Taser Combat Knife

[BhelliomRahl]

Was planning to build the knife as a HKA linked with a Blast NND (Insulated rED). However if the target is wearing Insulated rED but the Knife does body, it has bypassed the defence and blast would deal damage. I am unsure of how to represent this. My thought was; Blast NND (Insulated rED - Knife must Not Do Body). I was unsure how to adjust Advantage/Limitations for this.

I would usually apply a 1/2 Advantage to a Blast NND (Insulated rED). My thought was that as the Knife can Bypass the Defense I should modifier the Advantage by +1/2.

 

The Build:

Taser Knife: (Total: 75 Active Cost, 23 Real Cost)

Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1/2d6 (1d6 w/STR), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (15 Active Points); OAF (-1), Real Weapon (-1/4), STR Minimum 4 (-1/4) (Real Cost: 6)

Blast 6d6, Attack Versus Alternate Defense (Insulated rED - Knife Must Not Do Body; All Or Nothing; +1) (60 Active Points); OAF (-1), No Range (-1/2), 10 Charges ( Battery Pack; -1/4), Linked (Knife; -1/4), Real Weapon (-1/4), STR Minimum 4 (-1/4) (Real Cost: 17)

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[Hyper-Man]

If you are wanting to simulate a Taser in 6e a mechanic to consider is the Stunning option in Change Environment.

 

Also, I don't think actual skin contact or Body damage is really required for a Taser to be effective.

 

Here is a build I posted within the last few months.

 

QUOTE=Hyper-Man;n3589173]And here is a real world equivalent:

 

 

15 Taser Shotgun: Change Environment (-6 to Characteristic Roll or Skill Roll, Long-Lasting 1 Turn, Stunning), Sticky (+1/2) (75 Active Points); OAF (-1), STR Minimum 9-13 (STR Min. Cannot Add/Subtract Damage; -1), Instant (-1/2), 2 clips of 12 Charges (Increased Reloading Time: 1 Turn; -1/2), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4), Can Be Deflected (-1/4)

[Notes: From APG1 page 83 - The Stunned effect lasts as long as the Change Environment is maintained (1 Turn*). However, when affected the victim gets to make a CON Roll immediately (at -6*), and if the roll succeeds the attack has no effect on him. If the roll fails, he gets to make an additional CON Roll every Phase he’s affected at a cumulative +1 (so +1 on his second roll, +2 on his third, and so on). As soon as any roll succeeds, the power immediately stops affecting him and he has his full Phase in which to act.] - END=[12]

 

 

[BhelliomRahl]

My player has designed the knife for a specific reason. Some targets are insulated from electrical attacks whether this is from natural/supernatural aspects or armour. This defence would render a standard Taser useless, however as the Taser is part of the blade if the blade penetrates the defence, represented by doing body to the target the electrical attack has effectively bypassed the defence.

 

I had not thought of using Change Environment for the stun, I will try the build to see how effective it is.

[psyber624]

That sounds more like a Limited Power limitation than a NND. Do you want the Blast to ONLY do damage if the knife does Body or NEVER do damage if the knife does Body. Or do you want the NND effect to only be applied if the Knife fails to do Body (but normal defenses apply otherwise?). Your wording has me a bit confused.

 

I believe your goal is that the Knife always does its KA damage, and it does its Blast as an NND unless the target has insulated defenses. If the target DOES have insulated defenses but the knife manages to penetrate (do body) it still does its damage even tho the NND would normally be negated.

 

If that is correct there is really only one way I can see to do this. A generous GM may let you define your NND as "Insulated Defenses when the knife fails to do BODY". That is definitely not RAW but within reason (somewhat) and by far the easiest way to do this. That means that the Blast will ONLY fail to do damage when the target has Insulated Defenses AND takes no damage from the knife. However depending on the setting that could be such a rare occasion that this would fail to meet the commonality requirements for NND's in your campaign.

 

Every other method, RAW at least, will bump into issues with negating an NND condition and I do not believe there is any method in the game to do that. At best you could set the Blast part to do non-NND damage linked to the penetration as a 3rd "linked" effect, or change the NND condition to something other than insulated.

[Christopher]

My player has designed the knife for a specific reason. Some targets are insulated from electrical attacks whether this is from natural/supernatural aspects or armour. This defence would render a standard Taser useless, however as the Taser is part of the blade if the blade penetrates the defence, represented by doing body to the target the electrical attack has effectively bypassed the defence.

 

I had not thought of using Change Environment for the stun, I will try the build to see how effective it is.

As I read it: Against non-isolated targets, the Knife always deals Knife and Elektric Damage

Against isolated targets, the weapon deals Knife damage and ignores the Elektric Resistance when the isolation is broken.

 

The real issue is that the target takes electical Damage regardless of his defenses. So by definition there is no defense at all against the Elektric damage wich is against Heroes Rules (No Absolutes, unless the GM is willing to deal with the issues that can arise). Even a Posion Knife - the Closest equivalent written up in hero - has a defense against the Blade and the Posion.

 

6E APG I 138 has a Advantage "Multiple Special Effects". This allows an attack to Count as one of two special effects - wichever is worse for the target, after Limited defenses and Vulnerabilities are considered. I find it an excelent solution for "Fire Swords", "Ice Swords" and "[Rare Metal the target's Species is Vulnerable too] Sword". It could fit the bill here too.

[Christopher]

If you are wanting to simulate a Taser in 6e a mechanic to consider is the Stunning option in Change Environment.

 

Also, I don't think actual skin contact or Body damage is really required for a Taser to be effective.

 

Here is a build I posted within the last few months.

 

QUOTE=Hyper-Man;n3589173]And here is a real world equivalent:

 

 

15 Taser Shotgun: Change Environment (-6 to Characteristic Roll or Skill Roll, Long-Lasting 1 Turn, Stunning), Sticky (+1/2) (75 Active Points); OAF (-1), STR Minimum 9-13 (STR Min. Cannot Add/Subtract Damage; -1), Instant (-1/2), 2 clips of 12 Charges (Increased Reloading Time: 1 Turn; -1/2), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4), Can Be Deflected (-1/4)

[Notes: From APG1 page 83 - The Stunned effect lasts as long as the Change Environment is maintained (1 Turn*). However, when affected the victim gets to make a CON Roll immediately (at -6*), and if the roll succeeds the attack has no effect on him. If the roll fails, he gets to make an additional CON Roll every Phase he’s affected at a cumulative +1 (so +1 on his second roll, +2 on his third, and so on). As soon as any roll succeeds, the power immediately stops affecting him and he has his full Phase in which to act.] - END=[12]

 

The first thing a Taser must do is make skin contact or even penetrate skin and anker itself. That is what the pointy electrodes on the business end of the "bullet" are there for. Electricity will only take the easiest path and the outermost, dead skin layer has a hellish electical resistance (in the Giga-Ohm area). Once that one is broken however (wich even a a normal wire can do by touching it), the human body has rather weak resistance. And sucessfull tasing cause uncontrolled movement, so the electrodes have to stick rather well too.

But I agree that "Skin Contact" and "Must be Cut" does not needs to actually cause body damage. But the linked Attack should at least deal body damage equal to the rPD (simply because of the limitations of Linked). You were cut (your defense overcome) - not deep enough to cause damage on it's own, but deep enough to deliver a payload.