Avatar's Arena #3

[avatar of khaine]

FULL

The fluff

More will be revealed as the arena gets closer to opening, but for now, this is the advertisement:

To celebrate their new lordship, the family Von Drachi will be holding a grand tournament in ten months! In the style pioneered by the ogres, sixteen great warriors will meet in duels to the death. Only one will survive to become arena champion, and claim their prize: An item of choice from the collection of the original Von Drachi vaults!

All interested parties apply to castle Von Drachi to enter. Jesters, Jugglers and similar entertainers wanted. No time-wasters. Directions on back of leaflet.

How to enter:

You are allowed to use any Lord or Hero character from any of the current army books. Storm of Chaos and the like are out. Below you will find a list of rules on how things work; however, there are a few limits on your characters.

• Each character must be named.
• They must be legal and cost no more than 250 points in total.
• They cannot ride monstrous mounts (mounts with more than one wound).
• No special characters.
• All Hero choices may select 100 points of magic items, rather than the usual 50.
• In addition, each one must be accompanied by a background and a description of them for the write ups. (Background should stick to canon. No Tyranids or Orc-loving Dwarfs please.)


• To enter, reply to this thread with:

• Name of character
• Background
• Equipment
• Total cost
• A summary of his abilities. For example: Four WS5 S6 I7 attacks with killing blow. 4 wounds, toughness 5, 2+ save and a 5+ ward. Any abilities you forget to tell me about before a match is rolled are not used, unless they help your opponent, in which case the match is rerolled.

Rules

Equalizers

• Goblin Warbosses (Night Goblins included) may go up to 20 points over their magic item limit providing that they do not exceed 250 pts in total.
• Skink Chieftans may go up to 20 points over their magic item limit providing that they do not exceed 250 pts in total.
• Skaven Warlords may go up to 20 points over their magic item limit providing that they do not exceed 250 pts in total. The Appendix Plague Lord is no longer permitted.
• Vampire Lords get 35pts extra – they may not exceed their magic item limit.
• Tomb Kings get 25 points extra, they may not exceed their magic item limit.
• Empire characters that do not take a Runefang may go up to 20pts over the magic item limit providing that they do not exceed 250 points in total.
• Wood Elf characters get 20 points extra; they may not exceed their magic item limit.
• Dark Elf Assassins are counted as Hero choices for all intents and purposes.
• Bretonnians must pray to gain the Blessing, allowing their opponent to charge them and gain all the benefits thereof in the first round of each combat. A Bretonnian player who does not wish to pray should specify this before the match is rolled.
Additional Rules

Warpstone amulet - Same points cost, but roll to see if you die BEFORE the fight instead of afterwards.

Killing Blow - If a character scores a KB hit then this is how damaged will be worked out: D2+n
(n stands for the number of original wounds the character had minus two. This gives a 50% chance of killing a character off.)

Blade of Realities - Instant death attacks from the Blade of Realities will also be worked out by D2+n

Dwarfs – Any dwarf lord entered may be mounted upon shieldbearers, all rules and restrictions apply as per usual.

Monstrous mounts- Any mount with two or more wounds may not be used.

Prizes won in other arenas may be used, as long as they are deemed to be balanced.

Gaze of the gods table: chaos characters will receive a single roll at the start of the tournament to represent the champion having the favour of his gods to take part. However unlike in a normal game further rolls will not be made after any victorious matches. However, should the player wish to change his result on the gaze of the gods table at any point of the arena he has a single re-roll which he can make before a match is fought to represent the fickle nature of chaos. Note that the player will be stuck with the second result regardless of the outcome. (Example: Rainbow the chaos champion rolls +1 attack at the start of the arena, but later decides he wants something else in round 2. unfortunately he rolls stupidity and is stuck with it for the remainder of the arena in place of his +1 attack)

Bound Spells – Besides bound spells, magic is banned from the arena. Each character may cast up to ONE bound spell per turn (that includes Arch Lectors). Enemy characters have one dice to dispel, plus one for each MR they are. Dwarfs may dispel with two. If a bound spell is deemed too powerful, it will be noted on a case by case situation.

BANNED ITEMS

The following items are banned, they are found to be too powerful or have an unfair advantage in an Arena of Death game.

- Tress of Isolde
- Sword of Fate
- Van Horstmann's Speculum
- The Daemon Sword
- The Fellblade
- The Bane Head
- The Grudge Rune
- Kurbog's Curmudgeonly Klobbera
- Virtue of Confidence
- Annoyance of Netlings
- Palanquin mount
- Pendant of Kaeleth


Also, any item that includes in its rules "nominate one enemy character" is illegal.

How it works

If you have never fought in one of these, the point is to pit two characters against one another, one on one. In all essence it is a challenge as in a normal game but with a few differences. Namely, they’re trapped in an arena with the only way out is to kill or be killed.

We will roll a match up between two characters until one perishes. The one who remains standing will be the victor and progress to the next round.
Combat

- Always Strike First

- First round of combat
In the first round of combat, both warriors count as charging for the purposes of lances and other special rules. If neither warrior has a 'strike first' ability (or a 'strike last' ability), the person with the highest Initiative will strike first. If both warriors are equally entitled to strike first (usually because they have equal initiative), striking order will be determined randomly. In essence, we will follow the rules as outlined by GW for ASF, great weapons, and the like.

- Later rounds
In later rounds of combat, neither warrior gets charging bonuses (pretty obvious ). Strike order will be determined using the same system as in the first round of combat - however, in cases of equal initiative, the die to determine strike order is not rolled. Instead, the person who struck first last time will strike first, combat alternating between each warrior.

- After the Fight
After the fight, the victor advances to the next round. Any wounds they suffer are healed, as well as any other effects (such as the manbane poison: or anything else that permanently reduces statistics). It is as if the last fight never happened!

Psychology

- Break tests
Break tests are ignored in the Arena (where are they going to run in a ring of death?). Other psychology that may force an opponent to flee from combat is also ignored. THERE IS NO WAY TO FLEE IN AN AOD. For this reason, panic, unbreakable and Stubborn also have no effect.

In addition, undead warriors ignore the rule that causes them to take wounds from combat resolution. In a similar manner, daemonic characters do not suffer from instability.

- Fear
Fear is handled similarly to normal. In the first round of combat, a warrior facing a fearsome foe will take a Ld test. If he fails, he will hit on 6+ for that round of combat. After that, fear has no effect.

- Hatred
Hatred is also handled as normal. The warrior will re-roll failed 'to hit' rolls against hated foes in the first round, unless a specific army book overrules this.

- Stupidity
Since stupidity is ignored in combat, it only effects the first turn when the model suffering stupidity is attempting to charge. He or she will take a stupidity test as normal; if failed, the model strikes last, no matter what. I.e., no ASF for failed test.

- Frenzy
While there's nowhere to run, you can still have the frenzy knocked out of you; therefore, models do lose frenzy as normal.

Challenges

Players are welcome to issue challenges for the duration of this arena. To challenge a player, simply post in the thread with something like "I challenge so-and-so" with some fluff about why.

If they accept, then you will fight each other next round instead of being paired off randomly. if they decline, you will not fight each other this round.

Mistakes

If there is a mistake in a roll-up, it will be re-rolled only if:

1.) It affected the outcome of the battle
and
2.) The mistake was either made by me, or it helped the person who made the mistake.

If a mistake is found in a character's build or summary, the creator will be asked to fix this. Matches may be rerolled due to this.

Any further questions are welcome.

The entrant list

1.) li chen- AFG
2.) Yeelch - Daelrog
3.) The Wendol - Mpdscott
4.) The jester of eternity - RobTheGuru
5.) The reaper - Attila the Hun
6.) Squeaky - Pixie
7.) Sun - Throkken
8.) Lorkar the blood hungry - Bleyden
9.) Bel-Sham-Harath, Soul Sucker - Tuxedo Clank
10.) Sylvia - Deadstar_MRC
11.) A'ron Tetherblight, The Leper King - Esco Thompson
12.) Ghodk Bloodgrave - RobtheGuru
13.) Bombad Hammerfist - Dreadlock - summary needed
14.) Karazo Ngor - CrownAxe
15.) Lady Cristobel - CaptainSarathai
16.) Shalnar the Implaceable-Mellr0

The links list

The awakening
Heydrich's Sucess
Under seige
The Mob
Three-year montage
Round 1 Match 1

[RobtheGuru]

Woohoo! Another Avatar arena, can't wait. Character is being builded nows'eth!

[ArchonFarseerGuy]

No fancy rules this time? Ah well, stick with the tried and true I guess. I'll enter a character to better complement the arena's fluff.

[mpdscott]

I would feel more comfortable PMing a character than posting it....especially as one of the first entries...

*plants a stake with a skull on top, into the ground*
---Reserved---

[ArchonFarseerGuy]

Originally Posted by ArchonFarseerGuy

I'll enter a character to better complement the arena's fluff.

Meh, soddit. I'll make him subject to change based on the fluff of the arena if he's too out of synch with it.


Li Chen, Master Samurai of the Dawn Killing Fields
-1254, Dragon Peak, Cathay
Li Chen was freezing. His ascent up Dragon Peak had, to date, not been an easy one- especially with his weapons and armour. The track had vanished many thousand feet ago, and he was focussed solely on moving upwards. With a groan of tiredness and from the cold, he extended an arm up to the top of the cliff he was ascending. Summoning what felt like the last of his strength, he pulled himself up to the top, and collapsed from exhaustion, under the shelter of a massive ledge.

He looked out at how far he'd come. He could see the clouds a short climb away, which was encouraging, yet depressing at the same time. Huddled to try and protect himself from the strong winds, he thought about simply expiring. Could he make it the last few hundred feet? Even then, what if the legends were just some fanciful story, and this famed Elixir didn't even exist? And even if it did exist, there was no way he would be in any fighting condition to slay the many-headed Keeper. Should he just go to sleep here, never to wake up? His body would be discovered in several centuries' time, when some other person thought they were worthy of finding this elixir.

After a short rest, he got his breath back. With nothing to lose, he got up tenderly, joints aching profusely with the cold, and decided to continue his ascent. Looking around, he saw an old creek paving its way through the ledge, dumping its water off the cliff a few feet away from where he had just climbed. This would be his way to the summit. Stepping onto the creekbed, he leaned forwards, and began the slow, steady walk up the rest of the mountain.

Half an hour later, the creek went into a small cave in the mountain. Exasperated, Li Chen knew he had climbed too far up to go back. He looked around him- he had reached the clouds. Taking heart from this, he began to scale up the face of the mountain where the cave was. He got to the top, to find one more ledge. At least this one was small. With his last remaining energy, he leapt to the top of it, and hauled himself up.

There he was greeted by blue sky, and perfect stillness. He walked a small way, and collapsed by a bubbling brook. With the thirst of a thousand desert crossings, he drank from the brook, before refilling his gourd. Continuing on, he found a garden, tended by the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She smiled at him, and offered him some refreshment before his final quest. The fruit was the best Li Chen had ever tasted, and he found his energy coming back almost instantly.

Thanking his temporary hostess, he walked on, and found a paved circle, surrounded by artistic archways. He stepped into the circle, waiting for something to happen. The sky began to darken, and a mighty beast took formation.

This beast has five dragon heads, all a different colour. One was black, one was white, one green, one blue, and another, red. It was the size of a Sky-titan, and had the body of a tiger, standing upright on its muscular hind legs. With its wyrm-like arms, it clutched a massive scythe.

With a voice, inviting and menacing at the same time, it spoke. "Li Chen," it said, "the gods clearly favour you on this day. You are but the second warrior to make it this far. The man before you was swiftly felled by my blade. Should you slay me, you will receive the Elixir of Immortality."

Grinning, Li Chen pulled out his twin blades, "I'm ready," he replied with a calm eagerness, "show me the Elixir."

With a growl, the beast summoned a conflagration of flame, serving as a warning to the samurai.

Undaunted, Li Chen leapt towards the creature, evading a swing from its mighty blade.

After several hours, neither fighter was able to open an advantage. Li Chen, though exhausted, struggled to thrust his sabre into the creature's belly.

He stepped back, but to his dismay, the beast slowly regenerated.

At his physical limits, he was ready to give up. Just as all seemed lost, he received a vision from his God Yesu. The deity spoke, "I have called you to accomplish this quest, so accomplish it you will."

"But my Lord," replied the man, "I am but a mortal. I cannot overcome such a horror."

"Pierce its heart," replied the God, "and it shall surely perish."

He arose for one last attempt. Summoning all his remaining energy, he leapt at the monster. This time, he aimed at its chest. His sword was able to strike through the thick hide, and its chest was opened up.

Growling, it prised the warrior from its chest, hurling him to the ground like a rock.

Li Chen groaned, bruised all over. The monster was bearing on him, and up till now, he was able to dodge its clumsy blows. He saw one last chance to kill this creature, and return back to his home an immortal. He pulled out a small throwing dagger from under his armour.

Knowing he would only have one attempt at this, and have to strike the monster's heart, Li Chen aimed carefully. The blade spun its way towards the creature, and managed to strike it in the heart.

With a cry, the monster collapsed, dead. A celestial figure, dressed solely in white, and shining like the sun walked into the arena. It was Cathay's Dragon Emperor. "Li Chen, your deeds have been mighty. As a reward, you may sip from the Elixir of Immortality."

Li Chen sipped from the beautiful gourd. The liquid was sweet, and refreshing. He got back up, ready for his walk back to his home.

Yes, so the end was cheesy. I just wanted to get across that this guy is a demigod, and couldn't be bothered crafting some masterful piece.

2252, A volcano of unknown destiantion
The flames once again receded allowing the massive entrance doors to open. From one side entered the Red Captain, a Dark Elf of unparalleled beauty. Her skin was soft, complimenting the perfect shape of her body. Her eyes were a deep blue that anyone could get lost in. However, this beauty was not without trouble for the Red Captain was a cold blooded killer. No matter the situation, no matter time, she loved to kill as much as she could. Her hands held tightly to a finely crafted sword, tiny in comparison to that of the Northmens blades, but almost as sharp as the fine swords found in Cathay. Opposite the beauty entered Li Chen, a native of Nippon. His body was covered in typical Samurai style armour, coloured in a blood red to represent his clans unrivalled brutality on the battlefield. While not in combat however, Li Chen and the other members of his clan were some of the most calm and sophisticated people to ever be known. Masters in the fields of calligraphy, philosophy and art, they spent most of their free time writing massive books.

"You look like you couldn't even kill a cow!" mocked the Red Captain. Li Chen did not give the woman the benefit of a worded response, preferring to reply with his blade. He leapt forward swinging towards the Elfs head, severing the tips from several strands of hair. As he continued to swing his blade, the Elf dodged side to side, parrying when Li Chens blade came to close. "You going to hit me anytime soon?" Laughed the Elf. Her words were her mistake as she lost focus for a second. Li Chen thrust his blade into the Elfs shoulder. Blood sprayed from the Red Captains back and the blade pierced through her armour and body. She let out a howl as Li Chen kicked her off his blade, knocking her down to the ground. Li Chen swiped at the the Elf with his blade, only for it to be blocked. The Red Captain swiped Li Chens legs from beneath him, knocking him over. He landed awkwardly with a loud crunch, dislocating his shoulder. The Elf didn't waste anytime in mounting her opponant. She seductively ran her blade down the side of Li Chens face. "You're not too bad for a human. You know, i could make your last few minutes alive the best you have ever had..." Her voice sent a shudder down the Nippon warrior's spine. He looked at her with total disdain for what she was trying to do. "You will fall to my blade wench..." The Elf screamed and slammed her blade deep into the chest of Li Chen. She watched the blood bubble from his mouth as the blade shredded his insides. His eyes drifted into the back of his head, much to the delight of the Red Captain. She let out an ear piercing laugh as she got to her feet, pleased with the way the battle had gone.

