A few questions about Aura

[awesomenessofme1]

1) You can channel Auras through unarmed attacks, correct? It just says anyone you touch or who touches you.

2) Assuming that the answer is yes, can you kick and deal Aura damage? Kicks can be reach 1, and Aura is reach C.

[Refplace]

I'd say yes, though it might be fair or reasonable to add +5% to Aura (the difference between Reach C and Reach 1).
I would keep it the same though, your vulnerable to counter attacks like an opponents Aura after all.

[AlexanderHowl]

It is still reach C relative to your body, it is just a portion of your body is longer than your arms (the same would apply for long arms or long strikers). Aura can be a wonderful force multiplier for unarmed attacks, as it only costs 30 CP to increase crushing damage by 4d (conversely, it would require 200 CP of Striking ST to do the same).

[Plane]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

Aura can be a wonderful force multiplier for unarmed attacks, as it only costs 30 CP to increase crushing damage by 4d (conversely, it would require 200 CP of Striking ST to do the same).

Crushing Attack 6d (Melee Attack -30%; ST-Based, Limited +30%) [30] would cost the same, and aside from lacking free attacks on those who whack you, the only drawback is that total damage can't exceed 12d, which is only a problem for those with ST 60+

ST-Based +100% somehow being more expensive than Aura is I guess explained by the ability to use Swing damage and maybe if you don't want free attacks on people who attack you while your aura is on? Getting at most 2 extra dice from being able to use swing damage doesn't really seem worth it...

Then there's just taking Crushing Attack 8d (Melee Attack -30%) [28] which is cheaper and higher-damage than using ST-Based if your ST is less than 23.

[AlexanderHowl]

I am not quite sure what you mean by Limited, as that should only apply to character who would be able to deal more than 12d.

[Plane]

I don't think you're required to have thrust exceeding your attack to take ST-Based, Limited?

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by awesomenessofme1

2) Assuming that the answer is yes, can you kick and deal Aura damage? Kicks can be reach 1, and Aura is reach C.

I'd allow it. I consider the Reach component of melee Innate Attacks/Strikers/Natural Weapons/etc to be relative to the character's Reach - a character with SM+1 and a Reach C Innate Attack can actually use said attack at Reach C-1 (because SM+1 boosts Reach C to Reach C-1). Using the feet basically lets you attack with a Long limb rather than with a normal-sized one, hence the enhanced range, so I see no issue with Aura extending to it. Indeed, if someone wanted to specify an Innate Attack that functioned as a kick, I'd let them have +1 to reach for free... but they'd have to use the Kick Technique to use it.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by Varyon

if someone wanted to specify an Innate Attack that functioned as a kick, I'd let them have +1 to reach for free... but they'd have to use the Kick Technique to use it.

So -2 to hit and DX check to avoid falling on a miss?

How about -2 to hit (or -1 if brawl/karate) like a headbutt (MA74) but instead of the benefit being +1 reach, the benefit is being able to attack with your hands† restrained‡ WITHOUT risk of falling down on a miss.

† "at least one unrestrained⹋ hand" means you can shoot Beams/Projectiles from EITHER hand... makes me wonder the limitation value of needing to specify just 1

⹋ I think this means in standard rules if your hand is grappled (not sure about arm) even by a weak guy that you can't use Innate Attack from that hand until you Break Free. Rather than merely being -4 to DX.

⹋⹋Not sure how it would work in Technical Grappling. I'd prefer using the -4 or an ascending CP/2 penalty progressively making it likelier to miss rather than a hard cap.

‡ I had wrote "empty" at first, but then saw B201 specified "although it need not be empty" for Beam/Projectile... making me wonder what the limitation value would be on a beam/projectile abilities§§ that DID require the hand to be empty.¶

§§ Missile Spells (B240) for example, also use the Innate Attack skill but I get the impression it might be tricky to hold a Fireball and a paper scroll in the same hand at the same time.

¶ or perhaps a middle step of imposing a -2 penalty to both skills that hand is doing, similar to LTC2p19 "Shield-Hand Weapons", unless the GM wanted to use that as the default ruling

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Plane

So -2 to hit and DX check to avoid falling on a miss?

How about -2 to hit (or -1 if brawl/karate) like a headbutt (MA74) but instead of the benefit being +1 reach, the benefit is being able to attack with your hands† restrained‡ WITHOUT risk of falling down on a miss.

Sounds fair.

Originally Posted by Plane

[INDENT]† "at least one unrestrained⹋ hand" means you can shoot Beams/Projectiles from EITHER hand... makes me wonder the limitation value of needing to specify just 1

Single is -20% on Natural Weapons, and requires you to choose the limb. However, Natural Weapons have Dual built in by default. As Dual is +10%, that leaves us with -10% left, which sounds about right.

Originally Posted by Plane

I had wrote "empty" at first, but then saw B201 specified "although it need not be empty" for Beam/Projectile... making me wonder what the limitation value would be on a beam/projectile abilities§§ that DID require the hand to be empty.

Temporary Disadvantage (One Hand). You don't literally stop having a hand while using the power, but using your hand (to hold something, say) and using the power are mutually incompatible, which is the same effect. TD is a bit hairy for instantaneous abilities, but I think would be fair here.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by Varyon

Temporary Disadvantage (One Hand). You don't literally stop having a hand while using the power, but using your hand (to hold something, say) and using the power are mutually incompatible, which is the same effect. TD is a bit hairy for instantaneous abilities, but I think would be fair here.

So -15%? Although it needs to be switchable, which is +10%... IE how in cartoons when Rock/Megaman is shown retracting his hand to bring out his blast (a ready maneuveR) even though in games he's able to do it so quickly it's basically a free action (reduced time)

In Rockman's case though the lacking of a hand actually does protect it from harm in some way. Like the difference between Lame (B141) versions Legless/Paraplegic.

"can be struck in the legs for damage" for LL is balanced by "inconceivable that you could regain the use of your legs" which PP lacks, but here it IS conceivable you would regain the use (by switching off the ability and its temporary disadvantage) so "can't be damaged" needs some kind of value in that case...

B145 No Legs: "Bounces Rolls or Slithers" probably sets the upper cap on that, being 0 instead of -30. Being worth [30] would only be if you didn't suffer the -6 to skills and weren't forced to reduce Move to 0 as a taboo. Taking that into account the difference shouldn't be as big.

It's weird because it seems like Beam/Projectile require having a hand (ie you'd have to select Breath or Gaze for Innate Attack if you had No Fine Manipulators) so that might make it inherently incompatible (sort of like "Extra Arm (Switchable, Temporary Disadvantage: One Arm)"

The "I can't hold stuff well" approach might be easier than "I don't have a hand". MA42 mitigates "Bad Grip" (B123) from 5/level to tiered quirk if 1 hand instead of both... so 3 levels would be -3% as a Temporary Disadvantage... not going to save anything unless it's a super-high innate attack.

If we took a similar approach to Ham-Fisted 2 (B138) which I think you can stack with Bad Grip, that would at least round it out to -5% for Temporary Disadvantage (BG3+HF2 OHO)... "Missing Thumb" would be another -5% so -10% is pretty close to the -15% for One Hand...

Any idea if One Finger can be taken more than once? Pricing seems off there, thumb is -1 per -1 DX yet finger is a better deal at -2 per -1 DX. If you could take Missing Finger 4 [-8) it would be a smaller penalty than Missing Thumb 1 [-5] and worth more than it. Being -1 per -1 DX seems a little better... and an additional -4 would still keep the sum value at -14%, still less than losing the entire hand.