Adding STR Damage

[mobulis]

When you add STR damage to a HTH(hand to hand) or a HTK(hand to hand killing) attack does this increase the active points of the attack? Example a 1D6 killing attack is 15 ACT, using 15 STR would make the total damage 2D6 would that make the killing attack 30 ACT?

[Steve Long]

Adding STR to an HA or HKA does not increase the Active Points in the base Power for most purposes (for example, whether the base Power fits into a Power Framework, or how much of a Multipower’s reserve it uses up). However, there is at least one noteworthy exception:  it is used for purposes of determining whether a naked Advantage applies to the attack.

 

For example, suppose that a character has a naked Advantage:  +1 STUN Multiplier (+¼) on any HKA up to 45 Active Points. If he buys an HKA 2d6 and has STR 30 (which adds +2d6, for a total of HKA 4d6, which would cost “60 Active Points”), then he can’t use the naked Advantage with that HKA unless he voluntarily restricts the overall attack to HKA 3d6 (“45 Active Points”).

 

Note also that while the base Power’s Active Point total (and thus END cost) doesn’t increase, the character also has to pay END for any STR he uses. Thus, using the attack may wing up costing him the same (or nearly the same) END as if the base Power had a higher Active Point total.