(Double) Knockback v. Entangle

[Quickleaf]

Hello!

 

So, was playtesting a character and came up with a question.

 

The character in question was built with a 3d6 Blast that included three instances of Double Knockback for a total of x8 (Per the last paragraph on Double Knockback 6e1 P. 334). He was stuck in a 7 Body 7PD/ED Entangle. His blast is not restrainable, and does not require a focus, so as far as I know he can use it when entangled, but it's not enough to actually damage the body of the entangle. Does the extra knockback in any way assist him, or is it simply wasted because the real body of the attack did nothing?

 

In a similar vein, the character used this blast effect on another character (a brick) who was holding a car. Is there president for someone having any kind of KB Resistance owing to holding something heavy, or would that be considered a "Dramatic Effect" and subject only to GM fiat?

 

Thank you! Hope these haven't been asked before :-)

[Steve Long]

I don’t currently have access to all of my books and materials, which have been packed up as part of my home renovation project, so I reserve the right to edit or change this answer at a future time.

 

I’m going to restate your questions more generically, to make it easier both for me to answer and the folx out there in Herodom to follow.

 

Q:  If a character is trapped in an Entangle, and uses one of his attacks to try to break free, can he do Knockback to the Entangle, and if so what effect does this have?

 

A:  For the sake of simplicity, the default answer is, “An attack against an Entangle by a character trapped in that Entangle cannot do Knockback to that Entangle, even if the attack has the Double Knockback Advantage.”

 

However, GMs who are willing to deal with the additional complexity and time required can certainly roll for Knockback against the Entangle if they wish. If any KB occurs, the character trapped in the Entangle goes right along with it. The Entangle takes the KB damage as usual, and any damage that gets through the Entangle (i.e., that breaks the character free) passes on to the trapped character.

 

Depending on special effects, doing KB to an Entangle this way may be more difficult than normal. For example, a glue bomb Entangle might stick to the character and to the ground. Before any KB occurs, the KB would have to overcome some amount of “Clinging,” assigned by the GM to represent the Entangle being stuck to the ground.

 

 

Q:  Does the weight of objects a character has picked up or is carrying have any effect on the Knockback done to him by an attack?

 

A:  For the sake of simplicity, the default answer is, “No.” However, if the GM wants to take this into account, he certainly can. Check the Mass Templates in 6E1 to determine how much “Knockback Resistance” the amount of weight the character’s holding/carrying should apply, and reduce KB accordingly.