No scratches taken nor given

[mhd]

I'm in a heroic mood, so let's build a character who doesn't deal in scratches and deaths of a 1000 cuts. For the sake of the argument, consider a 1 or 2 point wound too minor for our epic fool.

The defensive side is easy: DR 2 with the All-or-Nothing modifier. If we're really picky and/or have the points, maybe with Cosmic to defeat armor piercing attacks. This is about damage, not injury, but for simplicity's sake it's good enough at this level.

Now the offensive side: If armor is penetrated and the injury is only 1 or 2 points, add 2 points. With every melee weapon. Without rolling imbuement skills etc.
Two points straightforward, so we don't have to match the weapons' damage type and all the modular ability shenanigans this brings with it. So a Crushing Attack 1d6 (Fixed value; Accessibility-Weapon of Opportunity; Cosmic Follow-Up; Only if Main Attack didn't cause a 3 point injury)?

Alternatives, corrections, suggestions?

[Hide]

Originally Posted by mhd

I'm in a heroic mood, so let's build a character who doesn't deal in scratches and deaths of a 1000 cuts. For the sake of the argument, consider a 1 or 2 point wound too minor for our epic fool. (...)

Alternatives, corrections, suggestions?

Hey what's up!

I think you are really good giving an epic feeling to your description, but I would like to understand your idea:

What do you need? Dealing fixed +2 damage whenever you penetrate armor and also, absorb any damage received (equal or lower than 2)?

If that's your situation, for your offense, the simplest option would be weapon master "All muscle-powered weapons"; this will add +2 per die if you know that skill at DX+2 or better... Of course, this +2 is regardless of penetrating armor or not.

Considering your tenure on this forum, you surely want something else... Martial Arts p.46 has something which may work as an example, the "Hand of Death".

Perhaps you can apply some modifiers to turn this attack into a sort of weapon-based follow-up.

- Hide

[Anaraxes]

I'd just buy the Follow-up as "0d+2 damage"; see the partial dice rules on B62. That is, 0.6 die worth. Crush is 5/die, imp is 8. I'd also probably just buy it at max cost (.6 * 8 = 5 CP), and just call it a feature that the bonus damage adopts the damage type of the carrier attack. If you're not worried about munchkins getting away with that 1 or 2 CP, you could use an average value of 7/die (4.2 CP, technically rounding back up to 5) or just call it cr as you suggest ,at 3 CP.

I don't understand the "Weapon of Opportunity" Accessibility. The necessity of a carrier attack is already built in to Follow-up, so there's no need to add a Limitation to say "must use some other attack to activate damage". (The chance of a hero being truly without weapons, including improvised ones and his fists, is negligible.)

That just leaves the "only if carrier attack wasn't >= 3 points". I'd call it Accessibility; probability is at most 1/3 (assuming the multi-die attacks balance out the tiny, weak attacks like 1d-4 that our hero probably isn't using anyway). Working 66% of the time gives us -15% from the Accessibility chart in Powers.

So even with that Accessibility, the 3 CP version still rounds back up to 3, while the 5 CP comes down to 4. Call it 3 or 4 CP, and you're done.

[sir_pudding]

Use a rifle.

[mhd]

Originally Posted by Hide

What do you need? Dealing fixed +2 damage whenever you penetrate armor and also, absorb any damage received (equal or lower than 2)?

The latter part is okay, but damage is only to be dealt if it wasn't already > 2 from the beginning.

The gist is this: If you take damage, it's at least 3 points. If you inflict damage, it's also at least 3 points.

Originally Posted by Hide

If that's your situation, for your offense, the simplest option would be weapon master "All muscle-powered weapons"; this will add +2 per die if you know that skill at DX+2 or better... Of course, this +2 is regardless of penetrating armor or not.

Sorry, but that does miss the mark by quite a bit. The prerequisites are too high (skills & cost) and then it does way more than I need it to. Cutting down WM to fit this would take more effort than a simple Innate Attack. The FAQ is pointing towards a Follow-Up attack.

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

I don't understand the "Weapon of Opportunity" Accessibility.

I'm not quite sure how that HERO term snuck in there ;)

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

So even with that Accessibility, the 3 CP version still rounds back up to 3, while the 5 CP comes down to 4. Call it 3 or 4 CP, and you're done.

I think you forget the Cosmic Followup, but yeah, I think the general idea works out alright. Thanks for helping me to sift through that.

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by mhd

I think you forget the Cosmic Followup

Okay, what's the Cosmic Followup for?

I assumed you were using Cosmic to refer to the difference with the usual Followup attack, which just adds some more damage if the carrier attack penetrates DR. But the only difference I got from the description was that the Followup only does damage if the carrier did 1 or 2 points. That seems like a change that makes the Followup less valuable (normally, the Followup would just add its damage to all successful hits, rather than just some), rather than something advantageous that needs a Cosmic premium.

What's the additional effect of the attack that we still need?

[mhd]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

What's the additional effect of the attack that we still need?

It being applied to any weapon, as seen in the FAQ (and Imbuements).

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by mhd

It being applied to any weapon, as seen in the FAQ (and Imbuements).

Ah, I see. Thanks!