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Old 01-27-2021, 04:41 PM   #1
Plane
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Default can Melee Attack (-30%) with Aura (+80%) attack at C-range without user contact?

Powers 105 has this interesting note for the Ranged enhancement:
Ranged doesn’t prevent an advantage from working the usual way when the wielder wishes
Aura's basic description (B102) doesn't say that, nor does P100's notes on the enhancement...

P144 however has an interesting note for Acidic Blood which I came across in reading about the Blood Agent, Reversed enhancement for my perk thread:
the user can deliberately attack others by flicking his blood around.
Flicking doesn't sound like directly touching, but rather making a gesture so a droplet flies off you and touches someone...

This led me to wonder "so how far can you fling the droplet"?

P100 on introducing BAR said:
ensure that his blood reaches his target.
This is automatic with Aura
but otherwise requires the usual attack roll.
The "usual attack roll" for Blood Agent, Reversed stuff would probably follow standard rules that we would expect: like a Max or 1/2D for a ranged attack, or using Reach for Melee Attacks.

I would assume that "automatic with Aura" only applies in situations where Aura already is known to automatically hit: when you've already hit someone, or they've already hit you.

"I'm flinging my blood" (which conceptually seems like just the droplet contacts the target, not necessarily the rest of you?) sounds like if it was allowed with aura (without making contact with foe, which matters for example if your target ALSO has an aura) SHOULD require a to-hit roll...

So if we did that, should it just be like a C-range attack (can only fling up to 3 ft) ?

Auras explicitly can't parry (even though they don't take -5% can't parry) unlike normal -30% C-range melee attacks, but I'm not seeing a part about them being unable to count as a C-range melee attack without needing to make contact.

Making contact is often desirable (for example: you can combine your thrust-1 crushing damage with your Burning Attack damage for a huge injury to a foe) but if you wanted to "just come close enough that my aura hits them but the rest of me doesn't" should that operate like a standard Innate Attack w/ -35% C-reach no-parry?

- - -

If I'm wrong then I guess to get that effect you need Selectivity to revert it to just a normal Parry-Capable Melee Attack by switching the +80% off.

I guess to get "can't parry with the enhancement off" you could apply the -5% "Cannot Parry" to make Selectivity a Limited Enhancement, but it wouldn't reduce it below +5% so there isn't any incentive to do that. It'd only work if you combined it with some other limitation to get a multiple of -20%.

Another option comes to mind too though... is it possible that by dismembering pieces of your body and throwing them at an enemy, that your dismembered body parts can also continue to carry your Aura damage and inflict it at whatever range you are able to throw them?

For example: normally I am limited to C-reach punching to hit with my Burning Attack: could I sever my hand and toss it 50 yards and hit someone not just for the crushing damage based on the weight of the hand, but also the aura which my severed hand is still generating?

- - -

If that's the case then maybe similar logic is being applied to blood droplets and could explain how this is able to cause "contact without contact" so to speak?

This would mean I'm wrong about being able to make "c-reach grazes" intentionally. Acidic Blood after all is burning people with blood droplets via the droplets making contact, not "near contact". So it really does sound like the droplets are able to carry the aura, at least for 1 attack's worth.

Would this maybe be something like a severed body part continues to carry an Aura effect for 1 second before it automatically switches off?

But then we need some way to figure out how you actually target with droplets of liquid which cling to your body and I don't know what the range/skill would be.
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acidic blood, aura, blood agent reversed, limited enhancements, selectivity

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