasionally rankles his fellow Joes, but he's very good at what he does, and they respect him for that.
Real Name: Ronald R. Tadur, grade E-4 (later E-5)
Occupation: desert survival expert, refrigerator repair technician
Legal Status: citizen of the United States with no known criminal record
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: Ronald Rudat, Jeffrey Paquette *
Group Affiliation: GI Joe
Height: 5' 11"
Hair: brown
Eyes: brown
Weight: 170 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: none
* This is the name given to the Night Rhino driver, though this 'new' Dusty has the exact same background as the first. Unlike the new, 2002 Lifeline, this just seems a gross error, and there will be no 'Dusty 2' entry, as this character would be almost exactly the same.
Story:
Dusty was working as a refrigerator repair man and studying desert ecology when his GI Joe pre-enlistment application was approved. As such, the man had to go to Army basic at Fort Bliss in Texas, and he loved every minute of the blistering heat - it's truly his element.
He grew up in Vegas, after all, and was accustomed to the desert; it was his best friend by the time he was in high school. Breezing through the basic training pressure cooker, and passing the amazingly difficult Joe qualification exams, Dusty joined the team in no time.
He's quickly proven himself the Joe team's best desert operative, and demonstrates good leadership on missions he leads and/or participates in. In fact, most Joes wouldn't dare brave the dust storms, the sheet lighting, or the scorpions unless Dusty's on the job.
One of his first documented GI Joe missions involved him infiltrating a Terror Drome in the Middle East with Mainframe, to glean information about how the things worked. While it was a bumpy ride, the two Joes managed to succeed in their mission, and gained a potent ally.
This young freedom fighter, Rashid, grew up to be an incredibly effective hacker in Destro's occasional employ. This youth helps the Joes out whenever he can, which is handy in a world full of villains like the the computer-savvy ninjas known as the Night Creepers.
On another mission, to Trucial Abysmia, Dusty led three other Joes on a training exercise. Their objective was to destroy an arms cache left by American operatives when the previous regime was overthrown, lest its new leaders gain dangerous new technology.
The Joes were successful, but one of the trainees, Mangler, had to sacrifice himself to help the others to get away. Naturally, this didn't sit well with any of these Joes, particularly the surviving trainee - who had to repeat his entrance exams!
In another mission gone bad, this time in Benzheen, GI Joe was trying to prevent Cobra from overthrowing the nation. In the fighting, Dusty's pal Sneak Peek was gunned down, and having promised to do so, Dusty risked his life to retrieve his friend's fallen body.
When not on an active mission, Dusty tends to prowl around the Utah desert surrounding the third Pit. He's claimed this stretch of desert as his own, and reacts negatively when anyone goes poking around in it. He thus combines leisure and guard duty into a singular pastime.
Somewhere along the line, Dusty picked up a side kick of sorts, a desert coyote that he nicknamed Sandstorm. This savage animal doesn't like anybody but Dusty, but gets along with him just fine. This works out well when Dusty runs into random Cobra agents while on the job.
(Historical Divergence)
Dusty was shunted back into conventional military forces when the Joint Chiefs determined that Cobra was no longer a threat that needed its own covert operations group to keep it in check. This proved to be a serious error, however, and Dusty was a Joe again soon enough.
He has remained with the Joes ever since, either in an active or reserve state, depending on their needs. With Cobra defeated yet again, Dusty and the Joes have been fully mobilized, and are working hard to secure the capture all of Cobra's fleeing fugitives.
1988 Variations
Costume:
Dusty's second, Tiger Force uniform is a variant on his first, including brown trousers, a green collared shirt with orange tiger stripes over a red T-shirt, dark brown leather boots, a brown leather belt, and a green helmet with a cooling shroud mounted on the back.
1991 Variations
Equipment:
Grenades: while he didn't at first, Dusty eventually started carrying grenades with him on the job. He can throw these fragmentary grenades at a target to inflict Remarkable (30) Edged Attack damage to them - and anything else in that area that isn't under cover.
Costume:
Dusty's third uniform was an all new ensemble. It is comprised of cream-colored trousers with a tan camouflage pattern dyed on, a cream, V-necked vest, brown leather boots, a brown leather belt, brown webbing, holsters, and sheathes for his gear, and a cream-colored beret.
2000 Variations
Equipment:
Grenades: while he didn't at first, Dusty eventually started carrying grenades with him on the job. He can throw these fragmentary grenades at a target to inflict Remarkable (30) Edged Attack damage to them - and anything else in that area that isn't under cover.
Costume:
Dusty's fourth uniform is a variant on his third, and includes a Navy blue shirt over a white T-shirt, green camouflage trousers, black leather boots, brown web gear, a green camouflage belt, green camouflage holsters and sheathes, and a crimson beret.
