11-21-2018, 09:26 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Feb 2016
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Defensive Auras
I am curious about something and wanted to ask the community about it. Let us say that you have a character with the following ability: Crushing Attack 10d (Aura, +80%; Double Knockback, +20%; Limited, Metal Only, -40%; Melee, C, -30%; No Blunt Trauma, -20%; No Signature, +20%; No Wounding, -50%; Psychokinetic, -10%; Uncontrollable, -30%) [20]. What happens when the character has their aura active and they are attacked by a metallic weapon (like a sword) or a metallic piece of ammunition (like a bullet or an arrow with a metallic head)?
Would the aura attack the weapon or ammunition before it could deal damage? Would the weapon or ammunition deal damage before the aura attacked it? In either case, how far would the aura send the metallic weapon or the metallic ammunition from the character? |
11-21-2018, 10:55 PM | #2 |
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: On the road again...
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Re: Defensive Auras
I almost always couple DR with an aura attack (usually via Link) in order to avoid most of these questions.
That said, I tend to treat most aura attacks as allowing a destructive parry. In this case, an unarmed Parry from any of the six unarmed combat skills would damage the weapon as per the attack's 10d dice; this will probably send most swords, spears, and maces flying, though I'm unsure about arrows. The distance would be determined by the "10d cr dbk nw" rolled against the weapon's HP. In the case of your build, though, the Uncontrollable means that occasionally he won't be able to call upon it. Is that what you're going for?
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11-22-2018, 12:28 AM | #3 | |
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Southeast NC
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Re: Defensive Auras
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I would make it DR (Accessibility: Only while Aura is active).
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11-22-2018, 12:45 AM | #4 | ||||
Join Date: Aug 2018
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Re: Defensive Auras
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If you already had your aura up then I think you would want to roll a Power Parry. If you make the roll it allows you to roll your damage dice and subtract that from the damage of whatever attack you parried. Normally you must be able to do an active defense and a Power Parry counts as one, but with Aura (which gives a free attack per turn) that might not be the case. I was thinking an Aura could parry for you until I reread B102 which says "an aura cannot parry". Normally an Innate Attack with "Melee Attack" can be used to do parries so unless you have the "Selectivity" enhancement (can choose to disable the Aura enhancement a moment so you can perform a parry with it) you technically can't do a parry with it. If you can't afford an enhancement, P153 also says "the Aura enhancement changes Innate Attack from active to passive, while the Active Defense limitation shifts Damage Resistance from passive to active." so taking this limitation might be another approach performing parries with an aura (by changing it back to active again) Once a power parry is possible, you normally spend your active defense doing it (can't do it on an all-out attack) but if you fail a fear check and your Uncontrollable wakes up, it might be able to do parries for you. Quote:
BTW if you didn't already have your aura switched on... you'd probably need to roll to try and get it up in time. I'm guessing this part might be a Power Dodge? Auras can be put up as a free action on your turn, so if you're allowing it to be done on your opponent's turn in response to something he does, it sounds like you need an active defence roll. This could happen 2 ways: 1) your aura is off, normally you can turn your aura on at the start of YOUR turn as a free action, roll a Power Dodge (instead of any other active defense) to activate your aura 2) your aura is off, you made an All-Out Attack and can't do active defences, but since you are stressed out and fail a fright check, your commandeering intelligence (Powers 106 says this can be your unconscious, with your stats, or something else, you specify) rolls a Power Dodge to try and get it up. Just ignore the part about "avoid the attack entirely". You can still Power Dodge using Insubstantiality against an Affects Insubstantial attack, it just means you activate it in time but it doesn't have the juice to save you. Power Dodge might be interpreted to more broadly refer to activating switchable instantaneous abilities on an enemy's turn instead of your own, but still functions by normal damage mitigation rules. Last edited by Plane; 11-22-2018 at 12:52 AM. |
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11-22-2018, 05:26 AM | #5 |
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: On the road again...
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Re: Defensive Auras
For these type auras, I generally either add Switchable (and/or Reflexive) to the DR or Always On to the Attack. Usually the former, as no one wants to walk around on fire or crackling with electricity all the time; for starters, it makes it very inconvenient when you want something to eat or sleep in a bed!
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"Life ... is an Oreo cookie." - J'onn J'onzz, 1991 "But mom, I don't wanna go back in the dungeon!" The GURPS Marvel Universe Reboot Project A-G, H-R, and S-Z, and its not-a-wiki-really web adaptation. Ranoc, a Muskets-and-Magery Renaissance Fantasy Setting |
11-22-2018, 12:11 PM | #6 |
Join Date: Aug 2008
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Re: Defensive Auras
Crushing Attack is not a parry, dodge, or block, so this aura won't mechanically do anything to protect you from attacks with metal weapons. You can, however, buy defensive traits with an appropriate limitation to acquire protective effects mechanically.
Remember, ALWAYS buy the mechanical effects you want. Don't try to pull mechanical effects you didn't pay for out of traits to suit fluff
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11-22-2018, 12:19 PM | #7 |
Join Date: Feb 2016
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Re: Defensive Auras
Well, the Aura would attack the weapon/ammunition when it touches the individual. The relevant question would be does the Aura attack occur before or after the damage of the metallic attack? If after, what would be the effect of having weapon/ammunition experiencing an average of 70 points of knockback?
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11-22-2018, 12:41 PM | #8 | ||
Join Date: Mar 2014
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Re: Defensive Auras
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11-22-2018, 02:10 PM | #9 | |
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Southeast NC
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Re: Defensive Auras
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RyanW - Actually one normal sized guy in three tiny trenchcoats. |
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11-22-2018, 04:28 PM | #10 |
Join Date: Feb 2016
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Re: Defensive Auras
DR 35 (Force Field, +20%; Flexible, -20%; Limited, Metallic, -40%; Psychokinetic, -10%; Semi-Ablative, -20%; Uncontrollable, -10%) [35] would be an interesting addition.
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aura of power, persistent |
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