Wild Bill F A S E R I P Res Pop Gd 10 Ex 20 Ty 6 Gd 10 Gd 10 Ty 6 Ex 20 Ex 20 Sh 0 Health: 46 Karma: 36 Origin: Like the vast majority of his fellow Joes, William is naught but a normal human, lacking any sort of arcane background, psionic schooling, or freaky mutant powers whatsoever. However, he does have enough personality for ten men, and he's generally at the stick of advanced aircraft while on missions, so for all intents and purposes, I suppose you could consider him a high tech hero type of guy. Known Powers: (none) Equipment: Dragonfly Assault Copter XH-1 (v1): his first - and favorite - Joe vehicle, this two man helicopter is a veritable flying arsenal. Armed with a chain gun chin turret and six particularly effective air to air and air to surface missiles, William could use it to inflict severe casualties on any enemy, either alone or with the assistance of his standard gunner, Airborne. See the Dragonfly's entry for more information. 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 a Typical (6) - 250 mile - range, is equipped with a G.P.S. system, a heart monitor, and can store up to a terabyte of raw data - not bad, eh? Not only is the thing a nice, high tech video phone, but it can also save one's life in a pinch! You see, this device also stores a variety of nutrients it can use to supplement activity, which are absorbed directly into one's pores (think of this as Feeble (2) life support, where food is concerned). Knife: as do most military men, William carries with him a blade at all times should he need to cut something in a hurry, or should he find himself otherwise unarmed. His blades are usually of at least Remarkable (30) material strength, and he can use them to cut through materials of like strength - or to inflict Typical (6) Edged Attack damage to living beings. Locust Assault Copter XH-1 (v4): not to be confused with the earlier, much smaller variety of Locust helicopter, this aircraft is actually a slightly modified version of the Dragonfly that William flew for so long in the service of the Joe team. It has the same basic capabilities, though has been outfitted for rugged desert duty, and is described in a more detailed fashion in its own entry. M-16 / M-203 Combo (v5): a recent addition to William's arsenal, this weapon is a combination assault rifle and grenade launcher. The M-16 portion of this weapon can fire a single shot to inflict Typical (6) Shooting damage, +1 CS in a short burst, and +2 CS in a sustained firing pattern. The M-203 can fire a 40mm grenade which inflicts Remarkable (30) Edged Attack damage to all within its detonation area. Shotgun (v2, v3): for a time, William carried an old fashioned shotgun around with him on missions, if mostly for effect. When fired, this rifle can be used to inflict Excellent (20) Shooting damage per terrifying blast, though it can only fire two shots before it needs to be reloaded. At close range, however, this may not necessarily be a real concern, however... Twin Revolvers (v1, v5): carried more for style than anything else, these twin six-shooters are William's preferred fighting pieces. Each of them can be fired to inflict Typical (6) Shooting damage per deadly shot, and can be fired six times before they need to be reloaded. However, they're not too practical for extended firefights, as they don't utilize clips; a reload takes a full turn to accomplish. Wood Stock Colt '46 Pistol (v2, v3, v4): a historical relic that he cherishes highly, this old fashioned pistol continues to see active duty while William works with the Joe team; sure, he could just carry around a fully automatic slug-thrower like everybody else, but where's the style in that? This older gun can be utilized to inflict Typical (6) Shooting damage per shot. X-M 207 Hyper-Velocity Missile Launcher (v2, v3): whenever he feels particularly frisky on a mission, William carries around a shoulder-mounted missile launcher, one that can fire small, yet deadly rockets at his foes; he usually saved this implement of destruction for especially hairy operations. Aided by an infra-red targeter (for a +1 CS to hit), these rockets have the following statistics: C S B Damage Gd 10 In 40 Gd 10 Remarkable (30) Edged Attack damage * The Joe-Com is something that the Joes started using in their new (as of 2001) comic, and hasn't been featured on a Wild Bill action figure... yet. Quirks: Likeability, x1: more than anything else, William is an exceptionally friendly guy, and tends to get good reactions out of practically everybody he meets. When interacting with others, William should receive NPC reactions that are one level more favorable, unless said NPC is already hostile to him (such as your standard Cobra operatives, etc...). He's just that amicable. Talents: Aerial Combat: naturally, one of William's greatest skills is his ability to fight in the air - usually while contained within some advanced aerial fighting machine, that is. Whenever he's piloting an aircraft, whether it be his beloved Dragonfly (or Locust) or any other helicopter (or airplane), William makes any applicable combat FEAT rolls as though the statistic in question was +1 CS higher in rank. Guns: a talent that William was given during his basic training, and then honed through years of battle, this skill demonstrates his abilities with a gun. Whether he is using a standard, semi-automatic, or fully automatic rifle or pistol, he may do so as though his Agy score was +1 CS in rank. He'd rather not have to use this skill, preferring to rely on his aircraft in battle, but you never know... Martial Arts type B: another talent gained through the Army, this skill describes William's capability to defend himself should he find himself completely unarmed. Whether he utilizes a kick, punch, head butt, knee smash, elbow crush, or any other physical maneuver with his body, William may do so as though his Ftg score was +1 CS higher than is listed above. Military: the skill that all his others are wrapped around, this background-style talent describes William's origin as an Army operative. This talent provides him innumerable military contacts, as well as an innate understanding of military protocols. Furthermore, he can use this talent whenever attempting to lead a body of fighting men into combat, per the leadership skill. Pilot / Air: William has been properly trained how to fly by the Army, and he's taken each lesson to heart from day one. He can fly any helicopter or airplane competently, and performs various airborne maneuvers as though his Agy (or the vehicle's Control rating) was +1 CS in rank - whichever is lower. He's never actually flown any fighter jets, however. Tracking (v2+): having learned how to hunt effectively as a