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I am writing a book about people getting superpowers, yada yada yada, I'll spare you the plot.

Anyway, I have teams of superheroes using their powers in combat against other teams in "Leagues" for entertainment for the rest of the masses. These people have deadly powers that are super cool and stuff.

Anyway again, I want to facilitate combat, but I don't want anybody dying. I was thinking of a few things, but I am not sure what could work and what wouldn't.

Here is my question: What rules/technologies/etc. could I use to allow full-scale combat, but allows the players to do it over and over again?

Specifications: I want this to be a combat game, no balls or other objectives than beat the crap out of the guy across from you with your superpowers.

These heroes are not immortal, and each one has a "life-preserving" power, but only to an extent. I want people to be able to use these powers in combat, not to save them after it's over.

I would also prefer this to not be applicable in war per-say. I don't want people to be immortal just anywhere, only in the arena for fun.

The superpowers in play include the generic super powers. Main powers I am thinking include Fire, Energy, Water, Super Strength, Flying, Lasers, Cloning. I don't want to list all of them, but solutions for the ones I have said will work for the rest. I hope this helps.

I am not sure if I am asking the right question, but I am looking for help.

Any ideas?

--Thanks!~

If it's for entertainment, it is a sport, so treat it like any other sport. Boxing, wrestling, American football could all easily lead to deaths if athletes do not restrain themselves. So have a rule that superheros have to control their powers and temper, and killing or maiming an opponent makes them disqualified for life, and subject to a murder investigation.

You can have superheros matched or ranked into leagues based on their offensive and defensive powers: invincible vs. super-strong, fire-proof vs. fire-shooters, etc.

You can work more detailed rules, from general things like not attacking an opponent who is unconscious or pinned down. to specific things like fire-breathing should not be deployed within 10 yards of the goal (b/c goal can melt and fall on somebody).

Rules will be expanded over time to account for all the various ways superheroes can hurt each other. You can make it a plot point, e.g. supers with certain power keep it hidden or do not use full force of it to avoid a ban, but then one of them says "screw it" and goes all out.

You will also have to have refs on the field that will stop the fight if it gets too dangerous.

Finally, you will need well-defined "win" conditions. If the dude is invincible, the game is not to knock him out, but to kick him out of a 10m circle (without using super-strength), or get the flag that he is defending (without using super-speed or teleport).

Teamwork!

Allow the non-combatant's "keep alive" power to work on the combatants. As long as the conflict is small scale, the many inactive super fighters can support and keep the fighters alive. No one needs to die. Pleasant times and glorious bloody destructive entertainment for all.

If a situation escalates to war, there won't be enough inactive super fighters to preserve the others, and the dying starts, just as you want.

Flag football with bottles of beer instead of flags.

https://www.cfl.ca/2019/03/08/oleary-girls-flag-football-team-changing-game/

In flag football, the players carry on their person representations of themselves. Instead of knocking a player down, removing a flag from the player signifies that player is incapacitated.

Your battle royale can have something similar. I envision various sponsors of the fight (all beer makers) equipping each player with a bottle of the sponsor's beverage. The player carries this beer as he or she sees fit - possibly in a hand, or strapped to the body. If the bottle breaks the player is done and leaves the field. If the player drops his bottle or it is stolen from him, he leaves the field.

Victorious players open their unbroken bottles in a spray of foam then holding the bottle above them, pour the beer down into their upturned thirsty mouths. The crowd goes wild!

What about something like the game we saw played in "The Island" where the players are merely projections of themselves and are limited to the literal abilities? This way, they are protected from one another, can fight to the death and can do it over and over again. You would do this by "tieing" the device to their DNA and using other funky sci-fi fail safes to make what the digital avatar can do be the exact same as what they can do in the real world.

Now you explicitly mentioned superheroes - this type of device would not deter "normal" people from participating. But they wouldn't really stand a chance.

For example:
Say, I (a normal person) wanted to fight and was pair against Thor (enlightened, because lightening is cool) - he would kick the snot out of me, right? I wouldn't have powers, I would be the fat slob I am now because of my DNA and the other "fail-safes" to ensure that it abilities and appearances are transferred across.

Think back to that movie, the only differences were their clothes.