[6 Ed] Heat Metal + AOE help

[worldshaking00]

I need some advice on building a power, and whether or not a particular construct is legal.

 

I want to build a Heat metal objects effect (similar to putting one's hand on a hot iron or electric burner), but I want it to affect an area of objects (either around my character i.e. no range, or at range but in a visual cone or simple radius). Ideally I want the power to affect only the metal objects I want the character to affect, so I was going to apply the Accurate Selective (+3/4) AOE Advantage (from the APG) to the mix as well.

 

Using the Surface AOE advantage, I could create the effect of a heated-up item. But how would you make it so that you could affect an area of objects that would already be affected by a surface area? According to 6e2 150, a heated burner is 1/2 to 1d6 K damage. Nothing much to write home about, but it might be useful versus agents or "lower end defense" campaigns.

 

The base power I was going by was 1d6 Killing Attack (Ranged) AOE: Surface (+1/4) Constant (+1/2) Reduced Endurance (+1/2). Is it acceptable to apply the AOE Radius/Cone as an additional advantage on the base?  {[base Power above with the advantages listed] times (1 + larger radius/cone AOE effect)} Or, just apply it on the power normally and have two AOE Power Advantages? Is there another way to construct the power without an insane amount of "Any area" squares combined with a cheese-weasel limitation of "only affects targets touching metallic objects".

 

Thanks for your advice.

[Hyper-Man]

Take a look at the 27) Disarming Heat Vision: VPP slot from my rookie Superman to see how I built a similar sfx ability.

[Hugh Neilson]

Accurate means it affects only a single target in the area, which is not what I think you want.  You have Selective, which permits you to choose which surfaces are affected that is, which metal objects are targeted).  What about just buying a big enough surface area to cover the area you want to be able to cover?  You can use the power to cover "a surface or surfaces".  Selective lets you pick which surfaces in the area are, or are not, affected, although you have to hit each one.  That could be an issue.

 

I think I'd go with AoE Surface (to cover as much surface area as you want), Selective (+1/4), AoE radius (+1/4), Accurate (+1/4).  It seems reasonable, to me, that this would allow you to first select the surfaces you wish to cover (limited to the AoE Surface area, and counting all surfaces as the area broadens), Selective allowing you to choose not to affect some of those surfaces (so the cops' guns still count to your maximum Surfaces covered, but you can still Heat only the Bad Guys' guns), and it's Accurate (so you roll against DCV 3 for each Bad Guy's gun).  Surfaces must be metal becomes a limitation.

 

That seems like a reasonable application of the spirit of the rules to achieve the desired result.

[Hyper-Man]

There is no rule prohibiting the use of 2 instances of AOE in the same build - AOE Selective can be combined with AOE Accurate which then affects the targeting roll for the "Selective" targets.  See my the link to my Heat Vision/Heat Metal build above.

[worldshaking00]

In the Advanced Player's Guide 1, there is an AOE modifier (+3/4) called Accurate Selective. How I read it, I get to chose which target(s) I affect in the Area, but not have to roll against their DCV. Ultimately that is the goal I am looking for, as I don't necessarily want to affect my own gear or that of my team mates yet still easily affect those targets who are foolish(?) enough to touch the hot potato (as it were).

 

Where I am having the most difficulty in building the power's construction is using the AOE: Surface as a base effect (e.g. a target's held gun), then being able to use that exact same Power in a cone/radius effect on other "guns" of my choosing (using Accurate Selective from APG1) in that defined cone/radius. I've been playing since 4E, so I was thinking of borrowing something from the older versions of Usable By Other to establish a Base power, then pitching the idea to my GM of applying the second larger non-surface Area Advantage as a multiplier to the Base surface-enabled power. Does that make sense to anyone?    

 

Ultimately I think the power is going to be crappy, as the DCs just aren't going to scare anyone into dropping their gun/knife/chainsaw/whatever. However it is a very cinematic power effect.

 

Thanks for chiming in so far.

[Ndreare]

Tac onto that an attack versus alternate defence "immune to heat" and your power can be 3d6 stunning enough I think your extra bad guys will dip their weapons.

[Hyper-Man]

In the Advanced Player's Guide 1, there is an AOE modifier (+3/4) called Accurate Selective. How I read it, I get to chose which target(s) I affect in the Area, but not have to roll against their DCV. Ultimately that is the goal I am looking for, as I don't necessarily want to affect my own gear or that of my team mates yet still easily affect those targets who are foolish(?) enough to touch the hot potato (as it were).

 

Where I am having the most difficulty in building the power's construction is using the AOE: Surface as a base effect (e.g. a target's held gun), then being able to use that exact same Power in a cone/radius effect on other "guns" of my choosing (using Accurate Selective from APG1) in that defined cone/radius. I've been playing since 4E, so I was thinking of borrowing something from the older versions of Usable By Other to establish a Base power, then pitching the idea to my GM of applying the second larger non-surface Area Advantage as a multiplier to the Base surface-enabled power. Does that make sense to anyone?    

 

Ultimately I think the power is going to be crappy, as the DCs just aren't going to scare anyone into dropping their gun/knife/chainsaw/whatever. However it is a very cinematic power effect.

 

Thanks for chiming in so far.

