Help with a Master Villain's Plans: Windchill

[BoloOfEarth]

Forgive the long-winded explanation, I want to let you know where I've already gone so you can hopefully better visualize where I might take this villain.

 

In my campaign, I've introduced COIL and had the heroes involved in the COIL / VIPER war until they finally "convinced" both sides to agree to a truce. After that, I wanted to flesh the local (Chicago) VIPER Nest out more, so I first created the Nest Leader: Windchill.

 

Basically, Windchill is a former MD whose son was killed as a result of a battle between PRIMUS and Freon. Of course, the explosion that killed his son also resulted in Windchill gaining his cold and ice powers. He blames PRIMUS for both his son's death and turning him into a "freak". It doesn't help any that his wife has divorced him over his obsession with PRIMUS. As a means of making PRIMUS pay, he's taken over the local VIPER Nest. To him, making money or grabbing power is secondary to making PRIMUS look bad.

 

He has the powers you would expect - ice sheets, ice slides, ice entangles, an ice spike (RKA), cold NND damage shield and cold EB ranged attack, plus damage reduction for STUN only (deadened nerves). He also has some science and medical skills, plus tactics and teamwork and KS: prominent scientists. (Not contacts -- most think he's nuts, but he keeps up on scientific developments.)

 

The heroes have uncovered one small Nest, where most of the base was kept just above freezing, agents inside wore winter gear, and CO2 fog covered floors about knee deep (fog vents above could fill corridors to mid-chest level, allowing agents to kneel in the fog and use radar to fire at standing targets). Of course, Windchill got away, but he's developing an intense dislike for the heroes almost as bad as his mad-on for PRIMUS.

 

So now, what sort of plans might he pursue, preferrably ones where he can hurt both PRIMUS and the heroes? I should add that the heroes have an off-and-on relationship with PRIMUS, mostly off; a sizable portion of the agency (in my game) actively dislikes "paranormal vigilantes," as they refer to superheroes. The PCs have a few friends in PRIMUS (an investigator and some field agents), but for the most part they don't work well with the agency.

 

I should also add the makeup of the hero team: A luck-based heroine with invisibility and an ego attack; a radiation-powered heroine with UBO force fields, healing and a STUN-only attack; a flying energy blaster hero with radar; an undead martial artist (he has great regenerative abilities); and a stretching (string-based) hero capable of grabbing many (8+) people at once with 60 STR. They have no base or team vehicle.

[Hermit]

Re: Help with a Master Villain's Plans: Windchill

 

Sounds like a good chance for a frame up, either the old "Frame the heroes so PRIMUS comes after them" or flip it around ,and have VIPER agents in PRIMUS outfits start pulling a few shady seeming activities. Not overt crimes, but more like prominent figures that work against those in power suddenly disappearing or the like and signs PRIMUS might be behind it.

[Villianous Scum]

Re: Help with a Master Villain's Plans: Windchill

 

Perhaps he could infiltrate some agents into the media. He could then try to spin the news about the heros and Primas in a negative manner. SI it well known that one of their members is undead? If not expose that and start speculation that he has ties to Takofanes. The Heros will have to try and figure out why the media has such a disdain for them. Once they figure out its Viper how do they expose the agents? This one is a tougher nut to crack as the heros can't just solve the problem with their fist.

 

Hiring Utility to aid him in humiliating the heros might be an angle to take too. Since they are all superhumans Utility would enjoy the work. This is a little more straight forward as the heros might be able to solve this with thier fist depending on Utilitys plan.

 

Infiltrate the team with a new superhero. You could also have him plant some moles in Primas. These moles can give him information on the team and Primas which he can use to his advantage. You could drag this angle out for a while so when the hero betrays them it will be all the sweeter. On the flip side maybe he or she falls for one of the heros and has a difficult choice to make.

[KA.]

Re: Help with a Master Villain's Plans: Windchill

 

I would really like some detail on the tone and lethality of the campaign, but if the following does not fit, it could probably be adjusted.

 

Windchill has developed a new mind control technique, called the Brain Freeze.

It is based on using extreme cold to cause a sort of frostbite in the part of the brain that controls free will, leaving the victim open to suggestion.

