[Sorcery] Multiple Linked Innate Attacks and DR

[McAllister]

Originally Posted by VariousRen

I'm actually a little surprised follow-up doesn't handle this. It seems strange that an explosive innate attack as follow up to a piercing one (an explosive bullet for example) wouldn't explode if it failed to penetrate DR.

Originally Posted by Basic p. 105

The Follow-Up attack only hits if the
carrier attack hits. If the carrier attack
penetrates the target’s DR, DR has no
effect on the Follow-Up attack’s damage
or HT rolls.

What this says to me is that Follow-Up works exactly the way you want it to. The Follow-Up HITS if the carrier HITS, and PENETRATES if the carrier PENETRATES. So your Rainbow Beam will either bounce 1d6 of every damage type off the target (and reduce its DR by 1 if the corrosive attack rolls well), or, as soon as one type penetrates, every following attack ignores DR. Which might not actually be what you want, if you want the following damage types to check DR, but hey, it tells you at least one thing that works.

[VariousRen]

Originally Posted by Ghostdancer

I still think you'd be better off with a Detect (maybe with Reflexive) and then an appropriate attack instead of mixing it together, but that's up to you of course. So I couldn't help you suss out the exact mechanics you're looking for.

I'll mull over it tonight and see if anything springs to mind. Thanks for the help either way, your input was very helpful in framing exactly what I want to achieve.

[VariousRen]

Okay, after considering my options I've decided to implement the following version of Link in my own games where I am the DM, and see how it works in practice.

Link (Single Projectile) +20%

You can use two or more abilities together as long as they have identical Malf, 1/2D, Max, Acc, ROF, Shots, and Recoil. This attack represents a single indivisible unit, and all linked abilities use the same attack roll. On a hit, divide the targets DR by the number of total dice and resolve each hit against the divided DR*dice of damage rounded up[1]. If the target has DR that would apply only to one damage type, divide it between valid damages only.

For example a linked attack that does 1d of burning, 2d of cutting, 2d of crushing, and 1d of toxic hits 7DR. The attack is resolved as 4 separate damage rolls:

1d burning vs 2DR,
2d cutting vs 3DR,
2d crushing vs 3DR,
1d toxic vs 2DR.

[1] This prevents small innate attack components from effectively giving an armour divisor to larger ones. Rounding up ensures the effective DR will always be slightly higher than their normal DR.