Low-Light

Powers:

(none)

Equipment:

Flashlight (i): no matter what other electronics he may be carrying, Cooper always has at least one flashlight on his person; he prefers his night-vision goggles, but they can fail in the field. This device can produce intensity 10 illumination within firing distance, handy for spotting things at night.

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.

Kevlar Vest (s): in addition to his new head gear, Cooper eventually donned a bullet-resistant vest while in the field. This vest offers the man +2 protection from attacks that strike him in the torso (front or back), significantly increasing his odds of surviving a given battle.

Knife (s): Cooper's always got at least one of these handy at all times, sometimes two while in the field. Made from strength 12 metals, Cooper can use these blade(s) to cut through items of like m.s., or instead inflict +2 damage in melee combat.

Night-Vision Goggles (w): first taking the form of a red-tinted visor, and then a similar one that was blue in hue, this piece of equipment allows Cooper to peer into the night with almost-daylight clarity. It enhances existing light / heat sources at intensity 8, giving him the advantage in darkness.

Pistol (a): Cooper usually has one of these back-up pieces handy on a mission, sometimes two. Either way, he can fire these semi-automatic hand cannons to inflict damage per a +4 weapon with a single shot, or per a +5 weapon in a semi-automatic, clip-burning hail of lead.

Sniper Rifle (a): an expert marksman, Cooper carries this weapon with him on missions instead of a high-powered, automatic assault rifle. Doubling as the Joe team's sniper, he utilizes armor piercing ammunition, and can thus use this gun to inflict damage per a +6 weapon per shot.

Hindrances:

(none)

Skills:

Boxing (s): an essential part of his Army basic training, this talent represents Cooper's ability to defend himself in battle should he find himself totally unarmed. In unarmed melee, Cooper can divide his pre-cardplay action score between two attacks, the last of which will occur as a contingent action.

Law Enforcement (w): when the Gi Joe team was temporarily deactivated (though nobody knew that at the time), Cooper signed up with the Army's Criminal Investigation Division, and acquired this skill as a general matter of course. Now, he knows the Law (military and otherwise), and may enforce it as well.

Marksmanship (a): Cooper has been described time and time again as a master marksman - in fact, he was an Army marksmanship instructor for years. As such, he can wield any guns (standard, semi-automatic, fully automatic, or anything else) at a reduced difficulty level. This is a master level skill.

Military / United States (w): the source of all his other skills (save for his survival talent), this 'background' skill offers Cooper an inherent understanding of military protocols and procedures. Furthermore, it has given him basic leadership abilities, allowing him to lead fighting men into battle if necessary.

Survival (w): at a very young age, Cooper got lost in the wilds of North Dakota on a hunting trip, and was lost to human knowledge for several weeks. During this time, he learned (by necessity) how to survive in the wilds, and can find enough food, water, and shelter to get by just about anywhere.

Teaching (w): his secondary military specialty, this skill describes Cooper's ability to instruct others in the acquisition of skills. While he is a competent instructor all around, he truly shines when showing folks how to either wield night-vision technology or how to shoot; there he is truly in his element.

Tracking (w): an expert tracker, Cooper can follow a target almost anywhere - even in the dark! When trying to follow a body, Cooper can make a Willpower check at a reduced difficulty to pick up the trail in the first place, and need not make additional checks until something somehow masks or disguises the trail.

Calling:

Soldier: Cooper is a stand-up kind of guy. He happily applies his many skills to the fight for truth, justice, and the American way. He'll do whatever he's ordered to in order to protect his country, knowing full well that the Joes who give him said orders will do so with the best, most ethical results in mind.

Costume:

Cooper's sixth Gi Joe uniform is like his first, though not precisely. It includes a black Kevlar vest over a gray jacket (itself worn over an olive drab T shirt), gray trousers, black leather gloves, black and brown leather combat boots, a brown leather belt and holsters/sheathes, and a black cap.

Personality:

Cooper is truly at home in the night. Ever since he overcame his fear of the dark as a youngster, he's been proficient at everything in the dark, and seems to enjoy darkness better than the light. He's about as sneaky a night-time operative you can have, and he makes no mistakes while on the prowl.

Real Name: Cooper G. MacBride, grade E-6
Occupation: night spotter, marksmanship instructor
Legal Status: American citizen with no known criminal record
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: none
Group Affiliation: Gi Joe, Slaughter's Marauders (Gi Joe sub-team)

Height: 6'
Hair: blonde (sometimes dyed black for camouflage purposes)
Eyes: blue
Weight: 175 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: Cooper has taken to sometimes wearing a full beard and moustache in his later years, whose color varies as much as his hair does.

Story:

Cooper was something of a scaredy-cat as a child, being afraid of the dark, fearful of loud noises, and timid around animals. Naturally, this meant he wouldn't have all that much of a good time on a hunting trip with his father, which included all of the above, and as fate had it things went badly.

Cooper vanished, you see. Completely. The authorities searched for him for three full weeks, and only found him when he returned all by himself - with an ear to ear grin, and a .22 rifle in hand. While he was lost in the woods, he totally overcame his fears, and grew to love nature - and the night.

He became quite the marksman over the years, even before he eventually enlisted in the Army, and is a self-trained expert in image-intensification technology. Fast-forward about ten years and you can see him teaching marksmanship at Fort Benning, turning out rather competent gunmen.

His particular combination of skills got Cooper a place on the Gi Joe team soon enough, and he fit in rather well. As a night spotter and expert marksman, he's helped the team achieve its goals on numerous missions, quite a few of which were conducted in partnership with the C.I.A. and other agencies.

He's so good at what he does, in fact, that Sergeant Slaughter chose him to be a member of his team of crack Joe fighters, Slaughter's Marauders. While this entailed getting a rather oddly colored uniform, Cooper nonetheless proved his worth yet again on countless missions with this hard core squad.

Still later (though possibly in a variant timeline), Cooper was partnered with Ambush for a special reason: to hunt dinosaurs on Cobra Island! Whether they came about due to genetic experimentation or some other calamitous occurrence, these beasts needed to be dealt with - and Cooper was elected to do so!

While he's performed all kinds of duties for the Gi Joe team, the good times couldn't last forever, and when the Joes were disbanded, Cooper found a new Army home in its Criminal Investigation Division. He even worked with several folks that would eventually become Joes when the team was reinstated.

Naturally, he went with them for the ride, of course, sticking with the team through thick and thin, at least throughout the time that Cobra instigated World War III. With the Gi Joe team busier than ever now that Cobra's backbone has been broken again, it's likely Cooper stuck around.

He's good at digging up people that like to hide in the dark, after all...

Extra Goodies:

Gi Joe directories featuring a version of Low-Light: