A box belonging to the original VIPER-X comes up at an auc- tion in London; rumor claims it contains infor- mation about some of VIPER’s deepest and darkest secrets. The owner, an unidenti- fied person, refuses to reveal more, or even the box’s location until after he receives payment. VIPER-X wants that box, and so do the PCs... who’s going to get it, and how?
The PCs hear that VIPER-X is having another affair with Scor- pia — something that would undoubtedly get them both killed, due to the enmity between their respective organi- zations. An informant tips them off to the location of a hotel room where an alleged liaison is taking place. Is the information legit, or the bait for a trap?
The PCs encounter a homeless man in a major metropolitan city who’s the exact double of Kevin Armstrong. He claims VIPER-X is actu- ally a clone, made by VIPER scientists years ago in an effort to dis- credit PRIMUS. How- ever, this man turns out to be a surgically altered Armstrong lookalike, planted by Krait, who hopes the imposter will draw Kevin out. Even after the PCs discover the truth, someone at PRIMUS wants to present the imposter as “the real thing” to erase the embarrassment of one of PRIMUS’s most humiliating episodes, and he wants the PCs to go along with the lie. Do they?
Well As Radio Group (-½) 0 3 VIPER Helmet (Elite) Nightvision System:
Nightvision; OIF (-½) 0 5 VIPER Helmet (Elite) Acoustic Shielding:
Hearing Group Flash Defense (8 points);
OIF (-½) 0
5 VIPER Helmet (Elite) Flare Shielding: Sight Group Flash Defense (8 points); OIF (-½) 0 7 VIPER Helmet (Elite) Oxygen Supply: Life
Support (Self-Contained Breathing); OIF (-½), 1 Continuing Fuel Charge (1 Hour; -0) [1cc] 12 Iron Will: Mental Defense (16 points total) 0 10 Augmented Physiology: Power Defense (10
points) 0
8 VIPER BEST: Multipower, 12-point reserve; OIF (belt/collection of OAFs; -½)
1u 1) Microexplosives: RKA ½d6; OAF (-1), 2 Charges (-1½), No Range (-½) [2] 1u 2) Pick Gun: Lockpicking 11- (or +1 to
Lockpicking if agent already has that Skill); OAF (-1)
1u 3) Miniaturized Laser Torch: RKA 1 point, Penetrating (+½); OAF (-1), 10 Charges
(-¼) [10]
1u 4) Pepper Packet: Images to Smell/Taste Group, 1” radius, Uncontrolled (+½), Usable As Attack (“sticks” to person who breathes it in; +1); OAF (-1), Only Affects Victims Who Inhale It (-¼), 1 Charge lasting 1 Hour (victim can cancel effect by smelling some- thing else equally strong, wind or rain may remove the pepper; -¼) [1cc] 33 Special VFL-4 Jetpack: Flight 20”, Reduced
Endurance (½ END; +¼); OIF (-½) 2 6 Marathon Training: Running +3” (9” total) 1 2 Triathalon Training: Swimming +2” (4”
total) 1
4 Strong Leaper: Leaping +4” (8” forward, 4”
upward) 1
6 Perceptive: +2 PER with all Sense Groups 0 4 VIPER Helmet (Elite) Hearing Enhanc-
ers: +4 versus Range Modifier for Hearing
Group; OIF (-½) 0
4 VIPER Helmet (Elite) Telescopic Faceplate: +4 versus Range Modifier for Sight Group;
OIF (-½) 0
10 Efficient Physiology: Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) for 40 STR 0
Perks
5 Fringe Benefit: Membership (Dragon Branch)
Talents
8 VIPER Wrist Computer: Absolute Time Sense, Bump of Direction, Eidetic Memory (Audio Only; -1), and Lightning Calculator;
OIF (-½) 0 Skills 16 +2 with Al Combat 10 +2 HTH 3 Acrobatics 14- 3 Breakfall 14- 3 Computer Programming 14- 3 Combat Driving 14- 3 Conversation 14- 3 Disguise 14-
3 Fast Draw (Small Arms) 14- 3 Interrogation 14-
3 AK: Millennium City 14- 2 AK: Washington D.C. 11- 2 KS: Criminal Law 11- 3 KS: PRIMUS 14-
3 KS: The Military/Mercenary/Terrorist World 14- 3 KS: The Superhuman World 14-
3 KS: VIPER 14-
3 Language: Arabic (fluent conversation; Eng- lish is native)
3 Language: Bantu (fluent conversation) 3 Language: Greek (fluent conversation) 3 Language: Spanish (fluent conversation) 3 Persuasion 14-
3 Stealth 14- 3 Streetwise 14-
8 Survival (Desert, Marine, Temperate/ Subtropical, Tropical) 14-
3 Tactics 14- 3 Teamwork 14-
3 TF: Common Two-Wheeled Motorized Ground Vehicles, Small Wind-Powered Boats, VFL-4 Jetpack
3 WF: Small Arms, Blades Total Powers and Skills Cost: 438 Total Character Cost: 661
200+ Disadvantages
25 Hunted: PRIMUS 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Cap- ture)
25 Hunted: Champions 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture) 15 Hunted: VIPER 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching) 15 Psychological Limitation: Overly Protec-
tive of Friends And Associates (Common, Strong)
10 Psychological Limitation: Hatred Of PRIMUS (Common, Moderate)
15 Reputation: VIPER supercriminal and trai- tor to PRIMUS, 11- (Extreme)
20 Social Limitation: Subject To Orders (Very Frequently, Major)
15 Social Limitation: Public Identity (Kevin Armstrong) (Frequently, Major)
5 Vulnerability: 1½ x Effect from Poisons/ Toxins (Uncommon)
316 Experience Points Total Disadvantage Points: 661
Background/History: Kevin Armstrong grew up as one Detroit’s golden boys: boxer, triathlete, scholar, and all-around Renaissance kid. Upon graduating from college, he became one of the elite: a Silver Avenger in PRIMUS. He was the perfect citizen, the All-American Boy.
But PRIMUS didn’t turn out to be all Kevin expected. There was too much petty jealousy, too many rivalries and feuds between the Silver Aveng- ers, too little cooperation between the organization and other government agencies. It was a snake pit, and Kevin couldn’t adapt to all the games and inter- nal politics. He became extremely disenchanted, but the more he complained, the less people seemed to listen to him.
Then Dr. Destroyer obliterated his hometown of Detroit. His family — including his wife, infant son, parents, and most of the people that he grew up with — were dead.
Kevin blamed the government for the destruc- tion — a government too weak to oppose the ene- mies of this country, too busy with partisan bicker- ing to deal with the... Kevin had a list of grievances as long as a Congressional report. PRIMUS consid- ered Kevin a little high-strung at the best of times (the official word was that he’d never fully coped with the initial Cyberline treatments) and like many people, he had problems dealing with what Destroyer had done to Detroit. He was ordered to take an extended leave of absence. While on leave, he went boating on Lake Michigan... and in a freak boating accident, he drowned.
Except Kevin didn’t die. His “death” was merely a ruse that allowed him to join VIPER. If he was going to work in a snake pit, he’d do so by choice. VIPER didn’t lie or deceive people about what it was. It wanted to impose its will directly on the people, instead of lying to them and letting them destroy their country through self-deception and lack of self-responsibility. VIPER would force the people to make the sacrifices necessary to save the country in the long term — sacrifices that would prevent a maniac like Destroyer from ever doing again what he had done to Detroit. People wonder how a Silver Avenger could join VIPER — Kevin’s never had a problem telling them why.
VIPER was more than pleased to accept Arm- strong into its ranks, and his fortunes sky-rocketed. Before long he was appointed to command an elite squad, VMS-Alpha, and he soon achieved fame in the organization as the agent who killed the supervillainess Bora during VIPER’s initial attack on Eurostar in 1996. But the good times didn’t last for long. A rival in VMS-Alpha, codenamed Krait, leaked Kevin’s true identity to the media, along with “evidence” that made it seem he was a PRIMUS infiltrator of VIPER, not a true traitor to America. Faced with imminent execution by VIPER, and hunted by the authorities, Kevin fled VIPER for more pleasant climes.
Kevin spent the next few years as a mercenary, earning a great deal of respect in the merc com- munity for his skills, tactical genius, and loyalty to his men. He even had a brief affair with the Irish supervillainess Scorpia.
In 2002, Kevin’s mercenary ventures took him to West Africa. During the middle of a bloody civil war in Sierra Leone, he was ambushed, shot repeat- edly, and left for dead. But he didn’t die. He felt the call of the Great Serpent Nama, and he overcame his wounds and went to him. All the Serpent said to him was: “Tell Essec I say you have a destiny.” He then directed Armstrong to the door that led to VIPER World Headquarters. When Armstrong delivered this message to the Supreme Serpent, Essec recognized it as a clear instruction from Nama to give the discredited agent his blessing, so he pardoned him and reinstated him with honor into VIPER’s ranks. He restored Kevin to command of VMS-Alpha (Krait immediately fled to Southeast
Asia and vanished).
The Supreme Serpent gave Kevin a new code- name, VIPER-X, after the famed VIPER operative of the 1960s (see page 10). Soon VIPER’s leadership was portraying him to the rest of the organization as the perfect agent: tough, charismatic, loyal to his friends and VIPER, and ruthless to his enemies. Today, VIPER-X serves as VIPER’s “Poster Snake” as well as one hell of an ongoing embarrassment to PRIMUS. Daniel Johnson, the current Golden Avenger, has put Armstrong’s capture at the top of his “to do” list. Personality/Motivation: Kevin has “leader” stamped all over him. He has enough idealism to get along with people, coupled with enough cynicism to make him join VIPER and serve it loyally. He believes in friend- ship, self-discipline, and responsibility, and tends to give people the benefit of the doubt. When he gets into combat against superheroes and agents, he tries to be as dispassionate towards them as possible, seeing them as obstacles to overcome. He’s done a lot of nasty things for VIPER, but so far has rationalized them without experiencing too many pangs of conscience.
