Persistent Breath Weapon

[Cowd]

I'm designing an innate attack similar to a dragon's poison-gas breath. I've picked Cone, Cyclic and Drifting. But AFAICS the gas will now disappear the second after being exhaled, whereas I want it to linger for a while. What I want is Persistent but it says that only works with Area Effect! Why can't I add Persistent to a Cone attack? Is there any other way to do it?

[Phoenix_Dragon]

While it might not be quite allowed under the RAW, I would think there shouldn't be any problem with it. Just be careful the newly-sprayed area doesn't drift back onto you!

[Not another shrubbery]

It's safe to treat Cone as a type of AE for most purposes. AAR, the notes in Powers (p104) state that Persistent can be applied to any advantage that affects an area innately, which should allow for ads modified by Cone also.

[Blackseasofinfinity]

Originally Posted by Cowd

I'm designing an innate attack similar to a dragon's poison-gas breath. I've picked Cone, Cyclic and Drifting. But AFAICS the gas will now disappear the second after being exhaled, whereas I want it to linger for a while. What I want is Persistent but it says that only works with Area Effect! Why can't I add Persistent to a Cone attack? Is there any other way to do it?

Hmm, you need Persistent or Delay to add Drifting to something. So I'm not sure you can add one to a Cone (unless Delay works, and if so, I think Drifting would fix your problem).

I think the reason it doesn't have one is possibly because a cone will be a big whoosh, then dissipate. If you wanted an AoE afterward, maybe add Link and put an AoE with Persistent on it, but my God, that would be expensive. You might be better off just having an AoE with Persistent.

If this is like a dragon's breath, then I think Cyclic will cover it because the fire (or whatever) will hit them, then go away... but the damage they receive afterward is them on fire still, not a lingering cloud.

If you don't like those suggestions, here's an expensive way to design a cone that lingers like a poisonous cloud though:

[13/level] d burn (Cone, +50%; Cyclic, 1 second, +100%; Link {AoE Attack}, +10%)

+

[10] d burn (Area Effect, 2 yards, +50%; Delay: the second after Cone hits, +0%; Drifting, +20%; Link {Cone Attack}, +10%; Persistent, +40%)

Which means, you shoot out a cone. They catch fire from the cone. Then, next round, the fire lingers like a cloud on them, drifting with the wind for 10 seconds. This means, they take damage from your cloud and the cyclic damage from the cone.

This would be pretty crazy, as they'd still be on fire from the cyclic cone, then they'd STILL be taking damage from the lingering cloud of doom (the AoE attack).

[Blackseasofinfinity]

Curses, posted a little late. Ha!

Anyways, look at my suggestion if you want to double-up on your damage ;).

[Xplo]

If he wants to have an attack that hits everything in a cone, and then spreads out in a persistent cloud centered on the target hex, then I think buying both Cone and Area Effect is necessary, even if it is expensive.

If cost savings is needed, I think it would be better to drop Cone; presumably the poison is meant to be effective with extended exposure, so "flashing" enemies with a Cone attack that lasts some fraction of a second feels pointless to me.

[vicky_molokh]

I don't remember well: how does Cone and AE interact when put on the same attack?

[Camillus]

You cannot combine Cone with Area Effect - see B103. Cyclic already includes attacks that linger on the target (B103) so I'm assuming that you want environmental persitence. Technically, according to RAW, you would have to create some sort of Area Effectthat just happened to be conical in shape when launched.

Personally I don't see any reason not to just buy Persitent as an enhancement to Cone and be done with it. I don't think it will have a major unbalancing effect.

[vicky_molokh]

Then I guess that Cone is some weirdly inferior Enhancement, in that it for some reason cannot be combined with lots of things AE can, including Rapid Fire and Perstent. I wonder why.

[Camillus]

I agree, Cone seems more of a limitation on Area Effect than something that should be a seperate enhancement. Perhaps Cone is envisaged as a wave front spreading out and effecting hexes as it passes through them while Area Effect is seen as some sort of sphere that expands to its maximum and then effects everything within it.

One option might be to buy a Triggered Delay on your attack with the trigger that it has to be inhaled. That way those caught by the effect could hold their breath and thus negate it (meeting the requirement that you specify a way that the attack can be neutralised). You could then add Drifting which would give you the persistence of effect and probably be quite a nice simulation of a gas attack.

Alternatively you could make the trigger touch (but remember that you have to come up with some way it can be neutralised before it takes effect) and assume that the gas settles to the floor and anyone walking on it is then subject to attack.