Monstrous bite as area attack

[Ze'Manel Cunha]

Originally Posted by jacobmuller

Unfortunately I cannot remember or find the ruling that the Dodge+Retreat bonus is negated v's Area Effect. Was it a House Rule?

You have to actually get out of the area of effect, the Dodge+Retreat only gets you a step so it doesn't automatically do that, especially if the attacker can step and attack to cancel out your retreat, so you may need to dive for cover as described on p.413 if you need to get further away.

Diving for Cover is described on p.377 as a type of Dodge and Drop.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Ze'Manel Cunha

You have to actually get out of the area of effect, the Dodge+Retreat only gets you a step so it doesn't automatically do that, especially if the attacker can step and attack to cancel out your retreat, so you may need to dive for cover as described on p.413 if you need to get further away.

Diving for Cover is described on p.377 as a type of Dodge and Drop.

I don't think you normally can retreat against area attacks. It's an option for defending against melee attacks, and area melee attacks are already a house rule...

[jacobmuller]

Yeah, as the RAW stands, big biters are hopeless against small, intelligent foes. (Ever wonder why all the predators are dead?)

Instead of rewriting the rules to make big biting better, give the Big Bad haletosis (Innate Attack?) - it breathes on the prey and, whilst they're incapacitated by retching, it quickly kills/maims them, like a terrier with rats, picking up the immobilised "food" later.
With it's terrifying reputation Fear checks would be good too - paralysed by fear = easy prey.

Something like (and I've doubtless got a lot wrong here:)):
Big Bad's Bad Breath of Doom: Affliction 2, HT-1, 1 yd Cone, range 1/10 (Nauseated, +30%; fail-by-5* Daze, +5%; Cone 1yd, +60%; Respiratory Agent, +50%; No Blunt Trauma, Knockback or Wounding, -80%; Acc 0, -15%; Reduced Range /10; -30%) [24]. Anyone failing a HT check is nauseated and needs to make a HT check or retches for 25-HT turns. Failing the initial HT check by 5 leaves them Dazed after recovering from the Stun and Nausea.

*can't recall the name for this...

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

It's an option for defending against melee attacks, and area melee attacks are already a house rule...

Melee Attacks that are considered Large-Area Injury are not a house rule however. It's unclear to me exactly what effect this has on defenses. Also I'm really still unsure about how this is all supposed to work with the SM penalty from relative SMs.

[Edges]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

...area melee attacks are already a house rule...

Perhaps the simplest way to house rule it is to say that Large-Area Injury (B400) qualifies as Area-Effect Attack (B413).

Could I be reading the rules too strictly and this is already RAW?