Windchill

F       A       S       E       R       I       P       Res     Pop
Gd 10   Gd 10   Gd 10   Ex 20   Ty 6    Ex 20   Ex 20   Ex 20   Sh 0

Health: 50
Karma:  46

Origin:

As is the case with most of the GI Joe team, Windchill is but a normal human being, lacking special powers of any stripe. He is a rather sturdy athlete, however, having almost been an Olympic competitor before he was recruited onto the GI Joe team by Blizzard.

Known Powers:

(none)

Limitations / Enhancements:

(none)

Equipment:

Arctic Blast: this small, aggressive vehicle is Windchill's original ride, and he can do an astounding amount of damage with the thing. Primarily consisting of two huge wheels with a small, heavily armed chassis wedged in-between, the Arctic Blast is described in its own entry.

Arctic Gear: when on the job in the cold, Windchill always wears an insulated, fur-lined winter coat, some sort of face protection (goggles usually), a knitted hat of some sort, insulated boots, insulated trousers, and if without a vehicle, skis and ski poles.

Knife: a vital tool for those who work in the wilderness, Windchill carries one of these on a boot sheath at all times. It's built from Incredible (40) m.s. materials, and can either be used to cut through items of up to like m.s., or to inflict Edged Attack damage in melee combat.

Machine Gun: his primary armament outside his current vehicle of choice, Windchill can discharge one round with it to inflict Typical (6) Shooting damage, a three-round burst to inflict Good (10) Shooting damage, or fire it continuously to inflict Excellent (20) Shooting damage.

Sidearm: a backup for his main piece, Windchill keeps this sidearm in a holster on his waist. He can fire a single shot from this hand cannon to inflict Typical (6) Shooting damage, or a three-round burst to inflict Good (10) Shooting damage.

Quirks:

(none)

Talents:

Driving: Windchill was good with snow vehicles before he enlisted, and has only gotten better with professional training. When driving any ground-based vehicles, Windchill may attempt Control FEATs with them at +1 CS higher than his ability scores indicate he should be able to.

Guns: even before he was convinced to join the military, Windchill was a crack shot with most guns - now he's just got official training with them. He can fire standard, semi-automatic, or fully automatic rifles or pistols as though his Agility was +1 CS higher than is listed above.

Martial Arts type B: one skill Windchill did pick up upon joining the Army was the ability to defend himself while disarmed. Whenever attempting any unarmed melee attack, from punches to kicks to whatever, Windchill may do so as though his Fighting score was +1 CS in rank.

Military / United States: though it never occurred to him to join the military at first, Windchill was recruited by Blizzard himself. As such, Windchill has learned an almost instinctual understanding of the SOP, and can easily function in a military environment.

Survival: an avid hunter before enlisting, Windchill has only had his skills enhanced to the point that he can survive just about anywhere - he can even serve as a cold weather survival instructor! No matter where he winds up, Windchill has the skills to persist in that environment.

Contacts:

Windchill is a member of the GI Joe team, and can naturally rely upon them - especially his recruiter, Blizzard - for assistance should he but ask. Of course, Windchill also has additional contacts in athletic circles, since the man was close to being an Olympic athlete at one time.

Costume:

While on the job, Windchill wears a terrain-appropriate uniform. It includes light gray trousers, a white jacket with black accessories over a black T-shirt, black leather gloves, black leather boots, black belts and holsters for his gear, a white cap, and white and black goggles.

Personality:

Windchill is a consummate competitor. When he isn't working he's engaging in some sport or another, usually to keep busy - or just to prove how good he is at whatever he's doing. He could've been a world-famous athlete, but he preferred to blow things up for Uncle Sam, instead.

Real Name: Jim Steel, Grade E-6
Occupation: cold weather survival instructor
Legal Status: citizen of the United States with no known criminal record
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: Jim McDonald
Group Affiliation: GI Joe

Height: 6' 1"
Hair: strawberry blonde
Eyes: blue
Weight: 200 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: Windchill wears a thick, bushy moustache at all times, and has a truly legendary chin.

Story:

Windchill's not the kind of guy you find hanging out inside. No, he's quite the competitor, being an avid skimobiler and a hunter. He was okay with simply pursuing these two aims until he learned of the Biathlon, at which point he was hooked on the idea.

Shooting and skiing - at the same time? He was all over that. In fact, Windchill quite possibly could have qualified to be on the Olympic team if not for the intervention of Blizzard. This Joe was at the National Elimination Tournament, and liked the promise Windchill showed.

So naturally, Blizzard told Windchill about the group he was in, and just how he could have even more fun shooting at people - all while operating heavily armored machinery in the thickest of snows. This idea spoke to Windchill even more than the Biathlon did.

Having been successfully recruited, Windchill had to go through standard military training, of course, and then prove he had what it takes to be a Joe. His considerable skills aided Windchill in this, and though he likely had a hard time of it, as does everyone else, Windchill made it.

Upon finally qualifying for membership on the GI Joe team, Windchill got a brush-up on his skills from Blizzard, and was eventually put in charge of the team's Arctic Blast vehicle, a small, heavily armed thing they break out on missions in snow-covered territory.

Windchill served in this capacity for several years, at least until he was given a much larger cold weather vehicle to drive towards the end of the GI Joe team's first phase: the Blockbuster. He operated this until the Joes were returned to conventional military service in 1994.

(Historical Divergence)

It's unknown what Windchill got up to after this point; he wasn't even in the military until Blizzard talked him into joining. He may have returned to Biathlon competition, considering that's what he was going to do before he enlisted in the first place.

However, Windchill returned when the Joes needed him, the team coming back into existence as soon as Cobra realized nobody was checking their quest for power any longer. He's helped them out on major operations, such as during the second Cobra Island Civil War.

And, of course, during World War III, a conflict triggered by those terrorists that almost saw them taking over the entire world. They were narrowly defeated by the GI Joe team, but while their leaders were captured many of their operatives remain at large to this very day.

As such, Windchill may be continuing on with the Joes as Windchill yet, helping his former teammates hunt those villains down!

* 1994 VARIATIONS *

Equipment:

the Blockbuster: Windchill's second cold weather vehicle, the Blockbuster is much larger than his former ride. This large, six-wheeled vehicle is basically a conveyance for an enormous rocket launcher (bonus), and is described more fully in its own vehicular entry.

Costume:

Windchill's second GI Joe uniform is more colorful than his first - though otherwise the same. It includes white trousers, a green padded jacket over a black T-shirt, green leather gloves, green leather boots, green belts and holsters for his gear, a white cap, and white goggles.