2002 Variations
Equipment:
Grenades: while he didn't at first, Dusty eventually started carrying grenades with him on the job. He can throw these fragmentary grenades at a target to inflict Remarkable (30) Edged Attack damage to them - and anything else in that area that isn't under cover.
Night Rhino (v1): soon after GI Joe's reactivation, Dusty was assigned a refurbished version of Sergeant Slaughter's old Warthog. This matte black vehicle, the Night Rhino, is an amphibious troop-carrier, and is described in its own vehicular entry.
Parachute (v5): Dusty occasionally acts as a GI Joe paratrooper, since many deserts lack a proper landing strip. He can open his 'chute to slow a vertical decent, reducing its speed to three stories per turn - assuming it has proper time to open.
Rocket Propelled Grenade (v3, v4): this recent addition to Dusty's arsenal fires a grenade that inflicts damage per Dusty's other grenades. The trick with this one-shot weapon, however, is that it has much greater range, able to hit anything within ten areas of his position.
Sand Razor (v2): when he was no longer in charge of the Night Rhino, Dusty was given his very own, desert-fitted vehicle to combat Cobra on missions in arid areas. This all-terrain vehicle is a perfect match for Dusty's personality, and is described in its own entry.
Costume:
Dusty's fifth uniform is another iteration of his third. When driving the Night Rhino, he wears gray trousers, a gray, long-sleeved shirt over a black T-shirt, black leather boots, a black leather belt, a black bandolier, gray holsters and sheathes, and a black beret.
His sixth uniform is a new design, loosely based on his first. It includes khakis trousers, a collared, long-sleeved tan shirt, brown leather boots and gloves, a brown leather belt, a black bandolier, and a tan helmet with a cooling shroud on the back.
Dusty's seventh uniform is like his sixth. It consists of tan and dark red camouflage trousers, a collared, long-sleeved tan shirt with yellow shoulder pockets, gray leather boots, black leather gloves, a gray leather belt, and a tan helmet with a cooling shroud on the back.
His eighth uniform is also like his sixth. It includes a pair of grass green trousers, a collared, long-sleeved deep green shirt with gray shoulder pads, black leather boots, black leather gloves, a brown leather belt, and a green helmet with a green cooling shroud on the back.
Dusty's ninth uniform, on the other hand, is another variation on his third, and consists of a blue-green shirt over a white T-shirt, green camouflage trousers, black leather boots, brown web gear, a brown leather belt, brown camouflage holsters and sheathes, and a blue-green beret.
2004 Variations
Equipment:
Grenades: while he didn't at first, Dusty eventually started carrying grenades with him on the job. He can throw these fragmentary grenades at a target to inflict Remarkable (30) Edged Attack damage to them - and anything else in that area that isn't under cover.
Costume:
Dusty's tenth uniform is a new design, loosely based on his first. It includes white trousers, a white and khakis long-sleeved shirt, brown leather boots and gloves, white wrist pads, a white belt with white equipment pouches, a khakis bandoiler, and a white desert helmet.
His eleventh, Desert Patrol uniform is altogether different. It consists of a long-sleeved, green shirt over a khakis T-shirt, khakis, orange, and black camouflage patterned trousers, black leather boots, brown leather belts and webbing, brown holsters, and a black cap.
2010 Variations
Equipment:
Partial Body Armor: Dusty's twelfth ensemble includes various armored components that effectively provide him the hard points power. Functioning at Good (10) rank, they offer him like protection against physical attacks striking his head, chest, shoulders, knees, or hips.
Costume:
Dusty's twelfth costume is all new. It includes a khakis turtleneck under a khakis bullet-proof vest, khakis camouflage trousers, a brown helmet, black goggles, a black shemagh, a khakis cape, brown knee, shoulder, and hip plates, and gray leather boots and shoes.
2015 Variations
Costume:
Dusty's thirteenth costume is a variation on his twelfth. It includes a dark blue bullet-proof vest, blue and white camouflage trousers, dark blue leather boots, gloves, and web gear, a dark blue shemagh, a blue cape, a blue helmet, dark blue goggles, and one knee pad.
Sandstorm
| F Ex 20 |
A Gd 10 |
S Ty 6 |
E Gd 10 |
R Fe 2 |
I Gd 10 |
P Fe 2 |
Res Sh 0 |
Pop Fe -2 |
| Health: Karma: |
46 n/a |
Like all coyotes, Sandstorm can move at two areas per turn, track with Excellent (20) ability, and inflicts Edged Attack damage with his (?) fangs and claws. Of course, the beastie is also real good at intimidating folks, who are more likely than not to back off upon seeing him (?).
Extra Goodies:
GI Joe directories featuring a version of Dusty:
| 1985 | 1988 | 1991 | 2000 | 2002 | 2004 | 2010 | 2015 |
* Note: 2002 saw five versions of Dusty (Versions 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9), while 2004 saw two versions of Dusty (Versions 10 and 11).
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