Avalanche (deceased)

Strength 7d

Agility 4c

Intellect 4x

Willpower 6c

Hand Size: Edge:

4 (25) 2

Powers:

(none)

Equipment:

the Dominator Snow Tank (i): this high tech assault vehicle is more than meets the eye. It is a small, wheeled vehicle with a massive turret on top, all housed within a secondary armored body with skis. The Dominator is described in much greater detail in its own vehicular entry.

Fast Assault Laser Rifle (a): the Joes have been working on practical laser weaponry for years, and one product of this work is Ian's main weapon. Ian can fire this cannon to inflict his Agility +6 energy damage with each and every deadly blast.

Helmet (s): Ian always wears this head gear on the job. It provides him +2 protection against head-based attacks, and is equipped with a communications headset with intensity 1 range; just enough to sync up with the comm gear in his Dominator.

Hindrances:

(none)

Skills:

Boxing (s): Ian can easily defend himself should he find himself without weapons - it sort of comes from growing up in a criminally minded family. He may divide his pre-cardplay action score between two unarmed melee attacks, the last of which occurs as a contingent action.

Marksmanship (a): a skill Ian had mastered well before he even enlisted, Ian can easily operate most conventional firearms. Whether he's handling a standard, semi-automatic or fully automatic rifle or pistol, Ian may do so at one difficulty level lower than is normally required.

Military / United States (w): unlike many who enlist in the armed forces, Ian didn't get most of his skills in the military - but he managed to learn a few. This describes how he knows the S.O.P. like the back of his hand, and how he can - with effort - function in a military environment.

Survival (w): having grown up in the wilds of Maine, his family spending weeks at a time in the wilderness away from all other humans, Ian has learned to live off of the land. He knows how to scrounge up enough food, water and shelter to persist indefinitely in the wild.

Vehicular Combat: (a) one talent he did pick up in the Army, this skill describes how well Ian can fight while behind the wheel of some vehicle or another - particularly his Dominator. When fighting in a vehicle, Ian does so at a reduced difficulty.

Calling:

Soldier: Ian enlisted because he wanted to live a better life than the other members of his family. Sure, he could've kept on with his criminal relatives - the pay was definitely better - but Ian at least wanted to do something worthwhile with his particular skills.

Costume:

Ian's Gi Joe uniform is appropriate to his normal work environment. It consists of a white helmet, gloves, jacket, and trousers, all of which have a light brown, digital camouflage pattern printed on, steel boots, a steel left shoulder pad, and silver belts and holsters for his gear.

Personality:

Unlike most of his relatives, Ian has a sense of duty - which is why he didn't follow in the family business. He's stubborn and self-sufficient in the extreme, but has a problem with authority in general - though he's managed to put a lid on this somewhat while working for Uncle Sam.

Real Name: Ian M. Costello, Grade E-5
Occupation: vehicular combatant, cold weather survival instructor
Legal Status: citizen of the United States with a likely criminal record, legally deceased
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: none
Group Affiliation: Gi Joe, Battle Force 2000 (Gi Joe sub-group)

Height: 5' 11"
Hair: brown
Eyes: blue
Weight: 165 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: none.

Story:

Ian is a natural survivalist. The 'family business' involved a lot of poaching, smuggling and bootlegging, activities which typically saw them out in the wilderness for weeks at a time. Though not as criminal-minded as his relatives, Ian nonetheless picked up various useful skills from them.

Opting to do the right thing, as opposed to flirt with prison time, Ian enlisted in the Army. His can-do attitude and unique skill set made him right at home in the military, though the whole 'discipline' thing threw him for a loop - and continued to do so throughout his time in the Army.

He's proven himself time and time again, particularly in cold climates, having shown just how good he can be in the wilds when left with nothing but a knife and a compass. His particular profile saw Ian finding himself onto a list of elite candidates for membership in the Gi Joe team.

Once he managed to work his way into the group, Ian was placed on a special Gi Joe unit: Battle Force 2000. There, he was placed in charge of an advanced, cold weather vehicle known as the Dominator - a strange 'snow tank' that also served as the foundation of the Future Fortress!

Ian spent most of his initial time with the Battle Force getting to know his five teammates, and helping them to work on their gear; of course, most of this consisted of grunt work since the man isn't remotely technically inclined. He is always ready to prove his worth, however.

He had his first chance to do so while the Battle Force 2000 unit was working in Freusenland, when Cobra first activated the 'terror' function of their Terror Dromes. Thanks to Ian and his cohorts, the other Joes were able to defeat this scheme and free the country of Cobra at the same time.

Ian continued to serve the Joes well alongside Battle Force 2000, engaging in multiple battles against Cobra, including the first Cobra Island Civil War and a harrowing skirmish or two with the Dreadnoks. All good things come to an end though, and Ian met his in the desert nation of Benzheen.

While covertly moving through a Benzheeni oil field, the Force was inadvertently sold out by the Emir of the country, who reveals their location to Cobra in a greedy attempt to buy the oil's safety. Not impressed, Cobra Commander had the whole area shelled, and the resulting blast was catastrophic.

Like most of his fellows in the Battle Force 2000 unit, Ian was wiped out in this explosion. Only Dodger went on to mourn the loss of his team, though he visits Ian's grave, along with the graves of the rest of Battle Force 2000, in the Arlington National Cemetery whenever he can.

Extra Goodies:

Return to the Battle Force 2000 main page!

Gi Joe directories featuring a version of Avalanche:

1987