Countdown
| Melee RV 20 |
Coordination RV 10 |
Brawn RV 6 |
Fortitude RV 20 |
Intellect RV 30 |
Awareness RV 6 |
Willpower RV 20 |
Lifestyle RV 30 |
Repute RV +2 |
| Health: Fortune: |
56 56 |
Origin:
The GI Joe operative known as Countdown is, despite what his teammates think, simply a normal human. They may say he's super-humanly smart, super-humanly capable, and super-humanly boring, but the truth is he's just a highly skilled pilot and engineer.
Known Powers:
(none)
Limitations / Enhancements:
(none)
Equipment:
Grappling Hook: Countdown can fire this magnetized hook to attach himself to just about anything ferrous in space, whether spacecraft, satellites, or tiny planetoids. It has a line of m.v. 30 tensile strength, and can easily grip something even if it doesn't 'hook' it, per se.
Sidearm: though the idea is to fight the enemy from his spacecraft, you never know when things aren't going to go as planned. Countdown can fire this a single shot from weapon to inflict rank value 6 Piercing damage, or a semi-automatic burst to inflict +1 RS damage.
Space Suit: when he has to 'step out' of his spacecraft, Countdown will usually be seen in his space suit. He typically wears it while flying anyway (just in case), but it's not always totally sealed up unless he's on a walk. Countdown's space suit has these capabilities:
* Environmental Independence: Countdown's helmet has a built in oxygen rebreather installed within, which helps to recycle his air - so that he need not carry about a bulky supply of pressurized, breathable atmosphere. This device works at rank value 2 for air (two day supply).
* Jet Pack: this back pack is large, yet smaller than a Manned Maneuvering Unit, and allows Countdown to maneuver while outside a spacecraft, at least. It allows rank value 2 flight in the vacuum of space. It's not fast, but better than drifting helplessly.
* Resistance to Cold and Pressure Variance: finally, as a self-sealing, pressurized suit, Countdown's uniform offers him rank value 75 protection against these damage forms, a necessity when working in the cold, hard vacuum of space - if you want to last a while, at least.
Quirks:
Acceleration Tolerance: Countdown has a near-legendary stamina, and can shrug off the effects of acceleration much better than others - even his fellow fighter pilots! His body can tolerate one additional sector of acceleration per turn before it starts to wear on him.
Skills:
Aerial Combat: not only can Countdown fly most air or spacecraft, but he can fight with them, too! While he is engaged in aerial or spatial combat, Countdown may roll combat ACTIONs wielding his vehicle (whether offensively or defensively) at a +1 RS to the applicable rank value.
Astronaut: while all astronauts are pilots, not all pilots are astronauts. Countdown is an adept astronaut in addition to his other skills, and may resolve ACTIONs to navigate in darkest space, operate in variable gravities and atmospheres, and otherwise operate beyond our world at +1 RS.
Electronics: in addition to being a crack fighter pilot, Countdown is also a certified electronics engineer. He should make applicable ACTION rolls, whether they regard electronic knowledge or design / repair work, as though his Intellect was +1 RS in value.
Guns: an essential portion of his Air Force training, Countdown has learned how to fire most conventional firearms with ease. Whether he's wielding a standard, semi-automatic, or fully automatic rifle or pistol, Countdown may do so as though his Coordination was +1 RS in value.
Martial Arts style B: as a part of his initial training in the Air Force, Countdown was taught how to defend himself outside of an airplane - and without a gun. When unarmed, Countdown may attack an opponent with any maneuver he likes (punches, kicks, etc.) at his Melee trait +1 RS.
Military / United States: Countdown is a long-time member of the Air Force - you have to be to become an astronaut, really. As such, he knows the SOP like the back of his hand, and can function in a military environment without even thinking about it.
Piloting: but one of his many specialties, this skill represents Countdown's mastery of just about anything that flies. Whether a fixed or rotary winged aircraft, Countdown can effectively operate such vehicles as though his Coordination was +1 RS higher than is listed above.
Contacts:
Countdown is a highly capable, if not particularly exciting, member of GI Joe. As such, Countdown may readily rely upon his fellows for assistance should he but ask. The Joes are a tightly-knit group, you see, and always try to do right by each other.
Costume:
Countdown's first GI Joe uniform is a space suit! It is primarily white with blue trim, a padded and bulky affair to protect him in space. It includes black boots, white gloves, blue knee pads, a cyan and white helmet with a mirrored visor, and black web gear to strap on his jet pack.
Personality:
Countdown is supremely capable. The problem is that he's also supremely boring. His personal skills leave a bit to be desired, as he tends to only talk about his work and hobbies, and little else. Though his friends don't find him exciting, they at least find him dependable.
Real Name: David D. Duboski, Grade O-3
Occupation: astronaut, fighter pilot, electronics engineer
Legal Status: citizen of the United States with no known criminal record
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: none
Group Affiliation: GI Joe, the Star Brigade (GI Joe sub-team)
Height: 5' 11"
Hair: brown
Eyes: brown
Weight: 171 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: none.
