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Originally Posted by FishDude
I don't really understand how Ranged would even work on Static without Area Effect.
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A single target you hit (rather than all things in a given space) enjoying the usual effects you would have.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FishDude
one final question, though: Does it still always protect yourself and anything you're wearing/carrying?
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I'm led to think no based on how the "Projection" technique for the Screaming power (PP25) is worded:
You can “throw” your scream so that it is centered on a distant point instead of yourself.
If you are not in the area of effect, you are not protected!
I would hypothesize that in that unprotected scenario that the "cannot use them while screaming" condition might no longer apply, but I'm not sure...
P98 "can never possess the abilities or Talent of any power you can negate" seems to have been tweaked here... it seems like you CAN possess them, but you just wouldn't be able to use them while under the effect of static...
Except that the Discriminatory enhancement persists in chiding "you still can’t possess powers you can negate)" so it ISN'T about being affected by the static, but rather something built into USING it.
Which means you either need to entirely switch it off, or require doing something to activate it (like pay FP or concentrate) to have a "not using" scenario which would allow the use of psi powers.
Meaning that PP25 overrides P98... I think?
If you were creating a new center for a separate AE then I would expect it to read "in addition to" rather than "instead of".
This might be a special case though because this has "Requires Concentrate" which means it's not "Always On" by default anymore, as PP17 mentions for Psi Static too:
Costs Fatigue and Requires Concentrate are an inexpensive alternative to Switchable
I think it requires checking back to Powers. Initially from P11, I thought no...
Using an ability that can’t be activated again until its duration expires (e.g., Neutralize with the Power Theft enhancement, or almost anything with the Ranged enhancement) means that none of the abilities are available for the duration.
P105 seems like maybe yes, but the end phrase isn't 100% clear since it implies some consent...
Ranged doesn’t prevent an advantage from working the usual way (in an area around the user or by touch, as appropriate) when the wielder wishes.
Firstly this isn't clear if it means "in addition to the range you're using" or "instead of the range" (ie just avoiding the need to roll by contact-targeting auto-hit). You need to know if you can form one or two radii.
For always-on (or uncontrollable) the "usual way" is clearly not "when the user wishes" (because they can't turn it off) so you would want to know whether or not Ranged gives some means of turning it off or not.
With no explicit answer for Static I think it would be good to look at how abilities listed alongside it on P105 are answered for, namely Mana Enhancer and Mana Damper.
P165 mentions switchable Mana Damper functions like an emanation (you use a ready maneuver to attack) I guess with an infinite duration by default.
I think the answer requires looking back to Basic Set perhaps...
B72 (Obscure)
"You produce your obscuring effect at a distant point rather than around your body."
B72 (Ranged +50%)
"Unlike the usual Ranged enhancement, this modifier lets you use your ability again before its duration has expired"
B107 (Ranged +40%)
"you cannot use the ability again until all existing effects have worn off"
Obscure is not "Always On" by default though, and I don't know if it would be legal to take Ranged + Always On together...
I guess it would be with THIS version since the +50% allows multiple incarnations...
But maybe not if you took the +40% version (1 smoke grenade at a time) if that were allowed?
Probably the best balance is if it is an Always-On ability (Mana Damper, Mana Enhancer or Static) that you require the +50% version, which would allow your own use to coexist with a projected one.
Otherwise I think you just wouldn't be able to use the normal +40% enhancement since the infinity-duration of your always-on ability gets around it?
Screaming+Projection would get around that by using Requires Concentrate to get pseudo-switchability. Basically it seems like how this works if since your ability is off by default, you can sort of do a "Selective Concentrate" where instead of your concentrate activating your AE, it activates a ranged AE... which I guess might mean you would need Compartmentalized Mind (two concentrates per second) to be able to maintain both?
I like the idea of someone being able to throw many psi-static grenades but I think that would definitely require the +50% version floated over from Obscure, if there are any grounds for that.
Otherwise I think you'd need Affliction (Advantage: Static) or Innate Attack (Symptoms: Static) and shoot people, but need them to fail a resist or take a certain amount of injury.
Shooting nearby objects (like a floor or wall) is an interesting workaround, but in that case the AE won't move around with the people you're wanting to influence so it's mostly good if they need to stay in place, like they're locked in a room or on a nice boat.