Scenario: Beyondathon

[Esquire]

Custom items are fine, but Vibranium is a lot more than "bullet resistant."
You only get four powers total, to spread between your characters. Same with abilities and items. That's where the strategy comes in. And no to Logan's Adamantium skeleton, you'll have to use an item slot if you want that. All your powers are legal, there are just too many of them. Abilities and items are also fine, except for the Vibranium suit. Too durable.

[Beatboks]

Slight change up here form my characters in the CV one.

Powers
Timber Wolf ( Brin Londo) - I'm pretty sure his physicals are below Spidey, his healing factor is certainly only a fraction that of Logan

Dyna-Mite

Nighthawk ( note as I'm after his powers not his gear that means no flight, just enhanced strength and speed at night/ in the dark)

Beast

Abilities

Iron Fist ( combat ability)

Captain America ( Combat, aim, shield wielding, tactical)

Querl Dox ( genius)

Shiva ( combat)

Items

Captain America's shield

Ebony Blades

Sandra Knights darklight projector ( this is the first phantom Lady's one that only makes things dark and her invisible. No intagibility, matter manip, lasers etc.

Mark Shaw's Manhunter mask ( infra red lenses, magnification lenses, uni mics for increased hearing)

I'll buils characters later if powers etc OK'd

[Esquire]

@beatboks
Looks awesome. I like the Nighthawk/Darklight idea. Everything's legit.

[Dane]

Esquire

I have altered my pool, it is now:

Powers:
The Gorgon
Spider-Man
Iron Fist
Toph Beifong

Abilities:
Taskmaster
Daken
Bullseye
Iron Fist

Items:
Creation Blades
Hawkeye's Custom Bow and Trick Arrows
Lin Beifong's Suit (Customized, Titanium)
Deadpool's SHIELD Teleportation Device

[Esquire]

With regards to Mjolnir, once the shields are down it takes roughly half a dozen bullets to kill the wearer, in my experience. Cutscenes have had Spartans killed with a single headshot, even. Vibranium has tanked hits from the Hulk and is impossible, as far as I've seen, to penetrate with bullets. In addition, it absorbs all sorts of energy attacks. With a skilled user, the slashing weakness is a little too easy to ignore for my taste. Would you disagree with that?
As for your team, everything looks legit, although no Stone Stare for Gorgon as it's an insta-win.

[Dane]

Dec 31, 2012 1:29:41 GMT -5 Esquire said:

With regards to Mjolnir, once the shields are down it takes roughly half a dozen bullets to kill the wearer, in my experience. Cutscenes have had Spartans killed with a single headshot, even. Vibranium has tanked hits from the Hulk and is impossible, as far as I've seen, to penetrate with bullets. In addition, it absorbs all sorts of energy attacks. With a skilled user, the slashing weakness is a little too easy to ignore for my taste. Would you disagree with that?
As for your team, everything looks legit, although no Stone Stare for Gorgon as it's an insta-win.

Honestly, I would. Here's a quick list of things that will cut through Vibranium without much resistance:

Any adamantium bladed weapons
The Ebony Blade
Creation Blades
Blood Sword
Muramasa

You will very rarely see a team these days that does not have at least one of those equipped to a melee-oriented character. Building tanks became obsolete a long time ago. I just wanted the energy absorption so someone can't just blow me up with ludicrous (and very legal) firepower.

For instance, within the rules, I could choose Cyclops or give someone the Cain (mini-nuke) launcher from Mass Effect and obliterate an entire team full of spartan-armored heroes and there is nothing anyone could do to stop me.

And apart from that, anyone who picks a healing factor character will shrug off bullets. Anyone who takes an adamantium skeleton is immune. Luke Cage is bullet-proof, that's canon. I just call it 'resistant' because he won't take a sniper rifle bullet to the eyeball and keep walking. It doesn't mean Moon Knight's carbonadium suit provides greater protection, even though the material is more dense.

But I digress, I've had to argue semantics too many times from the other side of the fence and I know how annoying it is. I'm perfectly happy to operate within your interpretation of the rules, but just letting you know there are ways to get tankier characters or legally implement more imbalanced tactics than Black Panther's suit.

On the Gorgon: I wasn't after his stone stare, just his post-resurrection healing factor, physical stats, speed bursts, reflexes, etc.

[Esquire]

Loopholes are always present, unfortunately, and I'm not adept enough to close them all. Thanks for being reasonable. Although wouldn't a mini-nuke launcher be above Cyclops levels of Energy Projection? I'm no Cyc expert, but I can't think of anything putting him on a nuke level of destruction. (Except for a couple on-panel hyperboles.)

[Beatboks]

Dec 31, 2012 0:40:05 GMT -5 Esquire said:

@beatboks
Looks awesome. I like the Nighthawk/Darklight idea. Everything's legit.

