Force Field, Area Effect, Affects Others

[Donny Brook]

Hello,

I checked the FAQ on this but the answer provided is not responsive to the question.

So -- Are characters inside your Area Force Field shielded by it without Affects Others? And what about characters outside your FF, but on the opposite side from an attacker? Would your FF give them double its protection as the attack would have to pass through both sides of the field?

[Nereidalbel]

Part 1: For Forcefields, only 1 level of Affects Others is required to affect (potentially) infinite targets. Not really a legal build without it, though.

Part 2: Unless your Forcefield also prevents you from shooting out of it, no, it would not give double the DR value.

[Donny Brook]

There seem to be logical inconsistencies. If your FF blocks attacks at base DR for persons on the opposite side of it, why would it not have that effect for persons inside of it?

[Stone Dog]

I could be wrong, but I think that Nereidalbel is saying that normally force fields are one way. The provide DR to block attacks coming in, but not attacks going out. A DR 10 FF doesn't usually give DR 10 to the enemy you are shooting at.

So if you have enemy x and ally y set up like this

x ( o ) y

If x is shooting at y, it only has to worry about one side of the FF. You have to put a modifier on the FF for both sides to count and since that usually hinders you, I THINK it is a limitation, but my books are in boxes.

[Donny Brook]

I found a Kromm quote that explains that Area Effect is generally allowed only on abilities that have a single target. So to make it permissible to put Area on a non-targetted ability you need Affects Others as a sort of pre-requisite because giving an Area to such an ability perforce includes affecting others.

If I can find the link, which I neglected to record, I will post it with the suggestion its meaning should be added to the FAQ.

[Plane]

I think I recall reading somewhere that Force Field + Affects Others are prereqs for Area Effect DR, without AE only those you touch get included in your field.

Also wondering: if free thrust-based steps against the DR reflect pushing your way into them, would you also have to do that to move out of them?

[Anaraxes]

Originally Posted by Plane

I think I recall reading somewhere that Force Field + Affects Others are prereqs for Area Effect DR, without AE only those you touch get included in your field.

Powers p107, where Affects Others is generalized to apply to Advantages other than just Shrinking. Affects Others normally requires touching the character with the ability. Area Effect is needed "to affect those who are merely nearby" -- that is, at range. But for the price of AE, you also get any extra subjects which can fit into your area, which would be +50% per subject if you have only Affects Others.

[Kax]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Powers p107, where Affects Others is generalized to apply to Advantages other than just Shrinking. Affects Others normally requires touching the character with the ability. Area Effect is needed "to affect those who are merely nearby" -- that is, at range. But for the price of AE, you also get any extra subjects which can fit into your area, which would be +50% per subject if you have only Affects Others.

However, without Affects Others any linked effects (healing, invisibility, whatever) on the area Force Field will only affect you.

[Donny Brook]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

Powers p107, where Affects Others is generalized to apply to Advantages other than just Shrinking. Affects Others normally requires touching the character with the ability. Area Effect is needed "to affect those who are merely nearby" -- that is, at range. But for the price of AE, you also get any extra subjects which can fit into your area, which would be +50% per subject if you have only Affects Others.

Your last sentence is correct if you are using Force Field. But you can add Area Effect and Affects Others without a Force Field, in which case you buy a level of AO up to the number of people you can affect within your Area.

[naloth]

Originally Posted by Donny Brook

Hello,

I checked the FAQ on this but the answer provided is not responsive to the question.

So -- Are characters inside your Area Force Field shielded by it without Affects Others? And what about characters outside your FF, but on the opposite side from an attacker? Would your FF give them double its protection as the attack would have to pass through both sides of the field?

I'd say you phrased this oddly. The question should be: do you allow an ability to purchase Area and Force Field (say for DR) if it doesn't have Affects Others as well? As of Powers, I'd say no the designers decided that you should pay an additional +50% for them to share that advantage in that manner.

As for part B, it's a one way wall. It specifically says it only works against "attacks and hazards crossing it from the outside." Once an attack is inside, it can exit without being impeded.