child, William has been encouraged by the Joe team to extend these skills into an official capacity on the job. As such, he can attempt to follow a body based on the trail they leave behind by passing a yellow Int FEAT roll, and once he locates their trail, he can track them unless they actively destroy said trail; this may require additional FEAT rolls... Contacts: As one of the oldest Joes, and having known several of them before he even joined the team, William can easily receive aid from the team should he need it, as he's saved their bacon more times than one can readily count. Furthermore, as a Vietnam vet and high ranking individual, William can also rely on innumerable (and as of yet unnamed) military style contacts should he need to... Costume: William's original Joe uniform consisted of a tan T-shirt covered by an Army green flight jacket, which itself was covered with a brown leather vest, and green gloves. He also wore a pair of green trousers, each leg of which had a brown leather pistol holster attached on the outside, brown leather boots, a brown leather belt, and a pair of silvered sunglasses - not to mention his trademark blue cowboy hat. William's second uniform was of a more... historic bent. He started wearing a blue, 19th Century U.S. Cavalry officer's hat, a blue, classic desert commander's uniform shirt over a yellow, long sleeved undershirt, a pair of black trousers, white gloves, brown, western-stylized desert insurgent's boots, and a U.S. Cavalry style pistol holster and ammo belt in brown leather - along with yellow sunglasses. His third uniform was basically the same as his second, though William did make a few cosmetic alterations to various elements of the ensemble. For instance, William changed his classic desert commander's uniform shirt to a richer shade of blue, and he altered his trousers from solid black to bleached white. As usual, of course, William kept his yellow-colored sunglasses. Once he hooked back up with the Joes, William again assumed a uniform similar to his second one, though this, too, has several cosmetic variations. William's classic desert commander's uniform shirt is still a deep blue, though the undershirt is now white in hue. His trousers are a dark gray with white racing stripes on the outside, and his gloves are now black, as are his sunglasses, belt, and holster. William's fifth G.I. Joe field uniform is a whole new affair, though it still does a good job of reflecting his unique personality. This uniform includes a khakis colored pair of pants with a dark orange camouflage pattern dyed on, a white T-shirt under a brown leather jacket, brown leather boots, two gray ammo belts, twin holsters for his revolvers, silvered sunglasses, and of course a brown cowboy hat. Personality: William is very amicable and slow talking, one of the friendliest people you'll ever know. He thinks of himself as a country-western singer, a general complement of his love for all things southern. He's totally honest in his personal life, though he's not above telling a tall tale or two to keep his friends entertained. As you can guess, William's like every Joe's best friend... Real Name: William S. Hardy, Grade CW-4 (Chief Warrant Officer) Occupation: helicopter pilot, fixed wing pilot, air cavalry scout Legal Status: American citizen with no known criminal record Marital Status: single Alias(es), if any: none Group Affiliation: G.I. Joe Height: 5' 11" Hair: red-brown Eyes: blue (?) Weight: 165 lbs. Other Distinguishing Characteristics: William wears a thick, distinctive moustache Story: William Hardy grew up in the small town of Brady, Texas, where he acquired his love for country-western music, his characteristic Texas drawl, and his penchant for fantastic storytelling. During the Vietnam War, William signed up with the Army, and while on a tour of duty in that country, he participated in various Long Range Recon Patrol missions as a combat infantryman. Once his tour was complete, William - who had since acquired the nickname Wild Bill - re-enlisted in the Flight Warrant Officer's school. Once he became a fully trained helicopter pilot, William wound up flying missions in some of the most dangerous locations on earth, including a particularly deadly transport assignment for the brand new G.I. Joe team in the middle east. Though that mission itself wound up being a failure, William impressed the Joe team's field leader enough that he earned a position on the team during its first expansion. In fact, William's very first mission involved his flying several Joes to Alaska to relieve their fellows when Cobra tried to sabotage the Alaska Pipeline. After this operation, William went on to participate in most Joe missions in some capacity. Whether he's flying a Joe Dragonfly, one of the Tomahawk copters, or even the team's C-130 transport aircraft, William has been an integral part of the team's air support, whether aided by Lift Ticket or the team's jet fighter pilots. Of course, he's also managed to crash more than his fair share of aircraft during his time with the Joe team, but then, he's obviously survived every single one of 'em. Some of the more harrowing operations that William has experienced include his participation in the Battle of Springfield, the Cobra Island Civil War, and the defense of the first Pit. However, he's seen far worse, having been involved with various skirmishes with the Oktober Guard concerning either defecting Soviet military men or recovered black boxes from a Cobra Firebat aircraft. Probably the single worst experience William's had with the Joe team, of course, was when his C-130 transport was hijacked while he was waiting to pick up Hawk and Roadblock in the war-torn nation of Sierra Gordo's airport. Zarana and several Dreadnoks, fleeing from local insurgents tired of Cobra's puppet rule of the nation, were killing every Cobra they could find - and the Dreadnoks wanted out. Of course, the plane was shot down shortly after William took off, and this left the Joes and Dreadnoks - several of which were wounded - to fend for themselves in the nearby jungles while irate nationals were out for their blood. With luck, and somehow managing to work together, William, the other Joes, and Zarana's Dreadnoks managed to escape by using their wits (and Thrasher's berserk rage). Through all this, though, William has stuck with the Joes, no matter how ugly things got - he's simply too stubborn to give up on the fight against Cobra and other, similarly evil terrorist organizations. Though the team was disbanded in '94, he returned to the fold several years later, upon its reactivation. He's now flying the brand new, Night Attack Chopper while he's in action with the G.I. Joe the team.