So You Want To Be A Superhero
By Clark Kent
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Combat
As a Hero, you will encounter situations where the only way to solve the issue is violence. This is an unfortunate truth, despite what some people claim. Many of the villains who ply their illegal trade subscribe to two philosophies: Might makes right and Pacifist is another word for easy victim. As such, they will often resort to violence to maintain their freedom, requiring the use of violence in turn to counter the threat that they pose. This is not to say that I approve the use of violence, for I do not, but I fully recognise that there are indeed times where the use of physical force is the only way to ensure minimal collateral damage.
In many cases, combat proves unecessary, especially if you have built up a reputation for being very difficult to defeat in combat, most villains will simply surrender since they know that they will be incredibly unlikely to either win or escape.
And then there are the other type of villains.
These ones will not hesitate to lash out. In many cases, the only reason that they tend to avoid killing heroes is the knowledge that if they do so, they will be relentlessly hunted down by all the teams and dragged to justice, no matter how long it takes.
This knowledge actually forms the basis of what is known as the Unwritten Rules. Should the villains refrain from lethal attacks, not target the families/loved ones of the Heroes and try to reduce collateral damage during their crimes, we will in turn give them a chance to surrender and do our best not to inflict serious injures (broken bones etc) while capturing them.
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When combat is inevitable, it is a good idea to pre-plan tactics. Ranged attacks are useful for pinning down villains, reducing the amount of space they have available to move in and can also serve double-duty as a means of distracting the villains while the close-quarters-combat heroes move in to subdue them.
It is highly recommended that those with ranged attacks practise the skills of marksmanship and sharpshooting. The ability to snipe a villain trying to attack a fellow hero half a mile away is one that is both useful and impressive. For a true master of this skill, I point you to Cyclops (although his skills are aided somewhat by the HUD and Kryptonian technology in his visor). Area-effect attacks are the most useful against speedsters and other villains who boast enhanced agility, but fliers are a completey different problem entirely.
While flying villains are generally vulnerable to long-range attacks, their speed and variable flight-paths make them quite hard to target, leading to the tendancy of Heroes to engage fliers in ariel fist-to-fist combat. However, such tactics are inherently inefficient and a year-long research project ordered by Governor-General Zod has redefined flight combat.
When fighting against a flier, you need to disable them, otherwise they'll simply flee. While punching (or kicking) them is the obvious answer, it is wrong since most of the impact will be wasted. Unlike ground-bound villains, flying villains can easily absorb much of the impact of such an attack by letting it push them away from the attacker. Some ariel combatants accelerate away from the attack as it is launched, significantly reducing the damage further and letting the attacker expend all of his or her energy for a miniscule payoff. Should you seek to damage someone by punching them, you need to set up a double-strike situation where your punch sends them into a solid obstacle such as the ground or a cliff face. Aiming at buildings (especially skyscrapers) is frowned upon since it can cause a great deal of damage but not significantly injure the villain being sent through the building. In addition, the probability of injuring civilians in the building or who are in the path of falling debris is worryingly high.
To injure a flying enemy with a punch, therefore, you need to force them to absorb the impact. One of the best ways to do this is to anchor the enemy relative to your attack, usually by grabbing them with one hand and punching them with the other. Locks, grapples and holds are also very useful, although given the lack of solid surfaces to work with, new methods have had to be developed.
Fliers can arrange to undergo the Flight Combat Training Course on New Krypton as long as they have written permission from their team leader.
True ariel combat between fliers has been described as zero-G wrestling mixed with cage fighting, a description that manages to capture the essence quite well. Practitioners of Ariel Combat often need to train themselves to use all of their limbs rather than simply their arms. In quite a few cases that I've heard off, flying villains have been temporarily disabled by a well-placed knee or heel to the groin. It is worth noting that such an attack works on both genders (although it works better against males) but fliers who have endured such an attack tend to subsequently wear protective cups to prevent a repeat performance.
Standard superhero uniforms are created with a special sheer-thickening kinetic absorbtion and re-distribution layer which works remarkably well in reducing the success rate of such an attack, although there is an upper limit on how much force it can negate, so relying on it instead of learning to dodge or block is not a wise decision in the long run.
Especially if you're facing someone roughly equivalent to a Solar-Powered Kryptonian.
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For non-fliers, more traditional forms of combat such as Horo-Kanu or Krav Maga are effective, although one has to always be aware of how powers may change the situation. Trying to punch a villain who uses intangibility is an exercise in futility while striking one who can absorb and redirect kinetic energy is highly disrecommended.
On a side-note, if anyone finds themselves going up against the Hellfire Club and/or their enforcers, the Hellions, the X-Men have experience in countering them.