That obvious huh

characters
phantom - Timber wolfs power, Querl Dox's genius, Shiva's combat ability and Ebony Blades. also armed with Sherikens, grapple rope and a small pisiol.

Sherlock - Nighthawks powers, Iron fist's combat ability, Dark Light projector and Shaw's sensor mask. wearing kevlar vest and riot protection gear. Armed with a taser and capsicum spray

Erik - Beast's powers, Dyna-Mite's power, Captain America's skills and his shield. Carries 2 45 caliber hand guns

[Erik-El]

Dec 31, 2012 1:56:52 GMT -5 Esquire said:

Loopholes are always present, unfortunately, and I'm not adept enough to close them all. Thanks for being reasonable. Although wouldn't a mini-nuke launcher be above Cyclops levels of Energy Projection? I'm no Cyc expert, but I can't think of anything putting him on a nuke level of destruction. (Except for a couple on-panel hyperboles.)

Cyclops can easily obliterate a mountain. A nuke can't even do that. There are government bunkers built into mountains for that very reason.

He might not have the range of a nuke but he most certainly has the power and then some.

[Esquire]

For his first challenge, Beyonder decides to toss your team into the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Mxy, thinking things will be too easy, modifies your opponents somewhat. Everyone is thrown into an arena interspersed with the four elements:

The entire field is made of Earth and has dimensions of approx. 200 meters x 100 meters. Things designated with blue are channels/pools of water, with platinum grates over them. (Like where Katara captures Azula.) Brown squares are pillars of rock (like where Aang first faces Combustion Man), and black squares are metal posts with cables hanging from them (sort of like power lines). The outer walls are black and are 50 feet tall and made of platinum.
Beyonder’s meddling has ensured that all of the Avatar characters will work together, and has given them full knowledge of how to use their new gear and abilities. Your opponents are:

Katara (Flask of Water, no bloodbending)

Aang (Staff, no Avatar State)

Zuko (Twin Muramasa Blades)

Toph (Unarmed)

Sokka (Ebony Blade, Adamantium Boomerang, Water Tribe Armor)

Azula (Unarmed)

Ty Lee (Spider-Man’s speed and agility)

Mai (Carbonadium Throwing Knives, Bullseye's skillset)
After 90 seconds, Fire Nation reinforcements will arrive in the form of:
20 Fire Nation Soldiers (All firebenders) in a Titanium Fire Nation Tank
If you defeat all of the opponents, Mxylpkt will remove Ty Lee’s Spider-Powers and send her to fight alongside your team for the duration of the scenario, and Beyonder will give one of your team Firebending.

• Random Encounter
  
• Basic Knowledge for Both Sides
  
• Win by Death, KO, Incapacitation, No BFR
  

(Credit to Lunacyde for the Arena.)

[Power NeXus]

What kind of morals do our opponents have? Did Beyonder and Myx turn former good Avatar characters into killers, or are they all going to be in character (with the exception of fighting alongside enemies)?

[Esquire]

@power Nexus
They'll all fight in character, so only Azula will be particularly eager to kill. They won't hold back, but they'll mostly go for KO or incapacitation.

[Beatboks]

I'm going to be a while getting back ( both here and CV) I have to learn about my opponents.

[Esquire]

@beatboks
I posted links in the Comicvine one, but I'm still learning the interface here on the Ledger.

[Dane]

Solution

Firstly, this isn't as hard as it looks. Even though you're outnumbered, the only people with particularly lethal weapons won't use them to their full extent in-character.

Secondly, none of the characters here has the speed or reflexes to engage most high-end combatants.

When the round starts, NeXus will teleport behind the Avatar team and fire a volley trick arrows. Flashbang arrow into the middle of the group to disorientate, Electro-tip arrow at Katara (so as soon as she draws her water to bend with she is tasered into unconsciousness), two Bola arrows at Aang (he'll have a hard time bending without the use of his limbs), and a regular arrow through the back of Toph's knees.

Now, why can't he miss? Firstly with Spider-Man's speed, Spider-Sense and Bullseye's aim there is no one on the Avatar team with the sort of reaction time required to dodge it. The only exception to this is Toph Beifong, but she can only sense things that are touching solid ground. NeXus is in mid-air.

While the Avatar team are still disorientated, there is nothing stopping Erik from firing a grenade into the bunch, then closing range on Mai, Ty Lee and Aang and knocking them out with Taskmaster's martial arts skills (pressure points, throat chops, etc.)

Why can't they dodge or fight back? They simply aren't fast enough. The Gorgon moved so fast and quiet that even Wolverine couldn't see or hear him. None of them have enhanced senses except Toph (who has become a Skyrim guard) and Aang (who can't do anything about it). Ty Lee has Spider-Man's speed and agility, but she doesn't have his spider-sense or his reaction time. Beyond that, none of them are skilled enough to fight a Taskmaster/Daken hybrid h2h and it would come to that because they can't stop him from closing range.

