Ranged Poison attack

[Guyon]

How do I make a scorpion character with a ranged poison attack. I was thinking it would continue damage after the main attack.

Would that be ranged killing with a continuous modifier? If so how does continuous work?

[Dust Raven]

If you have it, the Hero System Bestiary has rules for creating poisons and venom, and includes a write-up for scorpion venom under that creatures write-up (I think it was a scorpion, might have been a spider).

[Citizen Keen]

Be careful though. I don't remember to what extent Uncontrolled works in regards to how much damage you do. IIRC, Uncontrolled allows you to dump a fistful of END into an attack, so it might be better to go with a really big RKA (5d6 RKA or so) with Delayed Effect instead of Continuous/Uncontrolled.

[Guyon]

SO if it has a Continuous: +1 how many phases does it act till it runs out.

Also if it is a 2D6 RKA does it do 2d6 every phase?

[Citizen Keen]

I don't have 5R with me, so I don't know how much Continuous is worth. I wasn't even aware it was a variable advantage.

IIRC. Continuous is a static advantage that allows you to attack someone without re-rolling an attack. You just spend the END each turn, and they take damage.

IIRC. Uncontrolled lets you pay all that END up front so you can move on to focus other things.

So, using the first Scorpion Sting above, if the power costs 5 END to use, if you attacked, and you hit, you would dump some END in (I don't remember if you dump in before or after the attack roll - guy says before). So, you dump in 20 END into your Sting. BOOM! It hits, and this Phase, and during your subsequent 3 phases, your victim takes 1d6, with their Armor applying to each one independently.

With a 4d6 Delayed Effect, the armor would only apply once-ish.

[prestidigitator]

Be careful though. I don't remember to what extent Uncontrolled works in regards to how much damage you do. IIRC, Uncontrolled allows you to dump a fistful of END into an attack, so it might be better to go with a really big RKA (5d6 RKA or so) with Delayed Effect instead of Continuous/Uncontrolled.
Delayed Effect would work too. That's what I was thinking of suggesting in addition to Continuous/Uncontrolled.

[Dust Raven]

There is also Gradual Effect, which would split the dice of the attack up over several periods of time. The damage is cumulatively applied to the defenses of the target once though (which is kind of consufing, because you are rolling for damage several times, but adding the results on top of each other, with the idea that eventually the dice will overcome the target's defenses).

RE: Continuous. Continuous turns an attack Power into something like your Force Field. You turn in on, and it stays on until you stop paying END. Unlike your FF, you still need to aim and hit your target, but once hit, you just pay your END each phase and it keeps going. You can still attack, move and do other things, even attack the same target with the same or different attack, so long as you keep paying the END. One of the more nasty elements of a Continuous attack is it allows you to keep attacking the same target with it, and have as many total continuing attacks going as you can pay the END for. (each is still applied seperately versus defenses though).

Putting Uncontrolled on a Continuous attack makes it fire-and-forget. You put X amount of END into the attack, aim and fire. All that END is used up immediately, hit or miss. If you hit, that END will fuel the attack until it runs out and the attack ends. The neat thing about this is that it doesn't require you attention. You can leave, get knocked out or even killed and the damage will continue until the END runs out. On the down side, every Uncontrolled Power (attack or not) must have a "reasonable common" method for shutting down. The classic example if of a fire (bought Uncontrolled because it'll keep burning until there is nothing left to burn) that can be put out by smothering it with water or using a fire extinguisher.

[Black Lotus]

These are all good suggestions for the attack, but I personally don't believe poison damage should ever be subject to reduction by armor.

Given that I am fairly new to the HERO system, I'd have to do some research on this to get it right, but some NND damage may be appropriate, don't you think?

Too bad I don't have the Bestiary.

[Dust Raven]

These are all good suggestions for the attack, but I personally don't believe poison damage should ever be subject to reduction by armor.

Given that I am fairly new to the HERO system, I'd have to do some research on this to get it right, but some NND damage may be appropriate, don't you think?

Too bad I don't have the Bestiary.

NND (and AVLD) is the traditional method of by passing armor. Don't overlook Adjustment Powers though, as their lingering effects can prove extra effective when applied to things like STUN and BODY.

[Guyon]

Thank you so much for your suggestion.

One bad thought, could a power gamer set it up as zero end so it would be a death weapon?

[Zed-F]

Yes. So you get to practice saying 'No.'

[Dust Raven]

Thank you so much for your suggestion.

One bad thought, could a power gamer set it up as zero end so it would be a death weapon?

Yes, and so can evil GMs :eg:

[Black Lotus]

Sure, you could set the Poison Attack up with 0 END, but I'm almost certain you can set up Healing with the same benefits -- Continuous Healing, 0 END.... Fight fire with fire. :) Forgive me, but I'm new to HERO, and the book (which I greatly depend on at the moment) is downstairs, so I may be wrong.

[Dust Raven]

Sure, you could set the Poison Attack up with 0 END, but I'm almost certain you can set up Healing with the same benefits -- Continuous Healing, 0 END.... Fight fire with fire. :) Forgive me, but I'm new to HERO, and the book (which I greatly depend on at the moment) is downstairs, so I may be wrong.

You sure can. In addition, any attack with that many Advantages is not going to have a lot of dice (when compared to other attacks with equal Active Points and less advantages), making the defense for it that much cheaper. And if it's NND, a minimum cost of something is likely to be enough (typically FF or LS: Immunity, both of which are fairly cheap).

[Black Lotus]

So, the lesson here is: all powers, however powerful, must be finite. Someone has to be paying for it, or it has to run out eventually, etcetera.

Although, if you bought a low-damage, Continuous, 0 END poison attack with a made-up Limitation that basically says, "You take damage until you receive an 'antidote'", I might allow it for a CREATURE... but not a player.

[Dust Raven]

So, the lesson here is: all powers, however powerful, must be finite. Someone has to be paying for it, or it has to run out eventually, etcetera.

More or less, although you can create "Permanent until Ended" (I love that term) effects that last forever, or until someone some specific event occurs (like a Transform's change-back conditions).

[Super Squirrel]

Be careful though. I don't remember to what extent Uncontrolled works in regards to how much damage you do. IIRC, Uncontrolled allows you to dump a fistful of END into an attack, so it might be better to go with a really big RKA (5d6 RKA or so) with Delayed Effect instead of Continuous/Uncontrolled.
Of course you could just use an Endurance Reserve for determining the power of the poison.

[Citizen Keen]

By Delayed Effect, I meant Gradual Effect.

<--- Idiot.

[prestidigitator]

By Delayed Effect, I meant Gradual Effect.

<--- Idiot.
Don't worry. I saw the reference and made the same mistake. They are easy to confuse with each other (especially if you don't use one or both incredibly often).