Defensive Auras

[Phantasm]

Why are you adding Uncontrollable to these? Do they activate at random times when the PC doesn't want them to?

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by RyanW

If the DR is always on when the Aura is active, and always off when the Aura is inactive, Accessibility seems to me the correct way to build.

It also depends on whether the key ability is its ability to dish out damage or protect from it. As we're dealing with protective/defensive auras (at least according to the topic), the DR would be the primary function of the aura IMO, with the damage being a side-effect, rather than the other way around. If the ability was primarily offensive with some defensive capability as the side effect, then the Accessibility on DR would probably be the way to go.

I tend to treat the DR as the primary function of these type abilities, not the damage. Then again, I tend to build these abilities with 1d burn, sometimes with surge and/or emanation, not 10d cr. 10d cr dbk nw seems more of an omnidirectional "get away from me!" power to send someone flying away from you rather than a constant defensive flame/electric sheathe.

YMMV, of course.

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by Phantasm

It also depends on whether the key ability is its ability to dish out damage or protect from it. As we're dealing with protective/defensive auras (at least according to the topic), the DR would be the primary function of the aura IMO, with the damage being a side-effect, rather than the other way around. If the ability was primarily offensive with some defensive capability as the side effect, then the Accessibility on DR would probably be the way to go.

That has an odd outcome if examined closely.

Defensive Aura with Offensive capability [22]

DR 2 (Force Field, +20%, Switchable, +10%, Link, +10%) [14]
Burning Attack 1d (Melee, C, -30%, Aura, +80%, Link, +10%) [8]

Offensive Aura with Defensive capability [19]

Burning Attack 1d (Melee, C, -30%, Aura, +80%) [8]
DR 2 (Force Field, +20%, Accessibility: Only while Aura is active, -10%) [11]

As best as I can tell, both legal and functionally identical.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by RyanW

That has an odd outcome if examined closely.

Defensive Aura with Offensive capability [22]

DR 2 (Force Field, +20%, Switchable, +10%, Link, +10%) [14]
Burning Attack 1d (Melee, C, -30%, Aura, +80%, Link, +10%) [8]

Offensive Aura with Defensive capability [17]

Burning Attack 1d (Melee, C, -30%, Aura, +80%) [8]
DR 2 (Force Field, +20%, Accessibility: Only while Aura is active, -10%) [9]

As best as I can tell, both legal and functionally identical.

The only possible difference I can think of between these is if someone hit you with "Negated Advantage: Burning Attack", the more expensive "link" 22-point ability could still activate their DR, but the cheaper "accessibility" ability couldn't.

Also, shouldn't the price of DR in the 2nd case be 11 since it's 10+10% not 10-10%? So it should probably be 22 v 19.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

Would the aura attack the weapon or ammunition before it could deal damage?

Per B102, auras cannot parry. That implies that they cannot prevent damage. I would generally rule the two effects as simultaneous, so neither one prevents the other. If you want an aura that actually stops damage, it looks like RAW you'd have to use Area Effect, Persistent, Wall, and some means of moving it, though I'd probably allow Wall to be applied directly to Aura.

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

In
either case, how far would the aura send the metallic weapon or the metallic ammunition from the character?

Depends on the hit points of the object. For ammunition, usually 10d *2 (70) yards.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Per B102, auras cannot parry. That implies that they cannot prevent damage.

I cited that earlier, but I'm not 100% sure that restrictions to normal parries apply to Power Parry too.

Reason being that Innate Attack normally requires either "Melee" or "Melee-Capable" to be able to do a parry, but I don't think you require either of these modifiers to perform a Power Parry, and would still be an option for a "Melee, Cannot Parry" Innate Attack...

So if a Power Parry applies in those circumstances where you normally can't do a parry, why not with Auras too? Aura basically just has "Cannot Parry" built into its base cost of +80% (so its value is actually +85%) so if Power Parry can be done with "Cannot Parry" melee attacks (and normal default Ranged ones which don't give a parry option) it sounds like Auras should be on the table.

Power Parry also appears like it would be an exception to requiring "Parryable" limitation, that you could use Power Parry in situations you normally couldn't parry, like unmodified Innate Attacks.

[AlexanderHowl]

Alright, how about the following change? A 10d Crushing Attack (Area Effect, 2 yards, +50%; Double Knockback, +20%; Emanation, -20%; Limited, Metallic Only, -40%; No Blunt Trauma, -20%; No Signature, +20%; No Wounding, -50%; Persistent, +40%; Psychokinetic, -10%) [45]. How would that impact metallic ammunition being fired into or through the Area of Effect?

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by Plane

Also, shouldn't the price of DR in the 2nd case be 11 since it's 10+10% not 10-10%? So it should probably be 22 v 19.

You're right. Copy-paste error.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

Alright, how about the following change? A 10d Crushing Attack (Area Effect, 2 yards, +50%; Double Knockback, +20%; Emanation, -20%; Limited, Metallic Only, -40%; No Blunt Trauma, -20%; No Signature, +20%; No Wounding, -50%; Persistent, +40%; Psychokinetic, -10%) [45]. How would that impact metallic ammunition being fired into or through the Area of Effect?

If I'm right that Power Parry can be used even when you can't normally parry (USING an unmodified baseline Innate Attack, AGAINST an unmodified Innate Attack, using an Aura) then you would roll Power Parry and if you made the roll, you would roll 10d and subtract that from the damage from whatever damage the bullet rolls.

Since you put "No Wounding" and "No Blunt Trauma" on it, that would mean you wouldn't actually damage the bullets directly, but if Knockback caused the bullet to collide with something then they would suffer Collision damage.

I don't think Area Effect does anything for Power Parries...

It looks like you've substituted Persistent for Aura / Uncontrollable, so you have no means of activating it involuntarily, which means it would definitely count as one of your active defenses and not be a "free" attack like A/U can give.

Persistent, based on some example I think is in powers, launches your attack once per second for 10 seconds following up after the time you first use it. I don't know if that would give any sort of added protection (like 9 free Power Parries) as the book does not specify that, but it wouldn't be a bad idea since Power Parry seems to function like the ability to activate your power as a defense on your opponent's turn instead of an attack on your turn.

If a GM were to allow that interpretation then opting to have Persistent work as a series of Power Parries within an area, that should substitute for the traditional series of attacks within an area.

Anthony did mention using Wall earlier which is a more traditional way of using innate attacks to reduce damage, he also mentioned the idea of combining Aura with Wall which sounds interesting and I'd like to hear more about because I can't get my head around how that would work and how you would deal with reactive instead of conscious wall placement.

[naloth]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

Alright, how about the following change? A 10d Crushing Attack (Area Effect, 2 yards, +50%; Double Knockback, +20%; Emanation, -20%; Limited, Metallic Only, -40%; No Blunt Trauma, -20%; No Signature, +20%; No Wounding, -50%; Persistent, +40%; Psychokinetic, -10%) [45]. How would that impact metallic ammunition being fired into or through the Area of Effect?

I'd agree with Plane above. Unless you power parry, innate attack does not work as a defense. Neither Aura nor Persistent areas change that.

If someone walked into your area with a sword or gun, it would start taking damage and likely be destroyed before they could use it to attack normally, though.

If you want a barrier that protects you either use Wall (to create a physical barrier) on Innate Attack or DR with some combination of modifiers.