Big Ben
| Strength 7d |
Agility 5d |
Intellect 4d |
Willpower 7c |
| Hand Size: Edge: |
4 (25) 2 |
Origin:
As are most of his fellow GI Joes, Big Ben is naught but a normal human. While he may seem possessed of super-human stamina, the man is just the same as you or me - assuming that we're both in amazing physical condition, and highly trained in military operations.
Powers:
(none)
Hindrances / Augmentations:
(none)
Equipment:
Assault Rifle (a): his primary martial implement, Big Ben can discharge a single round from this weapon to inflict his Agility +4 in damage, a semi-automatic burst of rounds to inflict his Agility +5 in damage, or fire it continuously to inflict his Agility +6 in damage.
Grenades (i): Big Ben usually carries plenty of these on missions, usually kept in a special satchel. Working with intensity 10 effectiveness, these explosives are of either an incendiary (SD energy) or fragmentary (slashing) type, affecting all within near missile distance equally.
Knife (s): Big Ben always carries a blade, for you never know when somethin will require a good cutting. Made from m.s. 13 materials, this blade can be used to slice through items of up to a like m.s., and allows Big Ben to inflict +2 slashing damage in melee.
Sidearm (a): a backup for his assault rifle, this sidearm also comes in handy when using his 'big gun' is somewhat impractical. Big Ben can discharge a single round from this weapon to inflict his Agility +4 in damage, or a three-round burst to inflict his Agility +5 in damage.
Skills:
Boxing (s): honed to a fine degree both with the SAS and the GI Joe team, this skill represents Big Ben's ability to defend himself while unarmed. Big Ben may divide his pre-card play action score between two unarmed attacks, the last of which he may attempt as a contingent action.
Detective / Espionage (i): Big Ben has a background in intelligence work, having been active in various subversive operations during his time with the SAS. Regarding information gathering techniques, Big Ben may attempts to wield such skills at a reduced difficulty.
Guns (a): one of Big Ben's essential military talents, this skill describes his ability to utilize most any firearms in battle. Whether he's wielding a standard, semi-automatic, or fully automatic rifle or pistol, Big Ben may do so at one difficulty level lower than is usually required.
Military / United Kingdom (w): unlike the vast, vast majority of the GI Joe team, Big Ben was not trained by the US military machine; in fact, he received his martial education from his homeland, the UK. However, he's a quick study, and can function Joe-style just fine.
Survival (w): this incredibly useful talent greatly enhances Big Ben's versatility and ability to act almost anywhere. Whether he finds himself in a steaming jungle, sweltering desert, or frozen tundra, Big Ben has the ability to find enough food, water, and shelter to get by.
Calling:
Soldier: Big Ben is all about personal excellence, and strives for it in most everything he does; after all, if one doesn't try his best in an endeavor, why bother? As a soldier, this has driven him on to ever greater career heights, and has helped him to become the best that he can be.
Costume:
Big Ben's first GI Joe field outfit consists of khakis trousers, a light green shirt under a dark green leather jacket with 'furry' green cuffs, a green leather belt, black leather boots, black leather gloves, a green and white cap, and black camo paint all over his face.
Personality:
David is a tough fellow; he's a cut above most others in his field, and he knows it. He's all business on the job, though, and gives a mission his all. He does his because the man gets a rise out of doing everything right; it's why he's kept himself in such good shape all these years!
Real Name: David J. Bennett, grade Staff Sergeant
Occupation: subversive operations
Legal Status: citizen of the United Kingdom with no known criminal record
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: none
Group Affiliation: GI Joe, the SAS (Special Air Service)
Height: 5' 9"
Hair: light brown
Eyes: brown
Weight: 160 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: none
Story:
Big Ben has always strived for competence in everything he does. For instance, the SAS entrance exam includes a thirty-mile march over the worst terrain in Britain, carrying fifty pounds of gear. While he had twenty hours to finish this, Big Ben did it in but twelve!