Kevin thirsts for vengeance on both PRIMUS (which betrayed and used him, in his view) and Dr. Destroyer (who wrecked his hometown and killed his family). Perpetually serious, and often moody, he’s as loyal and protective of the people he loves as he is merciless toward his enemies.
Quote: “Okay, gang, these guys look tough, so stay on your toes. If we lose our heads, we lose the fight. If you
get in trouble, you got my number, don’t hesitate to yell. If we stay alert, they’re toast. Let’s go get ’em.” Powers/Tactics: VIPER-X was always tough — he came from a long line of athletes, scholars, and sol- diers... and the Cyberline program made him even tougher. Kevin has the same weakness other Cyber- line recipients do: he’s especially vulnerable to poisons and toxins (including alcohol). He’s tried numerous times to get rid of this handicap, but always fails.
VIPER-X carries enhanced or experimental ver- sions of several VIPER weapons. His “Shriek” sonic rifle has standard, lethal, and stunning modes, and anyone who can resist it probably can’t withstand his neural interference pistol. As a last resort, he’s got his Fang dagger. Of course, he has full access to VIPER’s arsenal, so he could always show up to a fight with more equipment, different equipment, or improved equipment.
VIPER-X’s likes to find cover and wait for an opponent to come to him. He often Holds his Action so he can help out teammates in need. He prefers to command the troops and snipe at opponents than to charge recklessly into the fray. Unlike most other members of Dragon Branch, he enjoys working with agents (VMS-Alpha or otherwise) instead of super- humans.
Campaign Use: VIPER-X is meant to be an Opponent That Heroes Respect, someone who seems so capable and reasonable the PCs almost forget he’s the enemy — until his ruthless streak comes into play, and the
heroes end up being even more appalled than they’d be against someone predictable like Black Harlequin. If you want to weaken VIPER-X, his Cyberline treatments have worn off since he left PRIMUS. Reduce his STR, DEX, CON, and other Characteris- tics to more reasonable “highly-trained human” levels. You should also replace his advanced weapons with more typical VIPER gear. If you want to make him tougher, increase his DEX and defenses, give him some Extra DCs with his Martial Arts, and add some more weapons and gear to his kit.
VIPER-X does not Hunt heroes on his own. He only does so when VIPER orders him to, how it orders him to. As a Hunter, he strikes soft targets the character cares about (parents, children, DNPCs); he won’t kill these persons (unless they’re acknowledged enemies of VIPER) but will try to get the hero upset and mentally “off-balance.” He also sets traps and ambushes and employs hit and run tactics, often with the end goal of herding his quarry into a kill zone dedicated to neutralizing the hero’s powers.
Appearance: Kevin Armstrong is 6’1” tall, 215 pounds, with long sandy brown hair, dark blue eyes and a handsome, clean-shaven face. He typically wears T- shirts and jeans, and has an athletic build. His costume is a modified VIPER uniform, blue and white instead of green and yellow, with heavier armor, white shoul- der pads, elbow pads, and belt, and a white serpent insignia. His helmet has an X-motif over the eyepieces and forehead. VIPER-X has a deep voice, with a bit of gravelly edge, and is normally soft-spoken.
VMS-ALPHA AND KRAIT
VIPER Mobile Squadron-Alpha is a trained group of specialists, VIPER’s best of the best, conceived as a highly mobile, jetpack-equipped strike force able to match the toughest, most powerful troops an opponent could throw at them. Hand-picked by VIPER-X, the VMS-Alpha agents drill constantly to make themselves the most effective team possible. Over the years they’ve developed strong bonds of friendship and loyalty; they work together well and support each other fully.
The current crew is actually the fourth incarnation of VMS-Alpha. The team was founded in 1990, and its first two incarnations died disastrous deaths in 1990 and 1992. In 1996, a new team was founded to be led by Kevin Armstrong; it achieved organizational fame by conducting a successful attack on Eurostar that launched the VIPER-Eurostar War. In 1997 a jealous Dragon Branch member named Krait sabotaged Armstrong’s career, leading to VMS-Alpha’s disgrace as well. The team stumbled along, accomplishing almost nothing, until Armstrong returned to the organization as VIPER- X and was allowed to re-activate it.
Heroes can distinguish VMS-Alpha by its members’ insignia (a snake shaped like the Greek letter “alpha”) and copper- colored helmets. Their primary missions include assassination, kidnapping, extraction/rescue, and reconnaissance. They’re well-known to the authorities, and major agencies make a special effort to capture them; it’s rumored there’s a private wager between UNTIL and PRIMUS commanders on which organization will bring them to justice first. Krait
Former Dragon Branch member Krait, now a refugee from VIPER and eagerly sought by the organization, is a wild card the GM could throw into just about any VIPER-oriented scenario (particularly one featuring VIPER-X or VMS-Alpha). Krait was trained as a Vehicle Combat Specialist and Scarlet Serpent, but later developed low-level speedster and psionic powers.