Vahnyu

GM Post While Billy was too far and too distressed to pick up Pitch's voice throughout the hail, the Winged Hellhound did as commanded, taking flight and closing the distance between it and Billy in less than 10 seconds. Soon afterwards, the hellish mutt overtook the running Billy, made a U-turn, and landed menacingly in front of the terrified human, who witnessing the demon in front of him, froze completely on his tracks. "S-... St-... Stayback! I-I'm warning you, STAY BACK!!!" He screamed in fear, taking his rifle out and trying to aim it threateningly at the beast. The Hellhound took steps making sure to bar Billy's escape, but not close the distance more than it already was. It looked intendly at the human, and though enthralled by Pitch's cane, its eyes still glowed a pale green, its gaze piercing through the human as if a large snake was eyeing a mouse. It was an effective way of ensuring that its prey would be too paralyzed by fear to try any spasmodic movements.

GM Post Now that Pitch's attention was focused and undivided, she could clearly see that the wooden branch produced an acidic effect on the demon's skin, as soon as it came into contact with him. Indeed, coupled with Pitch's enhanced strength, the branch sliced the Ogre Elephant's foot as if it were made of butter, and then proceeded to open its belly wide open, before exiting right under the lung (at least, right under where its lung pressumably lied), releasing acidic fumes as it did. The demon burst into flames, and turned to ash, mere moments later. Only the enthralled mutt remains, master. Noted Tazel, reminding Pitch of the beast that was left standing, rendered directionless after its master took a trip with the conjured geyser, in order to save Billy. Speaking of whom, Billy was making his way further into the forest, with little sense or care for direction... Right where the stone tablet was directing Carmen!

Alrighty, due to weakness, the Tou DC becomes 33 (15 + 8x2 + 2) Toughness Roll vs DC33: 1d20+13 28 A good role, but unfortunate for the Ogre. He gets purified by the wooden weapon.

Here are the varieties available to Pitch. The Board is a large flat piece of wood, that can be used as a shield as well as a weapon, but requires two hands to use. The Splinter is a small piece of wood that's sharp around the edges, and can be thrown like a shuriken. You can throw up to six Splinters in each action, gaining the benefits of Autofire (+1 interval for every additional Splinter thrown). The Stake is a sharp piece of wood that can be held on one hand. Holding two stakes at once, one in each hand, you can use them together to gain the effects of autofire on your attack. Finally, the Branch is a long piece of wood that needs two hands to use effectively, allowing you to hit opponents using wide swings, while also deflecting incoming attacks. Wooden Board: Strike 2 (mighty, dodge focus 2, defensive roll) [wood, bludgeoning] x3 Wooden Splinter: Strike 1 (autofire*, mighty, thrown 2[20-100ft]) [wood, piercing] x50 Wooden Stake: Strike 2 (autofire*, mighty) [wood, slashing] x4 Wooden Branch: Strike 2 (mighty, accurate, dodge focus 2, extended reach) [wood, bludgeoning] x8

GM Post Billy reeled as he got up, blessing his lucky stars that he wasn't burried under the fallen tree or squished to a pulp under the Ogre's foot. He shook his head in order to get his bearings, when he heard Carmen's frantic shoutings at him. "Boss! I can't just... I mean... right..." he tried to protest, before regrettably agreeing with Carmen's assertion. Here, he was worse than dead weight; not only was his own survival hanging on the edge of a thread, he was an active liability to Carmen. Taking a few unsure steps back, he said this to Carmen, and then turned and ran away for dear life "I-I... I'm sorry, miss Cantoooo!!!" While Carmen was getting her bearrings back, she noticed that the Elephant Ogre still seemed stuck in place, its focus intent solely on removing the foreign object from its neck. As it did so, it let a screeching roar out, as if writhing in intense pain. Looking around her, she noticed that plenty of wood splinters had been scattered around, and although most of them looked barely big enough to prick her own hands, a few splinters seemed to be as big and sharp as stakes. A few branches had also fallen that could be used as makeshift bludgeoning weapons.

