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[Florin]

If you're not looking to buy dots in a power, then power stunting is probably mechanically better. However, Maxing Out lets you do more than just emulate the dots in one power. So if you want to do more than use your force-based Quantum Attack as a force field, you'll need to Max Out. That includes doing things like super-charging your QAttack for more scale and/or tags or getting dots in Mega-Might and Mega-Dex all at once. So, I think they each have their place, but I also think people tend to forget about power stunts and just Max Out.

[Florin]

If I was building Gambit, I'd probably take a Restricted (-1) tag of needing a physical object, and then a Variable (3) tag to give it either Explosive (Planted) (2) or Thrown (1) + Charged (1). Or maybe Thrown (2) if you want the extra range and don't want to use Charged.

[Florin]

Sorry. I wasn't trying to be insulting. I was reading that as you stating the rules said you couldn't duplicate the effects of other powers. However, I went back and re-read it, and that wasn't what you said.

[Florin]

No, it literally says "If it succeeds, apply successes towards the desired Stunt. In general, successes can duplicate dots in another power or effect — one dot per success..." (Bolding mine.) I'm not talking semantics. One of the things you can do with successes from a power stunt is duplicate dots in another power or effect. In the case of melting through a vault door with your flaming body, duplicating QAttack seems like a perfectly reasonable way to do that....

[Florin]

It is WAY more powerful, even without other powers. You could just inflict injury conditions directly. You don't need to worry about doing more than beating Defense, and you can inflict more than 2 injury conditions in an attack without Scale or spending more successes. It's also a maintained power, which means it's more quantum point efficient than QAttack. And it hurts anyone who punches you back.

[Florin]

I don't think it's an oversight. I think they intentionally did not apply it to close combat attacks. Otherwise, it's way more powerful than most close combat offensive powers.

[Florin]

As I said, RAW, contact damage hurts the toucher. RAI? I don't know.

I feel like if Quantum Aura was supposed to add to your close combat attacks, it would have said something in the power. Especially since it usually applies to your whole body. It's written like a power which is only supposed to damage someone when they attack you, not when you attack them....

[Florin]

Quantum Aura does Contact damage, which is supposed to be if someone else touches it, like touching the burning on a stove. So, if you took the Restricted tag, it would only hurt someone if they touch your fists, not if your fists touch them, RAW. If I was your SG, I'd probably tell you to use Technique to buy an offensive damage power if you wanted to do that and also have a Quantum Aura.

If I was doing Iron Fist, I'd just use Quantum Attack and not buy the Ranged tag. That gives you power Scale and tags to play with. Also, the quantum point cost gives you the narrative of powering...

[Florin]

I specifically called out it's for environmental damage....

[Florin]

It is totally fine. Like I said, if you like your system, run with it.



They aren't, though. The third paragraph under Power Stunts (p. 205) gives you a system for doing it. In the case of Quantum Aura, you'd roll Quantum + Quantum Aura (since it doesn't have a roll normally) and then use the successes from that to buy dots of Quantum Attack to use for that power stunt.

For example, if you have Q3 and QAura 3, you'd spend 1 Quantum point, roll 6 dice, get 3 successes on average, and you would then use those 3 successes to use 3 dots of Quantum Attack. That...

[Florin]

But how often does how much a character's damaging aura come up in a game in a way which can't be covered by a power stunt (intentionally using your power in a focused way to destroy something) or the collateral pool (the casual damage you do just by having the aura up) come up in a game? Although you have a system in mind, run with it. I'm just pointing out there are tools already in the book if you want to use them....

[Florin]

I don't think it's a hole. I think it's supposed to be that way. 1 tag gets you immunity to any breath-related indirect damage, and a second tag gives you 4 points of damage rating reduction (which will protect you from all but the worst versions of a source) to another source of indirect damage. Or you can buy 3 dots of Mega-Stamina and Adaptation to become effectively immune to all Environmental indirect damage. Either way, they've built in a way to avoid some indirect damage without making it useless.

As for what sources of indirect damage do to things other than characters, you...

[Florin]

Technically, durability Scale doesn't apply to indirect damage, since indirect damage doesn't buy the Inflict Injury stunt, which is what durability Scale increases the cost of.

[Florin]

Looks fine to me in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

[Florin]

I don't see a 0 option in the power tags in Aberrant, but the 1 point version just straight up neutralizes the listed problems with a Continuous (minutes) tag (or worse.)

[Florin]

So, a few things.

1. Defense successes can be used for more than just buying the Dodge stunt. Granted, that's usually the most effective way to spend them, but if someone is punching you, rolling away may be a better option, especially if their Composure is low.

2. Systemically, attacking should always be better than defending. It makes combats end in a reasonable amount of time.

3. Mateus is citing a house rule. Trinity Core specifically gives an example of having one net power Scale giving 2 Enhancement to the attack roll, not just buying the Inflict Injury...

[Florin]

I think my answer still stands, if breaking through walls is covered by the mastery, why wouldn't climbing them or leaping across trees? All of them are obstacles to movement, and that is what the mastery overcomes, correct?...

[Florin]

If it gives the example of punching through steel walls, then yes, it should work for wuxia and wall-crawling....

[Florin]

I haven't read No Barriers yet, so take this with a grain of salt, but I'd keep it strictly mechanical. If the Field is giving a complication to Athletics rolls due to the fragmented nature of the ground (anything from jumping from building-to-building to chasing someone by jumping from the top of one pole to another,) then the mastery would apply. Unless I was going for a wuxia feel to the game, I wouldn't allow it for leaping from tip of bamboo to tip of bamboo. Scaling buildings? Not like Spider-Man, but if there were sparse hand-holds, then sure, I'd probably allow it.

[Florin]

You're welcome. Have fun playing!