A “war” breaks out between two factions of Dragon Branch over some real or imagined slight. The PCs have to stop the battle between the two sides from destroying the city... and perhaps diminish VIPER’s roster of super- humans in the process. Ripper’s Omicron technology goes into overdrive, rendering him far bigger, stronger, and tougher than ever. The PCs have to battle Dragon Branch for the chance to try to stop him — and if they win, then they have to stop him. As the conflict rages, Rip- per’s rampage through the city continues.... The PCs discover Dragon Branch has established a covert operation to recruit young superhu- mans. They have to find a way to stop the project without causing a fight in the middle of a crowded city — and without making VIPER and its superhumans seem a valid option for the impressionable teens.
BOA CONSTRICTOR
Val Char Cost Roll Notes
60 STR 50 21- Lift 100 tons; 12d6 [6] 20 DEX 30 13- OCV: 7/DCV: 7 28 CON 36 15-
15 BODY 10 12-
8 INT -2 11- PER Roll 11- 8 EGO -4 11- ECV: 3
25 PRE 15 14- PRE Attack: 5d6 6 COM -2 10- 25 PD 13 Total: 25 PD (10 rPD) 25 ED 19 Total: 25 ED (10 rED) 5 SPD 20 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 33 REC 30 60 END 2
60 STUN 1 Total Characteristics Cost: 218 Movement: Running: 11”/22”
Leaping: 17”/34”
Cost Powers END
Martial Arts: Wrestling
Maneuver OCV DCV Notes 4 Escape +0 +0 75 STR vs. Grabs 3 Hold -1 -1 Grab, 70 STR to hold 4 Forearm +0 +2 12d6 Strike 3 Slam +0 +1 12d6 + vel/5; Target Falls 10 Skilled At Wrestling: Reduced Endurance
on 60 STR (½ END; +¼); Only For Grabs
And Escapes (-½) 0
10 Tough As A Snake: Damage Resistance (10
PD/10 ED) 0
10 Covered In Snake Skin: Lack Of Weakness (-5) for Normal Defenses and Resistant
Defenses 0
14 Hardy As A Snake: Healing 2d6 (Regeneration; 2 BODY per Turn), Reduced Endur-ance (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½); Extra Time (1 Turn; -1¼),
Self Only (-½) 0
3 Immunity To Venom: Life Support (Immu-
nity: Ophidotoxins) 0
10 Climbs Like A Snake: Clinging
(normal STR) 0
10 Fast As A Snake: Running +5” (11” total) 1 5 Fast As A Snake: Leaping +5” (17” total) 1 5 Snake Vision: Infrared Perception
(Sight Group) 0
10 Constrictor’s Body: Stretching 2” 1
Perks
3 Contact: Biker Gang 8-
5 Fringe Benefit: Membership (Dragon Branch)
Skills
9 +3 with Wrestling 8 +1 with All Combat 3 Acrobatics 13- 3 Acting 14-
2 Animal Handling (Snakes) 11- 3 Breakfall 13-
3 Climbing 13-
2 KS: The Superhuman World 11-
2 KS: The Wrestling World 11- 2 KS: The Local Underworld 11- 3 KS: VIPER 12-
2 KS: Wrestling 11- 3 Oratory 13-
3 PS: VIPER Agent 12- 3 Stealth 13-
1 TF: Two-Wheeled Motorized Ground Vehicles Total Powers and Skills Cost: 161
Total Character Cost: 379
200+ Disadvantages
25 Hunted: UNTIL 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture) 25 Hunted: Champions 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture) 10 Psychological Limitation: Compulsive
Showoff (Common, Moderate) 15 Psychological Limitation: Vengeful
(Common, Strong)
15 Reputation: VIPER supercriminal, 11- (Extreme)
20 Social Limitation: Subject To Orders (Very Frequently, Major)
15 Social Limitation: Public Identity (Jack Dunnet) (Frequently, Major)
54 Experience Points Total Disadvantage Points: 379
Background/History: Jack Dunnet came from a broken home; he and his older brother Dave stuck together closely to protect themselves from their parents as much as possible. When Dave joined a Milwaukee motorcycle gang, he brought Jack in, too. Unfortunately for Jack, when the cops were
after Dave for shooting a man during a motorcycle theft, Dave panicked and hid the gun at Jack’s place. The cops found it, and Jack ended up with a prison sentence.
Jack made some useful contacts in prison, but overall it was a brutal experience that only made him tougher and meaner than ever. He got out early after volunteering for some medical experiments to test new medicines, and immediately went to visit Dave. Faced with the possibility of having his “little” brother snap him like a twig, Dave offered to use his contacts to set Jack up as a pro wrestler. Jack liked the sound of that.
