Would you classify Area Effect, Cones, and Explosives as Common or Occasional?

[JulianLW]

Would you classify the kinds of damage not covered by Diffuse (Area Effect, Cones, or Explosives) as "Common" or "Occasional" damage types according to the "Limited Defenses" categories on B46?

[Christopher R. Rice]

I'd call it Very Common myself.

[JulianLW]

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

I'd call it Very Common myself.

And yet these kinds of attacks, it seems to me, are almost only ever produced by exotic abilities or technology. Or am I wrong about that? And the definition for Occasional says "one specific class of damage that is usually produced only by exotic abilities or technology ...."

"Area Effect, Cones, and Explosives" seems less common to me than all ranged attacks or all melee attacks.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by JulianLW

And yet these kinds of attacks, it seems to me, are almost only ever produced by exotic abilities or technology. Or am I wrong about that? And the definition for Occasional says "one specific class of damage that is usually produced only by exotic abilities or technology ...."

"Area Effect, Cones, and Explosives" seems less common to me than all ranged attacks or all melee attacks.

One consideration here is that, as a Diffuse target, foes are going to be trying as much as they can to use various flavors of "area of effect" against you, which inflates how common such attacks are for you to face. So, the GM would be justified in charging you for a more common level of... whatever trait you're buying with Limited: Area Effects (and I do feel that those three should just be treated as one category).

If it's "crushing areas of effect," Occasional is probably about right (it's a subset of a Common category) - but "all areas of effect" (crushing, burning, toxic, or fatigue normally, but in some settings cutting, piercing, and impaling AoE's might exist), that's a category higher, for Common. And being Diffuse means it's appropriate to charge you for one category higher, so Very Common.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by JulianLW

And yet these kinds of attacks, it seems to me, are almost only ever produced by exotic abilities or technology. Or am I wrong about that? .

Nope. Your class will probably be one category less common than "magic" or possibly "heavy weapons" at TL4+.

If a Diffuse character somehow ended up in an otherwise mundane/historical TL3 or less setting the attacks he was vulnerable to would be so scarce as to provide no discount at all.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by JulianLW

And yet these kinds of attacks, it seems to me, are almost only ever produced by exotic abilities or technology. Or am I wrong about that? And the definition for Occasional says "one specific class of damage that is usually produced only by exotic abilities or technology ...."

"Area Effect, Cones, and Explosives" seems less common to me than all ranged attacks or all melee attacks.

Maybe, but it's a combination of multiple types of Very Common factors - most listed can cause these sorts of effects.

[Anthony]

The most common source of area effect damage at low tech is large scale fire. Which is historically a pretty popular type of attack, but still probably not more than Common.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by JulianLW

Would you classify the kinds of damage not covered by Diffuse (Area Effect, Cones, or Explosives) as "Common" or "Occasional" damage types according to the "Limited Defenses" categories on B46?

Fire is a common threat in most campaigns.