Innate Attack (burning) VS. Car Gas tank

[Empada]

Hi, I have a player who want to use his telekinetic innate attack (burn, 1d) to set a car on fire, attacking the vehicle gas tank, and I'm not sure how to handle it.

for hitting the tank he has to see it or have some idea of where it is?

his attack has No Signature and I have no idea if the enemy can notice him doing the attacks.

also, where do I look how much damage is necessary to it start the fire or blown up the car?

thanks

[Anaraxes]

4e RAW doesn't go into a huge amount of detail on vehicles. Rules are on B462; the Vehicle Hit Location Table is on B554. Fuel tanks are an example of a "Vital Area" (hit location 17-18, or targeted at -3).

Realistically, putting a lot of fire into a car's fuel tank would do pretty much nothing. Gasoline doesn't burn unless it's mixed with oxygen. (Consider all the elaborate machinery like fuel pumps, carburetors, fuel injectors, valves, and camshafts to try to get fuel mixed with air in the cylinders in the proper ratio to explode.) You'd really want to riddle the tank with holes, give it some time to leak out, and set fire to the puddle. Air magic might help more than fire magic.

But if it suits your Rule of Cool (because who doesn't like exploding cars?), then treat that vital area as "explosive", or at least "combustible".

[Captain Joy]

Originally Posted by Empada

…where do I look how much damage is necessary to it start the fire or blown up the car?

Basic Set, pp. 136-137.

[mr beer]

Page 433 covers Making Things Burn.

Realistically I think an engine is Resistant, in which case you're looking at prolonged contact to ignite it. So for every 10 seconds of contact you roll 3d6 and it catches on 6 or less (at 1 point damage per second) or 16 or less (at 3 points damage per second).

If you want Rule Of Cool, make it Flammable, in which case 3 points sees it go up.

I don't know how long it takes to set fire to a car engine but 1d6 burn is slightly more than a fire of normal intensity (1d6-1) so 10 seconds doesn't sound crazily unrealistic.

[Captain Joy]

Originally Posted by mr beer

Page 433 covers Making Things Burn.

Realistically I think an engine is Resistant, in which case you're looking at prolonged contact to ignite it. So for every 10 seconds of contact you roll 3d6 and it catches on 6 or less (at 1 point damage per second) or 16 or less (at 3 points damage per second).

If you want Rule Of Cool, make it Flammable, in which case 3 points sees it go up.

By RAW, cars are flammable. (B464)

[mr beer]

Originally Posted by Captain Joy

By RAW, cars are flammable. (B464)

Oh good!

Well there you go OP, 3 points of damage in one second and it starts burning.