Outback

F
Gd 10
A
Gd 10
S
Ty 6
E
Ex 20
R
Gd 10
I
Rm 30
P
Ex 20
Res
Ex 20
Pop
Sh 0

Health:
Karma:
46
60

Origin:

Like most of his fellow GI Joe operatives, Outback lacks special powers of any variety. He is, however, a highly accomplished survivalist, and can easily get by in the wilds with absolutely zero trappings of civilization to back him up, no matter how fierce the climate.

Known Powers:

(none)

Limitations / Enhancements:

(none)

Equipment:

Flashlight: Outback carries one of these military-style flashlights on him while in the field. It can cast Good (10) illumination within his area, focused on whatever he points it at. It also has additional filters (red, green) for special situations.

Heckler and Koch Rifle: his favorite weapon, Outback can wield this to deadly effect in battle. It may fire a single shot for Typical (6) Shooting damage, a semi-auto spread for Good (10) Shooting damage, and a full-auto hail of lead for Excellent (20) Shooting damage.

Knife: Outback carries a tough blade with him on all occasions - he even sleeps with it! This implement is built from Incredible (40) m.s. metals, and can be used to either cut through items of like m.s. given the time, or to inflict Edged Attack damage in melee.

Survival Gear: while most of it tends to fall apart under his use, Outback nonetheless carries a ton of survival gear with him on missions (why start from scratch if you don't have to?) It includes emergency rations, a compass, water canteens, matches, and so forth.

Quirks:

(none)

Talents:

Education: in addition to living the life of a survivalist, Outback knows how to impart his knowledge onto others. He has worked in two different Army schools over the years, and can instruct others in various matters at a +1 CS to the applicable ability score(s).

Guns: a standard military skill, Outback is well-versed in the fine art of gunplay. Whether he's holding a standard, semi-automatic, or fully automatic rifle or pistol, Outback may wield it as though his Agility was +1 CS higher than is listed above.

Martial Arts type B: something every grunt learns in basic training, Outback can defend himself easily, even without weaponry. When attempting an unarmed melee attack, whether punching, kicking, or even biting his foe, Outback may do so at his Fighting +1 CS.

Military / United States: the source of most of his skills, this talent serves as an 'origin' of sorts for Outback. It describes his indoctrination into the Army Way of Thinking, his understanding of the SOP, and his ability to function in a combat group with ease.

Skill / Knives: perhaps even more than his rifle, Outback relies upon a blade for personal defense - even while on the job! He may attempt offensive actions with such weaponry as if his Fighting score was +1 CS higher than is listed above.

Survival 2: Outback is a consummate survivor. He survive easily in most any climate on earth - even when left bare-handed. The man knows the wilderness and how to get by in it, and knows what to do - and what not to do - to persist there.

Contacts:

The Joe known to his fellows as Outback can readily rely upon the GI Joe team for assistance in a pinch (well, all of them except Leatherneck, perhaps). He also has numerous other military contacts, as he has trained countless Army working stiffs in the fine art of wilderness survival.

Costume:

Outback's first GI Joe uniform is simple and practical. It includes a white T-shirt with SURVIVAL printed on the front, a pair of green camouflaged pants, a green head band, a brown leather belt, gray leather gloves, black leather boots, and a brown boot sheath for his blade.

Personality:

Outback is all business, all the time. He's constantly thinking about his next meal and what the immediate future holds, but then he's a survivalist by nature. He knows that the flimsy trappings of civilization are the last thing you want to depend on in a pinch.

Real Name: Stuart R. Selkirk, Grade E-5
Occupation: survival instructor
Legal Status: citizen of the United States with no known criminal record
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: none
Group Affiliation: GI Joe, Night Force (GI Joe sub-group), Tiger Force (GI Joe sub-group)

Height: 6'
Hair: red
Eyes: blue
Weight: 160 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: Outback always wears a full beard and moustache. He occasionally grows his hair out long, as well. Rarely, he dyes the whole package bone white.

Story:

Outback got his start as a survivalist long before joining the Army. They definitely put his skills to good use, though, and before you knew it Outback was an instructor at the Army Survival School and the Jungle Warfare Center. The man knows his nature.

He was so good at teaching others how to get by out in the wild that the GI Joe team thought it prudent to procure him for their own ends. They quickly recruited the man, who is always eager for a challenge, and put him through the GI Joe entrance exam.

Surviving that, as he does everything else he tries, Outback then joined the Joes officially. His first job for them was to test out a bunch of new survival gear for the team, which he quickly broke and wore out, and then spent the rest of his mission time living off the land.

Outback's second mission saw him joining Stalker, Snow Job, and Quick Kick on a trip to Borovia, to free someone the government there was holding hostage. Little did the Joes know that another arm of the government had already secured his freedom, making their mission moot.

Nobody bothered to tell the Joes, though. When his allies were captured, Outback was ordered to make his way back to the States, to let them know what was going on in that country. This was harder than it sounded, what with the entire country's military mobilized against him.

Outback nonetheless made it back and informed GI Joe command what had happened, though several Joes took exception to his returning without the others. Leatherneck especially disliked it, and physically demonstrated such - only to get a knife pulled on him as a result.

