Attack / Damaging Powers

There is now a more uniform structure to damaging powers, as well as to the combat ability of powers.  Each power has a base of 11 to hit.  Each power also has a base 5% chance of mishap.  The base range for natural powers is (E+A)/2.  Devices and magic items might run from the same, but could also have a random stat generated via 3d8 for each stat, then averaging.  Further, during character creation, the damage level of the power is chosen by the player.

Damage Rating      PR Cost
1d4 ------------ 2
1d6 ------------ 3
1d8 ------------ 4
1d10 ----------- 5
1d12 ----------- 6
1d6+1d8 ------- 7
2d8 ------------ 8
1d8+1d10 ------ 9
1d20 ---------- 10

Damage Rating, with the corresponding PR cost, is chosen by the player during character generation.  Obviously, the higher the Damage Rating, the higher the PR cost.

Depending upon the rationale of the character, damaging powers may have Damage Shields, or may be able to develop damage shields.  This is where the power is set up around the character’s body, only going off when it comes into contact with another object.  Damage shields have a maintenance cost equal to the PR of the regular attack per turn (even partial) that the shield is maintained.

Note that a character with a damage shield can make a Hand-to-Hand attack, using the damage shield as a carrier attack, following the rules set aside under carrier attacks in the rule book.

In extreme times, the character may double the Damage Rating of the attack.  However, the character does so at great risk.  They risk exhaustion and endanger their life.  The first inherent danger lies in the PR cost.  PR = x2 (this is x squared), where x = normal PR cost.  In addition, the character suffers hit point loss equal to the damage rating.  This damage must come directly from the character’s hit points.  For example, Blastoman has a 1d10 Power Blast, and is desperate to blow a hole in the wall.  He decides to boost (go Nova, if you will) his power blast.  He rolls 2d10 for damage at a PR cost of 25.  He also takes 1d10 damage directly to his hit points.  If this had also pushed his power below 0, he would have had to use hit points to supply the power as well.

The other risk in boosting the power this way is the potential to short out the power.  Roll % and compare this to the hit point damage the character took from boosting the power.  If the roll is less than or equal to the hit point damage, the power is shorted out.  All aspects of the power are unusable until the character makes a % save under his Endurance score, or until all damage is healed, whichever comes first.

If a power is rolled twice, the player may opt to have increased range, increased damage (by adding two damage levels), have a bi-level damage power (1d4 or 1d8), or other (as determined by player and GM).

Attack powers can have modifiers added to them.  Some examples are subsidiary damage, greater range accuracy, spreading, or such.  Subsidiary damage works in the between-turn phases.  The PR costs of these should be determined by the GM.  A suggestion for subsidiary damage is to double the base PR cost of the damage rating (1d4 has a PR cost of 4 per attack, 1d20 has a PR cost of 16 per attack).

As an example, a character with fire powers chooses subsidiary damage. The target will take damage equal to the amount rolled on the initial damage die (do not include damage modifiers), with -1 point of damage per turn, cumulative.  For every action the target spends actively trying to put out the fire, the damage is reduced by ½ (others may assist as well, further reducing the damage by ½ each action spent).  After damage is reduced to 1 point, the fire will burn out.

Spread will add a +1 accuracy to the attack roll for each extra PR 2 on the attack.  A 1d20 attack with a spread of +3 would cost PR 14 to attack with, but hit on a 14 or less.

Greater range accuracy increases the range increment before the attack is inaccurate.  For an additional PR cost of 1 per increment, the character reduces his penalties for attacking at range.  By taking the power with GRA of 1, an additional cost of PR 1, the character does not suffer a –1 to hit until he’s at a range of 60 inches.

In addition, a power may have negative modifiers on them.  For example, reduced range accuracy will reduce the PR cost of the attack.  Narrow beam will reduce the chances to hit, but also reduce the PR cost.  Greater chance of mishap will reduce the PR cost, but increase the likelihood of a mishap.

Damage RatingPR Cost
1d4 ------------ 2
1d6 ------------ 3
1d8 ------------ 4
1d10 ----------- 5
1d12 ----------- 6
1d6+1d8 ------- 7
2d8 ------------ 8
1d8+1d10 ------ 9
1d20 ---------- 10