Two fine point questions pertaining to Mental Paralysis

[Surrealone]

Mental Man has an entangle built as follows:

Mental Paralysis
​Entangle 1d6, 6 Resistant Mental Defense, Alternate Combat Value (OMCV Vs DMCV; +1/4), Vs EGO Not STR (+1/4), Personal Immunity (+1/4), Line of Sight (+1/2), Sticky (+1/2), Area of Effect (16m Cone; +1/2), Takes No Damage From Attacks (+1), Invisible Power Effects: Fully Invisible (+1), Backlash (+1/2)

 

​Mental Man attacks a 14 EGO mook 3m in front of him, electing to commence the power's cone where he stands (such that Mental Man is within the area of effect) -- knowing that his personal immunity will preclude him from all of his own power's effects.  He successfully positions his cone, and he then rolls to make sure he hits the mook ... and the GM confirms a successful hit on the mook's DMCV.  1d6 is rolled to determine the 'body' of the Entangle, and a 1 comes up on the die yielding a 1 BODY, 6 Resistant Mental Defense Entangle.

 

Our mook has no mental powers, but has 14 EGO, allowing him to roll 3d6 to try to break out of the Entangle. He rolls three dice with a result of three 6's ... an amazing roll, but only 6 BODY ... which isn't enough to overcome both the BODY and the Resistant Mental Defense of the Entangle, so the mook remains Entangled.
 

Mental Man then decides he wants to release the mook from the Entangle ... but did not buy the 'dismissible' option on it.  He elects to use his 8d6 Mental Blast to blow the Entangle down, even though it takes no damage from attacks.  His thinking is that the Mental Paralysis power (including all advantages other than Personal Immunity -- such as Area of Effect, Sticky, Fully Invisible, Takes No Damage From Attacks, etc.) is preempted by Personal Immunity and, thus, just as the power did not stick to him ... or affect him while in the Area ... the Takes No Damage From Attacks advantage should be treated similarly and, thus, should have no bearing with regard to his Mental Blast.

​Two questions:

1. How much Backlash STUN damage does the mook take from his roll of three 6's that failed to break the Entangle?
2. Can Mental Man expend both a Phase and END to attack and potentially break his Mental Paralysis that Takes No Damage From Attack ... because of his Personal Immunity to the power (including its advantages ... such as AoE, Sticky, etc.)

[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.

 

1. The mook only rolls 2½d6 to break out. To get the full 3d6, he needs 15 EGO, and he only has 14.

 

2. Mental Paralysis isn't built with Takes No Damage From Attacks (+1), but with Takes No Damage From Attacks (+¾). The text in the rulebook notes that the difference is because Mental Paralyses do take damage from, among other things, Mental Blast. So you’re correct that the Takes No Damage doesn’t stop the Mental Blast from affecting the Entangle — you’ve simply paid too much for the Advantage. Point savings!

 

3.  If a character uses his EGO to break out of a Mental Paralysis Entangle with Backlash, he takes Normal Damage from the Backlash, just like he would when using STR to try to escape an ordinary Entangle. So in your example, he’d take 18 STUN, 6 BODY. (Though again, he rolled too many dice, so that changes things.)

 

I think that covers all the issues in your hypothetical, but if I missed something, please post a follow-up or PM me.