Ace
| F Ex 20 |
A Rm 30 |
S Ty 6 |
E Gd 10 |
R Gd 10 |
I Ex 20 |
P Ex 20 |
Res Gd 10 |
Pop Sh 0 |
| Health: Karma: |
66 50 |
Origin:
As is the vast, vast majority of the Gi Joe team, Brad is but a normal human, one lacking super human powers, obscure magical prowess, or trained psionic capabilities. However, he does excel above and beyond the call of duty in his trade of choice, that being the Joe team's premiere pilot. He could technically be called a high tech hero, however, what with his access to advanced Air Force vehicles...
Known Powers:
(none)
Equipment:
Conquest X-30 (1998 model): though this was Slipstream's baby for years, the design has been proven effective time and time again, and once Brad got done with his modified A-10 Thunderbolt, he assumed the use of one of these babies back in '98. This nifty craft has a top speed of Mach 2.42 and flight capabilities that positively boggle the mind. See its entry for more information.
Flak Jacket: for a large portion of his career as a Joe fighter pilot, Brad has taken to wearing a bullet proof vest, should he get shot down over hostile territory; this happened several times during Brad's career, despite his best efforts. While wearing this jacket, Brad receives Good (10) protection against physical attacks on any assault that strikes him on his torso.
Flight Helmet: nicely complementing his flight suit, this helmet gives Brad all he needs to dogfight with the best of 'em. Like his suit, his helmet varies depending on just what he's flying, but the helmet itself is armed with shatterproof glass, giving him Incredible (40) protected senses on his vision - including being polarized to resist light flashes - and Good (10) resistance to physically based head shots.
Flight Suit: though his flight suits have varied over the years, they've all had the same capabilities. They're all armed with Excellent (20) resistance to both cold, heat, and pressure variance, allowing Brad to withstand intense aerial maneuvers, and extreme environments should he have to eject in a hurry. Further, its got a special breathing apparatus that allows normal breathing at almost any altitude.
Knife: every self-respecting fighter pilot carries a blade on his person at all times, should he be faced with a runaway parachute upon ejection, and need to cut the straps before he drowns or is pulled over some cliff or another. Brad can use this blade to inflict Typical (6) Edged Attack damage per deadly strike, or cut through objects of up to Remarkable (30) material strength.
Pistol: holstered on his right ankle, this handgun is a handy replacement for his submachine gun should Brad run out of ammo or similarly lose the weapon. In battle, Brad can use this pistol to inflict Typical (6) Shooting damage in a single shot, +1 CS in a semi-auto, clip-extinguishing burst of lead. He usually only wields this firearm as a last result, however.
Submachine Gun: though the exact models have varied over the years, Brad has always carried a submachine gun on him during missions, should he get shot down over hostile territory. He can use these guns to inflict Typical (6) Shooting damage in a single shot, +1 CS in a semi-automatic burst. He also carries several clips on his person, in order to fight for lengthy periods of time.
Quirks:
(none)
Talents:
Aerial Combat: a pilot since he was a wee youth, Brad naturally can fly almost any plane out there. However, it takes a special person to actually perform fighter to fighter combat - and win - like Brad does. When he's operating any aircraft, though especially fighter planes, Brad may add +1 CS to any applicable combat roll, whether it be Ftg or Agy based.
Guns: one essential military skill that Brad picked up in basic training is the ability to fire any standard, semi-automatic or fully automatic rifle or pistol effectively. When utilizing a gun in battle, Brad may do so as though his Agy score were +1 CS higher than is listed above, though he rarely makes use of this skill, other than during target practice; he's a good enough pilot that his fights never come to that.
Martial Arts type B: though he prefers to fight with an airplane all around him, part of Brad's military training has included the ability, should he find himself in a pinch, to defend himself bare-knuckled. He can attack in unarmed melee combat as though his Ftg rank were +1 CS higher than is listed above, and can dodge such attacks with a similar bonus.
Military: the talent that has made most of his other skills possible, this represents Brad's years in the military, offering him an intimate knowledge of military protocols, basic leadership and instruction training, and of course, has given him more non-Joe military contacts than you can shake a stick at. Thus, Brad makes all military know-how FEAT rolls at a +1 CS to the standard rank.
Pilot / Air: though it goes without saying, Brad is one of the best fighter pilots in the Air Force - much less the Gi Joe team. He's so good, in fact, that he was a fighter pilot instructor before hooking up with the Joes! When piloting aircraft of any stripe, Brad does so as though his Agy (or the vehicle's Control rating) were increased by +1 CS, though combat actions are cumulative with his Aerial Combat talent.
