[Viper] Snakes and Androids amuck!

[Rechan]

First of all, I'd like to ask how is the Viper book? My FLGS has yet to recieve the goodness of Steve's toils in the coils.

Second of all, I'd like some assistance (Especially by those of you who may HAVE the Viper book).

I have a PC who is a minor hunted by Viper. The PC is an android. As it goes, Viper was secretly funding a 'legitimate' attempt to create a combat android funded by a corporation. The head of the robotics team was a robotics genius, and created the PC. However, perhaps sensing something amiss, he put some top secret information to SOMETHING (Yet undecided by me, unknown to players) inside the robot, and finally worked on her on his own. Unfortunately, his wife was a spy for Viper, and viper busts in, killing him as the Android wakes up. Que ensuing battle/android becoming part of team.

Now here is my question: At What Extent will Viper pursue this PC? Because Viper is a vast, powerful organization, and I just have 4 PCs, so I don't want them to rain sheer cosmic death upon them; there has to be an extent to which they'll go 'Let's cut our loses and forget about her'.

One thing I'm thinking about happneing is Viper taking the scientist's notes, and building an android - With modifications naturally - who's primary purpose (until this mission is finsihed) is to destroy the PC. I figure this would assist things very nicely. :) Now I just have to wonder, also, how long it would take Viper to build said android.

Finally, the PCs may be coming into a plot revolving around the Viper nest in MC, in that unfinished tunnel. One of the PCs has the ability to 'sense' through walls and such, and would have little trouble finding the nest. Now if teh PCs get tangled up with this, how hard is Viper going to come down on them (for not only the android, but messing with this nest?).

That's all. :) Any help will be appreciated, but I'd just like an overview of Viper's intentions, or atleast the intensity and lenghts they will go. This *is* a minorly hunted character (hunted -8), and I havn't decided what the information stored INSIDE the robot is, so, it may not be the 'Code to doomsday device', thus they may not be too fervent to collect.

[assault]

Originally posted by Rechan
Any help will be appreciated, but I'd just like an overview of Viper's intentions, or atleast the intensity and lenghts they will go. This *is* a minorly hunted character (hunted -8), and I havn't decided what the information stored INSIDE the robot is, so, it may not be the 'Code to doomsday device', thus they may not be too fervent to collect.

Well, you've told us that the hunted is 8-. Was it bought as More Powerful, As Powerful, or Less Powerful? Was it Mildly Punish, Kill, or what?

These things, combined with the backstory, are what help you make the decisions you are struggling with. There is a difference between a 14-, More Powerful, Kill Hunted and an 8-, Less Powerful, Mildly Punish one. VIPER could appear as either, depending on how what priority they put on a particular target.

A VIPER hunted doesn't necessarily mean that groups of agents in green and yellow keep showing up either. It could mean that they send another android after the escapee, or that they hire a supervillain, or even a whole team, to go after them, or that one of their media contacts starts a hate campaign, or <fill in the blank>. All it necessarily means is that VIPER is somehow involved (possibly accidentally), or is behind a particular sequence of events.

You can throw almost any opponents you care to choose at the PCs, and say that VIPER was behind it. :)

Alan

[Rechan]

(More powerful, Occasonally (8-)) is on her sheet.

But I would say 'Capture and Reprogram' is generally the consensus. They spent money to gether built; she is Their property. She has valuable information (Might be incriminating, who knows!).

[Lord Liaden]

VIPER has vast non-combat resources, and often functions covertly, through intelligence gathering, front companies, government plants, etc. Given their stated priorities as a Hunter and the character's background, I could see VIPER using legal means to reclaim her. I mean "legal" literally: the company funding the robot's development could launch litigation to have her declared their property and repossess her. This could go as far as you and the player would want it to - court appearances, harassment of the character's teammates, making a case for her "personhood" under the law, and so on. When these events occurred she wouldn't even need to know that it was because you rolled her VIPER Hunted.

[Ghost who Walks]

I don't have the new Viper book either...:(
But thinking about your situation gave me some ideas of my own, so I may "borrow" your idea for a NPC of my own. :)


Originally posted by Rechan
Now here is my question: At What Extent will Viper pursue this PC? Because Viper is a vast, powerful organization, and I just have 4 PCs, so I don't want them to rain sheer cosmic death upon them; there has to be an extent to which they'll go 'Let's cut our loses and forget about her'.
First, their are many ways to "hunt". I usually use it as random method to determine if that person/group will show up at all, even if its only for one "panel".
1. Unknown to her, the android is equipped with a wireless modem. The wife of the slain inventor has the access codes, and is able to "see"through the androids senses. She sells this info to VIPER, or puts it on her pay website. Heroes secrets get revealed, they have to find out how.
2. Similar to #1. The wife is able though to regain remote control over the android, and sends it out to commit crimes. Perhaps she has some agenda of her own (replace the local nest leader perhaps, with herself). The android has an alter-ego it is unaware of, and may even hunt this "other android".


One thing I'm thinking about happneing is Viper taking the scientist's notes, and building an android - With modifications naturally - who's primary purpose (until this mission is finsihed) is to destroy the PC. I figure this would assist things very nicely. :) Now I just have to wonder, also, how long it would take Viper to build said android.
VIPER may also try to kidnap the PC android, to get information on some obscure part of the contruction. They could also try something like have her walk though some kind of scanning device. (picture the scanner from the MIB headquarters, from the movie)


Finally, the PCs may be coming into a plot revolving around the Viper nest in MC, in that unfinished tunnel. One of the PCs has the ability to 'sense' through walls and such, and would have little trouble finding the nest. Now if teh PCs get tangled up with this, how hard is Viper going to come down on them (for not only the android, but messing with this nest?).
Lot of factors here. Was it only one nest invloved, or were other nests involved in the research? In my opinion, the key to VIPER is that they are highly variable. There is a reason they are greedy, and always doing money-making schemes. They use that money to hire supervillains and buy nifty gadgets, to attack heroes with. This is whats fun about them.

One question: Why build the android in the first place?
One other possiblity that springs to mind is that the androis may physically look like a famous person (desiged to replace them). That could open up cases of mistaken identity, and even give the android some new disadvtages:

Reputation: Looks like celebrity, people expect her to act like that celebrity
Hunted: Adoring fans/media

Another possibility (more fun). Don't know if they will have the serpentine network in the new VIPER book (it was originally the secret VIPER internet, impossible to crack). If it is, perhaps she was built to be a part of it? This opens up later scenarios if you want her to have all sorts of info on VIPER. (which she gets when she accesses the secret files, after she gets the password...)

If you ever get bored with VIPER chasing the android around, have them sell "ownership" in the android to another villain group. All they have to do is collect their property...