Is this just wrong?

[phydaux]

I'm thinking of giving my agent-level NPCs a new toy.

1D6 RKA, Standard Effect, AOE Radius, Penatrating, 1 Charge Per Day

This attack will do 3 Body and 6 Stun in its AOE every time it's used. Now the 6 stun isn't likely to get through the PD of even a Compatent Normal, and most PCs have AT LEAST ten Resistant PD.

But because it's Penatrating, it will ALWAYS inflict one Body an ANYONE who doesn't have Hardened Defenses.

And because it will inflict one Body, it will ALSO break one Breakable Focus on EVERYONE in the AOE.

I'm thinking of calling it an EMP Grenade, made just to take out the sensitive, non-hardened electronics that are in just about EVERYTHING these days.

The only problem I have with it is it inflicts one Body to the PC as well. That doesn't fit the concept, and any Disadd I can come up with that will stop the attack from inflicting the Body damage also stops it from breaking a Focus.

"OK, you're all standing in adjacent hexes? The Agents are using their Grenade Launchers this Phase. I'll roll to have them hit the Hex... They ALL hit. You are all in the AOF of six grenades... None of you take any Stun, but you each take SIX Body. Also, six random Foci on each of you break. What's that, Tom? Your Power Armor was the Focus for ALL your powers? Oh, that IS a bit inconvient, isn't it?"

[OddHat]

Kind of "eh". I prefer the dispell version of EMP myself; it might be more expensive, but these are NPCs. You can give them as many points as you like.

[Chuckg]

The only problem I have with it is it inflicts one Body to the PC as well. That doesn't fit the concept, and any Disadd I can come up with that will stop the attack from inflicting the Body damage also stops it from breaking a Focus.

Oh, that's easy.

Only Vs. Technological Artifacts, -1/2

[Kristopher]

Oh, yay, another cheesy focus-breaker construct. Almost as much fermented dairy product as using Dispell.

[phydaux]

Oh, that's easy.

Only Vs. Technological Artifacts, -1/2

So it's an AOE, but it's attacking the focus directly?

I LIKE it.

The Agents always lead-off with either an AOE Flash or an AOE Entagle anyway. I'll link the power to their primary attack multipower, and call it an under-barrel, single shot grenade launcher.

"OK, it's the Agents first action Phase, and they all start off with multipul power attacks..."

[phydaux]

Oh, yay, another cheesy focus-breaker construct. Almost as much fermented dairy product as using Dispell.

Hey, I haven't broken out my OAF Penatrating 1D6 Autofire RKA with 32 Charges.

Yet.

I'm SAVING that one, for when a PC SERIOUSLY breaks genera.

Gee Bob, remember when I gave your character that 0-point Reputation "Casual Killer?" Well, the Very Small Group your reputation existed in just happened to be UNTIL Aprehention Squads. They must have considered you a REALLY big threat..."

[Kristopher]

I over-reacted, really. There just seems to be on ongoing...thing about finding new ways to break Foci around here.

[JohnOSpencer]

I answer to your question. Yes. I think it is quite wrong. A cheesy way to have agents break a focus. If a PC handed me this I would beat them with FREd until they "saw" the errors of their ways. I mean seriously, I assume you are the GM since you are talking about agents. Points don't mean crap. If you wanna break a Focus, just break the damn focus and be done. You don't need to resort to 1d6 penetrating KA's for agents to do it.

Before I get too out of control, why do your agents need to break foci? I believe an agents job description is to get the crap beat out of them by the heroes, but slow them down long enough for the named characters to complete the heist or get away.

John

[JmOz]

I've used it before, it works well.

As for how cheesy it is: Well there is a whole thread dedicated to why dispell does not make sense, and for some of us dispel just seems wrong for one reason or another.

AS a GM, I have decided that some Foci can have hardening, as with x2 DEF for free, this is mostly given to "Character defining Foci" for the most part

[Chuckg]

There's always Unbreakable Foci.

[Houston GM]

I wouldn't let my players have it, so I certainly wouldn't give it to my agents.

If you constantly throw out attacks meant to bypass all of your players defenses, don't be surprised when they buy all their attacks that way.

Instead, I recommend starting with the concept (EMP grenade), then decide what power best replicates that effect. Since it's an EMP grenade, it should only affect electronic foci.

I would also build it as a dispel, since that's how I would make my players buy it.

[Rapier]

Yes, its wrong.


If you are going to break a focus, don't cheese it. Agents aren't stupid. If the hero is blasting away with a big gun, it doesn't take Reed Richards to realise that depriving him of his gun would be beneficial. Have the agents start to target some of the foci.

I'm rather dead-set against the foci-breaker constructs (eg penetrating RKAs), and this would really piss me off as a player. It would be one thing if it was a one time occurance to remove the gear as part of a story arc (eg one where they are knocked out and thrown in a cell and need to escape sans gadgetry), but as a general rule I believe you will be needlessly upsetting game balance.

[ArgentLupe]

I have no problem taking away a character's focus. After all, it is supposed to be a disadvantage. I do use it from time to time as a plot item and I always give the player a way to get it back. Sometimes I will let them transfer the lost points into a temp power, sometimes I will make them play the character in their secret ID. The point is to make it worth the cost of a disad, but to keep the players intrested (also known as happy).

I rarely write up the actual powers that take away a focus (or any powers in my game for that matter) as I'm more concerned with the story than the "facts". The player doesn't care whether it's a dispell, an RKA, or whatever. They just care about the end result.

At least that's how it works in my game.

-ArgentLupe

[SCUBA Hero]

From FAQ - Power Limitations - Focus

"Q: As a default, are Breakable Accessible Foci harmed by any Area Of Effect/Explosion attack that affects the character carrying them?

A: No. This rule may not be entirely realistic, but it’s much easier to game, and much more fun for everyone involved. It’s also a fairly good approximation of “dramatic realism” as often depicted in movies, books, comics, and so on. Of course, any GM is free to establish different ground rules for his campaign, if he prefers."

-SCUBA 'Helpful' Hero

[JmOz]

I would contend that if you design an attack for the purpose of damaging a foci, then it will hit the foci (in otherwords F/X over a default setting). As I have said on other threads I support the idea of RKA being the way to damage electronics: That is what it does: Damage things. I have been giving it some thought however and some "Indirect" may be appropriate as well (as you are only damaging the solid state electronics, not the casing)