T'jbang

Strength 6b

Agility 6b

Intellect 3x

Willpower 4d

Hand Size: Edge:

4 (25) 2

Powers:

(none)

Equipment:

Battle Axe (s): this oriental style 'axe' is actually two sword blades, hooked on the outside of each, both of which are attached to a spiky hilt. Sam can use this weapon to inflict his Strength +5 damage with every deadly swipe.

Body Armor (s): Sam wears armor on several locations across his body, including his bullet-proof chest padding, and plating on his lower legs and forearms. This armor provides him a net +2 protection against physical attacks, and adds a +2 to blocking attempts.

Concussion Grenades (i): Sam usually carries several of these on him in the event that he must take down a crowd quickly. These devices explode to inflict intensity 10 concussive damage to all uncovered targets in an area, often enough to clear it out entirely.

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.

Katana (s): the blade with which he developed his Silent Backlash technique, Sam can inflict devastating damage with this weapon. He can use it to inflict his Strength +4 damage with each attack, and is highly skilled in its use (see below).

Shuriken (a): finally, Sam makes use of these projectiles, secured on his ankle pads when not in use. He can fling each of these blades to inflict his Strength +2 damage, and typically has six of them on his person at any given time.

Hindrances:

(none)

Skills:

Acrobatics (a): Sam is but a normal human, though he sometimes seems to have a super-human sense of balance. He can easily walk tight ropes and the like, and benefits from a reduced difficulty when attempting to dodge attacks or lower falling damage.

Boxing (s): Sam's a ninja. The man is a master of unarmed fighting, and one ability this grants him is the skill to launch such attacks fast. He can divide his pre-cardplay action score between two unarmed attacks, the last of which will occur as a contingent action.

Marksmanship (a): though he specializes in melee combat, Sam has been trained in the use of most firearms by the United States military. As such, he can fire any standard, semi-automatic or fully automatic rifle or pistol at one difficulty lower than is normally necessary.

Martial Arts (a): again, Sam's a ninja. The man can resolve unarmed attacks with either his Strength or Agility (whichever he chooses), and receives a reduced difficulty on actions intended to dodge attacks or catch thrown objects.

Martial Arts Weapons (s): Sam is a master of a variety of 'ninja' styled weaponry, from his bizarre 'battle axe' to his shuriken, including other odd items like the nunchuk or sai. Whenever he wields such weaponry, Sam may do so at a reduced difficulty.

Military / United States (w): though hanging with the United States military wasn't originally Sam's thing, he has nonetheless been recruited into it by Storm Shadow himself. As such, he can now function effortlessly in a military environment, and knows the S.O.P. rather well.

Swords (s): though he's competent with most 'ninja' weapons, Sam is truly a master of the blade, having invented his very own technique with such. A master level swordsman, Sam makes sword strikes at a reduced difficulty, using either Strength or Agility (his choice).

Calling:

Peace of Mind: Sam is a very deadly man, but he does not constantly hone his skills in order to kill. No, he is always seeking perfection as an end unto itself, feeling that if his mind and body can act as one there is nothing that he cannot do!

Costume:

Sam wears a somewhat functional costume while working with the Joes. It consists of a padded yellow combat vest, padded wrist guards, black leather boots with yellow shin guards strapped on, blue jeans, a black leather belt, and a black and yellow 'ninja' mask worn over his face and head.

Personality:

Sam is confident in his skill and is nigh-fearless in battle, though it's hard to tell that by talking to him. You see, the man has taken a vow of silence, and will not speak. Ever. He can write when necessary, of course, but usually prefers to let his actions speak for him.

Real Name: Sam LaQuale, Grade E-7
Occupation: swordsman, infantryman
Legal Status: citizen of the United States with no known criminal record
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: none
Group Affiliation: Gi Joe, Ninja Force (Gi Joe sub-group)

Height: 6'
Hair: unknown (usually shaved or covered by a mask)
Eyes: brown
Weight: 165 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: none.

Story:

Sam is a member of the Arashikage ninja clan, who was trained by that group's master swordsman to be near his own equal. When things went poorly for the Arashikage thanks to Cobra's incessant meddling, Sam went his own way, and continued to develop his own techniques.

The Silent Backlash, developed while blind-fighting cave bats in Japan, is so incredibly deadly that no one has lived to describe it. Mind you, Sam only reserves it for those he wishes to dispatch, so it is only wielded rarely... but people nonetheless spread the word about him.

Eventually tracked down by Storm Shadow, Sam was drawn into the Gi Joe team and its specialized Ninja Force group. In his very first outing, as the Joe known as T'jbang, Sam threw down with several Night Creepers who were trying to fulfill a contract on Destro's life.

He quickly saw further action against the so-called Red Ninjas, who were currently being led by the villainous Firefly. Though that villain got the drop on the entire Ninja Force, and subsequently used the Brain-wave Scanner on them, Sam and company ultimately won out in the end.

Sam would continue to serve alongside his fellow ninjas in the Ninja Force until after the Gi Joe team faced down against Megatron himself in the (now trashed) town of Millville. Shortly after this conflict, he formed a Spanish Harlem dojo with Dojo, Nunchuk and Jinx.

They continued to teach local youths in their dojo for some time, helping to empower them and doing their best to keep them out of street crime. It didn't last forever however, and most of the former Ninja Force was drawn away from Dojo's dojo for Special Missions work.

Sam, for instance, infiltrated the Red Ninjas, a group that seemed to be subject to the whims of one heinous villain after another. The current leader he was keeping tabs on was one Sei Tin, who eventually revealed his true colors by making a deal to protect Cobra Commander.

Informing the Joes, Sam helped them get into the Red Ninja compound, but was injured in the subsequent fight. When Snake-Eyes defeated Sei Tin and ran Cobra off, Sam took command of the Red Ninjas for him, allowing him to continue his work with the Gi Joe team proper.

This didn't go very well for Sam, however, as Sei Tin - however injured he may have been - used some sort of bizarre ninja mind transfer technique on him. Leaving Sam's mind trapped in his broken body, Sei Tin then proceeded to do terrible things in his name.

Although, as an aside, he managed to also resurrect a then-deceased Snake-Eyes with still more bizarre ninja magic. Once Sei Tin (still in Sam's body) was defeated by the Joes anew, he and his victim were taken to the Rock, the Gi Joe team's newest and most defensible headquarters.

Kept there for a time, Sam and his tormentor were taken for a time by Storm Shadow, who had vowed to reverse the process that had trapped Sam's mind in Sei Tin's broken cybernetic body. He hasn't been seen since, but Storm Shadow was subsequently seen in various oddball adventures alone.

This may or may not mean that he's since managed to find a means of reversing Sei Tin's bizarre mind transferral...

Extra Goodies:

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Gi Joe directories featuring a version of T'jbang:

1992