Backblast Melee: RV 10 Coordination: RV 10 Brawn: RV 10 Fortitude: RV 20 Intellect: RV 10 Awareness: RV 10 Willpower: RV 20 Health: 50 Fortune: 40 Lifestyle: RV 10 Repute: RV 0 Origin: As are most of the Joes, Backblast is naught but a normal human, lacking special powers of any kind. However, he does have access to a wide variety of government-issue hardware, some of which is rather advanced, so he could be considered a high tech kind of hero. Known Powers: (none) Limitations / Enhancements: (none) Equipment: Anti-aircraft Launcher: Backblast's primary combat implement is a large launcher which he can use to target and destroy aircraft. This shoulder-mounted system is loaded with three projectiles in total, each of which perform as is listed here: Handling RV 20 Velocity RV 100 Durability RV 20 Damage RV 40 Slashing (fragmentary) Helmet: working with high explosives for a living, Backblast naturally wears this headgear whenever he's in the field. Made from value 10 materials, the helmet provides him like protection against physical attacks that strike him anywhere in the cranium). Knife: handy should he need to chop something up in the field, Backblast always carries this blade in an arm holster. Made from value 40 materials, he can use it to cut through materials of like strength (given enough time), or to inflict Slashing damage in melee. Monocular: helping him to keep tabs on the area surrounding his person, this device greatly extends Backblast's visual radius. When peering through his monocular, Backblast may increase his effective visual range by four sectors, at least within his line-of-sight. Sidearm: should he have to deal with enemy personnel instead of equipment, Backblast keeps this weapon handy, on a boot holster. It can discharge a single round to inflict rank value 6 Piercing damage, or a three-round burst to inflict rank value 10 Piercing damage. Quirks: (none) Skills: Electronics: though he doesn't get to use it often, Backblast's second military specialty involves the operation and upkeep of communications gear. As such, Backblast has been trained to understand military-spec electronics, and may work on them at a +1 RS to his Intellect trait. Guns: a vital skill everyone picks up in this man's modern military, Backblast is well versed in the art of gunplay. Whether he carries a standard, semi-automatic, or fully automatic rifle or pistol, Backblast may wield it as if his Coordination was +1 RS higher than is listed above. Martial Arts style B: though he'd prefer to fight with his hardware, Backblast has the ability to do without when the situation arises. Whenever he finds himself without weapons, Backblast may punch, kick, or engage in any other unarmed attack at his Melee value +1 RS. Marksman: his primary military specialty, Backblast is well versed in the use of most heavy ordnance. Whether wielding a mortar or his anti-aircraft missile system, Backblast may ignore range penalties, and wields such weapons as if his Coordination was +1 RS higher in value. Military / United States: the source of all his marketable talents, this skill serves as an origin of sorts for Backblast. It reflects his knowledge of the Standard Operating Procedure, as well as his inherent ability to fight in almost any combat unit if necessary. Contacts: As a member of the GI Joe team, Backblast can readily rely upon his allies in the never-ending war against Cobra's terrorism for aid, should he but ask for it. Of course, he has several additional military style contacts above and beyond the GI Joe team as well. Costume: Backblast's first GI Joe field uniform is pretty simple. It includes a black tank top with 'GO ARMY' written on it beneath padded green web gear (for his rocket launcher), tan trousers, tan gloves, a tan belt, a yellow bandoiler, black leather boots, and a thick green helmet. Personality: Edward has nerves of steel and a bone to pick with almost everything airborne. He's smart and aggressive, and is more than happy to do his job under the most adverse of conditions - after all, his job involves blowing up aircraft, and he enjoys smacking them down hard! Real Name: Edward J. Menninger, Grade E-5 Occupation: air defense artillery, signal corpsman Legal Status: citizen of the United States with no known criminal record Marital Status: single Alias(es), if any: none Group Affiliation: GI Joe Height: 6' Hair: brown Eyes: brown Weight: 200 lbs Other Distinguishing Characteristics: Backblast wears a thick moustache most of the