Aura Traits in 4e

[errant42]

Originally Posted by Bruno

Target's player, or the target itself?

Like, if another PC tries to transform my character into a deinonychus for the duration of a fight without first consulting with him, I want to accept, but my character has no clue that Bob the Transmuter is hitting him with an effect of any kind, let alone the nature of it. I just heard Bob's player say "I turn Frank into a deinonychus so he can kick ass!".

Does it change if Bob has a history of impulsive decisions, not all of which are particularly good ideas? Frank might get a tingly feeling, but it's not like he knows who's trying to do it.

I'd say that the target character must be actively willing to accept the effect ... otherwise, it's meta-gaming. As you say, Frank feels a tingly feeling, but he has no idea who is doing it unless Bob let him know beforehand ... and if Frank doesn't trust Bob, he may decide to resist anyway.

[Sam Baughn]

Originally Posted by vitruvian

Except as already noted, if the attack doesn't penetrate DR, the follow-up doesn't come off *at all*. It does not go against DR normally.

Are you sure about that?

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.

I can't see anything about the follow up not having any effect if the carrier attack fails to penetrate DR.

[Digren Kaellise]

Originally Posted by Bruno

Target's player, or the target itself?

Like, if another PC tries to transform my character into a deinonychus for the duration of a fight without first consulting with him, I want to accept, but my character has no clue that Bob the Transmuter is hitting him with an effect of any kind, let alone the nature of it. I just heard Bob's player say "I turn Frank into a deinonychus so he can kick ass!".

Does it change if Bob has a history of impulsive decisions, not all of which are particularly good ideas? Frank might get a tingly feeling, but it's not like he knows who's trying to do it.

Target character, absolutely. Play your character and turn down the advantage even if you (the player) want it, and you're helping keep your CPs for the session.

[Hide]

I have been reading about aura, and I want to understand something; B102 reads: "Your attack takes the form of a malefic aura that affects anyone you touch (reach C) or who touches you. If a weapon strikes you, your aura affects the weapon."

1. Considering the preceding text, I understand that my attack is an "automatic hit", provided my PC is touched by the enemy or some-one/thing else. Therefore, they cannot resist or defend against it; right?

2. How can you defend against an aura that has no signature? For example, the NPC has an "aura of death" (which inflicts 5d of damage on contact). IF you don't know about the aura, how will you defend against it?

3. In case of afflictions, can't you choose "not to resist" or "not to defend"?

4. It was mentioned that you could "reverse" a roll for the sake of positive afflictions; probably, the bonus to my afflictions depends on the level I bought. Well, let's say that I changed the affliction to a "sense based" roll, then PC1 (the user) employs meld1 with PC2 (target):

(i) Since they are meld into the same body, is this going to be granted without a roll?

(ii) On the other hand, and provided both of them have "Rapport & Mind-link, sensory (and its other mods/reqs)" is this going to be a guaranteed affliction?

Thank you,
- Hide

[kmunoz]

Originally Posted by Hide

I have been reading about aura, and I want to understand something; B102 reads: "Your attack takes the form of a malefic aura that affects anyone you touch (reach C) or who touches you. If a weapon strikes you, your aura affects the weapon."

1. Considering the preceding text, I understand that my attack is an "automatic hit", provided my PC is touched by the enemy or some-one/thing else. Therefore, they cannot resist or defend against it; right?

2. How can you defend against an aura that has no signature? For example, the NPC has an "aura of death" (which inflicts 5d of damage on contact). IF you don't know about the aura, how will you defend against it?

1) Yes, automatic hit, in a physical sense. If the target comes into contact with the Aura, for any reason, it triggers. There may still be a resistance roll, however, depending on the underlying effect of the Aura.

2) If you're talking about a HT resistance roll, that's an innate ("biological") reaction to the "attack" and doesn't require conscious thought. So not knowing it's there won't prevent the resistance roll.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Hide

2. How can you defend against an aura that has no signature? For example, the NPC has an "aura of death" (which inflicts 5d of damage on contact). IF you don't know about the aura, how will you defend against it?

Some people have esoteric abilities that will pick up things with No Signature. If you have Detect Magic, then my magical aura of death may be invisible and silent (thanks to No Signature), but it will still interact with Detect Magic normally.

I believe you can buy No Signature twice though, to protect against this sort of business. Which really only increases the tax.

No Signature, as noted, does not bypass resistance rolls. No enhancement bypasses resistance rolls. No Signature on its own also won't bypass DR - you need another enhancement to do that. No Signature doesn't bypass Danger Sense either, and more broadly it doesn't bypass Precognition.

And finally No Signature does not prevent people from feeling the pain, and it does not make them stupid. If you take a step forward and take 5d damage, it's not a big leap to connect the two things (incidentally, 5d damage is not "death", it's just a lot of "ow"; you could roll 5 damage, I could have Hard to Kill, I could be Berserk, or I could just have 200 HP and be mildly irritated).