Serge cheered with all his might at the performance. Valerie Cain always knew how to liven up a concert performance, and her guitar riffs could rile up even the dead into pumping along with the beat. Man, its a real pity this place gets targeted so much by the gangs. he thought somberly, after Valerie retreated from the stage, once the exhilaration had subdued. I've heard about heroes on patrol busting their hump 24/7 to keep things under control, and yet by the next week, it's drugs and street violence and gang wars all over again, business as usual. It bothered him so much, because he'd also been trying to keep an eye out for the more vulnerable parts of Freedom City, especially by joining other heroes on patrols, like Foreshadow. At least things seemed peaceful this time around. he noted to himself, as the opening gala for the community center continued. He decided to make the rounds, nonetheless, to keep an eye out in case this display attracted trouble, but he nevertheless took the time to go by the various booths and take a look at the informative flyers they were handing out. On his shoulders, his schoolbag rested firmly secured, filled with a laptop and some computer science books, in order to conceal the fact that there was a superhero costume, the VibroNet Suit, hidden inside a secret compartment of the schoolbag.

tagging

GM Post "O-O-OK! I'm hanging, boss! I'm al-" As Pitch had pulled herself towards Billy, the furious elephantine demon stopped the torrential tide of water that he unleashed from his two probosces, kicked the ground a couple of times, let out a ferocious trumpeting noise, and charged furiously at Pitch and Billy, by running and then performing an enormous jump. Witnessing this, Billy freaked out completely. "IT JUMPS!!!" Pitch conjured a mighty steel cage to cover Billy and her and buy them some time, but even that wasn't enough; the makeshift barrier shattered completely under the weight and momentum of the Ogre Elephant, who tore through it as if it were a wall of paper. Shards of steel failed to even put a scratch on the Elephant, who then proceeded to crush Pitch and Billy under its weight. Pitch's quick reflexes covered for her coworker, but she wasn't so lucky, and was driven to the ground as the tree cracked under her feet due to the sheer force of the Ogre's attack. There she lied, battered and bruised, while Billy laid a few feet away, reeling from the shock and the fall, but otherwise ok. This appeared to be the end for the two, then and there, with the Ogre Elephant poised to deliver the coup de grace on the fallen hero, as it raised its arms into the air... ... and then roared a scream, as it took a few steps back, recoiling from pain. With the corner of her eye, Pitch noticed something curious... pieces of wood had been sticking out of the Ogre's body, no doubt the splinters created by the destruction of the tree.

21-5 equals 16. Pitch suffers a bruise, and becomes Dazed

Let's see how it fairs Toughness Roll vs DC27: 1d20+11 14 ... failing by 13 makes it destroyed completely. Pitch may spend an HP to reroll for the Object (essentially try and reinforcing it on the spot) or default to the TAKE IT LIKE A MAN option above.

On the Crossover Tier, which handles non-MCU movies that would be great if they were part of the MCU. The tier also has the Blade Trilogy, the Ghost Rider Duology, and X-Men: Days of Future Past. Oh, and Nick Fury: Agent of Shield, with the addendum that Nick Fury is a legacy character.

Agreed completely. The movies in the Street Tier are by no means bad. Their greatest sin is just that, that they contribute very little to the MCU as an interconnected universe. They still work great as character pieces, if that makes sense. Without going into too much spoiler territory, Antman is actually very tightly connected with the up to that point established MCU, and also explains why he's in Civil War and on Cap's side.

Excellent points, Durf. It should also be noted that Captain America: The First Avenger, and Thor, both worked as direct prequels to the Avengers movie, as they both segue directly into the movie. Indeed, they were proof that by that time, Marvel was finally hitting its stride, in terms of planning and atmospheric mood. However, in sheer terms of payoff, it is absolutely eclipsed by the Avengers, Guardians, and Civil War. Being in the planetary tier still means that the movie contributes in expanding and rounding out the universe. But I don't feel confident I would use it as the face for the franchise. Perhaps it could still receive a higher ranking in its tier, though? Because honestly, #4 to #8, I could easily see being arranged in a different order.

