Steroid

CONTRACT

HIRING COST : $8,000
EQUIPMENT COSTS : $4,570
TOTAL COSTS : $12,570

STARTING GEAR

GEAR	IMAGE
Deagle pistol
.357 Magnum x9
Field cleaning kit
Light flak jacket
Kevlar pants
Military boots

ATTRIBUTES

SKILLS

TRAITS

Tough : Takes less damage in melee combat

Athletic : Slower decrease in stamina when running

Macho : Morale rises when working in a squad with some women

Strengths/Weaknesses

Steroid is amped up right from the start with a 97 in strength. Get this man a machete, or a baseball bat, or a knife... something that lets him take apart the bad guys up close.

The tough trait also means he takes less damage in CQC, further cementing Steroid as one of your go-to melee fighters. He's also the first merc you'll be able to hire who has any kind of substantial skill in mechanical.

Unfortunately that high 76 mechanical rating is offset by a very low dexterity of 48 (which factors into all mechanical checks). Also, his lower dexterity will affect him when he does decide to use a gun.

Tactics

As mentioned above, put a melee weapon in Steroid's hands and let him clobber the faces of his enemies.

He's not the most agile fellow, but he won't have to worry about beating a hasty retreat if he can beat all nearby opposition into submission.

Be sure you have him set up as well with lockpicks, cleaning kits, crowbars and field kits, the necessary tools of the mechanic's trade. Steroid is good with his hands, you see, so be sure to take advantage of that.

Still, as great weapons become available give the man a gun for long-range combat. Just bear in mind that Fox isn't a fan of Steroid, so make sure you hire her first if that's in your plans.

Long-Term Play

The key stat that you're going to want to focus on improving with Steroid is dexterity. That 48 starting rating is incredibly low, and it will definitely have an adverse effect on both your aiming checks and your mechanical checks.

You should also continue to boost mechanical; your success rates will improve and you'll consume resources at a much slower rate. Also, put some points into marksmanship, which is his second highest starting skill.

While you might like use him as a melee fighter, it's also generally a bad idea to bring a knife to a gun fight. A knife and a gun though? Now you're cookin'.