Doctor Link Talbot
| Strength 7d |
Agility 5b |
Intellect 5d |
Willpower 7c |
| Hand Size: Edge: |
4 (25) 2 |
Origin:
Like most members of the GI Joe team, Doctor Link Talbot is, strictly speaking, a normal human. He is an exceptional fighter, not to mention the toughest veterinarian you're likely to ever meet, but he has no special, super-human powers to speak of.
Powers:
(none)
Hindrances / Augmentations:
(none)
Equipment:
Sidearm (a): while he specializes in animals, sometimes Link has to deal with a surly human now and then. He can discharge one round from this weapon to inflict his Agility +4 in damage, or a semi-automatic burst of such to inflict his Agility +5 in damage.
Tranquilizer Rifle (s): a handy device that Link carries with him on the job (civilian or otherwise), he can fire this gun to harmlessly down even the most surly animals. Functioning at intensity 10, the drugs in this gun's darts will peacefully knock out almost any beast.
Skills:
Animal Handling (w): supplementing his basic veterinarian skills, Link knows how to handle animals in general. He usually knows what makes them tick, and can either pacify them or otherwise attempt to get them to 'play along' for a time at a reduced difficulty.
Boxing (s): a skill he picked up in his basic training, Link may easily defend himself, even without weapons. When attempting unarmed melee combat, Link may divide his pre-card play action score between two attacks, the last of which occurs as a contingent action.
Guns (a): a skill everyone picks up in the Navy, even if they're stuck swabbing decks all day, Link knows his ways around firearms. Whether he's wielding a standard, semi-automatic, or fully automatic rifle or pistol, Link may do so at a reduced difficulty.
Martial Arts (a): beyond his Navy basic training, Link is a well-practiced, champion martial artist. He may reduce the difficulty of any card play intended to dodge incoming attacks, catch thrown weaponry, or even to strike in unarmed melee combat.
Medicine / Veterinarian (i): instead of working on humans, Link has been trained in the art of treating the ailments of animals - all kinds of animals. He can perform surgeries on them when needed, and can restore a card of lost health to newly unconscious animals when needed.
Military / United States (w): Link enlisted in the Navy before he went to college. As such, this skill serves as an origin of sorts for the man, that which made everything else possible. He knows the SOP like the back of his hand, and is at home in a military environ.
Underwater Combat (a): a fully trained Navy SEAL, Link knows how to fight on the water... and beneath it. Should he find himself working underwater on a mission, Link may attempt combat actions, offensive or defensive, without penalty while down there.
Contacts:
As a member of the GI Joe team, Doctor Link Talbot can naturally rely upon his fellows for assistance should he need it - especially those Joes who have animals in their care. Link also has several additional contacts in academic, military, and veterinary circles.
Calling:
Guardian, with a secondary calling of Protector: Link originally became a veterinarian simply because it was the family business. Of course, he's grown to truly care about his animal charges, and wants to protect them - and everyone else - from those would would hurt them.
Costume:
Link's first GI Joe uniform is an interesting one. It consists of a white tank top with beige padding attached at the shoulders and back, red trousers with that same beige padding attached to the hips and calves, black leather gloves and belts, and gray leather boots and knee pads.
Personality:
Link Talbot is a dedicated guy, going out of his way to protect the innocent from the depredations of those who would do bad by them, whether they be human or animal. He works hard at whatever he's doing, and isn't about to settle for second best in anything he does.
Real Name: Doctor Link Talbot, Grade E-4
Occupation: combat veterinarian, former Navy SEAL
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: 195 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: none.
Story:
Link's father and grandfather were both veterinarians, and he was surrounded by animals of various types on the northwestern Massachusetts farm he grew up on. Thinking he'd continue the family tradition, Link enlisted in the Navy to take advantage of the Gi Bill.
Tough and stubborn, Link found that ordinary service didn't suit him, and the man signed up for - and passed the entrance exams - to get into the SEALs. Once he was in, Link served for two tours of duty, becoming a champion martial artist in the process.
Eventually retiring, Link attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, where he got both his PhD and his VMD degrees. This got him a cushy job as the chief veterinarian at a major national zoo, and while Link enjoyed this job, but it wasn't fated to last.
And you can blame Cobra for that. You see, to get animal DNA samples in the easiest manner possible, Doctor Mindbender had his minions scour several zoos for them. Animals from all over the world all kept in one tidy location? How could he resist?!
So yeah, they hit Link's zoo, which drove him insane with rage. How dare anyone besides him mess with his animals? Vowing to get to the bottom of things, Link started to track these Cobra goons down, at least until he crossed paths with the GI Joe team.
Those heroes were also looking into Cobra's recent shenanigans, and decided to use Link's animal expertise to help them find the villains; they were both after the same thing, after all. Sure enough, with the help of GI Joe 'mad scientist' Hi-Tech, Link figured it all out.
He realized that the samples were to be combined with ordinary humans, creating a monstrous army! With Hi-Tech's help, Link managed to isolate how Doctor Mindbender's so-called Venomization process worked (once the Joes captured one of its victims) and came up with an antidote.
This at least allowed the Joes to fight Cobra's Venom troopers without hurting the innocents forced into the process - curing them all the while. It also threw Cobra off their game enough to stop them from exposing the entire world to their Venom, which clearly it wasn't perfected yet.
After this, the Joes kept Link around, and he was glad to stay. This, of course, because you never know when Cobra might try this again. And besides, Link still had a bone to pick with them for messing around with his animals in the first place.
Link has been with the GI Joe team to this very day - at least, once he re-enlisted, and got through the process of officially making it onto the team. He even helped the Joes deal with another major Cobra operation, the instigation of no less than World War III itself!
Thanks to Link and every other GI Joe operative, Cobra was prevented from conquering the world - and from destroying it as well, when their initial plan fell apart. He is continuing to help them mop up Cobra fugitives from justice, as well as curing further victims of Cobra's Venom!
2005 Variations
Equipment:
Grenade Launcher (i): Link enjoys using this recent addition to his arsenal. This lightweight grenade gun can fire explosives anywhere within far missile distance, which inflict intensity 10 fragmentary damage to all uncovered targets within near missile distance.
Costume:
Link's second GI Joe uniform is like his first. It consists of a beige tank top with yellow padding attached at the shoulders and back, green trousers with that same yellow padding attached to the hips and calves, and gray leather gloves, belts, boots, elbow pads, and knee pads.
Extra Goodies:
GI Joe directories featuring a version of Doctor Link Talbot:
| 2004 | 2005 |
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