Premise
ok, this won't be too drawn out like some of the previous showdowns. You will create one hero (yourself) and face a series of mentally and physically taxing challenges. You will have very minimal rest between these challenges. I ask you in advance to be honest with yourself regarding your own mental endurance. There is no shame in saying you'd come up short or go down in a blaze of glory.
Although this is obviously a scenario that may have many elements in common with the Batman: Knightfall story arc, as with all of the Surprise Showdown's you will not be aware of the exact nature of what you will face until after you have made your characters and I have approved that they are within the rules.
As always, attempts to find loopholes or undermine the purpose of the challenge will be ignored.
Rules
-For you and you alone, you must choose 1 powerset, 1 ability set and 1 special item.
-A powerset is a superhuman ability or set of abilities associated with a single individual character. Gambit's kinetic energy charging and superhuman agility are an example of a power set.
-An abilityset is naturally learned or trained skill or knowledge or set of skills or knowledge disciplines associated with a single individual character. Black Panther's martial arts and scientific knowledge are an example of an ability set.
-A specialitem is a unique or uncommon object that has commonly been used by comic book characters that does not typically exist within the real world or could be made with common technology. The magical Ebony Blade is an example of a special item.
Powers
-You may not use powers that include:
Physical attributes above Spider-Man.
Magic or reality warping.
Probability altering (good or bad luck).
Illusion Casting.
Healing Factor above Wolverines.
Intangibility.
Invisibility.
Flight.
Durability equal to or above Luke Cage.
Telepathy or Telekinesis.
Force Fields.
Pheromones.
Tele-dismemberment.
Abilities
-You may not use abilities that allow you to:
Gain experience beyond the span of a human life. Be reasonable here, there are plenty of highly skilled mortals to draw upon.
Somehow exceed the limitations of your physical attributes. For example, a regular human cannot perform Spider-Man's acrobatic feats as he isn't physically agile enough.
Items
-You may not use items that grant the user:
Additional powers that exceed the accepted powers threshold (Mjolnir, Iron Man's Suit).
An easy solution to combat situations (Mr. X's mind, Midnighter's battle computer, etc).
Anything that would grant an easy win over a Spider-Man level character.
-The items you equip will be the only items you have for the scenario.
-Items that help you use your powers like Cyclop's visor or a few deck's of cards for Gambit are free.
-In addition to special items, you may have a small armament of standard firearms (2 pistols and 1 assault rifle/sniper rifle/shotgun) or thrown weapons.
-In addition to special items, you may have 2 melee weapons of standard materials.
-In addition to special items, you may also have armor to the grade of standard kevlar in a design of your choosing.
-As with all of my scenarios, you may not loot fallen enemies for their equipment under any circumstance.
Trainer
-You will have access to one month's training from a master of your choosing. Your trainer may not telepathically fast-track your learning. Earn it under your own steam.
Good luck :)
Scenario
mmm-hmm, whether you're a Batman fan or not, I hope this will be a treat for you. This scenario will be equal parts No Man's Land and Knightfall. The conditions you operate under will be the most important part of this scenario. The challenges won't just be bad guys, they'll also be environmental and what condition you're personally in when you face these challenges. You may overcome these challenges using any means you deem necessary.
The Challenges: Apart from bad guys, time will be a relevant factor in this scenario. You have as much time as you like to scout out each location and plan your attacks, but the scenario must be complete within 2 weeks. Gotham is a tangibly large place , you must consider how long it takes you to get from one place to another. If you have Spider-Man's powers then obviously you can get from one side of the city to the other quite quickly, if you're on foot it might take an hour or more just to get to your target. This is important because it will affect how many targets you can take down in one night. You still (presumably) need to sleep and eat to operate at maximum efficiency. In this scenario sleep and food will both be in limited supply. To this end, if Gotham's streets aren't clear in 2 weeks, the US Government is going to nuke the place. Obama's had enough of the Joker and his crisp purple suits getting around the place. Change for the better, the hard way, motherf#cker. It should be noted that you do not have to engage an enemy just because you're passing through their territory, provided you can traverse the city with stealth.
