WW2 Supers d6: NPCs

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LCDR Thomas 'Rainsquall' Boyd




Background Info: A young, 24 year old Naval Officer hailing from outside Boston, Massachusetts; Tom Boyd is a friendly enough man with the distinctive rapid-fire Boston accent in his voice, intelligence and compassion in his eyes and in complete astonishment at his newly discovered Talents. This Talent is a form of weather control that allows Tom to create clouds, fog and even rain in an approximately 30 foot cubic area. He must be outside and closing his eyes to be able to do this and he can even generate lightning bolts inside the 'rain squall' that can inflict lethal damage to someone or even inflicting light damage on structures/vehicles. He can generate these rain squalls anywhere within about 200 yards or so.

Boyd is a quick study, friendly and quite charming with developing leadership abilities and is an excellent sailor and navigator with all manner of small craft and vessels up to and including Destroyers. He is NOT particularly gifted with any kind of firearms or small unit tactics and while he is doing his best to learn, he is more than happy to defer to the Marines and other more experienced 'ground pounders' in SST 4 when it comes time for those parts of the mission.

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PH2 (Pharmacist's Mate 2nd Class) Carl 'Doc' Franklin KIA, MoH winner



Background Info: A 28 year old, ten year Navy vet hailing from Detroit, Michigan; Carl Franklin had been working as a Cook (one of the few jobs available to Black sailors) onboard a Destroyer serving in the Atlantic when the ship had been struck by a Torpedo from a U-boat and the next thing Carl knew, he was using his new found Talents to heal his own wounds and those of other sailors. Very soon after that, the quiet Franklin, now known as "Doc", was breaking new ground by working with the SSO, getting medical training to work as a Corpsman (Navy/Marine talk for Medic) and being integrated into a Special Services Team of Talents, slotted to work in the PTO (Pacific Theatre of Operations).

Carl is a quiet, determined man of solid strength, good technical know-how and surprisingly a decent shot (he had never fired a weapon before his recent 'boot camp' with the SSO) to go along with his recently gained rudimentary medical skills. His Talents included the ability to Heal Himself and to Heal Others....though for the latter, he had to physically run his hand over the wounds themselves. While he probably would never make a great leader of others as he was too quiet for that, his courage and strength of character are obvious to anyone who treats him with an open mind.

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CAPT (Captain) Jay Marsden



Background Info: A tall, dark-eyed, dark-haird, hard-faced man in his early 40s; Jay Marsden is a 20 year career officer who was a pilot when he was younger until a bad accident caused him to switch careers to Intel. With a keen mind and a combination of fearlessness and an ability to be ruthless when necessary, he soon became a legend for being able to run all manner of "off the books" operations. When Talents first started manifesting themselves, Marsden was one of the first people the newly formed SSO brought into the fold.

While he has no Talents himself (yet, anyway), Jay has been involved in setting up the Training Programs and helping with the Mission Planning for all three SSTs the SSO has created thus far and is currently working as the senior SSO member in the brand new "SSO: Pacific Branch" Office that has recently been constructed in San Diego to go along with SST 4 which will work in the PTO.

He is no-nonsense, cold as ice and intimidating as hell; but also extremely knowledgeable and the kind of Officer whose work IS his life. While he is not one to expect compassion from, he is also one who will give his all to ensuring any and all Missions are conducted as professionally and capably as possible.

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CORPORAL (CPL) Harmon 'Hal' Allan; Australian Army. KIA



Background Info: Harmon 'Hal' Allan is a kindly Australian man somewhere around 40 who had been working as an Engineer on a Fishing Boat in Australia and who had also always had a talent for and interest in Foreign Languages so much so that he taught German and Japanese to kids on weekends when the war began. Too old to be drafted and not having any military inclinations, he offered his services as a translator to the Australian government and was put to work (as a civilian) at a base near Port Darwin. In February of 1942, Darwin came under an intense Japanese Air Attack and in the middle of it, Hal's Talents manifested themselves....

He can utilize Telekinesis on a low level; but more importantly he can also hear and understand speech from anyone at a long range, regardless of what language they are speaking. Realizing how useful this could be, Allan was drafted into the Army and sent thru first regular boot camp and then 'Hell's Motel' in Hawaii; both of which he just BARELY managed to get through.

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Flight Lieutenant (RCAF)/Captain (RCA) James Hyde-Smythe KIA at Ortona




Background: James Hyde-Smythe is a 27 year old pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force who had shot down 4 enemy planes flying out of England before being shot down himself over Dieppe during the Raid. As he bailed out, his 'chute failed and he manifested his Talent ability to Fly and touched down on a Landing Ship, the Yukon where he soon met LCPL Koda. Later, during SSO training, he would learn he also had a second Talent Power, the ability to see in the Dark.

Hyde-Smythe has an interesting background; his mother is Lady Cynthia Smythe of an old Noble line in England who ran away form her family at 19 to Canada. There she met a dashing Canadian Mountain Man named James Hyde and they quickly got married, despite her families objections. Soon, little 'Jamie' came along. After about a decade, the impetuous young Cynthia had grown tired of the cold, dreary life in the mountains of Canada and soon divorced her husband and moved back to England and made-up with her family. Young James now split his time between upper-crust British schools and his mother's Noble family and friends (which is when he changed his last name to Hyde-Smythe) and spending time in the Canadian Rockies with his father where he learned how to hunt and climb and while they didn't exactly get along well, they respected each other.

