Kansas Bob

Strength 6d

Agility 6c

Intellect 5d

Willpower 6d

Hand Size: Edge:

4 (25) 2

Origin:

Kansas Bob is in fact Sgt. Bob Smoke, Ret., a former Army man who has found himself in the service of the D.A.A., what with him feeling the military has failed the American people. He's an otherwise normal human, save for his veritable weirdness magnet (and the magic stuff)...

Powers:

(none)

Hindrances / Augmentations:

(none)

Equipment:

Communication Earpieces (i): the D.A.A. often makes use of encrypted wireless transceivers to synchronize operative activity in the field. D.A.A. earpiece communicators (with sub-vocalization options) have intensity 2 range - 2.5 miles - and have encryption of complexity 10 wired in.

Dagger of Saviour (w): this knife is a godsend when fighting evil mystic beings. Made from unknown, m.s. 25 materials, it can be used to cut through items of like m.s., lets Bob inflict his Strength +2 damage in melee, and is charged with the power of an extradimensional entity of good.

This being, known in some circles as Saviour, naturally loathes evil. As such, when the dagger strikes evil mystic entities and wizards, it discharges intensity 15 holy light, inflicting like karmic damage to these beings - usually enough to show them the error of their ways.

Ring of Rr (s): though he's pretty competent in battle, this device has increased Bob's lethality exponentially. It allows him to regenerate from most any wounds, working at intensity 8, meaning that he regains a card on a non-negative aura draw of 7 or less each exchange.

This tends to make Bob cocky in general, but what really scares people is the fact that he appears immortal, since the ring also grants him the power of revival, functioning at intensity 15. Even when slain in the line of duty, Bob isn't likely to be out of the D.A.A.'s hair just yet...!

Uzi 9mms (a): though his mystic arsenal is quite potent, Bob doesn't trust it to save his life; it often does, but there you have it. As such, he carries these venerable cannons on him at all times; they may be going out of fashion in military circles, but Bob thinks they make a Statement.

He can fire one of these guns to inflict his Agility +4 damage in a single shot, his Agility +5 damage in a short, semi-automatic burst, or his Agility +6 damage in a fully-automatic spread. Of course, he can fire both guns at an opponent to increase any of these values by 1.

Skills:

Boxing (s): Bob was trained in the fine art of fisticuffs by the Army, but the D.A.A. helped him to learn how to fight fast. He can divide his pre-cardplay action score between two unarmed attacks, the last of which will occur as a contingent action - he's much faster than he looks.

Contingent Attack (a): a fine art that Bob has mastered over the years, he is adept at firing two guns at the same time. He can do so with no penalty, and in one of two manners. He can either fire both guns simultaneously for +1, or gain a second gun attack as a contingent action.

Lore (i): through a lifetime of accidents and happenstance, Bob has learned the basics of the occult - when demons show up on your doorstep now and then, you pick up a thing or two. When faced with magical shenanigans, Bob can determine things about them at a reduced difficulty.

Marksmanship (a): one of his military-granted talents, this skill reflects Bob's ability to use most firearms with competence. When wielding a standard, semi-automatic or fully automatic rifle or pistol, or even an oddball weapon like a shotgun, Bob may do so at a reduced difficulty level.

Military / United States (w): having made his way to the rank of Sergeant in the United States Army before he retired, Bob is quite an expert on military matters. He knows military protocols like the back of his hand, and can lead fighting men and women into battle if necessary.

Contacts:

Bob is a Direct Action American. As one of those almost fanatically patriotic vigilantes, Bob can rely upon his fellows for assistance should it become necessary. Also, Bob has all kinds of contacts in the Army, since he was a member of that organization for over twenty years.

Calling:

Soldier: Bob feels an intense duty to his country, as feels it's the best example of freedom available on earth, despite its many (and increasing number of) shortcomings. Having quit the military for personal reasons, he has no problem working with quasi-military groups with like aims.

Costume:

Bob wears a simple costume whilst adventuring. It includes roomy black trousers, an expensive black jacket with a generous cut over a white T shirt, black leather walking boots, a black leather belt with a red, white and blue 'star' belt buckle, and a set of rainbow rings on a silver necklace.

Personality:

Bob is a firm believer in efficiency. He hates anything that wastes his time, or produces excessive waste, in any aspect of his life. He generally plans his day out meticulously, whether he's on a tropical island getaway or a deadly raid into a demon nest in the bowels of the Pentagon.

This quirk extends into all aspects of his behavior, from speech to dress. In fact, he generally wears the same outfit, or at least a copy such, at all times - which saves him time in choosing what to wear. Sometimes this rubs people raw, but Bob simply does what Bob needs to do for Bob.

Real Name: Sgt. Bob Smoke, Ret.
Occupation: professional vigilante, former Army Sgt.
Legal Status: citizen of the United States with no known criminal record
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: a few throwaway aliases here and there
Group Affiliation: the Direct Action Americans

Height: 6' 1"
Hair: gray
Eyes: blue
Weight: 190 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: Bob generally has a frustrated expression on his face at all times, no matter what his actual mood is.

Story:

Having grown up in rural Kansas, Bob quickly came to hate the place for various reasons, and did what he felt was the easiest way to escape - he enlisted in the Army. This wasn't necessarily a bad choice, for it helped Bob to acquire several skills he would soon need to survive.

This was because, upon his eighteenth birthday, Bob suddenly became a magnet for the bizarre. Strange things started happening around him all the time, from people spontaneously combusting to encounters with extradimensional beings. Bob was taken aback by this... at first.

But like someone who sees too much nudity or violence on television, Bob simply grew desensitized to the oddities around him. Possessing a keen eye and a good memory, Bob started keeping track of the strangeness around him, and was able to better anticipate certain things.

Over the next twenty years, Bob became something of an occult expert, though his Army superiors were confounded by the weird happenings in his vicinity; they never pegged Bob as their source, but it seemed that he was very, very good at handling one crisis after another on base.

Bob could've gone places in the Army, but political differences between himself and his superiors compelled him to retire after he'd earned his twenty year pension. While he quit the Army for good, Bob couldn't get rid of his weirdness magnet, though.

He thus became an adventurer, dealing with various occult disasters as they occurred, and slowly acquired a small arsenal of potent mystic artifacts - those he didn't destroy, at least. Eventually, Bob's excellent service record and his adventuring 'spirit' gained him the D.A.A.'s attention.

Approached by Director Blue, Bob heard the Direct Action American's 'sales pitch', and wishing to serve his country still, Bob was easily recruited into the group's ranks. He's a welcome addition to the D.A.A., since he wields considerable power and required little, if any training.

Having proven himself time and time again, Bob has become one of the D.A.A.'s elite operatives, and often handles matters critical to both the group and the nation's well-being. For instance, once he went on a mission to break into the White House with Jinx and Six-fingered Tommy.

This was to relieve Al Gore of his lucky pen, which had been spiked with a tiny viral bomb. While the trio managed this easily enough, Bob's weirdness magnet interacted badly with Jinx's, well, jinx, and before they knew what had happened Bob was flattened by a falling piano!

This nonetheless had the benefit of distracting the secret service enough that the trio was able to get away, and they even saved the free world in the process. Despite his grievous injuries this night, Bob recovered fast thanks to his Ring of Rr, and works with the D.A.A. to this very day!

Extra Goodies:

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