Big Ben was initially trained at Bradbury Lines Barracks in Hereford, and was on cadre with the NATO Long Range Recon Patrol School in West Germany. Though most of his activities in the Special Air Service are classified, Big Ben presumably took part in the Falklands campaign.
Big Ben's expertise in such delicate areas made him one of the best SAS opeeratives around, which earned him a position, oddly, on the GI Joe team. While not an American citizen, he was assigned to the group in a sort of exchange program between the US and the UK.
Which Joe was assigned to trade places with him has yet to be identified, however.
Regardless, Big Ben joined the Joes shortly after the Trucial Abysmia debacle, which marked a large increase in Cobra's aggressive tendencies in the world. In fact, his first mission saw him working with the Joes in Scotland, protecting Destro from Cobra Commander's wrath.
Big Ben saw plenty of further action with the Joes while he was with them, but all good things come to an end, and the team was eventually disbanded in '94. This meant that Big Ben had to return to his regular duties with the SAS - not that he minded!
(Historical Divergence)
Over time, though, the threat Cobra posed to the world increased to the point that the GI Joe team had to be reinstated.
A short time after this occurred, Big Ben was again made available to GI Joe. This time on the job, he acted as one of several Arctic specialists the team employed. After all, he's had several years to pick up new skills. He works with the GI Joe team intermittently at this point.
When the Joes need him he's ready for their call, but otherwise Big Ben is at home in the United Kingdom, serving with pride and excellence in the nation of his birth - which is where he did his part in the fight against Cobra when that group instigated World War III itself!
1993 Variations
Costume:
Big Ben's second uniform is similar to his first, if recolored. It includes red trousers, a red shirt under a dark red leather jacket with 'furry' red cuffs, a red leather belt, light gray leather boots and gloves, a red and white cap, and black camo paint all over his face.
2000 Variations
Equipment:
Arctic Wear (s): with his return to GI Joe on the eve of the new millennium, David acted as one of their cold weather specialists. As such, he wore a uniform that included an insulated jacket, insulated boots, insulated gloves, insulated trousers, and an insulated cap.
Costume:
Big Ben's third GI Joe uniform reflects his new, Arctic specialty. It consists of 'dirty' white insulated trousers, a light brown shirt under a 'dirty' white, insulated jacket with 'furry' light brown cuffs, insulated black and brown boots, brown web gear, and a brown and white cap.
2002 Variations
Costume:
Big Ben's fourth field outfit is only superficially different than his others. It features green and brown camouflage trousers, a brown T-shirt under a light brown, collared jacket with fuzzy cuffs, green web gear, a brown leather belt, black leather boots, and a brown and green cap.
His fifth GI Joe field uniform is yet another variant on the first. It is comprised of gray trousers, a green T-shirt beneath a light blue, collared jacket with fuzzy cuffs, green web gear, a brown leather belt, black and gray leather boots, and a green cap.
2003 Variations
Equipment:
Road Rebel (i): one of Big Ben's more recent additions to his personal arsenal includes this thing. The Road Rebel is a small, treaded vehicle armed with a huge, gravity-fed rocket launcher. Though it's relatively small, the Road Rebel is described in its own vehicular entry.
Costume:
Big Ben's sixth field uniform is yet another another variant on his first. It includes dark green trousers, a blue-green T-shirt under a solid brown, collared leather jacket, brown web gear, a brown leather belt , brown leather boots, and a two-toned brown cap.
2015 Variations
Equipment:
Grenade Launcher (i): when foes are too far to hit with thrown grenades, Big Ben breaks out this device. It can lob grenades out to far missile distance, each of which explode inflict intensity 10 slashing damage to everything within near missile distance of where they detonate.
Costume:
Big Ben's seventh GI Joe ensemble is another variant on the first, albeit slightly different. It includes grass green trousers, a white T-shirt beneath a dark green jacket, a black leather belt, boots, and gloves, dark green knee pads, a white and green cap, and green face paint.
Extra Goodies:
GI Joe directories featuring a version of Big Ben:
| 1991 | 1993 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003 | 2015 |
* Note: 2002 saw two versions of Big Ben (Versions 4 and 5).
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