Jack was soon a star attraction of “Beyond Wres- tling — Ring Wars,” a sleazy promotion that used fake violence (stabbings, shootings, and other atrocities) to “spice up” the storylines between its stable of wres- tlers. Since VIPER’d been active in the area of late, Jack became “the Constrictor,” a “bad guy” wrestler who took his orders from a mysterious man in green (the promotion didn’t mention VIPER by name but it was fairly obvious who the Constrictor was working for). Ironically, instead of getting angry, VIPER loved the gimmick. Members of local Nests attended the matches regularly. Jack was a big hit.
Jack became a big fish in the little pond of Beyond Wrestling, and was thinking maybe he could move on to greater things — when a “crucifixion match” gone wrong resulted in his accidentally kill- ing his biggest rival, Gord McGillen. It was an acci- dent, but Gord’s mobster brother didn’t care. He got revenge by having Jack’s brother, Dave, thrown out a fourteenth story window. Then he threw Jack into a tankful of poisonous snakes — “Let’s see you wrestle your way outta this, tough guy.”
But Jack, to his surprise, didn’t die. Unbe- knownst to him, the “medicines” that had been tested on him in prison were experimental sera from VIPER’s bio-engineering research division. The overdose of serpent venom mutated Jack, making him bigger, stronger, and snakelike. He shed his humanity like a snake’s skin, smashed his way out of the snake tank, and slaughtered the mobsters who’d tried to kill him. He decided the snakes must’ve been radioactive — after all, isn’t that how everyone gets superpowers?
VIPER, naturally enough, had kept an eye on the subjects of its clandestine experiment. When it found out what had happened to Jack, it made him an offer to come work for it. VIPER persuaded Jack it was his only refuge, and Jack bought the argument hook, line, and sinker. VIPER sent him to Dr. Timo- thy Blank, who stabilized his condition. Since then, Boa Constrictor has gone on to become one of the most loyal and dependable superhuman operatives in VIPER history. Next to Oculon, he’s the most fre- quently deployed super in Dragon Branch and has terrorized VIPER’s enemies around the globe. Personality/Motivation: Using the Agent personality type scheme, Jack would be classified as a “Bubba.” Under the snakeskin, he’s really an average guy, despite having a life story that would play as a par- ticularly sordid episode of “Behind The Mask.” He likes to drink beer, watch football, and ogle pretty
girls. He’s actually more laid back than he used to be before his mutation. At the same time, the years in prison have left their scars — Boa Constrictor always watches his back, never fully trusts anyone, and demonstrates his strength whenever it’s appro- priate to discourage people from messing with him — and when anyone crosses the line, he deals with them violently and quickly.
Boa Constrictor has a pronounced venge- ful streak. Being beaten in a fight is one thing, but when someone tries to get obnoxious or cute with him, Boa Constrictor gets really angry. He’d rather die than be humiliated in front of people he cares about (even his drinking buddies).
Quote: “You think you’re tough, boy? Try being dropped into a pit of radioactive snakes!” Powers/Tactics: Boa Constrictor is a mutated serpent-man with an altered genetic code whose natural regenerative abilities allow him to push his strength well beyond the limits of his physiol- ogy. He can also stretch and contort his body in unnatural ways; but even he finds this power a little “creepy,” so he doesn’t use it as much as he might. Unlike most other VIPER serpent-human hybrids, Boa Constrictor shows few side effects from the transformation process; the only serious affliction is sterility.
In combat, Boa Constrictor likes to wrestle, because that’s what he’s good at. His favorite tactic is to find a good spot for an ambush above the potential battlefield, reach down and grab one of the combatants, and squeeze the life out of the victim while they both hang suspended in mid-air. Campaign Use: Boa Constrictor occupies the role of grunt, the sort of third-tier villain who can give a starting PC a good fight but who’ll end up losing the battle. He’s a snake-themed superagent to place on the front lines of a VIPER battle. His wrestling motif makes him a natural rival for many bricks, particularly those with jock backgrounds or who are naturally competitive. If the PC treats him with a bit of respect, it could turn into a friendly rivalry (and maybe even a way to wean Boa Constrictor from VIPER); otherwise, Boa Constrictor becomes a vengeful, implacable enemy.
To make Boa Constrictor tougher or weaker, adjust his Characteristics. A stronger Boa Constric- tor would have more DEX, INT, SPD, and STUN. A weaker one would have STR 50, DEX 18, and per- haps a few other reductions. You could also add or subtract wrestling maneuvers.
Boa Constrictor does not Hunt heroes on his own. He only does so when VIPER orders him to, how it orders him to.
Appearance: Jack Dunnet was a big guy even before the transformation, but as Boa Constrictor, he stands 6’8” and is close to 310 pounds of solid muscle. He is a man-serpent with scaled grey-green skin and the markings of a boa constrictor snake. He goes shirtless, and wears leather pants, heavy leather boots, and fingerless leather gloves, a carry- over from his biker days.