Red Dog
| Melee RV 10 |
Coordination RV 6 |
Brawn RV 20 |
Fortitude RV 20 |
Intellect RV 6 |
Awareness RV 20 |
Willpower RV 20 |
Lifestyle RV 30 |
Repute RV +5 |
| Health: Fortune: |
56 46 |
Origin:
Though he has had a rather colorful and exciting career path, Red Dog is not a super hero, lacking special powers of any variety. However, the man does have a gaggle of skills that make him rather dangerous to be around, not to mention his prodigious strength.
Known Powers:
(none)
Limitations / Enhancements:
(none)
Equipment:
Fighting Stick: Red Dog's preferred weapon (when he's not just charging or punching someone) is a long, two-part fighting stick with knobby ends. He can use this instrument to inflict his Brawn +1 RS in Bashing damage, whether used in melee or thrown.
Sidearm: though he prefers to smash things into oblivion, Red Dog does carry a sidearm with him into battle. He can fire this weapon to inflict rank value 6 Piercing damage with a single shot, raised to rank value 10 Piercing damage in a semi-automatic spread.
Quirks:
Temper: there's no nice way to say it - Red Dog's got a bad temper. Real bad. Whenever something makes him even slightly angry, he must pass a Willpower ACTION roll at -2 RS to rein his temper in. If he fails, he's liable to put a hurt on whatever's pushing his buttons.
Skills:
Guns: while he's not really inclined to shoot anything, Red Dog has learned the hard way how to handle firearms. Whether he's got a standard, semi-automatic, or fully automatic rifle or pistol in hand, Red Dog may fire it as if his Coordination was +1 RS in value.
Martial Arts style B: Red Dog has always been able to fight - he didn't need the military to help him out there. He should receive a +1 RS on any unarmed attack he attempts, whether he's simply tackling someone, punching them, kicking them, or even biting them!
Military / United States: not his first career choice by any means, Red Dog has nonetheless become a part of the military machine thanks to the efforts of Sgt. Slaughter. Having had the SOP pounded into his head the hard way, Red Dog can now function effectively in a martial unit.
Skill / Clubs: Red Dog is adept with the use of a fighting stick, or most other clubs for that matter. Whenever he's wielding one in combat, whether in melee or when throwing it, he may attack as if the applicable trait was +1 RS higher than is listed above.
Sports / Football: though he's a Joe now, if unofficially, Red Dog got his start in professional football. He should receive a +1 RS on any football related ACTION roll, whether he's just playing the game or has to answer rules or statistical questions about it.
Contacts:
Under the name of Red Dog, David serves as one of the three GI Joe Renegades, and as such can easily count on his two teammates (as well as the Sarge) for help in almost anything he should need. Red Dog also has additional contacts in cinema and professional football circles.
Costume:
Red Dog's GI Joe uniform is... unconventional. It includes a red football jersey with cutoff sleeves and a white number '1' on the front, all over a white T-shirt, blue jeans, black leather boots, black web gear, tan leather gloves, a tan headband, and a tan necklace with shark teeth on it.
Personality:
Red Dog is a loud and temperamental kind of guy, which is sort of why he didn't make it in professional football. He's not averse to taking risks, however, and will gladly undertake just about any job put before him... as long as he gets to wreck something along the way.
Real Name: David Taputapu, Grade E-5
Occupation: infantryman, former professional football player
Legal Status: American national with no known criminal record
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: none
Group Affiliation: GI Joe, Renegades (GI Joe sub-team)
Height: 6' 4"
Hair: black
Eyes: brown
Weight: 250 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: Red Dog occasionally wears a thick goatee, and always displays the red '1' tattoo on his left tricep.
Story:
Red Dog is an American Samoan who got his start in professional football, though his career did not last nearly as long as he would have liked. You see, the first time someone trod on this barefoot kicker with cleats, he got himself - and his helmet - broken up pretty badly.
Sacked repeatedly for unnecessary roughness, Red Dog wandered away from pro sports to instead work as a Hollywood stunt man. He was pretty good at this, though, since it mostly involved running into things and breaking stuff so the precious actors didn't have to.
Eventually, Red Dog was noticed by GI Joe recruiters, possibly in no small part thanks to the Fridge. Seeing that Red Dog was like unto a freight train, one who could be an amazing soldier if only he had a bit of discipline, they scooped him up real fast.
Convincing Red Dog to enlist, they gave him to Sgt. Slaughter, who was busy whipping two other misfits like Red Dog into shape: Mercer and Taurus. These three eventually became Slaughter's Renegades, a trio of 'black book' operatives GI Joe used when all else failed.
The thing with Red Dog, though, is that he isn't really all that disciplined. Sure he's survived the Sarge's tender ministrations, and has had military protocols and procedures hammered into his head the hard way, but he's still a veritable destructive force of nature.
The renegades nonetheless like to keep Red Dog around, 'cause he's handy in a pinch. Whenever there's anything blocking the Renegades' path, they usually just wind Red Dog up, point him at the obstacle, and simply wait for the inevitable dust to clear before moving on.
He continued his work with the Renegades for the duration of the GI Joe team's original incarnation, returning to various high-risk jobs when the Joes folded in '94. He hasn't worked with the team much ever since, though he's usually happy to answer the call when they need him.
(Historical Divergence)
They usually only do this when Cobra shenanigans grow totally out of control, like they did during the second Cobra Island Civil War, and of course World War III itself, when those intransigent terrorists came this close to finally conquering the entire planet!
2006 Variations
Equipment:
Machine Gun: supplementing his preferred sidearm, Red Dog may fire a single shot with this weapon to inflict rank value 6 Piercing damage, a short burst of such to inflict rank value 10 Piercing damage, or fire continuously to inflict rank value 20 Piercing damage.
Costume:
Red Dog's second GI Joe uniform matches the other Renegades. It includes a brown and white camouflage vest, blue jeans, a brown leather belt, brown leather boots, brown and white camouflage shin and thigh pads, a black bandoiler, and a black thigh holster for a sidearm.
2011 Variations
Costume:
Red Dog's third GI Joe ensemble is a mix of his first two. It is comprised of a red and white football jersey with the number 1 front and center, blue jeans beneath gray leather chaps, red wrist bands, black leather boots and knee pads, a tan headband, and a tan shark teeth necklace.
2018 Variations
Equipment:
Machine Gun: supplementing his preferred sidearm, Red Dog may fire a single shot with this weapon to inflict rank value 6 Piercing damage, a short burst of such to inflict rank value 10 Piercing damage, or fire continuously to inflict rank value 20 Piercing damage.
Costume:
Red Dog's fourth, Marauders ensemble features a white and baby blue football jersey with the number 1 on the sleeves, light green, dark green, and brown trousers, baby blue wrist bands, black leather boots, light green knee pads, a baby blue headband, and a tan shark teeth necklace.
Extra Goodies:
GI Joe directories featuring a version of Red Dog:
| 1987 | 2006 | 2011 | 2018 |
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