Short-Fuze F A S E R I P Res Pop Gd 10 Gd 10 Ty 6 Gd 10 Ex 20 Gd 10 Gd 10 Gd 10 Sh 0 Health: 36 Karma: 40 Origin: Like the vast majority of the G.I.Joe team, Eric is a normal, if highly skilled human, lacking any sort of paranormal or ascendant abilities whatsoever. However, he does have a creepy knack for advanced math, being able to use it naturally under combat conditions... Known Powers: (none) Equipment: Bazooka (v2): his secondary weapon, this device is most often loaded with shells that inflict Incredible (40) Shooting damage per hit. He can only fire this bazooka once before it needs to be reloaded; this takes one full turn to accomplish. Eric carries this in case he needs to be more mobile than usual. Colt M1911A1 Pistol: Eric also carries a simple pistol on his person, as his mortar is mostly effective against long-range targets. This hand-cannon can inflict Typical (6) Shooting damage per strike, +1 CS semi-auto, and Eric can fire eight shots with it before he has to reload it. Helmet: since he works with explosives, Eric wears a helmet as a general matter of course, should something... bad happen while on the job. This metal device offers him Good (10) protection to any non-facial head assault, and it has a clear visor handy to protect his eyes, as well. Machine Gun (v3): replacing his bazooka while working in the Night Force, this weapon is still quite destructive. Eric can fire his machine gun to inflict Good (10) Shooting damage in a short burst of fire, or Excellent (20) Shooting damage in a withering, fully automatic firing pattern. Mortar: this weapon allows Eric to launch various projectiles, with significant (Amazing (50)) range, at a target. The shells that this mortar can fire typically cause Incredible (40) damage, and Eric can load several types of canisters into it, such as: * Explosive Canisters: these dangerous shells will inflict double damage (Edged Attack) in the area they strike, as well as standard damage in the areas surrounding the target area. These are great for destroying tanks, or buildings, etc... * Incendiary Canisters: these shells can inflict 2x SD Energy damage to everybody within the target area; this means that the fire burns at a -1 CS in intensity each round, until those set aflame can pass an Endurance FEAT roll against the SD intensity of the flames. * Smoke Canisters: these shells contain smoke that can obscure a target area with Excellent (20) ability. Folks within must pass an Intuition FEAT roll (or pass a similar roll with super-senses or detection devices) in order to see or sense effectively through the smoke. Quirks: Sense / Vision, x2: Eric's vision isn't perfect, despite his uncanny accuracy with his mortar fire. In game play, should he find himself without his thick glasses (or some hard-core contact lenses), he must make all vision-based Intuition FEAT rolls at -2 CS. Temper, x2: more than anything else, Eric is noted for his rather short temper, hence his code name. Should something act counter to his own sensibilities, he must pass a Psyche FEAT roll at -2 CS in order to keep his cool, should he want to. Talents: Advanced Mathematics: somewhat odd in his love for math, Eric can easily perform complex geometric and trigonometric calculations in his head, allowing him to utilize his mortar as if his Agility were +1 CS in rank. This makes him exceptionally dangerous in battle. Guns: a basic skill that comes with his military training, this talent allows Eric to utilize any standard, semi-automatic, or fully automatic rifle or pistol, at his Agility +1 CS. This skill doesn't extend to advanced, energy-based weaponry, however. Martial Arts type B: not known for his subtlety, Eric has learned a more offensive form of self-defense; in other words, he's learned how to turn his unarmed body into a weapon, and can make such attacks as if his Fighting score were +1 CS in rank. Military: a third generation military man, Eric knows the Army like the back of his hand. He intuitively understands military protocols, can easily interpret the chain of command and military instructions, and he receives the Military (go figure) as a free contact. Contacts: As one of the Joes, Eric can easily rely upon that organization for aid, should he find himself in serious trouble; after all, most times he would do so would be on a mission for them. Further, as a member of the military, he can also rely upon them for various resources, etc... Costume: While on a mission, or often when simply lounging around, Eric wears a standard pair of Army field greens, as well as a gun harness wrapped around his shoulders. Also, he's most often got a green helmet with a blast visor on, as well, to keep mortar launch debris out of his eyes, and brown boots. After rejoining the G.I.Joe team in the late nineties, though, Eric began to wear a slightly modified version of his original 'union suit' however. His shirt was a lighter green, his pants donned a green camouflage pattern, and his boots changed to a glossy, leather black color. Same helmet, though. When he joined the elite Night Force, Eric then donned his third field uniform. This outfit includes black pants with a gray camo pattern, a green and black long sleeved shirt, black leather boots and gloves, a black leather belt, and green webbing to hold grenades and other gear. Personality: While he is a capable combatant, very effective with artillery in the field, and quite a logical person in general, Eric does have his one downfall: his impressive temper. He can't help but blow his top at least once a day, even if it's rather inconvenient for him to do so. Such temper tantrums usually occur when one of his fellow Joes poke fun at his odd mathematical capabilities, or when somebody says something that offends his particular sensibilities. Of course, most of the Joes know better than to do this while he's 'on the job'... Real Name: Eric W. Friestadt, Grade E-4 (later E-5) Occupation: G.I.Joe artillery expert Legal Status: American citizen with no known criminal record Marital Status: presumably single Alias(es), if any: none Group Affiliation: G.I.Joe, Night Force (a G.I. Joe sub-group) Height: 5' 9" Hair: strawberry blond Eyes: blue Weight: 170 lbs. Other Distinguishing Characteristics: his plastic, horn-rimmed glasses sort of stand out, but other than that, none. Story: Eric is a tried and true military man. He can hardly help it; two previous generations of Friestadt men were career Sergeants, and he just sort of made his way into the job via osmosis. Not that he minds, as he thoroughly enjoys what he does. And what he does makes lots of satisfying explosions. You see, Eric is a trained artillery operative, meaning that it is his job to blow things up with mortar fire. He has an edge over most such folks, however, in that he's a natural math whiz; he can calculate target azimuths in his head faster than a body with a compass can. This natural aptitude gained the attention of one Colonel Hawk as he was assembling a covert, anti-terrorist force. Looking for the best of the military's best, he homed in on Eric's preternatural skill with mortar fire, and offered him a job on the nascent G.I.Joe team! Glad to be part of such a prestigious unit, Eric didn't have to even think about his answer, and has been with the team ever since. For instance, he participated in the rescue of Dr. Adele Burkhart from the evil Cobra Commander, the Joe's first public operation. He was also involved with several other missions over the next three years, after which he was pulled off active duty and given a desk job in order to facilitate the Joe's self-administration; over time, the team had expanded to the point that such a move was needed. However, Eric was nonetheless called in to help with several other high-profile missions, such as the Joe's invasion of Cobra's secret U.S. headquarters, Springfield, and their participation in the Cobra Island civil war, between Serpentor and a false Cobra Commander. However, things change, and the Joe team was deactivated in 1994, as the threat Cobra - the team's arch-nemesis - posed was then considered small enough to be handled by conventional forces. A military man at heart, Eric simply returned to his Army post for several years. However, Cobra eventually got it's act back together, and renewed its attempts to conquer the world. As such, the Joe team was reactivated, and since he was already in the armed forces still, Eric gladly hooked up with his old pals, in order to fight the good fight.