Seeming Contradictions in "Determining Damage"

[prestidigitator]

I just re-read the, "Determining Damage," section in 5ER, and have a couple points of confusion. I searched the FAQ and this forum and couldn't find anything that resolves what seem to be a couple of direct contradictions:


1.) Under, "Damage Classes Of Advantaged Powers," (5ER, p. 404) it describes taking the value of a d6 of effect, applying Advantages, and dividing by 5 to get the number of DCs per d6, and that it takes this many DCs to add another d6 to the Power. The example shows how it takes 2DCs to add +1d6 to a NND EB, and 4DCs to add +1d6 Maj Transform.

But under, "Adding Damage To Attacks With Advantages/Combat Skill Levels, Haymakers, and Martial Maneuvers," (5ER, p. 407), it says that damage from these things is, "not affected by Advantages." The example shows that an AP Martial Strike adds 2 DCs despite the AP. Under the, "Strength," section of the next page it describes specifically how Str add to various attacks.

So when does the first one (calculating the DCs per d6) apply? If I were to try to add damage using CSLs to a 1d6 RKA and use the rules cited in my first paragraph, I would get (15*3/2)/5 ~= 4 DCs per d6, so I would need to use 8 CSLs applied to damage to get 2d6. If I used the rules from the second paragraph, I would seem to only need 6 CSLs to add a d6 for 2d6 damage (or 2 CSLs for 1d6+1, etc.). Which is it? When do you use what method?

2.) Under the second section I mentioned above, on 5ER p. 408, after stating that CSLs, etc. add to an attack that has Advantages at the same rate they add to an attack with none, it says, "This rule also applies in Heroic campaigns to damage added when a character's STR exceeds the STR Minimum of a weapon." However, in the, "Hand-To-Hand Weapons," chart on 5ER pp. 481-482, there are footnotes that very clearly state that DCs are added at a rate slower than 1 DC/5 Str for some weapons. For example, the Pick (AP) has a footnote that says, "Add +1 DC of damage per full 7.5 points of STR used above the STR Minimum." I belive the Str Min of these weapon tables is meant for Heroic campaigns, so which is correct? Would I need a Str of 16 or 19 to add +1 DC to the Pick (Str Min 11)?

Thank you for taking the time to consider my questions.

[Steve Long]

1. The rules on 5ER 404 allow you to determine the number of DCs in an attack. This is useful for, among other things, games which limit the number of DCs characters can have in attacks. For methods of adding damage that are affected by Advantages, the two sections basically say the same thing in different ways. For example, an Energy Blast, AP cost 7.5 Active Points, meaning each step on the DC table, so it takes (7.5/5=)1.5 DCs to add a d6 of damage — or, to put it another way, every 3 DCs (15 points) adds +2d6. If a character used STR to add to that attack via the STR Minimum rules, it would take 7.5 points of STR beyond the minimum to add 1d6 — meaning that +15 STR adds +2d6. For methods of adding damage that aren’t affected by Advantages, you add damage as those rules say.

2. The statement on 5ER 408 is incorrect; the statements on 5ER 409 and 478-82 that Advantages on weapons (aside from Reduced END) have to be taken into account is correct.