Duke Bushido Posted September 1, 2019 Report Share Posted September 1, 2019 European Enemies: Glacier. Straight up created from chemicals, ice, and corpses by VIPER (completely on accident). An atypical villain, though: more of the rampaging brute than the crime-for-a-purpose type. You'd really think High Tech Enemies would be chock full o' VIPER tie-ins, but no. Even those who have worked with VIPER were already established villains by the time they came to VIPER, and they didn't even join so much as "work with." Though it seems damned near everyone in that book is Hunted or Watched by VIPER. Still-- no dice. Justice, not Law: Jefferson Gable (also mentioned in VIPER) is in bed with Dutchess Industries, which is, as we know, VIPER. Honestly, everyone with ties to VIPER who is mentioned in J, not Law is better-detailed in VIPER anyway, so let's just say there's nothing useful here. Kingdom of Champions: Breaking Glass: powers from VIPER in a deal to work for them. Dr. Mantis: apparently already a nut-job, being recruited by VIPER gave him a jump start on his career and access to lots of tech so as to set himself up nicely. Project: Armour is successful because the founder purposely borrowed the VIPER organizational structure. Mind Games: Omega: an exceptional soldier recruited to VIPER, which got him started on the criminal path. He became a Nest Leader, learned of PSI, and defected before someone under him wanted a promotion. Now powered armor villain and PSI's security chief. The Mutant Files: Yeah; I wasn't expecting anything either. I figured "mutant book. Probably some mutants in it." Makeshift: Upon the appearance of his powers, his VIPER-agent father kidnapped him and used him as a lab animal and (apparently) did away with his mother. After escaping VIPER, he's been a criminal weapons designer and combatant for hire. Normals Unbound: Yep; here's another place I never thought to look for VIPER. and yet... Congressional Representative Jasperson (no first name or state given): close ties with VIPER (undisclosed) to the point of being able to order hits on high-profile targets. Stephen Pierce: Regional director of PRIMUS _and_ a VIPER Nest Leader. He's almost despicable enough to get into UNTIL. Powerfist: A framed soldier recruited by VIPER and given super powers (because the authors / editors didn't have a real good grasp of the types of people you should find in a "normals" book). Now he's eventually "turned" by an old friend and becomes a respectable member of society and stops using his powers, etc--- but that doesn't mean he's going to _stay_ that way. Primus (4e): Kevin Armstrong. Granted, he's an agent-level guy, but a Silver Avenger who was disillusioned with the dickish Golden Avenger and joined VIPER. Captured by Primus, sprung from Stronghold, and now a Goose. Road Kill: Boomer: already a criminal, but thanks to VIPER getting him mad enough to infiltrate and then giving him the opportunity to strike out by stealing their tech, which ramped him from criminal to super criminal. Have fun with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Bushido Posted September 1, 2019 Report Share Posted September 1, 2019 oh-- and also: after a lengthy night of pacing and reading, it seems that there's not so much as a Nest anywhere near San Angelo and its many supplements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steriaca Posted September 1, 2019 Report Share Posted September 1, 2019 19 minutes ago, Duke Bushido said: oh-- and also: after a lengthy night of pacing and reading, it seems that there's not so much as a Nest anywhere near San Angelo and its many supplements. San Angelo is a third party suppliment. Prehaps Goldrushgames felt they couldn't use VIPER because they couldn't use any Hero Games property besides the game system itself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Bushido Posted September 1, 2019 Report Share Posted September 1, 2019 It's possible he just didn't want Viper there. They can't be in _every_ city: they'd need the largest budget in the _world_ to make that happen. Seems like there was some Blackwyrm stuff that used "official" material-- yeah: the Foxbat books. At any rate, it doesn't really matter why the did or didn't. I'm just trying to help out by finding all the "villains because of Viper" I currently have access to, at least until I don't need the distraction anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Bushido Posted September 2, 2019 Report Share Posted September 2, 2019 Viper: Well these will all be obvious. Not so much. I mean sure: the VIPER-funded groups like Viper Force 1 and 2, the Serpent Syndicate, and the Snake Pack wouldn't exist without being created, and VIPER created them, but the others-- well, most of them would have been criminals-- already _were_ criminals-- when they begin to associate with VIPER. Anyway, moving on: While the Serpent Syndicate were already villains, The Snake Pack is all VIPER-created using their own version of the gene-mutating formula. Snake Pack members are: Pack Master Coral Massasauga Kufi Viper Force One: Chasm Blackflame Mirror Man Rampage Shift Stealth Viper Force Two: Armstrong (not my Armstrong. ) Black Lion Cannon Forcebeam Madame Blue Savant Smoke Stalwart Okay, that's as far as I've re-read, and likely all I'm going to do to day. Forgive me, but I've done a Hell of a lot of reading the last few days.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Bushido Posted September 2, 2019 Report Share Posted September 2, 2019 VIper (4e) cont: Brick (again): slight retcon makes him more well-rounded and drops Lirby Koo from the origin. The retcon also adds "remembers nothing of who he was" yet adds a boatload os science skills that are quite clearly from "who he was." So you tell me.... Anyway, VIPER made him a bad guy. Well, _more_ of a bad guy, since he was already in the mountains doing unethical experiments. Citadel (though there is a "Hero Option," so in your campaign, he may no longer be a villain) Damage Gravity may not be what you're looking for: she was already a Villain when she came to VIPER (in an attempt to get some protection from Bulldozer and his "affections.") Hammerhead Mind Wipe Urko Phaze Scattershot--- _sort of_.... He was already in the middle of a psychotic break that made him think he was an assassin; VIPER just let him run with it and gave him some training.... Shadow Fist: already had powers and had just killed a guy when VIPER recruited him. So all they did was train him and give him a job; he was already a super-villain. :/ Viperia: again, already a super villain, she was taken in by VIPER for training and, apparently, promotional reasons. Heinous and Despite (Cyborgs, Inc): VIPER was late on the scene: they were already criminals (Heinous being a VIPER researcher for a bit) and cyborgs by the time VIPER reached out to them. So, I guess these two are a no-go? Doll Maker: already had powers and already committing crimes before he tied in with VIPER. Seems to be a pattern in this book. Modem: created by the Supreme Serpent himself, but.... well, he gathers intelligence, and there's nothing to suggest he does it in any remotely illegal fashion, so.... villain....? Sheath: again with the "already a super villain" pattern, but hey-- Sheath. Congressman Jefferson Gable (again, but this time he's a robot). Supreme Serpent: again: he already was what he was before he made a deal with a buddy to become the Supreme Serpent and make VIPER a real power player. Frankly, I don't know _anyone_ wo was happy with this after the initial giggle fit. Most of the GMs I knew when this book was fresh went with either Option 4 or 5. The others were a bit to "Bobby's wife had a dream in the shower" to make any players pleased to stumble across this info. Awww.... I had forgotten that this book had a nicely-modernized, expanded version of Viper's Nest at the end (though I think it's simply the "campaign book" from the boxed Champions 3e set). Still, it's nice to know Viper's Nest was so important to folks all those years later.... I heard Champions 25th Anniversary Edition had an updated Island of Dr. D, but I can't find a copy anywhere (having never heard of it's existence until I returned to these boards, I missed it when it was new). Things like that make me happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Bushido Posted September 2, 2019 Report Share Posted September 2, 2019 That's everything 1st through 4th edition except the relevant Adventurers Club books (I don't think there's any VIPER-created villains in any of those, though. I could be wrong). My 5e "collection" is .... spotty.... consisting only of the rules books and the genre books that interested me and some of the Ultimate books; my 6e collection is MHI, FH, FHC, CC, and eight of the nine"blue books." Oh, and the widening Gyre, of course. None of that is going to help you with the information you're looking for. archer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archer Posted September 2, 2019 Report Share Posted September 2, 2019 10 hours ago, Duke Bushido said: That's everything 1st through 4th edition except the relevant Adventurers Club books (I don't think there's any VIPER-created villains in any of those, though. I could be wrong). My 5e "collection" is .... spotty.... consisting only of the rules books and the genre books that interested me and some of the Ultimate books; my 6e collection is MHI, FH, FHC, CC, and eight of the nine"blue books." Oh, and the widening Gyre, of course. None of that is going to help you with the information you're looking for. Thanks for putting in the work on this. I tend to get migraines these days if I try to wade through that much material that fast (which was why I gave up earlier). I know I own adventure modules which I haven't gone through, but none offhand where I'd expect VIPER to play a mayor role in origin stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steriaca Posted September 2, 2019 Report Share Posted September 2, 2019 Yes, VIPER 4ed seemed to me like a great work agancy for out of work supervillains. But I just noticed something. VIPER is not Hydra or COBRA, but Galactor from Battle of the Planets/Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. Lead by ab alien energy being...check. One guy is a kid in an adult body with psychic powers...check. One guy is pretending to be something he is not...check (Lord Egoboster from Gatchaman F). All we are missing is a psycho gender changer megalomaniac. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Bushido Posted September 2, 2019 Report Share Posted September 2, 2019 1 hour ago, archer said: I know I own adventure modules which I haven't gone through, but none offhand where I'd expect VIPER to play a mayor role in origin stories. The only thing I'm missing from 4e and back is Unknown Eagles: Special Ops (and I don't expect a lot of Viper in there ) and the various GM screens. I checked everything Champions and Dark Champions (just in case), to include the adventures and third party stuff. As far as I am able to determine, you have an exhaustive list of all the "villains because of Viper" characters. I did _not_ include all the "already super villains who occasionally work with Viper," simply because it didn't occur to me that such entries would be helpful until I was halfway done. 28 minutes ago, steriaca said: All we are missing is a psycho gender changer megalomaniac. Check the Anime section: they've got a few hundred we can borrow. While you're over there, see if you can find some HERO write ups for Riki-Oh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starblaze Posted September 6, 2019 Report Share Posted September 6, 2019 On 8/28/2019 at 7:20 AM, steriaca said: I never seen a 4th edition write-up of Brick. And I had owned most every 4th edition product at one time or another. Your probably thinking Viper's Nest, a pre 4th edition adventure bundled into the box set. Brick appears in the 4th edition VIPER book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steriaca Posted September 6, 2019 Report Share Posted September 6, 2019 9 minutes ago, starblaze said: Brick appears in the 4th edition VIPER book. Yes. I now know. I kinda forgotten him. Looking back at him now, I kinda like his limited physical Energy Blast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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