 

Here is an updated version from the link I posted above:

 

0 27) Disarming Heat Vision: Blast 1d6, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4), Sticky (Only the affected metal object is "Sticky"; +1/2), Line Of Sight (+1/2), Area Of Effect Accurate (4m Radius; +1/2), Area Of Effect (32m Cone; +3/4), Selective (+1/4), Does BODY (+1), Attack Versus Alternate Defense (Life Support Extreme Heat; +1 1/2), Damage Over Time (129-256 damage increments, damage occurs every Segment, can be negated by ending contact with the "affected" metal; Dropping the metal weapon; +5 3/4) (60 Active Points); Limited Power Only vs. Targets Touching Metal (-1/2), Unified Power (-1/4), Conditional Power - Not in the presence of Kryptonite or red solar radiation (-1/4) Real Cost: 30

[Notes: This is the classic hotfoot vs. held weapons.] - END=3

 

The Accurate AOE just determines the targeting of the Selective portion of the AOE Cone.

[Ndreare]

Wow, tacking Does Body on there is just plain mean.

 

[Hugh Neilson]

In the Advanced Player's Guide 1, there is an AOE modifier (+3/4) called Accurate Selective. How I read it, I get to chose which target(s) I affect in the Area, but not have to roll against their DCV. Ultimately that is the goal I am looking for, as I don't necessarily want to affect my own gear or that of my team mates yet still easily affect those targets who are foolish(?) enough to touch the hot potato (as it were).

 

That's the same +3/4 as above - Selective + AOE Radius + Accurate.

 

I think all you need for covering all surfaces in an area is a bigger Surface AoE.

 

So maybe 1d6 Killing Attack (Ranged) AOE: Surface (+1) Constant (+1/2) Reduced Endurance (+1/2), Accurate Selective (+3/4).  That gets you 16m of surfaces (note that this is a "radius" for surfaces such as walls, or 8 human sized objects, based on the Surface Area description).

 

That's the same price as 1d6 Killing Attack (Ranged) AOE: Surface (+1/4); AoE 16 meter radius (+3/4), Constant (+1/2) Reduced Endurance (+1/2), Accurate Selective (+3/4). 

 

Given that the pricing for either approach resulting in all surfaces within that radius being affected is identical, I see no reason you should not be able to substitute a conic "area" of surfaces for the radius.

 

Hype's build uses a lot of modifiers to get the equivalent of AoE Surface.  What if we apply this model:

 

Blast 1d6, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4), Line Of Sight (+1/2), Area Of Effect Surface (+1/4), Selective Accurate (4m Radius; +3/4), Area Of Effect (32m Cone; +3/4), Does BODY (+1), Attack Versus Alternate Defense (Life Support Extreme Heat; +1 1/2), Damage Over Time (129-256 damage increments, damage occurs every Segment) +5 3/4, only targets metal surfaces (-1)) (59 Active Points) - almost matches (+1/4 less advantages); Limited Power Only vs. Metal surfaces (-1/2), Unified Power (-1/4), Conditional Power - Not in the presence of Kryptonite or red solar radiation (-1/4) Real Cost: 29

 

I like using a KA as the base better - allowing this to do BOD to most targets, even well defended ones, seems inappropriate to me.  Heat a metal surface (a floor, for example) and a high defense, but not "life support", character is dead unless he can get off that surface? 

[Doc Democracy]

As far as I can see, there is a desire to do damage to people touching metal objects within a defined area.  Is there any real need to go into the whole surface stuff?

 

If there is a cone shaped, area effect, selective attack  that simply has the limitation of "only versus people touching metal" does this not do the job?  I think the power needs to be persistent, that is the longer they hold on to the metal object the more damage they take, for it to have that persuasive effect.  

 

Is it not as simple as that?  Or is there more to it??  

[Hyper-Man]

The following replaces Persistent/Constant in my example - Damage Over Time (129-256 damage increments, damage occurs every Segment, can be negated by ending contact with the "affected" metal; Dropping the metal weapon; +5 3/4)

[Hyper-Man]

Wow, tacking Does Body on there is just plain mean.

 

 

I think most GM's would allow the targeted individuals holding metal objects to Abort to "drop" whatever they are holding before taking any lasting BODY damage.

 

The idea is that this is a WARNING power. This is Superman using precise control of his Heat Vision for a Presence Attack.  Superman would not use this ability to heat up a metal floor. At least not unless he was under the influence of a powerful Mind Control effect that could override his CVK.

[Hugh Neilson]

The typical player, however, will heat up the floor.  As will the inevitable Kryptonian Villain.

[Doc Democracy]

And so we have another limitation for players (Kryptonian supervillains SHOULD heat up the floor and do killing damage!) of "only for small/hand-held items)"

 

You can justify this with smaller items are easier to heat up significantly in the short time we are talking about.  You can meta-justify it to the player if necessary that you are not going to allow it otherwise!  :-)

[NuSoardGraphite]

I would go with AoE damage shield, usea le against others with the limitation that it only protects metal objects which are in the AoE radius. Thus anyone attempting to touch or use said objects automatically gets hit with the damage as per the ruless of damage shield.

[Hyper-Man]

I would go with AoE damage shield, usea le against others with the limitation that it only protects metal objects which are in the AoE radius. Thus anyone attempting to touch or use said objects automatically gets hit with the damage as per the ruless of damage shield.

 

Damage Shield as a specific 'personal' form of AOE was folded into the regular AOE rules via the Surface option in 6e.  As already mentioned above, It's just a different way of saying AOE Selective + AOE Accurate on the targeting of the Selective.

[NuSoardGraphite]

Damage Shield as a specific 'personal' form of AOE was folded into the regular AOE rules via the Surface option in 6e. As already mentioned above, It's just a different way of saying AOE Selective + AOE Accurate on the targeting of the Selective.

I know, I was simply being specific.