Malediction vs. Resistant

[Azure Angel]

Hi~everyone, I'm a newbie to GURPS. May anyone here enlighten me, do Resistant protect against Afflictions or Innate Attacks modified with Malediction? I know that Resistant specifically says that it DOESN'T protect against Afflictions or Innate Attacks LACKING Blood Agent, Contact Agent, Follow-Up, and Respiratory Agent; and since all of these are "penetration modifiers", same as Malediction, an Affliction or Innate Attack with Malediction will automatically lack the above modifiers. Does that mean Malediction-enhanced Afflictions and Innate Attacks punch right through Resistant?

[Nereidalbel]

Outside of specific edge cases involving power sources, no, Resistant to [thing] usually won't protect you against Afflictions.

[NineDaysDead]

Originally Posted by Nereidalbel

Outside of specific edge cases involving power sources, no, Resistant to [thing] usually won't protect you against Afflictions.

Yes it will. If you have Resistant to [X] and someone tries to Afflict you with [X] you will get a bonus:

Originally Posted by Powers page 169

Resistant: Resistant gives +3 or +8 to resist a broad category of attacks; e.g., Resistant (Poison) adds to rolls to resist any Affliction, Fatigue Attack, or Toxic Attack defined as poison.

Originally Posted by Powers Divine Favor

Resistant to Pain
Pain is a “Very Common” effect for the purpose of Resistant (p. B80). Resistant to Pain +3 is High Pain Threshold (p. B59). Resistant to Pain +8 [15] (or Very High Pain Threshold) acts as High Pain Threshold, with an additional +5 on knockdown and stunning rolls, rolls to resist painful or stunning afflictions, rolls to resist physical torture, and all HT rolls to recover from being physically stunned. Immunity to Pain [30] allows you to completely ignore the effects mentioned above.

Originally Posted by Powers: the Weird, page 23

Pain: “Pain” is a Very Common category. Resistant to Pain (+3) is equivalent to High Pain Threshold (p. B59). Immunity to Pain lets you ignore knockdown, physical stun, physical torture, and painful or stunning afflictions.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Azure Angel

Hi~everyone, I'm a newbie to GURPS. May anyone here enlighten me, do Resistant protect against Afflictions or Innate Attacks modified with Malediction?

Resistant applies to things that have resistance rolls; it doesn't apply to normal damage because normal damage doesn't have a resistance roll. Malediction adds a resistance roll to damage, and thus it becomes affected by any appropriate Resistance (most such resistances will be special effect specific, but there's no prohibition on wildcard resistances).

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Hellboy

I don't know of any way to get a resistant to wildcard effects though.

There doesn't seem to be any particular limit on categories for Resistant other than "GM discretion", plus they cannot be affected by Damage Resistance or Protected Sense. There does actually seem to be a rather large hole in the rules for Resistant and Afflictions:

Originally Posted by B80

Resistant does not protect against effects that Damage Resistance or Protected Sense either stop or provide a HT bonus to resist. This includes Afflictions and Innate Attacks that do not have any of the modifiers given above.

DR and Protected Sense neither stop nor provide a HT bonus against Malediction, implying that Resistant should work, but the second sentence implies that it doesn't work. So actually, the rules aren't as clear as I was initially thinking. Personally, I hate the entire Malediction mechanic and would remove it, but that's a separate issue.

[Azure Angel]

Anthony, you hit the head on the nail! Actually, this is what's bothering me. Your quote of the Basic rules mentioned: "This includes
Afflictions and Innate Attacks that do not have any of the modifiers given above.", the modifiers in question are: Blood Agent, Contact Agent, Follow-up, and Respiratory Agent. This implies that Resistant only covers Afflictions and Innate Attacks modified with the above four modifiers. Then Affliction itself mentioned: "The victim gets a bonus equal to his DR unless the Affliction has one of the following modifiers: Blood Agent, Contact Agent, Cosmic, Follow-Up, Malediction, Respiratory Agent or Sense-Based.". This means that between Resistant and DR, only Cosmic, Malediction, and Sense-Based remain "unaccounted for". But Cosmic can be countered by Cosmic (Countermeasures and Defenses) and Protected Senses will take care of Sense-Based. This leaves Malediction without a countermeasure…

[Nereidalbel]

Originally Posted by Azure Angel

This leaves Malediction without a countermeasure…

Malediction-Proof DR.

[Azure Angel]

Originally Posted by Nereidalbel

Malediction-Proof DR.

Err…I presume this enhancement is found in GURPS Psionics, yes? Because I can't find it in the Basic Set, GURPS Powers, or Power Up: Enhancements. If this is the only way I have no choice but to get Psionics (I thought I could just make do with the Basic Set and Powers)…Anyways thanks for the info!😊

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Azure Angel

Err…I presume this enhancement is found in GURPS Psionics, yes? Because I can't find it in the Basic Set, GURPS Powers, or Power Up: Enhancements.

Well, based on the wording of Hardened, DR with Hardened x6 will work against absolutely everything, including Malediction.

[Nereidalbel]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Well, based on the wording of Hardened, DR with Hardened x6 will work against absolutely everything, including Malediction.

Nope, Cosmic things say that even Hardened doesn't protect (such as grav guns in Ultra-Tech). A 50% Cosmic will work for the same price as Malediction-Proof.