Simulating a Mental Attack and Targeting

[sobran]

I was wondering if I could get a little clarification on the blurb about simulating Mental Attacks on 6E1 326. On the same page, it says that AVAD Attacks do not ignore Barriers or other obstacles without an appropriate form of Indirect. Does this same rule apply if the power has ACV as well and is simulating a Mental Power?

 

Example: Mental Fire has an ability of the same name, modeled as an RKA, ACV (OMCV vs DMCV), AVAD (Mental Defense), in which he sets people ablaze with his mind. He uses Mind Scan, achieves an EGO+10 roll against his opponent, and during his next available action uses it to target his enemy who is located on the other side of a mundane wall. At this point, since the power does not have Indirect, does it:

 

A) Attack the target as normal, without a penalty for attacking blind, but have to blow through the wall's defenses before affecting the target.

 

OR

 

Ignore the wall as any other Mental Power would because it does not have Mental Defense.

[Steve Long]

Re: Simulating a Mental Attack and Targeting

 

Yes, that still applies. The only ways for an attack to ignore a Barrier (or a barrier) is (a) for the rules to specifically state that they do, or ( to use Indirect to bypass it.

 

Even an ordinary Mental Power doesn’t necessarily “ignore” a Barrier (or barrier). The real issue there is whether the B(b)arrier is opaque, and thus blocks Line Of Sight to prevent mental targeting. The fact that the B(b)arrier isn’t built with Mental Defense isn’t necessarily determinative of the issue.

 

However, the GM is certainly free to change any of this if he feels some other rule would be more appropriate for his campaign. In a campaign with heavy emphasis on psionics, treating an AVAD-and-ACV power as equivalent to Mental Powers in other ways is certainly a valid “house rule.”