James fell in love with the idea of flying as a teen and his Mother pulled some strings to get him flying lessons. He excelled at these and wanted to join the RAF after going to Sandhurst Military Academy, but his 'scandalous' background (being the child of a Divorced Mother and a Commoner Father) ensured that THAT was not to be. The young man grew bitter, but tends to hide it all behind a Cold, 'Let's get work done' demeanor. Instead, he went to a local college and managed to get admitted to the Royal Canadian Air Force soon after the War broke out. By late '41 he was flying in a Fighter Squadron based out of England and did well for himself, though he certainly didn't make many friends. At Dieppe, his Talent Powers manifested and he was soon sent to SSO Training at Achenarry, Scotland and after passing, he was soon transferred to the Canadian Army and made Commanding Officer of newly formed Special Services Team 11.

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Sergeant (SGT) Mario 'Mark' Battaglia





Background: Mario 'Mark' Battaglia was born in Brooklyn, New York City 25 years ago and he grew up tough, smart but keeping a good humor and attitude that made most people like him. Once he hit 15 years old, he was sent every summer to help out his Uncle Lou who ran a hunting lode out in the Catskill Mountains 'up State'. Mario, who prefers to go by 'Mark', became a rare city-kid who also knew how to Climb Mountains, hunt and in general be okay on his own in the wilderness if he had to do so. He's fond of card games, his beloved Dodgers base-ball team and flying in planes.

When war broke out, he joined the Air Corps and soon found himself a Tail Gunner in a B-17 bomber. He was assigned to the 340th Squadron of the 97th Bombardment Group and was among the first USAAC units sent to England in early '42. He made numerous bombing runs over Europe and his Group was assigned to hit German Luftwaffe bases during the Dieppe Raid. Confronted by a swarm of Nazi fighters during the mission and despite his marksmanship in the Tail Gun taking out a trio of enemy fighters, his Bomber was shot down near the coast, at too low an altitude to attempt to bail out. The plane hit near the edge of the Cliffs and the entire crew was killed, save him as his Talent Powers manifested themselves and he was able to surround himself with a Shield of some kind that protected him from the crash and fire...though he still had internal injuries. As he staggered away from the wreckage, he was able to climb down to the beaches and wade out to a nearby British ship that was collecting other survivors of the Raid. He was soon sent to SSO Training in Achenarry, Scotland where he learned he also had the Talent Power of being able to generate Energy Blasts. He was soon assigned to SST 11.

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Corporal (CPL) Robert 'Brilliant Bob' Baker; Canadian Army



Background: Robert Baker is a 29 year old Canadian whose parents are Caribbean immigrants and he grew up working a hard life in the factories. While the Canadian Army is integrated and he certainly has had a better life than most of his U.S. counterparts, it still isn't anything special. When WW2 came, he enlisted, more as a chance to get out of the factory than anything else and it was when deployed to Sicily in June of '43 when his Talent Power arrived. Bob was always a smart guy, but while being shelled by some German Panzers, something 'clicked' and he began literally talking to himself rapidly, saying equations and measurements and writing them all out on a small pad of paper he carried with him and after a few minutes, he realized he had come up with a way to modify a 37mm Cannon on a nearby armored recon vehicle to make the weapon more able to defeat its armor. While that particular modification was never applied as the tanks were driven off long before he could make the adjustments, he KNEW his intellect had expanded beyond human limits while his Talent was 'activated' and he was soon a part of a Canadian STS 14 attached to the 1st Infantry Division. Since that time, he has seen extensive combat and has modified a Universal Carrier into a formidable little assault vehicle he calls Gloria after his fiancee and has become known, sometimes with admiration, sometimes with condescension as 'Brilliant Bob'. His commanding officer though, 1st LT Mitchell Sterlin, treated him with absolute respect, as he did the entire team and nearly died to ensure that he and PVT Faraday survived and Bob holds his former C.O. in the highest respect. Young Jimmy 'The Maple Leaf Kid' is the only other survivor from STS 14 after Sterlin's withdrawal due to injuries and the 17 year old practically worships at the altar of Bob and the others which makes Bob feel old and very protective of his 'little brother'. Recently, they've been attached to this mixed unit of Canadian and British Talents and Bob is cautiously optimistic about working with them.....

