Muskrat
| Strength 7d |
Agility 3d |
Intellect 3x |
Willpower 6c |
| Hand Size: Edge: |
4 (25) 2 |
Origin:
As are most of his friends on the GI Joe team, Muskrat is but a normal human, lacking special powers of any stripe - even if he seems superhuman at times. No, Muskrat merely has military hardware and training to rely upon when fighting the forces of evil!
Powers:
(none)
Hindrances / Augmentations:
(none)
Equipment:
Grenades (i): Muskrat carries two of these explosives pinned to his vest while on the job. He can fling them anywhere within near missile distance, to inflict intensity 10 damage to all uncovered targets within near missile range of where they detonate.
Machete (s): while most Joes carry a knife in the field, Muskrat's is... larger. This foot-long blade can be used to cut through most vegetation with ease. It is built from m.s. 13 materials, and can either inflict +2 damage in melee, or cut through items of up to like m.s.
Sidearms (a): backups for his shotgun, should he be unable to fire it, Muskrat carries several handguns on his person, on hip and chest holsters. They inflict his Agility +4 in damage when discharging a single round, or his Agility +5 in damage when firing several at once.
Super-90 Shotgun (a): Muskrat's weapon of choice, he can fire birdshot from it to inflict his Agility +4 in damage in a sixty degree arc, buckshot to inflict his Agility +5 in damage to adjacent targets, or slugs to inflict his Agility +6 in damage to a single foe.
Swamp Skimmer (s): Muskrat uses this unique device, a skateboard wiithout wheels, to navigate swampy ground at full walking speeds. It is of m.s. 12, which also allows him to utilize it as a blunt implement (+3 bashing damage), or as a shield when under enemy fire!
Skills:
Boxing (s): Muskrat didn't need help in the fine art of self-defense, but you know how the military is. He can divide his pre-card play action score between two unarmed melee attacks, the last of which occurs as a contingent action.
Guns (a): Muskrat didn't really need training in the use of guns by the Army, either, but they helped polish his technique some. Whenever wielding any modern firearm, whether a standard, semi-automatic, or fully automatic rifle or pistol, Muskrat may do so at a reduced difficulty.
Military / United States (w): while it isn't really the source of his skills, the Army did help Muskrat to fine tune his techniques to a professional level. Of course, it did pound the Standard Operating Procedure into his head, so he fights effectively in a group now.
Survival (w): growing up in the wilds of Louisiana, hunting day by day for food, Muskrat learned this skill much, much younger than most military recruits do (if they ever do). He can easily scrounge up enough food, water, and shelter to persist in any terrestrial environment.
Contacts:
Muskrat is a GI Joe who is relatively popular with his fellows, for he's friendly and a demon in a firefight. The man also has several additional contacts, both in military / Ranger circles, as well as in criminal circles operating out of Thibodaux, Louisiana.
Calling:
Soldier: Muskrat enjoys the military life - after his harsh childhood, he finds it to be fun! He's more than happy to use his skills in the defense of his friends and family, as well as to serve his country to the best of his ability!
Costume:
Muskrat's GI Joe field uniform is simple and understated. It includes a green snap-up vest, green trousers, green and brown leather boots, a black leather belt, numerous black holsters and sheaths for his gear, black wrist bands, and a green and black boonie hat.
Personality:
Muskrat grew up tough and wild, and is known for holding his own against all manner of scofflaws in the swamps surrounding his Thibodaux, Louisiana home, even as a child. Despite this, he displays an almost innocent manner in both speech and behavior at times.
Real Name: Ross A. Williams, Grade E-4
Occupation: infantryman
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 (a GI Joe sub-group)
Height: 6' 1"
Hair: brown
Eyes: hazel
Weight: 160 lbs.
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: none.
Story:
Muskrat is one tough cookie. Like fellow Joe swamp rat Gung-Ho, Muskrat spent his wee years hip-deep in the swamps of Louisiana, where he grew up hunting raccoon, wild pig, or anything else that moved down there. You wind up tough when you have to hunt up your lunch every day.
This crucible allowed Muskrat to hold his own against local moonshiners, chain gang escapees, and even smugglers who gave him grief while trying to score his next meal. Enlisting was pretty much a vacation to the man, and Ranger / Jungle Warfare training a summer camp.
