Stretcher

Strength 9d

Agility 5d

Intellect 7d

Willpower 6d

Hand Size: Edge:

4 (25) 2

Origin:

As are almost all of his of his fellow Joes, Stretcher is but an ordinary human, one who lacks ascendant powers of any stripe. No, all he's got to get him through a mission is a fully stocked first aid kit, his medical skills, and, of course, his considerable strength.

Powers:

(none)

Hindrances / Augmentations:

(none)

Equipment:

Comm Suite (i): Stretcher always carries a communications suite with him on missions, to call in medical evacuations of wounded personnel. These systems, usually consisting of a backpack with a helmet-mounted mouthpiece, work with intensity 5 power (25 mile range).

First-Aid Kit (i): his stock in trade, Stretcher always carries a first aid kit with him on missions. It includes various medicines, antibiotics, drugs, sterilized tools, and even a small oxygen tank. He carries additional first aid gear in various pouches and such, as well.

Flashlight (i): Stretcher carries one of these with him in the field, usually mounted on his gravity sled. He can use this oversized lamp to produce intensity 7 illumination in a given area, allowing him to pierce the night and find wounded soldiers with relative ease.

Gravity Sled (i): this odd device is useful for delivering wounded personnel from the field of fire in a jiffy. Sure, Stretcher is strong enough to carry the wounded all by himself, but this allows him to maximize his effectiveness. It can hover along at intensity 2 speeds (60 MPH).

Grenade Pistol (i): curiously, Stretcher carries a small, auto-feed grenade launcher with him on missions. It is most likely that this weapon holds less-than-lethal rounds within, such as stun grenades or even flares; either way, these rounds work with intensity 10 effectiveness.

Knife (s): since you never know when you'll need to cut something, Stretcher always carries one of these blades with him. Made from m.s. 13 metals, this tool can be used to cut through items of up to like m.s., and allows Stretcher to inflict his Strength +2 in slashing damage.

Sidearm (a): Stretcher carries this firearm in a chest-mounted holster in the event that he must defend himself. He can fire a single shot from this weapon to inflict his Agility +4 in damage, or a semi-automatic burst of rounds to inflict his Agility +5 in damage.

Skills:

Boxing (s): a talent he picked up during his Army basic training, this skill represents Stretcher's ability to defend himself. His Boxing ability allows Stretcher to divide his pre-card play action score between two unarmed attacks, the second of which he may attempt as a contingent action.

First Aid (i): when treating a dying person, Stretcher can make use of a limited form of the Medicine skill, allowing him to restore one card worth of lost Health to a body who was KO'd in the last exchange with an average difficulty Intellect action.

Guns (a): when he enlisted, Stretcher was trained in the use of most modern firearms. Whether he's carrying a standard, semi-automatic, or fully automatic rifle or pistol, or even something like a shotgun, Stretcher may discharge said weapon at a reduced difficulty.

Military / United States (w): though he didn't begin adulthood with the military in mind, Stretcher eventually enlisted for various reasons. As such, he knows military protocols and procedures like the back of his hand, and has several additional military contacts.

Contacts:

As a GI Joe member who has saved the lives of his fellows several times, Stretcher can definitely rely upon them for assistance should he need it - the Joes definitely take care of their own. Stretcher also has numerous additional medical, military, and athletic contacts.

Calling:

Soldier, with a secondary calling of Protector: a field medic, it goes without saying that Stretcher is there to protect those too broken to do so themselves. However, he didn't join the Army solely to help others; most of his motivation comes from a need for self-validation.

Costume:

In the field, Stretcher wears a dark gray pair of trousers, a dark gray pair of leather boots with green ankle guards, a blue turtleneck sweater under a light gray jacket, dark gray gloves, a gray cap, a green leather belt, and green web gear and pouches to hold various gear.

Personality:

Thomas is a strong guy, both physically and mentally. He's had years to grow accustomed to battle-field conditions, and is very good at pulling the wounded out of them. Despite the horrors he's seen, Stretcher still maintains a lively sense of humor about him.

Real Name: Thomas J. Larivee, grade E-5
Occupation: medical specialist, former Olympic weight lifter
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' 1"
Hair: black
Eyes: brown
Weight: 185 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: none

Story:

Stretcher didn't originally plan for a career in the military. An Olympic weight lifter, the man found that he needed reliable income after he was done with the free ride that competition offered. To this end, he decided to lend his considerable strength to the Army.

After finishing basic training, it became apparent that Stretcher's energies would be best spent as a field medic, and this is exactly what he went about doing. He became very proficient in emergency medical procedures, and excelled in the evacuation of wounded personnel.

Stretcher was so good that he was assigned to one of NATO's roughest units, and continually demonstrated an ability to keep his cool, usually cracking wise no matter the calamity surrounding him. His outstanding performance landed him a position on the GI Joe team soon enough.

His very first mission saw him joining Hot Seat and Wild Bill in support of several GI Joe and Oktober Guard operatives, who were pinned down by Darklon and his minions. This aid ultimately saved their allies, and allowed Stretcher to prove his mettle to his teammates.

Stretcher continued to lend his considerable talents to the GI Joe team on various missions, doing so until the team was ultimately disbanded several years after he joined. He presumably shifted back into conventional service once that elite team was shelved for a time.

(Historical Divergence)

Thanks to Cobra's perpetual shenanigans, the GI Joe team was eventually reactivated, and Stretcher would invariably rejoin the team whenever he was asked to. He did so during the second Cobra Island Civil War, not to mention the Cobra-triggered World War III!

Presumably, Stretcher stuck around to help pick up the pieces after that. Cobra left a lot to put back together, after all!

Extra Goodies:

GI Joe directories featuring a version of Stretcher:

1990

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