TARGATs

Strength 7d

Agility 4a

Intellect 4d

Willpower 7d

Hand Size: Edge:

3 (17) 1

Origin:

Seemingly without fear, and regularly transforming themselves into humanoid meteors, Destro's TARGATs do so utilizing highly advanced gear. Thus, while they may be high tech villains of a sort, TARGATs are otherwise human, lacking special powers of any variety.

Powers:

(none)

Hindrances / Augmentations:

(none)

Equipment:

Grenades (i): acting as living bombers, TARGATs can drop any number of grenades upon their foes from above while in flight. Each of these weapons detonate to inflict intensity 10 slashing damage to all uncovered targets within near missile distance of where they explode.

Jet Pack (i): facilitating their controlled re-entry from space, these back-mounted conveyances give TARGATs supreme mobility. Though most of their momentum is gravity-fed, these packs nonetheless grant a TARGAT intensity 7 flight while in the atmosphere.

Knife (s): all TARGATs carry a blade with them while on the job, usually in a convenient boot sheath. This knife is made from m.s. 13 materials, and can either be used to cut through items of up to like m.s., given enough time, or to inflict +2 slashing damage during melee combat.

LL9-Laser Pistols (a): highly advanced sidearms, these hip-holstered weapons serve as TARGATs' backup pieces. TARGATs may fire a beam of coherent photons from them at their foes to inflict their Agility +4 in Armor Piercing energy damage, doing so six times per charged power pack.

Re-entry Suits (s): the uniform of the TARGAT is a special suit which allows them to glide from space onto the surface of a planet, all without burning up. These primarily jet black ensembles provide several capabilities to the elite TARGAT forces, including the following:

* Body Armor (s): like all Iron Grenadiers uniforms, those worn by the TARGATs provides protection from conventional injury. Overall, TARGATs benefit from intensity 6, or +1, protection against physical attack while kitted up, as well as -2 damage reduction against piercing damage.

* Communications Array (i): TARGAT suits are equipped with radio transceivers, because you can't hear others in space. Their communications gear works with intensity 10 ability, having a maximum 1,000 mile range in space, and features signal encryption of like intensity.

* Environmental Independence (s): while not designed with the long-term occupation of space in mind, TARGAT re-entry suits nonetheless provide for their essential needs. They have this ability at intensity 1, offering their occupants about eight hours worth of usable air to breathe.

* Helmet (s): while the rest of their body has less protection from injury, the heads of TARGAT operatives benefit from intensity 8, or +2, protection against physical attacks. Furthermore, their visored helmets provide like Screened Senses to them, for both their hearing and vision.

* Magnetism Generation (a): while called gravity boots, the footwear of the TARGAT re-entry suit actually features powerful magnetic field generators. This allows TARGATs to walk about the outside of a space vehicle or facility, attaching on contact with intensity 12 strength.

* Resistance to Cold, Fire, Heat, Pressure Variance, and Radiation (s): allowing TARGATs to function on the surface, within deep space, or anywhere in-between, their re-entry suits provide protection against all of these phenomenon at an impressive intensity of 20, or +5.

Skills:

Advanced Guns (a): carrying several directed energy weapons in the field, TARGATs are well-trained in their proper usage. Whether handling coherent laser emitters, ionized particle blasters, or any other energy caster, TARGATs may do so at a reduced difficulty.

Aerial Combat (a): even if mainly from above, TARGATs are effective aerial combatants. They may reduce the difficulty on card play required of them while raining violence down on their foes from on high, whether offensive or defensive, by one difficulty level.

Astronaut (a): those extremely rare Iron Grenadiers who work in space, TARGATs are comprehensively taught how to operate there, whether in near-earth orbit or further away. They may attempt astro-nativation, zero-G movement, or cope with alien environs at a reduced difficulty.

Boxing (s): while heavily armed and armored, TARGATs can competently defend themselves even without their special toys. They may divide their pre-card play action score between two unarmed melee attacks, the last of which they may attempt as a contingent action.

Detective / Espionage (i): their primary job, TARGATs are well-versed in various subversive techniques. They use this skill to spy on and sabotage the nations targeted by Destro, destabilizing entire regions to bolster the arms sales of his MARS corporation.

Guns (a): the better to demonstrate their use to prospective clients, TARGATs are continuously drilled in the use of all modern firearms. Whether standard, semi-automatic, or fully automatic, a TARGAT may reduce the difficulty of card play required to hit by one difficulty level.

Military (w): the TARGATs are highly disciplined, with most developing such via some military outfit or another, and Destro supplements this with his own training regimen. As a result, TARGATs invariably function well in a fighting unit, whether this be Destro's or any other.

Contacts:

Highly regarded within the Iron Grenadiers, TARGATs are considered absolutely fearless - or totally mad. Either way, they are treated with deep respect by the organization, and as a result, TARGATs may readily consider the group a reliable contact should it become necessary.

Calling:

Greed, sometimes with a secondary calling of Thrill-Seeker: you have to be either fearless or nuts to jump onto the earth from outer space. On the other hand, if the pay is good enough, of the thrill is great enough, just about anyone could be convinced to become a TARGAT.

Costume:

The TARGAT uniform is effectively a space suit! It is primarily jet black in hue, though it features cyan padding on the arms and legs, cyan web gear, red boots and gloves, a large cyan helmet with a golden face plate, and a cyan re-entry shield for the helmet.

Notes:

When reviewing the field reports of his many and various Iron Grenadiers, Destro typically steers those with certain characteristics towards specialized positions within his personal army. The strongest become Nullifiers, the suicidal become Ferrets, and so on and so forth.

But those he offers the job title of Trans-Atmospheric Rapid Global Assault Troopers are completely fearless. TARGATs are launched into low-earth orbit on a special craft of Destro's design, and then leap from said craft towards earth, essentially becoming human meteors!

This allows the TARGATs to be deployed anywhere on the planet, usually in mere moments, especially if they're already in orbit waiting for their marching orders. And on their way down, TARGATs can start shooting at their foes before they have a clue what kind of trouble they're in!

While TARGATs are the smallest force amongst the Iron Grenadiers, they're definitely the most respected. They've often neutralized their targets before the rest of the Iron Grenadiers can show up to secure a site, or at the very least softened them up enough to make the job easier.

They're also the best paid, aside from Destro's personal lieutenants in the organization. After all, it takes more than just bravery to encourage someone to jump out of a perfectly good spacecraft, insane thrill-seekers aside, and successful TARGATs definitely make bank, as it were.

1993 Variations

Equipment:

Lunar Guns (i): a more recent addition to the TARGAT arsenal is this device, a hand-held missile launcher! Capable of launching a single projectile at a time, the lunar guns of the TARGAT forces deliver missiles to their targets which inflict intensity 10 damage each.

Submachine Gun (a): their tertiary armament, TARGATs may fire a single round from this weapon to inflict their Agility +4 in damage, a short burst of rounds to inflict their Agility +5 in damage, or discharge it continuously to inflict their Agility +6 in damage.

Costume:

The second TARGAT uniform is also a space suit! It is primarily gold in hue, though it features orange padding on the arms and legs, purple web gear, purple boots and gloves, a large purple helmet with a golden face plate, and a purple re-entry shield for the helmet.

Extra Goodies:

Cobra directories featuring a version of TARGATs:

1989

1993

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