Contacts:
A vital member of the Gi Joe team, Brad can easily call upon that group for assistance should he need it, whether he be on a mission or not (the Joes look after their own). Furthermore, as a member of the Air Force, Brad can also call upon that agency - both as a whole and using several close contacts - for aid of a much less personal, yet just as important variety.
Costume:
Brad reverted to a variant of his original suit's style when he started flying the Conquest X-30. This version of the uniform is primarily a gray flight suit, one with black racing stripes down the outsides of the legs, black wrist straps and gloves, gray pockets on the sides of the biceps, a powerful breathing apparatus (in metallic hues), and a very large, dome-like shatterproof and polarized glass helmet.
Personality:
Brad is a highly skilled and highly dedicated pilot, capable of combat feats that would make other fighter jockeys cringe in terror. He's also a good guy, never rubbing in the fact that he's saved the Joe team from certain doom on numerous occasions with his airborne savvy. Unless, of course, you find yourself opposite him on the poker table; if you do, you'd better look out, because Brad NEVER loses at poker!
Real Name: Brad J. Armbruster, Grade O-3 (Captain), later O-4 (Major)
Occupation: fighter pilot
Legal Status: American citizen with no known criminal record
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: Wendell L. Armbruster (as he's known on some dossiers)
Group Affiliation: Gi Joe
Height: 5' 9"
Hair: brown
Eyes: blue
Weight: 160 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: none
Story:
Brad was a natural born pilot. He's had a love for flying since high school, during which time he worked late into the night so he could afford flying lessons. Once he'd graduated, he got a job flying various jobs that allowed him to flex the muscles of his piloting skills, such as a year run on the Alaska Pipeline, and a two year job flying as a Hollywood stuntman.
Brad decided to do some real flying eventually, and at the tender age of 22 he enlisted in the Air Force, where he continued to excel as a pilot. In fact, he was so good at flying that he became the lead instructor at the USAF Fighter Weapons Squadron affectionately known as the 'Aggressors' (a fighter pilot training school). His service here eventually earned him a spot on the Gi Joe team.
Immediately upon hooking up with the Joes, Brad's piloting skills were put on the test, and they were repeatedly tested for years as the man served as the Gi Joe team's only fighter jockey. He was virtually all the team's air support - when Wild Bill wasn't on the scene - and kept most of Cobra's air forces away from the team's ground pounders while they were going about the business of fighting the forces of evil.
Over time, however, Brad was joined by several other fighter pilots, and he wound up flying increasingly complex missions with them as they got better acquainted. Through the years, Brad became exceptionally good friends with Slipstream and the man you can't help but forget (the pilot code-named Ghost Rider, for those of you that are copyright-impaired).
Many of the missions that Brad participated in involved Cobra Island, some of which were shortly before that blighted land came into being (a part of which Brad himself was unwittingly responsible for). Various missions afterward involved reconnaissance missions flown by himself, or flown as cover for other pilots (like Ghost Rider) while they did the dirty spying deed.
Though the Joe team had numerous pilots over the years, all of which flew various aircraft in the fight against Cobra, Brad tended to be known as the leader of the bunch, having been around the longest and, most importantly, being the most skilled. He was active for the duration of the team's actions against Cobra, and flew missions up to the day the Joe team was disbanded in '94.
When this happened, Brad returned to regular Air Force duties until the Joe team was resurrected a few years later. When Hawk began to reassemble the team anew, Brad was one of the very first of the Joes to hook back up with the unit, and both he and Hawk began flying as a two man team in the A-10 Thunderwing, blasting Cobra goons from here to eternity with their superior skill and firepower.
Brad has been with the team ever since, through thick and thin - even during its second, false deactivation. Though not needed much while the team resumed its more covert status, Brad was more than ready to lend a hand when needed, as he did when Cobra instigated none other than World War III. He and every other still-living Joe returned to make sure their long-time enemies didn't finally succeed and take over the world.
With this done, Brad presumably is assisting the team in clean-up operations against Cobra insurgents who escaped capture, not to mention others like them that may rise in the face of a weakened, global infrastructure.
Extra Goodies:
Gi Joe directories featuring a version of Ace:
| 1983 | 1992 | 1993 | 1997 | 1998 | 2004 | 2008 |
* Note: 2004 saw two versions of Ace released (Versions 6 and 7), as did 2008 (Versions 8 and 9).