time. Story: The man who would become Backblast, Edward J. Menninger, grew up near the largest airport in the world. A New York City boy, you'd think he'd be used to a lot of racket throughout his daily life, but being under the landing path of jumbo jets can be rattling. Their intense lights blaring through his window, the vibrations caused by their passage literally rattling things off of his furniture. It had an affect on Backblast - a bad one. When he enlisted in the Army, the first thing he asked was where he could go to shoot airplanes down. Sure enough, his recruiter pointed him in the direction of air defense, and Backblast has excelled with a level of ability that borders on the gleeful. He likes nothing more than grounding some obnoxious metal thing streaking through the air above him, or as it turns out, shooting at him. Backblast proved good enough at his job that the GI Joe team, which has an eye out for such single-minded military men and women, scooped him up. Once he'd made it through the horrific GI Joe entrance exam, Backblast was an official member of the team, and put to work right away. His very first mission saw Backblast in Sierra Gordo on a mission to rescue several Joes and members of the Oktober Guard who'd been captured there. In the field he proved his skills by downing a Cobra Condor, a powerful new bomber jet, that was dogging him and his teammates. After this, Backblast was seen in several additional, major GI Joe operations, such as the battle of Benzheen, where he was seen working with Rampart to provide cover to a covert mission launched by the Joes once hostilities had stopped, and Cobra supposedly pulled out. (Historical Divergence) Backblast continued on as a Joe until the group was disbanded for a time in '94. What he did after this time is unknown, but when the GI Joe team was called in to intervene in the second Cobra Island Civil War, Backblast was ready and able to come to the aid of his former teammates. He's been with the team on and off ever since, helping them out on major operations, up to and including World War III itself. With the failure of this scheme, in which Cobra attempted to take over the entire planet once and for all, it falls upon the Joes to bring Cobra to justice. And Backblast is along for the ride to finish the deed - after all, their aircraft are so pretty when he reduces them to burning hulks on the ground! * 1993 VARIATIONS * Equipment: Submachine Gun: while he prefers to use his mega-blast anti-aircraft weapon, it isn't always practical. In such instances Backblast can fire a short burst of ammunition from this weapon to inflict rank value 10 Piercing damage, or fire continuously to inflict rank value 20 Piercing damage. Costume: Backblast's second GI Joe field uniform is similar to his first. It includes a green T-shirt with the Army logo printed on, beneath padded green web gear (for his rocket launcher), green camoflauged trousers, a green belt, dark green leather boots, and a thick, dark green helmet. * 2004 VARIATIONS * Equipment: the Neutralizer: upon his return to the GI Joe team, Backblast traded his old man-portable anti-aircraft system in for a brand new Neutralizer. This small, treaded vehicle can be used to assault targets on land or in the air, and is described in its own vehicular entry. Costume: Backblast's third GI Joe field uniform is a departure from his first two. It consists of a long-sleeved, light gray shirt beneath a dark gray vest, light gray trousers, dark gray leather boots and gloves with yellow padding, a dark gray leather belt, and a dark gray visored helmet. * 2005 VARIATIONS * Equipment: Arctic Gear: while on the Winter Operations team, Backblast wears an insulated, fur-lined winter coat, face protection (goggles and/or a frost-free face mask), his helmet (of course), insulated boots (with crampons), insulated trousers, and if without a vehicle, skis and ski poles. Submachine Gun: while he prefers to use his mega-blast anti-aircraft weapon, it isn't always practical. In such instances Backblast can fire a short burst of ammunition from this weapon to inflict rank value 10 Piercing damage, or fire continuously to inflict rank value 20 Piercing damage. Costume: Backblast's fourth GI Joe uniform is designed with cold weather in mind. It includes a black and orange padded jacket, white trousers, black and orange leather gloves, black leather boots, a black leather belt and leg holster, a silver bandoiler, and a black, high tech helmet.