SUBJECTIVITY ALERT: The following are merely my subjective views. Feel free to discuss or disagree, as my word is not the law on the matter, just so long as you respect and understand that this isn't intended to tell you what to feel and hold true, but merely to inform you of my feelings on the matter, and what made me arrive on these conclusions. This thread is not meant to create senseless arguments, but merely to provoke thinking So. Civil War. Like it or hate it, it has been a rollercoaster of a movie. Therefor, with that in mind, I decided to rank the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, from best to worse! I'll also group the movies in tiers, to better expand upon their relative positions. The idea behind the tiers is how they affect the MCU at large. Generally speaking the difference of ranking inside a given tier is relatively negligible, more of a formality, if you will. Outside a given tier, however, the differense is much more pronounced and distinct, and the tiers are intended to examine the quality of the MCU movies in terms of their scope, and what they have to offer to the universe. Keep in mind that the tiers need not necessarily be populated. Also, I'll try and avoid spoilers, especially for the latest movie. Cosmic Tier: The creme de crop. The pinnacle. The absolute best. The movies that define the Marvel Cinematic Universe. #1. Avengers: This is the movie that gave the word Cinematic Universe its definition. A solid plot, coupled with pre-established and diverse characters bouncing off of each other, delivering a long awaited and much anticipated promise to the fans, and filled with iconic moments and imagery. Iron Man ended with the promise of a cinematic universe. Avengers ended with a bunch of dudes eating shawarma the promise of an overarching threat. #2. Guardians of the Galaxy: Creating hype for an established in the public consciousness property is easy. Creating hype for an unknown title, though? And then delivering on said hype? And THEN some? Guardians of the Galaxy proved that the direction of its Cinematic Universe can transcend its comic book origins beyond doubt, and that a talking Raccoon can stand side by side with a charming rogue, a green skinned woman, a human-sized Ent, and a wrestler, with none looking any less badass for it. The only weak point of the movie is the villain, who could stand getting a bit more defining of his motivations and character, and a bit less characterization as a generic disposable doomsday villain. #3. Captain America: Civil War: Taking the basic plot from a popular, if controvesial, comic book event, trimming the fat, adding direction, and lowering the scope of it, and you get a nigh-universally praised movie. Add some resolving for some tangling plot threads from previous movies, continuing to expand on the ever-increasing superhero cast, with some very worthy additions, and a resolution that feels both real and hopeful at the same time, and you've got yourself a winner. Calling it a Captain America movie and not an Avengers movie is a bit iffy, as while he IS the main point of view character, he does not eclipse the rest of the cast who get a far too significant amount of character development, especially Iron Man, Black Panther, and the Scarlet Witch (The Winter Soldier gets his, too, but, to be fair, he's always been a supporting character to Captain America, so he don't quite count), for them to be considered anything but not co-protagonists, but I digress. The only flaw in this movie is the villain, who feels tacked on, and whose masterplan depended on far too many coincidences to feel believable. #4. Spider-Man: Homecoming: While he debuted (in costume, at least) on Captain America: Civil War, this is Spider-Man's first movie in the MCU proper, thus having one of Marvel's most popular superheroes return to the fold, despite the rights to his franchise belonging to Sony, is enough to warrant it Cosmic Tier status. That this movie gave us the best adaptation of both Peter Parker and Spider-Man's character, a layered and interesting villain, a solid supporting cast both within the larger MCU and without, and clear character development within an actionpacked plot, was the topping of the cake. However, it did have a couple of noticeable weaknesses. The titular Homecoming exists as pure background setting flavor, so the subtitle of this movie really only works in a Meta sense and at a couple of points, things go way out of Spider-Man's hand, but result in no fatalities or serious injuries(not even alluded), thus severely strainning suspension of disbelief. As such, it is definitely the weakest of all Cosmic Tier entries thus far. Planetary Tier: The greats. These movies know what they want to deliver, and how to deliver. They help expand and round out the MCU. #5. Guardians of the Galaxy 2: On a technical level, GotG2 is superior to GotG1 in almost every way imaginable. Not only did it carry the same character beats as its predecessor, it managed to expand them, examine how the team dynamics were shaping in the interim, and even allow for some pointed character development that characters from the first movie lacked. There was a great emphasis in exploring the characters' backstories, while also introducing a plethora of interesting new characters. The main villains this time were also better, having strong and colorful personalities, with defined and clear motivations, which lent the movie with some trully meaningfully high stakes. Even the lesser villains were, at the very least, fun, and did not tire the film with their presence. It tied many of the loose ends of the first film, the sequel hooks are interesting, and the potential of the newly introduced characters is astounding. The only reason this movie isn't Cosmic Tier, is the simple fact that it didn't have to work against the fact that GotG was an obscure, unproven Marvel property (as far as the larger moviegoer audience blah-blah). Otherwise, despite being ranked Planetary Tier, this movie has NOTHING to be jealous of the Cosmic Tier movies, and indeed can stand toe to toe with them. #6. Thor: Ragnarok: Thor was good, but heavily flawed. The Dark World was boring and forgettable. 3rd time's the charm, though, as Ragnarok is full of character, charm, and a plot that doesn't waste a moment. It continues Thor's character arc, allowing him to mature to his duties as protector of Asgard, the ensemble cast is full of entertainingly colorful characters, Hela is an effectively threatening villain with some actual presence and motivation about her, and it all resolves in a surprising, spectacular manner, similar to Doctor Strange. The film does have one glaring issue, namely, that due the large cast and plethora of newly introduced characters, a lot of established characters are pushed out of focus, even out of the film entirely, and it ultimately prevents it from achieving its full potential. However, even factoring that in, the issue remains more of a nitpick than anything. In the end, Ragnarok is an absolute blast. A pure fun ride from start to finish #7. Iron Man 3: From putting Iron Man outside of his comfort zone, to delivering the biggest and most entertainingly surprising bait and switch in the MCU, Iron Man 3 is pure fun. #8. Ant Man: You will believe a man can shrink in size. The characters are great, the fight scenes are impressive and imaginative, and the villain is interesting, and appropriately menacing. #9. Doctor Strange: Similar to Ant Man, this film keeps its plot simple and focused, and it delivers what it sets out to do with absolute competency. Unique to this movie, though, is the method of dealing with the big bad threat; instead of beating it to the ground, the titular protagonist sought a different route, one that combined using the film's (and MCU's) established lore in a smart, out-of-the-box way. #10. Avengers: Age of Ultron: Boasting an enormous cast, and handling perhaps a few plot threads too many, Age of Ultron nevertheless managed to deliver a fun villain, incredible action scenes, the second biggest bait and switch in the MCU, and the first superhero death. And it also gave us Vision, the worthiest of all robots. #11. Iron Man: The movie that put the MCU into motion. Great all around, except for the fact that the Iron Monger is in suit for a very small amount of screen time, to really establish him as a potent threat. #12. Captain America: The First Avenger: A movie that perfectly sells just why Steve Rogers IS the good Captain. And the most tragic of endings. It did need a bit more Nazi/Hydra fighting, though. #13. Thor: A week third act, but an otherwise excellent movie, full of fascinating characters. And Loki, who defines "interesting antagonist". #14. Captain America: The Winter Soldier: While the main part of the plot about the Winter Soldier himself starts interesting, the rest of it about Hydra is not as strong, verging on forgettable at points, and ultimately undermines the movie's message about freedom and security. Still, this movie is a great examination of Captain America adjusting to the 21st century, introduces the Falcon, and its resolution creates a lasting impact in the franchise as a whole. Street Tier: The merely ok. They may not be masterpieces of cinematography, but they still work great as a way to enjoyably pass the night with some pop-corn. They're harmless fun. Ultimately, the MCU may not gain anything by them, but nor will it lose, as well. #15. The Incredible Hulk: It was ok. That's the most damning thing that can be said about a movie in the MCU. #16. Thor: The Dark World: An Antagonist with a very weak presence, and a plot that ultimately is largely forgettable. But the rest of the characters are still good, and Loki is still a great and fascinating character. #17. Iron Man 2: A filler episode, with unthreatening (if charismatic) antagonists. But between the new superheroes introduced, the resolution of the Tony/Pepper pairing, and the suited interractions between Iron Man and Warmachine, the end result is an enjoyable movie that just happens. Minion Tier: The bad. These movies are to be observed only with MST3K-style commentary on the side. Their existance actively hurts the MCU, so it's better to pretend that they don't exist. N/A (Thankfully, no movie has fallen this far. There might be a movie that fits this tier in the future? Who knows, the law of averages says there will, but that would also imply that the results the other movies in the franchise have proccured thus far are, in some way, random, and that's too simplistic, and not entirely accurate.) Crisis Tier: The franchise killers. Going a few steps beyond merely bad, these movies create an avalanche effect that sucks the good out of all other movies as well. There's no ignoring to be had here; even if these movies aren't actively responsible for ending the MCU before its time, they still make all other related to them movies that much worse, simply by existing. N/A (No movie here, as well. I hope I'm not jinxing it, either.) Bottom line (thus far): At their best, MCU movies transcend the medium, taking advantage of their format to create a vast mythos that affect the general public consciousness in ways that other critically aclaimed and iconic movies and movie franchises, like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Aliens, etc, could never hope to achieve before. At their worst, they're a good way to pass the time.