Story:
Countdown grew up to be an incredibly boring person in Plainfield, New Jersey. Not because anything's wrong with the town, mind you, but because Countdown has a passion for things that most people find unbearably dull. The highlight of his day is winning his latest chess match.
He's no frail, pencil-protector wearing academic, however. An accomplished electronics engineer, Countdown is also quite adept in aerial combat. The man can pull insane maneuvers thanks to his seemingly super-human tolerance for acceleration, easily withstanding 5 Gs!
Countdown's mind is usually working overtime, and he can multi-task better than almost anyone else in the military. It's been said he can fly a plane with one hand and fix the instrumentation with another - all while playing three different games of chess in his head!
This ability got him into the NASA program, and he's flown on the space shuttle more than once - he's a fully qualified shuttle commander, even. With all of this staggering capability, you can tell why GI Joe simply had to have Countdown on their team.
He breezed through their entrance exams, his incredible stamina and smarts helping him there, and was quickly put to work with the team's other astronauts. This most often involves Countdown working with Payload, either in the Defiant or the Crusader.
Tasked with fighting Cobras in the upper atmosphere, Countdown is also often called on to fix satellites, either the GI Joe team's or others, damaged by Cobra's chicanery. He has the skills and the temperament for it... even if he has to knock Cobra off of the things first.
(Historical Divergence)
Like the rest of GI Joe, Countdown had to adjust to life absent ceaseless war against Cobra when the team was disbanded by the government late in 1994. Countdown presuambly returned to conventional military service at this time, since it still let him fly out there in space.
The powers that be reluctantly reversed this situation a few years later, with GI Joe slowly returning to life. Countdown wasn't one of the first Joes to make his way back, but when Cobra repeatedly threatened the entire world, Countdown felt he had no choice but to return to the fold.
While Cobra has supposedly been sent packing for good after instigating World War III, the simple fact of the matter is that it is an insidious organization, and even without its original Commander, it's possible that Cobra may return yet again.
Thus, Countdown remains a Joe to this day!
1993 Variations
Equipment:
Fazer Gun: this isn't a directed-energy weapon, so much as a fancifully named missile launcher. It can be loaded with a singular rocket-propelled projectile, and Countdown must reload it after firing if he wishes to use it again. Its projectiles have these characteristics:
| Handling RV 20 |
Velocity RV 100 |
Durability RV 20 |
Damage RV 30 Slashing (fragmentary) |
Knife: once Cobras started getting too close for comfort while on the job, Countdown began carrying a blade in the field. Of m.v. 40, this weapon can be used to cut through items of up to like m.v., or to inflict Slashing damage in melee combat.
Laser Rifle: when he needs something a bit more precise than his machine gun, or even his fazer, Countdown often breaks out this beast. He can fire a laser with this weapon that inflicts rank value 10 Armor Piercing Energy damage with each deadly blast.
Machine Gun: sometimes the bad guys only understand lead. Countdown can discharge a single shot from this weapon to inflict rank value 6 Piercing damage, utilize a semi-automatic burst for rank value 10 Piercing damage, or fire continuously to inflict rank value 20 Piercing damage.
Costume:
Countdown's second GI Joe uniform is a space suit! It is primarily blue with white trim, a padded and bulky affair to protect him in space. It includes white boots, blue gloves, white knee pads, a red helmet with a mirrored visor, and red web gear to strap on a jet pack.
1994 Variations
Equipment:
Fazer Gun: this isn't a directed-energy weapon, so much as a fancifully named missile launcher. It can be loaded with a singular rocket-propelled projectile, and Countdown must reload it after firing if he wishes to use it again. Its projectiles have these characteristics:
| Handling RV 20 |
Velocity RV 100 |
Durability RV 20 |
Damage RV 30 Slashing (fragmentary) |
Knife: once Cobras started getting too close for comfort while on the job, Countdown began carrying a blade in the field. Of m.v. 40, this weapon can be used to cut through items of up to like m.v., or to inflict Slashing damage in melee combat.
Laser Rifle: when he needs something a bit more precise than his machine gun, or even his fazer, Countdown often breaks out this beast. He can fire a laser with this weapon that inflicts rank value 10 Armor Piercing Energy damage with each deadly blast.
Machine Gun: sometimes the bad guys only understand lead. Countdown can discharge a single shot from this weapon to inflict rank value 6 Piercing damage, utilize a semi-automatic burst for rank value 10 Piercing damage, or fire continuously to inflict rank value 20 Piercing damage.
Costume:
Countdown's third GI Joe uniform is a space suit! It is primarily gray with green trim, a padded and bulky affair to protect him in space. It includes green boots, gray gloves, green knee pads, a green and blue helmet with a mirrored visor, and blue webbing to strap on his jet pack.
Extra Goodies:
GI Joe directories featuring a version of Countdown:
| 1989 | 1993 | 1994 |
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