Far from being taught how to fight and survive in an exotic location, this was merely reinforcing Muskrat's existing skills, and the man managed to teach his instructors a thing or two about swamp fighting. This is ultimately what got the man his position on the GI Joe team.
He joined the team in 1988, after breezing his way through the group's generally grueling entrance exams, and had his first mission alongside several other new Joes, including Hardball, Charbroil, Rumbler, and Hit & Run, way out in the Caribbean sea.
The tectonic disruption that had created Cobra Island had seemingly just produced another small island, and the Joe team was charged with keeping Cobra off of that rock until the US could claim it; the Joes succeeded, but the rock proved too unstable, and sank again soon afterwards.
Muskrat's next mission saw him in action on American soil - in the heart of New York City, in fact, where the team was charged with stopping Cobra (who were disguised as Iron Grenadiers) from raiding a classified facility housed in the heart of the Chrysler building.
Muskrat was present with his fellow Joes numerous other times after this, a large portion of which were classified Special Missions, the details of which have yet to be revealed to this very day. He continued on with the GI Joe team until it was deactivated in 1994.
(Historical Divergence)
What Muskrat got up to after this time is unknown; he found most conventional military service unchallenging. He may have simply returned to the swamps to entertain himself, but this has yet to be revealed. He answered the call when the reformed Joes asked for help, however.
He did so during the second Cobra Island Civil War, as well as during World War III, when Cobra came close to conquering the entire planet! After this, the Joes were maintained at full strength, and Muskrat has stayed on with his old war buddies ever since.
1989 Variations
Costume:
Muskrat's Night Force uniform is simple and understated. It consists of a navy blue snap-up vest, black trousers, green and black leather boots, a green leather belt, numerous green holsters and sheaths for his gear, black wrist bands, and a navy blue and black boonie hat.
1993 Variations
Equipment:
Helmet (s): though he didn't wear a helmet previously, Muskrat started recently to exploit his new, head-mounted missile launcher (no, really!) It provides his head intensity 8, or +2, protection against fire and physical attacks, and like Screened Senses for his hearing and vision.
Machine Guns (a): though he prefers his Super 90, Muskrat occasionally carries firearms which can discharge a single round to inflict his Agility +4 in damage, fire a three-round burst to inflict his Agility +5 in damage, or fire continuously to inflict his Agility +6 in damage.
Micro-Laboratory (i): intended for use alongside the DEF, Muskrat nonetheless retained this equipment when that GI Joe team disbanded after Headmaster's death. It can be used to identify numerous chemicals in the field, making it an extremely limited, intensity 8 Atomic Sense.
Missile Launcher (i): a recent addition to Muskrat's arsenal is a missile launcher that he aims with his head, as it attaches to his helmet! It can only fire one projectile at a time, but this projectile inflicts intensity 10 damage upon striking its target.
Costume:
Muskrat's third GI Joe uniform is... conspicuous. It includes a dark blue vest beneath an orange micro-laboratory, tan and dark blue trousers, tan leather boots, tan and orange wrist guards, orange holsters and sheathes, and a tan helmet with a missile launcher attachment.
2013 Variations
Costume:
Muskrat's second Night Force uniform is similar to his first. It is comprised of a blue vest over a black tank top, black trousers, green and black leather boots, a green leather belt, green holsters, sheaths, and pouches for his gear, black leather gloves, and a blue and black boonie hat.
2015 Variations
Equipment:
Rifle (a): to better ambush enemies at a distance, Muskrat occasionally carries this single-action, high-powered rifle. It lacks a semi- or fully-automatic fire option, but can discharge rounds that inflict his Agility +5 in damage at considerable range.
Traps (s): when expecting trouble, Recondo will occasionally set these particularly brutal traps. They spring shut with intensity 5 force when triggered, inflicting like slashing damage to unprotected targets, and intensity 7 Strength is required to force them open again.
Costume:
Muskrat's fifth GI Joe uniform is similar to his original. It includes a dark green vest over a grass green tank top, dark green trousers, green and brown leather boots, a black leather belt, black holsters, pouches, and sheaths, black leather gloves, and a dark green and black boonie hat.
Extra Goodies:
GI Joe directories featuring a version of Muskrat:
| 1988 | 1989 | 1993 | 2013 | 2015 |
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