Desert Scorpions
| Melee RV 10 |
Coordination RV 6 |
Brawn RV 6 |
Fortitude RV 10 |
Intellect RV 4 |
Awareness RV 6 |
Willpower RV 10 |
Lifestyle RV 6 |
Repute RV -5 |
| Health: Fortune: |
32 20 |
Origin:
Like most Cobra operatives, Desert Scorpions are normal humans, at least in a physical sense. However, they utilize numerous advanced implements, making them high tech villains, and their original incarnation had the use of giant, apparently mutated scorpion pets!
Known Powers:
(none)
Limitations / Enhancements:
(none)
Equipment:
Diggers: useful when carving up enemies or staging an ambush, Desert Scorpions each carry two diggers while on the job. They can be used to burrow through ground of up to material value 40 hardness, and can also be used to inflict Slashing damage in a pinch.
Grenades: supplementing their machine guns and missile launcher, Desert Scorpions carry grenades strapped onto their stillsuits. They can toss these explosives within their normal range, which then detonate to inflict rank value 30 Slashing damage to their target sector.
Helmet: ostensibly part of their stillsuits, this headgear provides Desert Scorpions physical protection the rest of their ensemble lacks. Namely, they provide rank value 10 protection against physical assaults striking them anywhere in the head, front or back.
Additionally these helmets are equipped with a visor that provides them the power of infravision, at rank value 6. This is useless during the day, of course, but at night they allow Desert Scorpions to more effectively track their prey no matter where they try to hide.
Knife: like most Cobras, Desert Scorpions carry a blade with them at all times, because you never know when someone's going to need stabbed. These m.v. 30 implements can either be used to inflict Slashing damage, or to cut through items of up to like m.v.
Machine Gun: these sand- and dust-resistant weapons can discharge one round to inflict rank value 6 Piercing damage, a short burst of bullets to inflict rank value 10 Piercing damage, or be fired continuously at a Desert Scorpion's foes to inflict rank value 20 Piercing damage.
Missile Launcher: attached to a backpack by a swivel mount (which can also accomodate their machine gun), this projectile launcher gives Desert Scorpions a proper sting. They can fire up to two missiles per load, which inflict +1 RS damage if both are fired at once:
| Handling RV 10 |
Velocity RV 50 |
Durability RV 10 |
Damage RV 20 Slashing (fragmentary) |
Stillsuit: allowing them to roam the deserts for long periods without a resupply, Desert Scorpions are equipped with a suit that acts to preserve every last drop of body moisture! These allow them to persist for at least a week without an additional source of water.
Furthermore, these suits help regulate the body temperature of a Desert Scorpion, at least to some extent. Of course, being that they're built by the same folks who fabricate Cobra's Toxo-Viper uniforms, Desert Scorpions don't bet on these uniforms alone to help them survive the dunes.
Quirks:
(none)
Skills:
Guns: all Cobra operatives have the ability to wield firearms in combat, and Desert Scorpions are no exception to this rule. They may discharge any standard, semi-automatic, or fully automatic rifle or pistol as if their Coordination was +1 RS higher than is listed above.
Martial Arts style A or B: furthermore, Desert Scorpions are well-versed in the art of self-defense. They either wield style a, allowing them to Pound or Concuss foes regardless of their comparative Brawn or fortitude, or b, granting them a +1 RS to hit in unarmed combat.
Military: Cobras who wind up as Desert Scorpions may not actually possess this skill, for their poor performance and unwillingness to follow orders is what got them here in the first place. On the other hand, those who don't pick it up quick if they know what's good for them.
Survival: while their stillsuits are a great boon in their work in arid climates, wise Desert Scorpions refuse to rely upon them alone. Those who learn how to excel in their punitive position as desert operatives master the ability to persist no matter how little water they have.
Contacts:
Desert Scorpions have few contacts to rely upon for assistance. This is because they're already on Cobra's bad side, their transfer to this position being due to some failing not quite grave enough to earn them a place in the Toxo-Vipers - or a shallow, unmarked grave.
Costume:
The Desert Scorpion uniform is a sleeveless stillsuit, worn under an orange shirt and black trousers, dark brown boots, gloves, sheathes, holsters, pouches, and shoulder pads, and a black helmet with an orange face plate, a red visor, and a brown cooling shroud.
Notes:
Nobody becomes a Desert Scorpion on purpose. Cobra operatives who consistently fail to meet expectations, or have a discipline problem even worse than the criminal element that comprises most of the organization's members, they are often 'volunteered' for this punitive transfer.
Once they've fallen this low, Desert Scorpions can work to maintain a spotless record for a year, which gets them transferred back to their old jobs. Those who also bungle this position are typically shuffled into the ranks of the Toxo-Vipers, often the last-stop in their Cobra career.
In the field, Desert Scorpions often pull together despite their status as troublemakers, knowing that they're all going to die if they don't. When idle, however, they simply can't help themselves, often turning on each other due to being generally isolated from any sense of community.
Desert Scorpions really only have their pet scorpions to rely upon, at least for as long as they can keep their 'pets' well fed. These immense, mutated creatures will happily turn on their friends if the food stops coming, which almost makes them more trouble than they're worth.
Bear in mind the fact that the above descrption details a standard Cobra or Viper who has been demoted to the rank of Desert Scorpion. If a Cobra operative with additional skills falls this far, they'll still have those abilities to draw upon while serving in this position.
2013 Variations
Equipment:
Claw Attachment: usable by either a Desert Scorpion or their robotic counterpart, this weapon allows whoever carries it to inflict a pincer attack backed up by powerful hydraulics. It can inflict either's Brawn +1 RS in Slashing damage when gripping opponents.
Gun Attachment: usable by either a Desert Scorpion or their robotic counterpart, this weapon allows whoever carries it to project deadly force within a considerable distance. It inflicts damage per the Desert Scorpion's machine gun, listed above.
Guisarme: despite a lot of their new hardware, Desert Scorpions often carry this medieval weapon with them in the field. It consists of a four-foot long pole with a hooked blade, allowing Desert Scorpions to inflict Slashing damage against non-adjacent foes.
Costume:
The second Desert Scorpion uniform is a brown stillsuit, covered by black trousers, an orange shirt, dark brown boots, gloves, sheathes, holsters, and pouches, brown shoulder pads, and a black helmet with an orange face plate, a red visor, and a brown cooling shroud on the back.
Mutant Scorpion
| Melee RV 10 |
Coordination RV 6 |
Brawn RV 10 |
Fortitude RV 10 |
Intellect RV 2 |
Awareness RV 6 |
Willpower RV 2 |
| Health: Fortune: |
36 n/a |
The immense 'pets' utilized by Desert Scorpions do not occur in nature. Whether produced by accident or intent, these huge arachnids are about half the size of an adult human, giving them a size factor of -1 (as opposed to their normal counterparts, who range from -3 to -8).
In practice, this gives them a +1 RS bonus to strike standard-sized opponents, while inflicting a -1 RS to the damage they inflict. Conversely, human-sized foes suffer a -1 RS to hit when targeting these mutated creatures, but benefit from a +1 RS to whatever damage they inflict.
The Desert Scorpions' 'pets' possess rank value 6 protection against physical attacks, rank value 20 resistance to cold and heat, and the ability to inflict Slashing damage with their teeth and battle tail-mounted stingers, the latter of which injects rank value 10 poison.
Furthermore, they possess nocturnal acuity that borders on ultravision. They can see in night-time conditions without penalty, and might actually perceive some of the ultraviolet spectrum as well, as they, like all scorpions, fluoresce when exposed to ultraviolet light.
Robotic Scorpion
| Melee RV 10 |
Coordination RV 6 |
Brawn RV 10 |
Fortitude RV 10 |
Intellect RV 2 |
Awareness RV 6 |
Willpower RV 2 |
| Health: Fortune: |
36 n/a |
Eliminating the bothersome tendency of their mutated pets eating their handlers, Desert Scorpions were eventually built robotic counterparts to replace their original, organic partners. While more dependable overall, they lack the survival instinct of their predecessors.
These artificial arachnids are the same size as their fleshling counterparts, but benefit from +1 RS armor, as well as rank value 10 infravision for use at night, whether to guard the boss or stalk their enemies. They also feature a stinging tail, which injects venom just as deadly as before.
Where they greatly differ is that their pincers are replaced with the removable gun and claw attachments, which a Desert Scorpion can use as well, and these mechanoid arachnoid constructs can fold up to be carried on the back of their operator, greatly increasing mobility.
Extra Goodies:
Cobra directories featuring a version of Desert Scorpions:
| 1990 | 2013 |
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