Here's the deal: During No Man's Land Gotham City was in a huge earthquake, completely wrecked the city. The US Government refused to send any help and urged citizens to flee the city, but they also blew all the bridges and put sea-mines in the water surrounding it, leaving Gotham to fend for itself. In the meantime, Blackgate Prison gets busted up and the city is full of all kinds of villainous scum. Lex Luthor came later and offered to help rebuild, under the condition he owned every building he fixed up. Batman ran him out of town, but this time it won't be so easy. 'Cause I gave Lex Luthor a dimensional gateway, sorry about that. Now he's porting in bad guys from the Marvel Universe and stacking plenty of extra cash into DC baddies to make sure Batman and his allies go down so he can claim Gotham for his own. But it's ok, me and Bats go way back and I told him I got just the man for the job. You. I even set you up a cosy little place to stay, it'll be out of the way and have a security door that makes a vault look like a box-fort. For the duration of the challenge Batman, Robin, Azrael and Batgirl will be gunning for Lex Luthor and that pesky dimensional gateway he somehow got his hands on. Bruce is leaving it to Nightwing, Huntress and your awesome self to clean up Gotham and keep things from going to hell. Sure, you're a bit green after only a month's specialist training but you tell him you'll do it and give him the thumbs up. He looks at you kinda funny but only for a moment, then he announces you as an Agent of the Bat. Nightwing gives you one of those windmill high-fives like off Top Gun and things seem peachy. Then Batman starts throwing some surveillance Polaroids onto the desk next to you. "Ooh, I know some of those guys" you say as you see the familiar mugshots of Bullseye, Kraven the Hunter and others flick past your face. "You know about their powers, abilities and tactics?" Batman inquires. "Well, yeah, see I used to read about them in these um... nevermind. I know them" you answer. Batman nods to Nightwing before leaving. Nightwing turns to you, the Polaroids on the desk and a map of Gotham (above). "Well, these guys aren't going to kick their own ass, let's get started".
Long Story Short: You and Nightwing are going to kick some ass and chew some bubblegum. If you brought bubblegum that is, because I didn't. And by 'You and Nightwing' I mean mostly you but occasionally also Nightwing, maybe.
Let's talk a little about your living quarters: You'll be staying in a makeshift headquarters in an abandoned part of the subway underneath Gotham City. The front door will be a 5-inch thick titanium vault door that will only open when it scans your personal biometric features. At all other times a hologram will cast making it look like the twisted remains of a derailed train. Inside it'll be similar to one of the Punisher's safehouses. Small but functional. It'll have a bed, a laptop computer, a small kitchen with basic supplies and fresh, clean running water. There will be a footlocker in the corner with unlimited amounts of ammunition for guns (if you have them), unlimited basic throwing weapons (if you have them) and a few replacement regular weapons (again, if you have them). It will not have spare/replacement special items. If for some reason those break or you use them up, they're gone. The food situation is the first challenge you will face. You have in stock 1 week's worth of military rations. First of all, those are f#cking disgusting, trust me I've had them. Second of all, it will probably take you longer than 1 week to take down every villain if you like sleeping.
Backup: Nightwing gives walky-talky that you can use to call for backup, in case you get into trouble. Unfortunately the batteries are dying on it. You only have enough batteries to call for help twice. It's also up to you which member of the Bat-Family you call. Moreover, how you use their talents is up to you, but there are limits to what they can do. Most of them are more than happy to fight alongside you but you can also ask them to chase down leads, scout out a location, take down a low tier villain, etc. In Oracle's case she can send schematics and detailed villain information (for one sector of the city) to your laptop. In Alfred's case he can perform moderate surgery and first aid.
Available members include:
Alfred
Nightwing
Red Robin (Tim Drake)
Oracle
Huntress
Travel: An important fact to note, the streets that are colored in are crawling with appropriate thugs and goons. If you are unable to travel by rooftop you will have to fight your way through these areas. There will be 50 thugs armed with regular conventional weapons (Baseball Bats, Lead Pipes, Chains, Knives, etc) in these areas. This is in addition to the personal thugs that are kept in close proximity as bodyguards. The exceptions are Kraven the Hunter, Taskmaster, Sabretooth and Mr. Zsasz' territory. These areas have only their primary villains.
Rewards: For liberating certain parts of the city you will be offered rewards. However, some of these rewards will be gained only at the detriment of others.
Tasks: Engaging some enemies may trigger a priority threat that must be overcome with your powers, abilities or items.
Enemies
You begin in the Gotham City Police Department's territory. These brave officers can be considered friendlies and they will protect you and your headquarters while you sleep. What order you take enemies down in is up to you. Most of the information is on the map but there are also villains in other places. Once a territories' enemies have been defeated it's thug population will disperse. If it is adjacent to GCPD territory then the Gotham Police will move into the neighborhood and protect it's citizens from there on out.
Arkham Asylum
Information: Joker, Harley and a bunch of thugs have taken over the Asylum (which was emptied out after the earthquake). You may find them in the Main Hall.:
Enemies
25 Thugs armed with an assortment of lead pipes, knives, chains and pistols.
Harley Quinn (unarmed)
Joker (Revolver, Joy Buzzer)
Blackgate Prison
Information: Blackgate has been taken over by some former prisoners.
Enemies:
25 Thugs armed with an assortment of lead pipes, knives, chains, pistols.
Shrike (Shuriken and Wrist-Blades)
Firefly
Killer Moth (2x Colt .45s, 3 Frag Grenades)
Reward: Once Blackgate has been captured it may be used to temporarily house incapacitated enemies. If the GCPD have a clear path from your location to Blackgate they will cuff and take your incapacitated enemies to Blackgate for you. If not you will have to find another way to keep your enemies under wraps. Naturally, corpses need no extra attention.
Killer Croc's Territory
Information: Croc can be found looting the local shopping mall with some thugs.
Enemies:
10 Thugs armed with an assortment of lead pipes, knives, chains, pistols.
Reward: The shopping mall's hardware store is still fairly well stocked. If your abilities would provide you with the means to make homemade explosives you can use these to build a hand-held pipebomb. Alternatively you can give these valuable supplies to the citizens of Gotham.
Two Face's Territory
Information: Two Face has taken up headquarters in the Court House. He's gone more batsh#t than usual and has kidnapped Jim Gordon and Renee Montoya. He will execute them in 2 nights if they are not rescued.
Enemies:
25 Thugs armed with an assortment of lead pipes, knives, chains, pistols.
Two Face (Dual Colt .45s)
Kingpin's Territory
Information: Kingpin and his men will be holed up in one of the few remaining high-rise buildings. You will have to get through a lobby full of goons before you can make it to the stairs or the elevator. Kingpin will be in his office on the 40th floor.
Enemies:
Lobby:
20 Thugs with pistols and submachine guns.
Kingpin's Office:
Lady Bullseye (Shuriken, Katana)
Nuke (M16, Combat Knife)
Kingpin (energy blast cane)
Reward: You pull a battery pack out of Kingpin's cane, unfortunately it appears to have seen some use already. You may call for assistance one more time using this battery.
Viper's Territory
Information: Lady Viper wants to establish a HYDRA foothold in this new world. She and her goons have taken over docks. She will be in a dockside warehouse on pier 42.
Enemies:
30 HYDRA Agents with submachine guns. Yes, they will yell "Hail Hydra!" if they see you.
Silver Samurai (Dual Katanas)
Black Widow II (Yelena, Dual Silenced Pistols, Widow's Bite)
Viper (Desert Eagle)
Reward: You may take a crate of Atlantic Salmon from the docks or distribute the fresh fish to local citizens.
Tombstone's Territory
Information: Tombstone, a natural gangster of himself has rallied much of existing gangs of Gotham under himself and hired some dangerous allies. He can be found in an abandoned movie theater.
Enemies:
100 Thugs armed with an assortment of lead pipes, knives, chains and bats.
Mr. X (Dual Katanas)
Hush (Dual Colt .45s)
Tombstone (AK-47)
Scarecrow's Territory
Information: Scarecrow has infiltrated a local church which is being used to shelter those left without homes in the earthquake. He will begin using his fear gas on them immediately. After 3 days all of the citizens will be dead.
Enemies:
Scarecrow (Wrist-mounted Fear Gas emitters)
Reward: The church was secretly hording a cache of weapons for the local Mafia (under threat of death). You may take one gun of conventional description and 3 frag grenades from here or turn the weapons over for use by the GCPD.
Black Mask's Territory
Information: Black Mask has one of most extensive holds on the city of Gotham. Even worse, he's hired some incredibly skilled enforcers. Not content even with this level of mayhem, Black Mask has found an office building where hundreds of now homeless Gotham residents have taken shelter. Black Mask and his cronies have planted a very large explosive device in the basement. From the moment you defeat him, you will have 5 minutes to defuse it, not nearly enough time to evacuate them premises entirely. Can you defeat Black Mask and save the innocent people?
Enemies:
Cheshire (poison-tipped fingernails)
Merlyn (Bow and regular arrows)
Black Mask (Dual Colt .45s)
Task: Defuse the bomb that Black Mask has planted.
Sabretooth's Territory
Information: In exchange for a hefty bounty Sabretooth and a few of his closest pals have agreed to clear the streets of all opposition. Most residents have fled their homes but others live in fear of the former Weapon X member.
Enemies:
Mystique (Dual Desert Eagles, AK47)
Sabretooth (regular)
Task: After Sabretooth is defeated and you exit the premises, a section of a building will begin to topple onto a prostitute across the street from your present location. You have 3 seconds before it topples onto her, the section of the building is made of solid concrete and weighs 2 tons. You don't have to lift all of it to give her time to escape but anything less than 2 tons of strength will result in your hands being temporarily crushed. This may be mitigated if you have armor to protect yourself or some other means to hold the weight. Having said all that, you don't have to save the hooker either.
Red Skull's Territory
Information: The Red Skull himself has taken up residence in a high rise building. His loyal bodyguards stand ready to deal with any who would stand in the Skull's way.
Enemies:
20 Mercenaries armed with submachine guns.
Sin (MP5, Throwing Knives, Combat Knife)
Crossbones (Wrist-mounted Crossbow, Wrist Blades, Colt .45, M16)
Red Skull (MP40)
Mr. Freeze's Territory
Information: You can find Mr. Freeze breaking into a bank in an attempt to acquire more diamonds.
Enemies:
10 Goons with Pistols.
Mr. Freeze (Standard Suit and Gun)
Robinson Park
Information: This is a park kinda like Central Park. Although this one has a deadly enemy. It does also, however, have a quaint looking Apple Tree.
Enemies:
Kraven the Hunter (Sergei, on serum, Vibranium Spear, Net of regular materials, Blow-Gun with Poison-tipped darts)
Reward: 6 Fresh Apples. Nom nom.
Taskmaster's Territory
Information: Tasky is hanging out at an apartment on the nice side of town. He doesn't really care much about the turf war going on but he ran the gangs out of his block just 'cause.
Enemies:
Taskmaster (Desert Eagle, Broadsword, Shield)
Rewards: Tasky had a fresh New York pizza, a Soda and a bottle of Orange Juice in his crib.
Mr. Zsasz' Territory
Information: Mr. Zsasz is holding the medical center run by Leslie Thompkins prisoner and trying to draw out Batman. He'll have to make do with you. If you do not take Zsasz down within 3 days he will grow bored and kill all of the patients and Leslie. Whilst he won't be holding a human shield, he will be patrolling around the center and will be within a few feet of dozens of innocents at any given time.
Enemies:
Reward: Leslie will offer you some of her own scarce medical supplies. You may choose 2 first aid kits as a reward for saving them or let her keep them for injured citizens.
Doc Ock's Territory
Information: A familiar trio sit plotting in an abandoned Factory downtown.
Enemies:
Doctor Octopus (adamantium)
Mysterio (illusion cubes, short-range hallucinogenic gas)
Norman Osborn's Territory
Information: Stormin' Norman can be found in an abandoned elementary school. Beware the monkey bars.
Enemies:
25 HAMMER Soldiers with Assault Rifles and Grenades
Green Goblin (Glider, Pumpkin Bombs, Razor Bats)
Bullseye (Deck of Razor-edged Cards)
Scorpion (Mac Gargan, Energy-blast Tail)
Final Battle
After you have cleared Gotham of all threats you meet your ultimate challenge... one way or the other.
*** Do not click here until AFTER you have made a strategy for the rest of the thread, if you do then you're a cheating so and so *shakes fist* ***
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