Damn that's a wicked owl, Jonathan!

Ogre Elephant The Ogre Elephant will make a giant leap and attempt to crash Pitch and Billy under its massive weight, as well as snap the tree underneath them. 25 DC Toughness for both of them (Billy would autofail, as he is barely PL2), and 20 Reflex Save to negate (not halve) the damage save. Due to clinging on a tree, with not a lot of room to maneuver, there's a -2 circumstantial penalty on the Reflex roll. So... let's talk about options... Obviously, even if the Elephant misses and fails to hit both, he'd destroy the platform they're both on, and send the tree stump violently spinning in the air, while Pitch and Billy plummet. Pitch may use her chains to grapple herself (and Billy) out of the way using her chains. She could try and hit the elephant, and smoke him mid-jump. She could raise a smoke above her, in the hopes of having the elephant miss the tree entirely. GRAPPLING CHAIN: The safest way to deal with the attack, but you'd still land in the defensive afterwards. No need to roll, you throw the chain wildly and get the hell out of there, along with Billy. ELEPHANTTACK: Hit the Elephant with your best shot. You can take 10. But make it count. RAISE SMOKE: Greatly increase your chance at avoiding the hit, AND a chance to save the tree in the process. TAKE IT LIKE A MAN: Or a woman, in this case. Withstand the hit, and get the chance to act normally afterwards. The destroyed wood may hurt you... or it may yet prove a valuable and unexpected ally... SURPRISE ME: Take an unforseen option! And get an HP, for thinking and working outside the box (well, my box, at any rate)! Finally, and this is important, Pitch may try to cover Billy's Saves. If she does so, she takes a -5 Penalty on her Saves, but Billy will be none worse for the wear...