That leaves Sokka, Zuko and Azula to me. Big man in a metal suit isn't the best to fight firebenders in. But I don't think I'll have any problem. Sokka has impressive gear but there are a lot of reasons why he couldn't touch me. Mostly, he just doesn't have the physical stats or skill required. Using Iron Fist's Chi Manipulation and skills I could probably just 1 shot him when he comes in for a sword attack. I can protect myself from the fire siblings with Earth-bending. But ultimately both of them favor mid to close range fights. I'm too fast, too strong and too skilled. Their fastest attack would be Azula's lightning and it wouldn't work against me when I have Toph's radar-sense and earth-bending to block it. Worst case scenario I could just stall them until NeXus riddled their arms and legs with arrows.

I can solo the Fire Nation tank with metal-bending and probably kung fu the rest of them into submission.

Pending approval I will add a depowered Ty Lee and grant Erik the firebending skill of Prince Zuko.

[Esquire]

Dane
Looks great. Only complaint I have is that Katara doesn't actually touch the water from her flask when she waterbends, so the taser arrow wouldn't be that effective. But that will hardly make a difference in the long run. You're clear and on to the second round.

[Power NeXus]

My strategy is simple. I'll move forward and make a target out of myself, Dane will move back and shoot from long range, and Matezoide will teleport behind them to mess with them.

I have Spider-Man's speed, agility, and spider-sense, I can negate all firebending directed against me, and I have armor that enhances my physical stats and protects me from hits. So basically, they can't hit me if I don't want them to. I'll move up to the middle of the field, dance around and avoid their attacks, and send in some shots of my own to keep them busy.

Dane is pretty much the ultimate sniper. With Gambit's powers and Orson Randall's skills, he's got highly explosive bullets. He also has 'smart' bullets that link to his sunglasses. From an Avatar perspective, he's basically Combustion Man. He's got bullets that target-lock on to anything he can see, and explode on impact, and the skills to see weak points in any object, enemy, or situation. If we can give him just a few minutes to back up, take a look at the playing field, and pick his shots, the Avatar team is seriously screwed.

Matezoide, after he teleports behind them, will have to work with me to divide their assault and not give them enough time to zero in on any of us. He and I won't have to beat any of them straight up. We'll just be keeping them busy long enough for Dane to start taking his shots.

The main fight may be 7-v-2, but the Avatar characters have never met anyone as fast as me, or anyone who can teleport like Mat. On top of that, we've both got skill sets on par with the best martial artists in the Avatar universe, and gear unlike anything they've ever seen. Keeping them busy will be relatively easy.

After that, the Fire nation soldiers will be total cannon fodder (especially if I'm blocking all their firebending), and Dane can easily one-shot the tank with one of his tracking, explosive, shot-at-a-weak-point bullets.

Ty Lee is added to my team, and Matezoide gets firebending powers.

[Esquire]

@power Nexus
Rad. You're into the next round with ease.
Out of curiosity, how effective are Underworld's smart bullets, homing-wise? Are they dodgeable by someone like Spidey?

[Esquire]

Round 2

Mxyzptlk has decided to take the next turn, and he throws your team back into Earth's past, landing them in the Coliseum in Rome. He's stocked it with 100 of the greatest warriors of the era, Spartans. To make your stay interesting, Beyonder has gathered three mercenary types from the present and added them to to battle, making them generals over the Spartans. He's given your enemies 10 minutes of strategic prep with basic knowledge.

Your Opponents:

100 Spartans

-Titanium Swords, Shields, and Spears, Kevlar Armor

Sabretooth

-Adamantium Claws and Skeleton

UDON Taskmaster

-Weapons Generator, Twin Pistols w/ Carbonadium Bullets

Deathstroke

-Submachine Gun w/ Carbonadium Bullets, Blast Staff, Nth Metal Armor, Promethium Sword

Also, to make things more entertaining, Beyonder has dropped an angry pride of lions into the match. 5 of them. 20 feet behind your team.

Location:


S = Sabretooth + 30 Spartans

D = Deathstroke + 30 Spartans

T = Taskmaster + 30 Spartans

10 = 10 Spartans

Lions = Self Explanatory

If you defeat all of your opponents, Beyonder will send Black Widow (Twin Pistols, Widow's Bite) to join your team and Mxyzptlk will grant Taskmaster's photographic reflexes to one of your team.

[Dane]

Jan 1, 2013 15:43:38 GMT -5 Esquire said:

Dane
Looks great. Only complaint I have is that Katara doesn't actually touch the water from her flask when she waterbends, so the taser arrow wouldn't be that effective. But that will hardly make a difference in the long run. You're clear and on to the second round.

Basically my thought was the taser portion will knock her out. The only way she could avoid it is to swat the projectile with water-bending (if she had the reaction time). If she did that it'd just zap her anyway. Cheers!