Hardtop

Powers:

(none)

Equipment:

Crawler Gantry (i): his primary equipment, Nicholas makes use of this massive vehicle while helping the Gi Joe team launch its space shuttles - either the Defiant or the Crusader. This heavy, and heavily armed vehicle is described fully in its own vehicular entry.

Helmet (s): Nicholas usually wears this sturdy head gear at work - safety is everyone's job, after all! It provides Nicholas his Strength +2 protection against head-based physical attacks - and has a communications headset linked to his crawler gantry as well.

the Joe-Com (i): this is a new device given to all Joes since the group's reactivation. This high-tech wristband functions as an audio/video transceiver with various other goodies built in to help a soldier on the go, and is described in greater detail in its own equipment entry.

Semi-automatic Pistol (a): though he's usually not seen outside his crawler gantry on the job, sometimes Nicholas have to fix something that breaks. Nicholas carries this weapon for such instances, and can fire it for his Agility +4 damage in a single shot, +5 in a short burst.

Hindrances:

(none)

Skills:

Boxing (s): an ability that everyone learns in their Basic training, Nicholas can easily defend himself should he find himself without weapons. He may divide his pre-cardplay action score between two unarmed melee attacks, the last of which occurs as a contingent action.

Construction (a): his true claim to fame, Nicholas is a top shelf engineer. World-class in skill, he can build just about anything, and receives the benefit of an autotrump when creating things, whether they be roads or buildings or vehicles or even booby traps!

Electronics (i): an area that he loves to research in addition to his main work, Nicholas has also become an effective electronics expert as well. He should receive a +1 CS to any FEAT required while building, designing or repairing any electronic devices.

Marksmanship (a): a skill everyone picks up in the military these days, Nicholas can easily operate most conventional firearms. Whether he's handling a standard, semi-automatic or fully automatic rifle or pistol, Nicholas may do so at a reduced difficulty level.

Military / United States (w): serving as an origin of sorts for Nicholas, this talent is the source of almost all his other skills. It describes how he knows the S.O.P. like the back of his hand, and how he can effortlessly function in a military environment.

Calling:

Soldier, with a secondary calling of Explorer: Nicholas loves to build things. He's so 'into' the both the theoretical and the practical side of engineering work that he doesn't really spare a lot of time for those pesky 'people' who will use his creations.

Costume:

Nicholas wears a simple, effective uniform while acting as Hardtop. It consists of a light blue collared, short sleeved shirt, a light blue pair of loose-fitting trousers, white leather boots, white belts and webbing to hold various tools, and a white construction helmet.

Personality:

Nicholas is the strong and silent type... with an emphasis on 'silent'. He hardly talks at all, but then he's got so many other things going on in his head regarding the building and operating of his creations that 'other people' don't really register to him at all.

Real Name: Nicholas D. Klas, Grade E-5
Occupation: heavy equipment operator, engineer
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: light brown
Eyes: brown
Weight: 210 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: none.

Story:

Nicholas loves to build things and solve problems. Whether he's planning or building anything from a skyscraper to an Interstate exchange, the man is simply not happy unless he's working out the kinks in a challenging project of any variety.

He's been doing this sort of thing all his life, and has become one of the world's single greatest engineers in the process. He joined the military to make a difference with his skills, and has mastered several others in the process. And that's before you consider his greatest work.

You see, the military needed a combat-ready space shuttle for the Gi Joe team, as their foes in Cobra were working on much the same. They assigned Nicholas the job of building the crawler gantry for said shuttle, a vehicle that could move it into launch position - and then help it take off.

Jumping at the chance to work on this, Nicholas threw everything he had into it... and soon enough, the vehicle was ready... even before the spacecraft designed to work with it. The Gi Joe team was so impressed by this that they recruited Nicholas on the spot.

His official job with the Joes is to operate the crawler gantry when the team has to launch one of its shuttles - either the Defiant or a later model, the Crusader. Of course, with something so advanced, somebody's got to fix the thing when it breaks down.

Which Nicholas is always happy to do... it's usually a challenge after all, to fix a gantry on the move with a space shuttle loaded on already. Usually, he won't see combat while preparing for a launch, but when he does Nicholas tends to just see this as another challenge.

He did arm his crawler gantry to the teeth, you know. When the Joes were dismantled for a time in '94, Nicholas went to work for the National Space Agency, applying everything he'd learned with the Joes to civilian work... and making the 'regular' space program better as a result.

Once the team was reassembled, Nicholas made himself available for additional work when required, though he's no longer a full-time Joe. But whenever they need to launch one of their shuttles for specialized anti-terror missions, Nicholas always answers the call!

Extra Goodies:

Gi Joe directories featuring a version of Hardtop: