Predator is armed with plasma scythe* and blazer cannons** Dark Templar is armed with his warp scythe (or SC1-style warp blade) VS. Who takes it on an open battlefield? Who takes it in an empty human city? Both can cloak, but I'm assuming the two combatants can see each other. 1) Predators can see other cloaked predators with "tech vision" or infrared (in this regard, the movie Predators is inconsistent with the Predator/AvP games). 2) Supposedly, Dark Templars can sense minds. I say "supposedly" because I don't think Dark Templars are a detection unit in SC1 or SC2. I've tried to make a reasonably close match, but if you think the Blazer cannons are too much, feel free to remove them from the equation or replace them with something that would be more balanced in your view. * Plasma Scythe The plasma scythe is an advanced weapon of awesome potency. The scythe's energy blade cannot be stopped by normal matter. According to Predator law, this eminently dangerous weapon can only be wielded by those who have earned the right to bear it. When it strikes, its blade leaves wounds filled with seething dark plasma. Dark plasma triggers a controlled energy reaction that causes damage in proportion to the mass of the target, enabling the weapon to kill any enemy, regardless of its power, with four hits at most. ** Dual Blazer Cannons Blazers are shoulder-mounted energy projectors that fire sweeping inferno beams. Hotter than the cores of many stars, an inferno beam works by instantly heating objects it touches to the point of spontaneous combustion. Given this ability, the weapon is designed to sweep in arcs across its primary target. Since they do not need to be aimed with much precision, Blazers can be fired on the move. Both weapons are from the AvP Extinction strategy game.
Dark Templars do sense minds, Protoss regularly use their telepathy to detect others, as evidenced by the comics and books. In game balance does not reflect reality, since if every Protoss unit (or sufficiently skilled Protoss unit) are detectors how the hell do you balance that? Anyways, the Pred's cloaking should be useless against the DT. Dark Templar cloaking is pretty much reality bending to bend light around themselves. So, if DT cloaking works against the Pred's sensors, the Dark Templar has the edge.
I'm more familiar with the SC games than with the lore. Correct me if I'm wrong... The Dark Templar's cloaking does not seem to be a mind-trick (clouding his opponent's mind). As I understand it, DT cloaking achieves the same effect as predator cloaking (bending visible light around the body). However, the predator needs technology to bend light. The DT manipulates physical reality with his mind. The DT should therefore show up on infrared or some other vision mode of the predator's mask. If the DT cloaks by reaching directly into his opponent's mind and causing his opponent not to perceive the DT, then the predator can't perceive the DT unless the predator can mentally resist the DT's mind-clouding. However judging by what I've read, I'm pretty the DT simply uses his mind to bend visible light around himself, psychically accomplishing what the predator accomplishes through technology. The type of mind-clouding I'm talking about occurs in the movie The Shadow (and I'm pretty sure Jedi do this sort of thing) .
Actually your correct, for some reason I kept reading Dark Eldar. Whooppsie. And even so, you still don't seem to know much about the units outside of the Pred. The DT takes this with ease.
debatable...high-end predator strength and speed feats are pretty impressive as for "smarter", not sure how to prove that either way What would be a good match for a DT in your estimation? Also, if you could be a bit more specific about the "void powers and mindrape", that would be nice (preferably, with sources)
In lore zealots are 10 times stronger than suit space marines which should approximately be equal to predators Dark templar are zealots on massive steriods
Off the top of my head, I know that predators have... torn power-armored humans in half at the waist (Concrete Jungle game) lifted armored maxi-security gates by overcoming the lock mechanism with brute force (Concrete Jungle game) torn off human heads with bare hands (AvP 2010 game) torn off combat androids' heads with bare hands (AvP 2010 game) torn off xenormorph heads with bare hands (Prey, Hunter's Planet novels) broken xenomorph backs on their knees (AvP 2010 game) thrown around an adult male bison with little to no effort (Homeworld comic) caused a soldier's face to explode in gore by slapping him...the soldier is killed of course (Big Game comic)
Strength was covered by Gecko, as for speed, Zealots are known to dodge hypersonic rounds. Low-mid level WH40K stuff (depends on one's definition of mid level for WH40K though). Protoss speak telepathically. A regular Protoss can stun a human merely by raising his "voice". High Templars can damage lesser minds by their very presence, and focusing that aspect of their psychic might can make people's heads explode. Literally. Dark Templars are the equivalent of High Templars, just with void powers instead of Kahla powers. Void powers include stuff like void prison, blink and invisibility. The Dark Templar's warp blades are tears in space-time.
Galorian, I believe all the feats you mentioned are true, but I don't have any specific e.gs atm. Can you name some or give the relevant quotes ? Thanks. To be fair, zealots have trained to be hardcore melee fighters, while DTs focus more on stealth and assassination. Of course, if the DT was formerly a zealot, then that's an added boon. That's probably true of the "elite" DT warriors. ( In SC1 Protoss fluff, "Templar" can mean "explorer" as well. ) As a whole, Nerazim are simply a counterculture to the Khalai. Again, to be fair, an average DT doesn't teleport and freeze his enemies by his own power. Zeratul is a highly accomplished DT. A more "normal" showing is given by Lassatar in Fear the Reaper. His epithet does sound lofty though. "Supreme Guardian of the Xel'Naga Secrets, Lord Protector of the Ancient Mysteries of the Protoss." ... In game, a "detector" reveals all hidden units within an AOE, allowing its allies to target those units. Simply sensing someone's mind is not enough to do that. Also, Blizzard tends to sacrifice realism and consistency for the sake of good game balance and fun. ( which is still a good thing imo ... )
Lore wise you have to be a zealot first then your promoted to templar Thats why tassadar was such a fucking badass
Predator strength: - Overwhelming the locking mechanism of futuristic maximum security gates http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuJOj0w9vdk [4:25 and 1:45] - Tearing human apart at the waist (the predator can also do this to armored humans) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f_M34G-G2I [0:50] - Snapping xenomorph spine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mg5JF3u4pk [1:50] - Tearing off combat android's head (the predator can also do this to humans of course) - Tearing off xenomorph heads (Nat'kapu and Dachande are known to have done this in Hunter's Planet and Prey respectively) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8Iio1WDxfc [0:05] - Easily throwing around a bull bison 1 2 It's not rare for bullets to be "hypersonic"...it sounds cool and all but a lot of modern guns fire bullets at hypersonic speeds In the novel South China Sea, a pirate (one of the protagonists) rises from cover and shoots a special bullet (a fragment of predator metal...long story) at the predator. After the shot is fired, the predator's mask analyzes the pirate's gun as harmless. It then analyzes the bullet in mid-flight and determines it's dangerous. The predator dodges, but the bullet still hits his shoulder. It's likely that had the gun been analyzed as dangerous, the predator would've dodged the bullet completely. Going by your claims, nothing short of a GK would give a DT trouble...but I doubt that's the case Kinda irrelevant... As long as the DT's blade can easily cut the predator, whether it "tears space time" wouldn't really affect the outcome. The predator's "dark plasma" scythe is probably just as deadly against the DT. Of course, not true for Dark Templar, right? Right, this ain't Zeratul vs. predator. Anyway, examples of predator melee skill: A novice Gkyaun howled the war cry and jumped. He landed amid the hissing drones and moved among them like the setg-in, deadly and quick. So easy! He spun and slashed, burned and cut at the same time. Two bugs fell with one slice of his spear. A drone from behind lost its head; he gutted yet another. He was Paya, the conquering warrior! Thwei ran at his feet, the Hard Meat shrank in terror-! More came at him, a relentless flow of fury and sound. He pivoted, Hunted, his every movement was an arc of doom and pain. Noguchi gulped air and pushed herself backward, toward the top of the shield wall. The warrior was a dervish of wild energy and prowess-the nightmare creatures fell all around him. - AvP Prey A veteran Dachande heard the Hard Meat and spun around. He sprinted past the two ooman strangers toward the threat, staff forward. He was dimly aware that the small warrior was right behind. It shouted something at the other two. They came in a single-file stream, flowed from around a structure, ten, maybe twelve. Dachande leapt to greet them. Two arrived first, angled in from the sides. Dachande spun, swung completely around, cut them both through their midsections in one strike. He didn’t watch them hit the ground; there was no need—they were dead and all he need do was avoid the throes. He extended his ki’cti-pa and slashed through the throat of the next drone nearest, to his right. The drone’s death cry was garbled through its own thwei. A split second later, he jabbed the staff point through the jaws of another, twisted the sharp blade and dug a hole through the top of the skull. The weapon’s metal was proof against the Hard Meat’s thwei, but there was no time to hesitate and enjoy the kill—when you fought the ten thousand, you did so one at a time, but you also had to do so quickly—He thrust the spear’s butt back, hard, and knocked one behind him down, then turned and slashed its gut. Digest this, foolish creature! The ki’cti-pa blurred again, jammed backhand into yet another Hard Meat chest. The drone howled, fell, did not die but did not rise again. Acid pumped into the dark air, pooled, smoking. Dachande jumped forward, stabbed the throat of yet another, and then spun to meet the next. Death fell all around his feet as he and the Hard Meat danced. Noguchi hurled herself after the warrior. Several of the bugs streamed from behind the shed and toward Broken Tusk. He stepped in to battle without hesitation. Too many of them, ten, twelve. She aimed at one of the bugs—and it was dead before she fired. She took aim again—and again, her target had fallen already. She took a step back, transfixed by the swift movements of the giant warrior. Here was no inexperienced novice; every step was measured, every strike timed and sure. Within the space of a few seconds, most of the bugs were down, dead or dying. She had enough training to recognize a Master when she saw one. This one’s skill had been gained in battle, against deadly enemies. Broken Tusk whirled and jabbed, crouched and slashed with precision and confidence. Never a misstep, never a hesitation. He was no dojo tiger, covered in padding and fighting for points. Wherever he had come from, they had a martial arts more complex and dangerous than any she’d ever seen. It was like a choreographed dance— - AvP Prey
I can't remember a single handheld gun that fires hypersonic bullets. The KE-penetrators fired by tanks just reach hypersonic speeds. Most rifles rounds have a muzzle velocity just under 1000 m/s while hypersonic is over 1700 m/s.
My bad, I confused hyper with super ...but I have yet to see quotes showing this amazing dodging ability (i.e. from a novel or the like).
Modern KE penetrators get to the lower threshold of the hypersonic range, with extreme cases reaching 1,900 m/s. Most are just below hypersonic speeds. The muzzle velocity of a gun judged to be harmless by the Predator's computer is probably not terribly high (given that modern firearms can hurt the thing), and it was firing a makeshift bullet to boot. Hardly the same as completely dodging entire bursts of computer targeted hypersonic rounds. At any rate, Dark Templars can in fact unleash psionic storms, although in a poorly controlled fashion compared to the High Templars. With no danger of collateral damage this should crush the Predator quite nicely.
To put it lightly. Its much more complicated than that, but it has already been covered in previous posts.
Even non-elite Dark Templar? I've quoted a few passages illustrating predator melee skill. If the battle were pure melee, would the Dark Templar still stomp in your opinion? Well as I understand it, perhaps initially every single Dark Templar was a High Templar (and former Zealot) who rejected the Khala, but after the split, the next generation of Dark Templar (raised as Dark Templar) never practiced the Khala and thus were never Zealots or High Templar.
Yes. Even non elites can do it. It's practically the reason for the Kahla's existence- before the Kahla Aiur was constantly wrecked by psychic storms caused by the Protoss, and the Kahla was meant to grant them the discipline to control these powers. They still have the same tech and will have undergone similar martial training. Fact of the matter is the Predator isn't even certain to be able to pierce their shield.
Plus, Protoss live for centuries on end, even your average Dark Templar will have centuries of combat/fighting experience. Artanis for example, was almost 300 years old, and was considered too young to be a Executor.
If it was originally a "stomp", then likely even more so for pure melee, since a DT is already focused on melee, while a Predator sometimes needs guns to prevail. ... Only partly true. Here's what happened: What about the lifespan range for a Yautja ? http://www.jokerdesigns.com/thehunted/yautja/index.php says "sometimes as long as 300 years". Can anyone confirm this ?
I disagree. Massacring a dozen acid-blooded xenomorphs in close combat is no mean feat. In the comic Civilized Beasts, the lead predator solos a queen in close combat. In Xenogenesis (another Dark Horse comic), a predator who hunted in feudal Japan (1100AD) is alive and well in the 21st century. That would make him around 1000 years old. Of course, I'm sure plenty of predators don't make it to that age, but it ain't that rare either. I'm pretty sure the plasma scythe would pierce. It sounds more advanced and destructive than most of the stuff that does pierce shields in StarCraft.
I'll give you the acid blood thing, but Protoss warriors often achieve similar feats against Zerg swarms, who would themselves rape Xenomorphs in CQC (and consequently die of acid burns). So in terms of age and experience an average DT and an average predator would be around equal. Absolute minimum estimates for Zealot shielding places them at being able to tank over 45 megajouls of kinetic energy without failing (that's using minimum velocity and clip size for Terran Marines), and over 360 megajouls for the high end of the same calculation (again, without failing). The shields themselves are psi powered plasma shields, so there's no reason why they shouldn't be effective.
