Pathfinder
| F Gd 10 |
A Ex 20 |
S Ty 6 |
E Ex 20 |
R Gd 10 |
I Rm 30 |
P Ex 20 |
Res Ex 20 |
Pop Sh 0 |
| Health: Karma: |
56 60 |
Origin:
Like the rest of the Gi Joe team (not counting one or two oddities), William is but a normal human, lacking any sort of ascendant powers. In other words, he's just a regular joe, and hasn't been blessed with benevolent genetic mutations, an occult background, power-granting happenstance, or what-have-you.
Known Powers:
(none)
Equipment:
the Joe-Com: 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.
Knife: William carries one of these implements in the event that his weed whacker is on the fritz - or it would be overkill in a given situation. Made from Incredible (40) m.s. metals, this blade can cut through items of like m.s., and allows him to inflict Edged Attack damage in melee.
Semi-Automatic Pistol: while his other weaponry may vary from time to time, William's always got one of these handy during a mission. He can fire this pistol to inflict Typical (6) Shooting damage in a single shot, or Good (10) Shooting damage in a semi-auto burst of leaden doom.
Twin Machine Gun Harness: this is a powerful, backpack-mounted weapons system. He can fire one gun to inflict Good (10) Shooting damage in a small burst, or Excellent (20) Shooting damage in a full auto spread. If both guns are fired, add a +1 CS to the damage this thing inflicts.
V.A.M.P., Mark 5: occasionally William is assigned to a 'special team' with Big Brawler and Torpedo, usually when some sort of wilderness dirty tricks are in order. While so teamed, the trio makes use of a Mark 5 V.A.M.P., which they can use to get in and out of an area in a jiffy - and to augment their firepower.
The V.A.M.P. is described in its own entry.
Weed Whacker: this curious device, which draws power from the backpack that his twin machine guns are mounted to, allows William to clear large amounts of flora in a jiffy. The whirling blade of this large device can inflict Excellent (20) Edged Attack damage in melee, or slice through plants like butter.
Quirks:
(none)
Talents:
Guns: one of the two skills that William picked up in his Army basic training, this describes his ability to use most any gun in battle. Whether it be a standard, semi-automatic, or fully automatic rifle or pistol, or even an oddball weapon like an elephant gun, William may use it at his Agy score +1 CS.
Martial Arts type B: the other talent William picked up during his Army basic training, this skill represents his excellent hand to hand fighting capability. When engaging in unarmed combat, William may make any such attack (punch, kick, head butt, etc...) as though his Ftg was +1 CS in rank.
Military / United States: a source for many of his skills (save for his survival skill), this talent primarily serves as a 'background' mechanism for William. In addition to providing him an inherent understanding of military protocols and procedures, it offers him two additional military contacts.
Survival: William grew up in the Florida Everglades, and was taught how to get by thanks to his father, a decorated veteran of the Korean War. He can get around in jungle environs with unnerving ease, and additional training has spread this ability to any terrain or geography on earth.
Contacts:
As a member of the Gi Joe team, William can obviously depend on them in a pinch, should he need their assistance; after all, he rarely needs it, so when William asks for help - his allies listen! Furthermore, the man has several additional, as-of-yet unrevealed military-style contacts.
Costume:
William's third Gi Joe uniform is essentially identical to his second, give or take. It consists of a dark gray pair of trousers (with no camo on them), a dark gray short-sleeved, collared shirt with a dark gray vest on top, black leather boots, a black leather belt, black sunglasses, and a dark gray fishing hat.
Personality:
William is a very self-sufficient fellow, having learned early on in life how to take care of himself in most any situation. Furthermore, he's about as tenacious as they come, not liking to leave any task unfinished - no matter how difficult it may be, or what hardships may lie in his wake as he does so.
Real Name: William V. Ianotti, grade E-6
Occupation: jungle combat expert
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'
Hair: brown
Eyes: unrevealed
Weight: 165 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: none
Story:
Having grown up in the treacherous Florida Everglades as a wee youth, William had no choice but to learn how to get around in stinking swamps and quasi-tropical environs. He was taught how to do so by his father, a decorated recon grunt from the Korean War, who knew exactly how to deal with such terrain.
Thanks to his father, William learned how to make trails where there aren't any, how to ambush unsuspecting folks in the brush, and many other aspects of jungle survival - all this even before he enlisted in the Army! When he did that, it became apparent he'd be a perfect rain forest tactical assault specialist.
Once he got on the job there, he proved just how well-versed in such techniques he could be, and quickly became the Army's premier jungle operations specialist. This naturally attracted the attention of the Gi Joe team, who recruited William into their ranks as soon as he could get through the entrance exam.
Once he was a Gi Joe, William adopted the code-name Pathfinder, and was put in charge of any Cobra Island operations the Joe team would have to conduct - naturally, this was a whole lot of work. William handled it with glee, however, and served in this role until the Joe team was deactivated in '94.
The Cobra threat only became worse without the Joes to check them, though, and the Gi Joe team was thus reactivated several years later. A few years into this new incarnation of the team, the Joes convinced William to return to the fold, this time behind the wheel of one of their A.W.E. Strikers.
Liking a good challenge, William couldn't resist re-upping with the Joes. He hung with the 'new' team through thick and thin, participating in actions against Cobra during their biggest shenanigans, including their second Civil War and their greatest bid for world domination, when they instigated World War III.
Once Cobra was defeated (again), William stayed on with the Joes, since they weren't prematurely disbanded this time. No, the government thought it'd be a good idea to have the Gi Joe team finish the job this time, and collect all the world's stray Cobra outlaws, not to mention hold things together while everyone rebuilds.
Cobra did a lot of damage, after all...
Extra Goodies:
Gi Joe directories featuring a version of Pathfinder:
| 1990 | 2001 | 2004 |