Toughness Roll vs DC25: 1d20+12 23 A Bruise. I'm fine with that.

Yep. She can have herself land next to Billy as a reaction

yeah it is. She gets hit by a light shower, but nothing stops her moving. Pitch may attempt to ride the current to reach Billy faster. If she does, she may roll her Athletics, Reflex, or STR Bonus, whichever higher, vs DC20, or take a Bruise. The geyser will make her travel up to 700ft, more than enough to get close to Billy, but she'll still have to reach him somehow. She may use her infernal chains to either anchor herself at the tree, or grab Billy with her. Attack roll vs DC23 [staged] Success By 5 or more: Pitch anchors the chain to the tree near Billy and tethers herself to the tree, or grabs Billy and tethers him with her, until they both land safely 700ft away. (her choice). Success By less than 5: Pitch anchors the chain to the tree near Billy and tethers herself to the tree. Failure By less than 5: She anchors the chain to the tree 30ft away from Billy. Failure By less than 10: She anchors the chain to another tree 70ft away from Billy, and suffers an Injury (not a Bruise). Failure By 10 or more. She overshoots, anchoring the chain to another tree 150ft away from Billy, and suffers an Injury (not Bruise), and a Daze.

Jerry was... silent. His eyes looked upon the works of Atraxia, the mighty. They didn't seem to have arrived on a conclusion on whether they should despair or not, but it was undoubted that what he was seeing was impressive. Beyond impressive. "That's... you built this? On your own?! I mean, with no help?" Jerry suddenly felt that he was way out of his depth. Magic, gods, fey creatures, curses. Those were things that he could deal with, even if he himself had little actual arcane knowledge. This however... "Ummm... honestly? I fail to see why they'd hate super-computers... but, will it be safe? I know from personal experience that Communion nanites could reanimate the dead and even bring upon gods on the mortal realm. I heard the heroes took down the Communion Mothership, but what if another one emerges? And that's not touching the matter of the Gorgon." He asked Atraxia, concernedly.

GM Post Billy held for dear life, when he heard Pitch's shout through the hail and his own screams. "BOSS! I-I-I WILL!" He tried to sound brave, but he couldn't help having his voice crack. "BUT HURRY!" The Hellhounds where growling angrily at Pitch, when she suddenly threw a bunch of magically conjured metal at them. None were prepared for the iron onslaught, and none managed to survive it, disappearing in a blueish flame as they yelped their last. The Ogre Elephant, for his part, unleashed a gigantic torrent of water, aimed at Pitch. The geyser kicked up dirt, discarted metal, and shredded wood, on its way to hit Pitch.

Ogre Elephant Twin Water Spout on Pitch. DC25 vs Toughness Save, DC20 vs Reflex Save to halve damage bonus. The Ogre Elephant becomes Distracted

Net Fly is always on the lookout for them streetgangs, when patrolling.

Hronos Age of Unitron: Hronos superior, Talosbots inferior Extinction Agenda: So, the Dinosaur Empire is back to its old tricks, eh? Too bad that we don't have any Getter Rays. Still, Hronos could whip out a de-evolution ray handcannon, if push came to shove! Meatheral What Should not be Unearthed: Meatheral once travelled to Egypt once, alongside Set. From Beneath You, It Devours. OR Age of Aquarian: Also, consider about adding the Umiquan Empire as well (which should be getting introduced in the next round on Casus Belli, once I get around to it )! I'd be up to helping in that respect, if you wish. Net Fly Superior Firepower: Though he's not the straightest example of a Power Armor, Net Fly definitely fits. Race to the Top: Net Fly can, when running, break the sound barrier... so he'll be appropriately outrun and outmatched! Plus, more chances to team up with Triakosia. Cinco por Cinco: Speaking of teamups, howsabout some catching up with Foreshadow!

It was more that Mater's current attack is an area line, and Moon-Moth is within its range (due to the cage being a tight labyrinth)! Hence why IC she went " then run clear of my blast radius!"