Battle Aura/Emanation [Martial Arts/Powers]

[AlexanderHowl]

Most of the time though, GURPS requires you to pay for any potentially useful effects. Some forms of battle aura seem to disintegrate the local environment, which would probably require high levels of Corrosive Attack, and which could be useful for destroying random obstacles.

For example, a character could have Corrosive Attack 10d (Area Effect 1, 2 yards, +50%; Emanation, -20%; Selective Area, +20%) [150]. Every turn, the character can deal an average of 35 points of corrosive damage to anything they desire within the area of effect (disintegrating clothing, destroying small objects, damaging large objects, etc.). With sufficient time (~10 minutes), they can even melt through the front armor of a main battle tank, though they will usually find easier way to disable/destroy such targets.

[Aldric]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

Most of the time though, GURPS requires you to pay for any potentially useful effects. Some forms of battle aura seem to disintegrate the local environment, which would probably require high levels of Corrosive Attack, and which could be useful for destroying random obstacles.

When that same character can level a city by waving a hand (cutting a planet in half is not unheard of) the fact that his (or hers or its) Battle Aura lifted a few rocks (rubble from previous attacks most likely) or made some fancy sparkles is still pretty much irrelevant.

But a collection of numbers means nothing, how about some examples of these Battle Auras, and what they achieved compared to what else was going on ?

[kirbwarrior]

Originally Posted by Aldric

When that same character can level a city by waving a hand (cutting a planet in half is not unheard of) the fact that his (or hers or its) Battle Aura lifted a few rocks (rubble from previous attacks most likely) or made some fancy sparkles is still pretty much irrelevant.

But a collection of numbers means nothing, how about some examples of these Battle Auras, and what they achieved compared to what else was going on ?

I'd make it a Trademark, honestly. There's a variant for Trademark where it's a side effect of casting spells, I think it could work here. Or even be something like Easy to Read where your aura is so strong when you get angry that you can't hide it.

The important part is that these 'battle auras' are substantially weak compared to every else going on with the character. It's cute fluff, not actually useful.

[Plane]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

In many genres, exceptionally powerful characters produce auras or emanations that impact the local environment during combat. I was curious how you would represent such emanations? Here is one of my ideas:

Battle Aura: Crushing Attack 1d/level (Aura, +80%; Double Knockback, +20%; No Blunt Trauma, -20%; No Wounding, -50%; Melee, C, -30%; Reflexive, +40%) [7/level]. Notes: The basic battle aura of a powered fighter.

Wouldn't reflexive mean the aura turning itself on against threats the character doesn't even perceive? I'm sure I've seen SOME examples of that, but can't think off an example in particular...

Reflexive is usually for defensive/sensing abilities so it's something you expect more for DR, but maybe the DR/Innate Attack are linked or have Accessibility: each other.

Then of course there's the "but my reflexive knockback aura can stop thrown pies from hitting me" debate that would derail this thread if we re-opened it so we probably shouldn't :)

I'd toy with Always On too in many cases. It depends a lot on the situation, but in many cases it seems like when DBZesque guys top out their power levels, turning off the aura isn't actually an option when they hit new tiers and that only comes with enhanced control and confidence after they're finished "powering up" and so on.

That might well be represented by buying new levels in a limited form (always on or uncontrollable) and then buying off the limitation, of course.

Originally Posted by Refplace

I'd go with an Emanation build for most Anime where as thy power up the rocks start floating

Double Knockup Aura ftw

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

So that the character can turn it on during their opponent's turn (representing being triggered by anger, fear, pain, etc.).

I don't think you'd actually need reflexive to do this.

Auras can already be switched on as a free action, so what we're talking about is effectively a version of "Power Dodge" except only rolling to turn an ability on before an attack hits you, rather than to avoid the attack.

Using power dodge just for "use a free action before your turn" is something we could borrow even for powers whose activation doesn't result in avoiding an attack (we could just ignore that part!)

This could also work both ways: not just to turn auras on out-of-turn, but to turn them off!

IE you are Johnny Storm with your flaming aura up and Apocalypse is TK-holding you in place and then TK throws a child at you: you can't likely dodge (DX penalty is too intense, he has you pinned!), and it's not your turn so you can't turn off your aura automatically as a free action... so roll a power dodge to lower your Burning Attack (Aura) quickly enough to avoid incinerating the child as they hit you.

We might even extend it beyond being attacked, to reacting to all kinds of stuff. Like for example if your speedster friend is trying to run down a hall but your firewall is blocking it and you want to dispel that firewall during their turn instead of forcing them to stop and wait until after your free action to keep going.

I guess it'd make sense for Spines (Switchable, Reduced Time) as well.

It's only a "power defense" in the sense that you're putting up your "passive offense" to dissuade attackers. Conceptually it does feel right even though it's a house rule.

Something like that would probably also make sense if you had Striker (Switchable, Reduced Time) that you wanted to rapidly create to parry with.

In that case though, you'd probably need to have All-Out Defense (Double) because the power dodge (creating the striker out of turn, prior to the free action at start of your next turn) is the 1st def and the actual parry with the striker is the 2nd.

Originally Posted by awesomenessofme1

NBT and NW are absolutely compatible, and necessary if you want an attack to do zero damage at all.

You don't have to worry about NBT if you're doing less than 5 crushing or less than 10 cutting/impaling/piercing ... but may as well save the points!

Originally Posted by Aldric

When that same character can level a city by waving a hand (cutting a planet in half is not unheard of) the fact that his (or hers or its) Battle Aura lifted a few rocks (rubble from previous attacks most likely) or made some fancy sparkles is still pretty much irrelevant.

It could matter in situations where you're trying to protect something/someone fragile while using those power levels.