Reflexive/Reactive Countattack

[SchmugginsTheDwarve]

Hello,

I'm trying to build a reflexive counterattack. It takes the form of a chain or vine that immediately attacks anyone who successfully wounds the PC within range (4 yards currently). I suppose one could also fluff it as a very short-range point defense system in a sci-fi setting. This would be without input from the PC. I've modeled it two different ways:

Way 1: Innate Attack (imp): Aura; Area of Effect; Melee (Cannot Parry - Required for Aura); Area Effect 2 (4 yards); Selective Area; Reflexive; Trigger (Dangerous): Damaged by Attack

Way 2: Innate Attack (imp): Emanation; Area of Effect; Area Effect 2 (4 yards); Selective Area; Reflexive; Trigger (Dangerous): Damaged by Attack

I've identified a couple possible problems with these so far.

Both: a lot of people seem to be sour on the idea of Reflexive being used for damaging effects

Way 1: As I figure it, the counterattack in Aura form is active until it's deactivated. The desired behavior is that the counterattack affects only the individual(s) who actually attack and damage the PC. If my interpretation is correct, the Aura activates as soon as the PC is damaged but remains active until the PC chooses to deactivate it, meaning potentially enemies that hadn't attacked the PC, or who had attacked the PC in once prior turns but haven't since, will be affected which much more than my original design intends.

Way 2: I'm not sure if the construction of Emanation + Reflexive actually satisfies the counterattack's design goals. All the past threads I've found with "automatic free action counter to enemy attack" use Aura instead. However, Emanation matches the design goal of "a single counterattack per attack" (described by Kromm et al as "pulses" like a Diablo game Nova, which is roughly the goal) vs. Aura's "continual field". If Reflexive isn't enough to get the "automatic free action counter" effect I could get essentially the same thing by dropping Reflexive and buying Altered Time Rate: Accessibility: This One Counterattack, but even with that as an -80% modifier, that would make Way 2 almost twice as expensive as Way 1 in order to be less powerful. And frankly if satisfying the fluff via the rules come down to "pay twice as much to be less powerful" I think I might be inclined to just change the fluff, which feels bad.

Any thoughts on which way is the correct way to go?

Thanks!

[Plane]

Reflexive is for turning on the aura, so I'm not really sure you'd need it, just leave the aura on and have it limited to only injure those in process of injurying you

[Varyon]

This is conceptually similar to acidic blood, which IIRC is built with Aura (+Melee Attack) and Blood Agent (Reversed). I'm not certain if Area Effect is the correct way to build an Aura that extends beyond C, but simply needing to injure the character to get counter-attacked is probably less of a limitation than needing to draw blood - indeed, Trigger: Injury is canonically -15%, so just use that. An acidic blood "aura" should probably injure anyone nearby (from blood spray), so only hitting the person who struck you is clearly different. On one hand, this prevents an ally from being hit (unless said ally accidentally struck you), while on the other it means each enemy if there are multiple in range have to strike you to be countered. Overall, I'd be inclined to call that a wash.

Assuming Area Effect is an appropriate modifier for Aura, you're looking at:
Innate Attack 1d imp (Area Effect, 4 yards +100%; Aura +80%; Only Affects Attacker +0%; Melee C -30%; Trigger: Injury -15%) [18.8].

[lvalero]

If I would have to build this power I would use Varyon's build. It seems right to me.

[SchmugginsTheDwarve]

Area Effect is used for Aura of Power in Power-ups 4: Enhancements (at least according to a fandom wiki). And it's also in this FAQ entry.

Hmmm, well I think if the solution is just have this Aura be always on, using your way Varyon, I'd have to have Selective Area (the Acidic Blood example in Powers has the Always On limitation). I'd also need to drop Trigger then since it's incompatible, and anyway as I read it Trigger establishes a condition necessary to activate the advantage (on the PC's turn), it doesn't automatically activate the advantage itself (which is what Reflexive does). If my reading is correct, then Trigger going off on an opponent's turn (in this case meaning getting damaged) only means the PC is then able to activate the ability manually on their own turn.

Am I misreading these enhancements and limitations, GURPS gurus?

Thanks for the insights!

[Plane]

Originally Posted by Varyon

This is conceptually similar to acidic blood, which IIRC is built with Aura (+Melee Attack) and Blood Agent (Reversed). I'm not certain if Area Effect is the correct way to build an Aura that extends beyond C

I think they do that in Power-Ups 4

a c-rage AE would be +25% I think

the blood agent reversed one is "I can fling my blood X distance" if normal, or "my blood only touches what I touch" if aura