 

The PRIMUS contacts that the team trusts are going to be the victims.

You can leave as many clues, or as few, as you want, that something weird is going on.

 

What Windchill is trying to set up is an all-out war between PRIMUS and the players.

 

How to bring this about?

 

1) The Ambush

One of the PRIMUS contacts is convinced (by Windchill's Mind Control) that one of the hero team has been turned evil, or is an imposter, and must be brought down using lethal force. Since this person is thought of as a friend by the team, it should not be that hard for this person arrange a one on one meeting and then ambush the PC. They should have a weapon that will do some serious killing damage. Putting one of the team in the hospital for a week or two would be ideal. It would work best if the contact doing the set-up was one of the field agents, for reasons that will be seen in Step 2.

Windchill has also taken control of the rest of the team's PRIMUS contacts, but they have not done anything suspicious as yet.

 

2) The Set-up

After the Ambush, give the players a little time to investigate, when enough time has passed, have the PRIMUS Investigator make contact with them.

The Investigator (also being controlled) will lead the players to believe that some of the leaders of the local PRIMUS branch have been taken over by some kind of evil influence (base this on your campaign history, it can be aliens, shapeshifters, evil spirits, a mind controller, whatever fits).

Have the Investigator point the finger at some high-placed, perfectly innocent, members of PRIMUS. (This could be the entire leadership of the local branch if you want.)

Also have the Investigator let out the information that the 'imposters' are very tough and have to be taken out with maximum force or they will release some kind of Area Effect attack that will kill many innocent PRIMUS agents, as well as civilians. You should put some kind of time pressure on the players as well. Some horrible plot that will cost a lot of innocent lives if they don't take down the 'bad guys' in time.

(In the meantime, the Mind Controlled field agents and Investigator will have been busy poking their nose into private files at PRIMUS. They will be looking for information that Windchill can use in the long term, and doing their best to cover up the digging. They will also be looking into information they would need to take over the local PRIMUS branch, but they won't be covering those tracks nearly as well.)

 

3) The Payback

At this point the players should think they have a pretty good idea what is going on.

The evil controller in the background got ahold of their friend the field agent, and forced him to attack the team member that is lying in the hospital.

Full of righteous anger, they are ready to smite the evil-doers once and for all.

They should attack the 'possessed' members of PRIMUS full force.

If you picked members that are not usually armored, so much the better.

They think that the 'imposters' are tough enough to stand a beating, so they should not hold back much.

 

4) The End Result

By the end of this plan the following conditions exist.

(Unless the players figure it out and find a way to stop it.)

 

a) The leadership of the local PRIMUS office are probably badly wounded/dead following a sneak attack from the hero team.

PRIMUS will be after the team with everything they have.

In the aftermath of this attack, an internal PRIMUS investigation will show that the members of PRIMUS who were friendly to the hero team have been involved in a plot to take over the local branch, using the now-disgraced hero team as muscle. So, all those members of PRIMUS who were friendly to the heroes will be disgraced.

c) The hero team may very well think that some outside force is still controlling the leadership of PRIMUS, so they will be suspicious of everything PRIMUS does and unlikely to try to set things straight.

d) Windchill will have his two main enemies at each other's throats, as well as being in possession of a lot of inside information about PRIMUS.

e) If you want to be really nasty, during all the confusion, Windchill could have been 'visiting' the team member in the hospital, and they could either have been turned, given post-hypnotic suggestions, or just been pumped for information about the hero team.

 

KA.

[CraterMaker]

Re: Help with a Master Villain's Plans: Windchill

 

Harry "Houdini" Travelli has worked long and hard to work his way up in the Mob, and with respect came a slimy sort of respectability.. True, he's been indicted twice on money laundering charges, but his cautiousness and his high-priced lawyers had the charges dropped both times on technicalities. His wealth and power opened doors for him in many high society circles, and if some of them sneered at him behind their fake tans and perfect teeth, so be it - there were others who needed the things dirty hands could provide.

So when Harry entered his office in his mcmansion he was stunned. Stunned by two things - the bone chilling cold in the room, and the fact that some costumed nut was sitting at his desk!