His teammates eventually came around (Leatherneck notwithstanding) when his Borovian mission partners were finally freed by Snake-Eyes and his Arashikage cohorts, and Outback got on with his job - namely, instructing the Joes on proper survival techniques.

He continued to do this, whether on his own or as a part of GI Joe's Night Force team, for the duration of his time as a part of the team's original incarnation. When the Joes disbanded for a while in '94, Outback returned to his conventional Army work.

(Historical Divergence)

He's since come back now and then when the Joes have required his expertise, as they did during the second Cobra Island Civil War, and during World War III itself, where he helped the Joes stop Cobra from first conquering, and then destroying, the entire planet!

1988 Variations

Costume:

Outback's Night Force uniform is similar to his original. It is comprised of a green T-shirt wore under a gray tank top with SURVIVAL printed on the front, gray trousers, a dark green head band, a black leather belt, black leather gloves and boots, and a black boot sheath for his blade.

1993 Variations

Equipment:

Grenade: complementing his pummel gun, Outback has started carrying this explosive device of late. He can fling it anywhere within the usual range to inflict Remarkable (30) Edged Attack (fragmentary) damage to all uncovered targets in the area it detonates within.

Helmet: with the explosives he now carries about, Outback felt it prudent to adopt some headgear. His 'metaloid' hard hat can protect his cranium from conventional injury with Good (10) ability, which is great against stray bullets or falling rubble.

Pummel Gun: a huge upgrade to his offensive capability, Outback has adopted this missile launcher to inflict serious damage on Cobra's more dangerous armor and critters. It fires projectiles that have the following vehicular characteristics:

C
Gd 10
S
Am 50
B
Gd 10
Damage
Rm 30 Edged Attack

Costume:

Outback's third GI Joe uniform is different than his first. It includes a blue collared, short sleeved shirt under orange web gear, blue and yellow jeans, black leather boots over blue wool socks, black gloves, an orange belt, orange wrist bands, and a big yellow helmet.

His fourth uniform is similar, with somewhat more subdued colors. It is comprised of a green collared, short sleeved shirt wore under orange web gear, tan jeans, black leather boots over blue wool socks, blue gloves, a blue belt, tan wrist bands, and a big black helmet.

2008 Variations

Costume:

Outback's fifth GI Joe uniform, a variation on his first, consists of a black tank top with SURVIVAL printed on the front, a green camouflaged pants, a green head band, a black leather belt, black fingerless gloves, black leather boots, and a black thigh sheath for his blade.

2009 Variations

Costume:

Outback's sixth GI Joe uniform is similar to his first. It includes a white T-shirt with SURVIVAL printed on the front, worn under a green vest, green camouflaged pants, a green head band, a brown leather belt, gray gloves, black leather boots, and a brown boot sheath for his blade.

His seventh uniform is closer to his second, Night Force ensemble. It includes a gray T-shirt with SURVIVAL printed on the front, worn under a tan vest, green trousers, a black head band, a black leather belt, black leather boots and gloves, and a black boot sheath for his blade.

2014 Variations

Equipment:

Communications Gear: this back-mounted affair allows Outback to keep a command center appraised of the situation on the ground while working against the victims of Cobra's Compound Z. It has Good (10) communications range (25 miles, give or take), even in an urban zone.

Hatchet: when a bit more force is needed than his dagger can provide, Outback brandishes a hatchet. He can use this weapon to inflict his Strength rank in Edged Attack damage while engaged in melee, or fling it to inflict like Edged Thrown damage against his target.

Khukuri: the trademark weapon of the Gurkhas, Outback's khukuri is one of his favorite weapons. Functioning like his regular knife, listed above, it has numerous uses both in and out of combat, making it a utilitarian dream for this master survivalist.

Shotgun: useful for close range combat, Outback can fire birdshot from this weapon to inflict Typical (6) Shooting damage in a sixty degree arc, buckshot to inflict Good (10) Shooting damage to adjacent targets, or slugs to inflict Excellent (20) Shooting damage to a single foe.

Costume:

Outback's eighth costume consists of a white T-shirt with SURVIVAL printed on the front, worn under black web gear and a gray vest, green trousers, green wrist wraps, gray gloves and thigh pads, black leather boots and belts, a black left knee pad, a gray cap, and red goggles.

2016 Variations

Costume:

Outback's Tiger Force uniform includes a bright orange T-shirt decorated with a tiger face pattern, brown camouflage trousers, gray leather boots and gloves, brown knee pads, a brown leather belt, a brown knife sheath, brown web gear, and a bright blue head band.

His tenth field uniform would've been right at home in Night Force. It is comprised of a black shirt with SURVIVAL printed on the front, worn beneath a sheath-laden black vest, black trousers, black leather boots and knee pads, a black leather belt, and a black headband.

Extra Goodies:

Outback Universal Heroes Text File Download

Outback Imagery

GI Joe directories featuring a version of Outback:

  1987 1988 1993 2008 2009 2014 2016  

Note: Outback had two figures released in 1993 (Versions 3 and 4), as he did in 2009 (Versions 6 and 7), and 2016 (Versions 9 and 10).

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