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Private (PVT) James 'The Maple Leaf Kid' Faraday; Canadian Army KIA at Ortona




Background: Jimmy Faraday grew up in Toronto and had pretty much dedicated his life to two things; Hockey and patching up the various mutts and stray cats and birds, etc. in his neighborhood. When the war broke out, the teen immediately wanted to join, but was far too young, so he just tried to watch as much of his beloved Maple Leaf team as he could and play hockey as much as he could with his dwindling pool of friends as they one by one joined the military and patch up pets here and there. Finally, at 17, he could no longer stand it and he ran away from home, bummed rides all the way to Ottawa and lied about his age and enlisted in the Army there. He was soon trained and joined the 1st Infantry Division as a Medic (they learned about his pet saving skills in basic training) in September of '43, right as they were making their way up the Adriatic (East) Coat of Italy. In one of his first fights in the Moro River Campaign, his unit was being strafed by German planes and he found himself suddenly holding his old hockey stick in his hands and 'kid style', he pointed the top end towards the plane and made some 'pew pew' sounds and bolts of light flashed from the stick and hit the plane, causing it to smoke and flee the scene. He soon after also learned he had the power to heal wounds of others, though not himself. He was quickly attached to STS 14 and not long thereafter, he was in the heavy fighting in 'The Gully' and was one of 3 survivors of 'Sterlin's Castle' along with Sterlin himself (who he was able to keep from dying, but NOT from being badly wounded) and 'Brilliant Bob' Baker. With Sterlin being sent out to the hospital, Jimmy has latched onto his other hero, Baker and is intrigued by joining this new combo unit of Americans and Canadians....

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Corporal (CPL)/now Pharmacist's Mate 3rd Class (PH3) Manuel 'Manny' Corman KIA at Bloody Bay, Platok Island





Background: A career Marine at 25 years old, who joined up with Carlson's Raiders and saw action on Makin Island and on the 'Long Patrol' on Guadalcanal, it was on the latter that his Talent Powers of being able to somehow put up an invisible 'bubble' all around him that protects him and one other person standing close/that he's carrying. He also has Hyper Intelligence that allowed him to rapidly pick up Corpsman Skills and help save the lives of several fellow Raiders during the "Long Patrol" and which saw him being sent to the SSO Training Camp at 'Hell's Motel' shortly after the New Year of 1943 rolled around. He has been transferred to the Navy to serve as a Corpsman, but still thinks of himself as a Marine first and he has no issues firing weapons and getting 'down and dirty in the mud'. He has recently been assigned to SST 4.

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Corporal (CPL) Jimmy Yukinaga; U.S. Army




Background: A 2nd generation Japanese American who was born and raised in Southern California; Jimmy was raised speaking and reading/writing Japanese at home, but considers himself as American as anybody else. He is more than a little annoyed at his family being 'locked up' in a camp in New Mexico, but he hides it well and has enlisted in the Army where he uses his knowledge of Japanese to translate captured documents and interrogate the few Japanese prisoners that are taken. He has served in the 32nd Division in New Guinea and has just recently been brought to New Guinea to be part of a special mission....

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Corporal (CPL) Saul Rabinowitz; United States Marine Corps (USMC)



Background: A young Jewish man from Baltimore, Maryland; Saul joined the Marines shortly before Pearl Harbor because he thought the Marines would be the first to get into the fight against the hated Nazis. Ironically for him, he's spent the war out in the Pacific fighting the Japanese. He spent the first few years of the war in relative 'light' duty serving as part of the garrison at Johnston Atoll, a U.S. base in the middle of the Pacific that served as a vital refueling stop for the trade going to Australia and the South Pacific, but Saul was chafing at the bit to get into the fight.

He got his chance at Tarawa; a bloody, 3 days nightmare of a battle on a tiny rock in the Pacific and it was here that his Talent Powers manifested themselves. Saul has a bit of Super Strength (Minor Power), but he can also change his body to literally blend in with his immediate surroundings....his eyes become a creepy all black when he does this, but he successfully used the ability to destroy several hidden Japanese positions on Tarawa that were tearing up his unit. After Tarawa, he was sent to Talent Training at 'Hell's Motel' and then assigned to SST 4.

Saul is a bit hot-tempered and acid tongued, but he's brave and loyal to a fault....once he considers someone his friend....

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Gunner's Mate 1st Class (GM1) Frank Queen; United States Navy (USN)



Background: A veteran Sailor in his 30s, Frank was serving on a Gunboat in China when the war started and after making his long way home, he was transferred to the Battleship U.S.S. Washington and during the 2nd Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in November of 1942, his Talent Powers fist manifested. He has Hyper Coordination and Dexterity and has a Minor ability to Heal the injuries of others, though not himself.

Frank is a tall, lanky blond haired and blue-eyed man from Oakland, California and he has been in the Navy since he was 17 years old. He's quiet but dependable and he likes to wear his 'old fashioned' Blue Dungarees Uniform and 'dish pan' style helmet along with carrying a modified Lewis Gun that has the cooling jacket removed, a 'double drum' Pan Magazine on the top that holds 95 rounds and has had a 1928 Thompson fore-grip placed on it. He is VERY capable with the weapon, very calm under fire and after attending 'Hell's Motel' in early '43, he has seen combat in both New Guinea and Cape Glouscester before his old Talent Team, SST 19, was assigned to support the Army's 27th Division here on Saipan. Most of his Team is now KIA, with only one other member; Machinist's Mate 2nd Class Louis Loucks, surviving, albeit with very serious injuries. Louie is only alive thanks to Frank's Healing ability and his grabbing him from under fire and racing him back to an Aid Station.