Quick as a snake Harry's hand snaked out to the lightswitch, popping it open to reveal a small red button.

"You just made your last mistake, Hero!" Harry cried as he thumbed the button. With a hiss the secret door built into the west wall slid open, the shape of a 8 foot tall humanoid obscured by the lights shining from behind it.

With creaks and cracks and pops, the gun-festooned robot took one step into the room. Coated in frost, with six-inch icicles hanging from it's outstretched arms, the robot erupted into a miniature fourth of july display of short circuits and blown fuses.

The figure behind the desk chuckled. "Ice is just as bad as water on electronics, it seems. My, what a cold reception for the forces of truth and justice you've arranged, Harry.. but you're mistaken, I'm no Costumed Crusader come to bring you in. I'm here to commit one of two crimes: I've kidnapped your son, Harry, so your choice is between murder ... and extortion"

Those words were like someone sticking an icepick in his heart - but he recognized the freak now. "You harm one hair on his head, Windchill, and I'll.."

Windchill cut him off "And you'll do nothing, Mr. Travelli! For the next few weeks you'll do nothing but what I tell you to do..."

============

In exchange for his son, Harry uses his Mob resources and money to hire the supervillain group, The Nightmares (Shadowdragon as leader, Fenris and Morningstar) to kill the heroes. While the heroes are distracted, or perhaps even killed by this deadly red herring, Windchill will arrange his own strike on the Primus float in the Thanksgiving Day Parade with the few squads of viper agents he managed to salvage when the heroes busted his nest. He'll smash a dozen or two Primus agents on National Television, and kidnap the two celebrity commentators (say, John Black and Dennis Leary) and the Primus Field Leader (the man in charge the day his son died) and retreat to his lair.. Now all that remains is to start up his broadcasting equipment, and he'll finally have the trial that should have happened years ago, the real purpose behind his plan, a trial that can only have one possible outcome - DEATH!

=====================

Setting up an ambush with the Nightmares should be easy - Shadowdragon could stage a crime to lure the heroes out, and with Fenris' sense of smell they should be able to track the heroes (perhaps even getting close enough to threaten a secret ID or DNPC)

 

The Nightmares will be sicced on the heroes about a week before thanksgiving, giving the heroes time to eventually defeat them, follow their tracks back to Harry, and reveal Windchill as the puppetmaster - A little digging into Windchills past will reveal his hatred of Primus and why, and realise the primus field leaders life is in danger just as the parade commences. They rush over there but are too late (it might be interesting to let them play out the viper/primus fight as the viper agents, with Windchill swooping in, monologging, and them all escaping before the heroes get there). Then they'll only have eight or so hours to rescue the Primus agent, save the commentator hostages, and defeat WindChill and his viper agents.

 

-CraterMaker

 

p.s. A good plot hook for future use of Harry - his son participated in the kidnapping cuz he's one of Windchill's viper agents!

[Mike W]

Re: Help with a Master Villain's Plans: Windchill

 

Like the others, my first instinct is to run a set up. I think "leaking" the location of a secret VIPER base (really a PRIMUS base) would be a good start. Especially if VIPER hit it first disguised as the heroes. Remember, the international VIPER organization has tons of supers on call. So have Windchill borrow a few, dress them up as the heroes, and attack the base.

 

Then, when the heroes later attack the base, start going after DNPCs of any heroes with Public IDs with VIPER agents dressed up in PRIMUS suits. You might send your fake heroes to beat up a few of the PRIMUS guys too, to "send a message".

 

Or you could try the THUNDERBOLTS option and have VIPER hire some villains to actually "play" heroes for a while, stopping robberies, doing charity works and things like that. The best part is that since VIPER would know a lot of what was going to happen before it did, they could be all over the place and PRIMUS and the heroes look bad because the new guys are cleaning up. Of course, at some point, the new "heroes" will turn, but if you do it right, the public will blame PRIMUS and the PCs for not figuring it out sooner.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Help with a Master Villain's Plans: Windchill

 

During a fight against supervillains/agents involving both PRIMUS and the PCs, several of the PRIMUS agents are injured. Your radiation-based heroine uses her powers to heal the injured agents, which helps foster goodwill between the heroes and PRIMUS. However, shortly afterward every one of the agents the heroine helped falls critically ill. PRIMUS blames the PC, considering her at best a menace with powers that are dangerous to the public, at worst having deliberately targeted their personnel. They want to lock her up and to experiment on her to find a cure for their people.