She moved towards the gigantic door she had entered from, however it did not open. She slammed her fists against doors and began shouting. "What is the meaning of this? I won! Let me out!" Then she heard a loud pop come from behind her. She turned slowly to see Li Chen standing on his feet as if nothing has happened. He wiped the blood from his mouth and pulled the blade from his chest. He grabbed it by the tip and threw it at the Red Captain. As it shot through the air the elf let out a howl of shock. The tip of the blade sliced through her eye, coming straight through to the otherside. Her body fell limp to the floor, blood gushing from her horrific wound. Li Chen knelt down as a mark of respect for his opponant, disturbed only by the sound of the massive doors opening behind him. As he left the arena the wounds on his body regenerated, removed all signs that he had just been in a battle.

Li Chen
Li Chen is the founder of the Dawn Killing Fields, and the mightiest of the five samurai lords that govern the organisation. He spends much of his time in his tower, training in the arts of war.
Vampire Lord (count him as having three attacks with a second sword though)
Skilled Duellist- Li Chen is a warrior of much experience, and has thus mastered the art of killing cleanly.- Counts as the Sword of Kings (KB )
Helm of the Warrior- A trophy he acquired on one of his missions, this helmet is a token of his authority, though he does occasionally succumb to the sin of pride. Fortunately, however, he has mostly managed to control this feeling. Counts as the Crown of the Damned and Infinite hatred (4++ save, Stupidity, re-rolls ALL failed hits against everyone)
Swift movements- As a warrior of some repute, Li Chen has learnt to strike quickly, and has killed some opponents before they even saw the sword headed towards their chest.- Counts as the Nightshroud (enemy strikes at I1, loses charging bonuses, and lose ASF)
Full body kit- This is an ancient heirloom, gifted to him by various people over his life, and Li Chen always goes into battle with his armour and weapons.- Counts as Light Armour, and gives the enemy Armour Piercing. This just counts as a fluffy little trinket with no bearing on the game.
285pts (equaliser)

4 WS7 Attacks at S5 KB
Enemy strikes at I1
3 Wounds at T5,
4++ save, Stupidity

Note: I've been slapped about for using too much Counts As on him, but I would like to point out that he has drunk from the Elixir of Immortality, and is, to put it bluntly, a freaking legend. Think of him as an actual vampire, just without the european-style accents, the blood-sucking etc. Like a "non-generic vampire", I guess.

-AFG//

[daelrog]

All right, I'm in. However, this time I want to give a choice to the arena master (Avatar). Here is the list of army books I am willing to use. I will either choose randomly or by Avatar's request.

-Orcs and Goblins, Skaven, Dogs of War, Bretonnia, Tomb Kings, Lizardmen

[swntzu]

Originally Posted by ArchonFarseerNoob

"Li Chen, your deed have been mighty"

Complete with Engrish I see. Also, aren't samurai in WHFB meant to be from Nippon?

I'm off to make a suitable Vimto monk or ninja.

[ArchonFarseerGuy]

Originally Posted by swntzu

Complete with Engrish I see.

That or typos that I've always been too lazy/tired to correct. You be the judge.

Also, aren't samurai in WHFB meant to be from Nippon?

Yeah. It should be in the fluff I wrote, but the duel against The Red Captain was a match he took part in during an arena.

[RobtheGuru]

Good to see Li Chen returning. I'm sorry for for not getting my arena finished AFG, atleast I got you an extra bit of fluff to add to your character lol.

[ArchonFarseerGuy]

Originally Posted by RobtheGuru

Good to see Li Chen returning. I'm sorry for for not getting my arena finished AFG, atleast I got you an extra bit of fluff to add to your character lol.

Out to maintain his unbeaten record!