 

What actually happened is that during his last confrontation with PRIMUS, Windchill infected the agents with a virus or compound that targets the Cyberline treatment which gives them their exceptional abilities. It lay dormant until stimulated by the heroine's unique radiation. Examining her won't help them find the cure; they have to determine who the real culprit is, and then find Windchill and force him to give them the cure. This will have to be done quickly before the affected agents succumb. If you want to be really nasty, the mutated virus is infectious and has spread throughout the agency, so that many more PRIMUS agents are at risk.

 

Of course if the PCs want their teammate's medical expertise on this case - not to mention ending her confinement and the series of extremely unpleasant tests that PRIMUS is running on her - they'll have to break her out of the agency's prison.

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: Help with a Master Villain's Plans: Windchill

 

Wow! These are some great ideas! No wonder I love this discussion board!

 

LL, I really like the radiation-activated virus. Consider it absolutely stolen.

 

PRIMUS's local base is publicly known, but I could easily adapt Mike W's idea to a covert lab or safe house. Yesssss..... As he and Hermit (plus others) pointed out, a frame-up would be a good plan here.

 

CraterMaker, loved the story intro. When I run that one, and they get to the point where they uncover the connection between Windchill and the Mob, I'll have to read that to them, kinda like an exposition page in the comic book.

 

My prior campaign was a little too lethal and dark, the players didn't like that, so this one is less so. Still, as KA said, I can adjust his idea to create a PRIMUS / hero war without a big body count.

 

VS, that media idea would work perfectly, since one hero already has a female print journalist performing a hate-fest on him (a la Jonah Jameson), and the hero has no idea why. Unfortunately, however, she likes the undead character (trying for a "divide and conquer" there), but there are other reporters in town. While moles in PRIMUS would work, a "new hero" on the team wouldn't work well; for some reason, they're incredibly paranoid. I'm sure my past games has nothing to do with this.

[freakboy6117]

Re: Help with a Master Villain's Plans: Windchill

 

don't forget the small scale stuff while the bog show is important more mayhem can be spread with small innocuous attacks examples

 

the primus agents all drink at a local bar McGinty's viper approaches the wonder who is having financial difficulties(perhaps of vipers doing) through a front company and takes over a silent partners introducing there own agents as staff wiring the place with eaves dropping devices etc. a perfect opportunity to initiate honey traps, get useful blackmail information to turn agents etc.

 

is there an agent with gambling or drug problem or a large debt of some kind his debt or his supplier an then use him to supply information

 

other subtle things to do if any heroes are publicly linked to there dpcs( even if it is clear that the are close like jimmy Olsen) use viper plants in local government and local law enforcement to mess with there lives having the health department inspect there favorite restaurants or dmv cancel the base secretaries driving license will instill some sense of annoyance with authority.

 

other minor plots might include running a primus swat van ( or evidence van concealing weapons) off the road in a bad part of town so a viper affiliated street gang can loot it ( even better if the gang then make the heroes lives miserable)

 

set up a pro bono law firm or bail bonds company to get the heroes prisioneros out and back on the streets as quickly as possible even if they have nothing to do with viper it will make primus look incompetent.

 

introduce virulent strains of minor diseases to the primus office staff a really heavy cold or flu will seriously effect the functioning of the office.

on a similar side hiring a vermin controlling villain to infest the building with roaches or rats for example gives you the opportunity to infiltrate and plant the other kind of bugs.

 

as for major plots

 

rob the primus secure storage area or an evidence wagon containing high value goods (ideally recovered by the heroes).

 

dose the food and drink in ethprimus canteen or local fast food place or McGinty's bar with a drug that enhances aggression to make the primus agents more likely to use excessive force then have the media pillory them for it(even better leak a faked report of primus testing combat drugs in urban areas).