Trigger for dummies...

[mrinku]

As I only have CC, and the Trigger Advantage is a post 4e thing, I'm a little curious as to the finer points of it.

 

Clearly it can be used to make a hand grenade, but how does that work with the trigger reset?

 

Base power would be something like 2D6 RKA AoE Radius Explosion, Range based on STR and some amount of Charges. Probably Indirect within a limited scope (i.e. being tossed in an arc or left in a location).

 

Then we get to Trigger:

 

Trigger (One defined condition, 5 second time delay +1/4)  (Zero Phase Action). Obviously there are other timer options you could define, but we'll go with an old fashioned pin and lever release design for the purpose of the discussion.

 

It's the Reset condition that stumps me. Should this be "resets automatically" in regard to pulling the pin on a second grenade, a Half Phase action to represent getting out and prepping another grenade, or something else?

 

(Because the trigger itself is a countdown, I assume the "trigger remains ready" and "trigger expires" modifiers can't apply in this case.)

 

[Hyper-Man]

Trigger is not necessary for a hand grenade under normal use.  The example below represents preparations of the user.  The only reset condition would be obtaining more grenades (charges).

 

I think it is much more appropriate for things like land mines.

 

Snippets from 6e1 pages 350-351:
 

Example: Lt. Andy Barrett of the U.S. Navy SEALs is going on an infiltration mission. He realizes that if he’s spotted, the enemy can shoot him easily because he’ll be seriously outnumbered. Since he may need a way to generate some quick cover, he gets four smoke grenades and rigs them to a bandolier. He buys the grenades (Darkness to Sight Group on a Focus) with a Trigger, defined as a reflex action — whenever he needs some cover, he reflexively reaches for a grenade and “pops smoke” so the enemy can’t see him. The GM allows him to set the Trigger for all four grenades. If it becomes necessary to use the grenades, activating the Trigger is an Action that takes no time (because he paid for the extra +¼ Advantage; ordinarily it would be a Zero Phase Action).

USING TRIGGER POWERS
To Trigger a power, the character must first set up the power — for example, a landmine (RKA 2d6, Explosion, Trigger [when sufficient pressure applied; +¼]) must be buried and activated before it can go off. The character pays END for the Trigger when he sets up the power; Limitations such as Activation Roll, Extra Time, Concentrate, and Requires A Skill Roll also apply when the power is set up, not when it is used.
For Triggered powers not activated by the character who bought the power, the target of a Triggered power is the person who sets off the Trigger — who steps on the landmine, who walks into the zone that activates a trap, or the like. Of course, that may make other people targets as well (for example, if the Triggered power is an Explosion). In situations where the character controls the activation of the Trigger, such as the bandolier of grenades mentioned above, the character may choose his target.

 

HM

[mrinku]

Hmm. Maybe CC reworded things? Here's what it says:

 

"Trigger

Activates the power when a defined circumstance occurs. Examples include a radio control device, an activation word, or the passage of a particular amount of time." (italics mine)

 

Now, this does seem to fit the classic pineapple grenade. You prime it by pulling the pin and throwing it or otherwise releasing the lever(setting up the power). That starts the timer and after the required time (easily tracked in HERO with segments) the trigger conditions are met and it activates. For the purposes of the discussion lets ignore other tricks you could try like setting it up as a booby trap, catching it and throwing it back or delaying the throw of a live grenade - we'll stick with activate and throw, and it explodes where it lands 5 segments later.

[dsatow]

IMHO with the pineapple grenade, pulling the pin is part of the special effect of using the grenade.  At best it might have a extra time style limitation 3 segments after thrown for a -1/2 limitation. Of course, if you want trigger to buy it as a trigger, go for it.  I can see a speedster with AoE fine manipulation TK pulling all the pins.  

 

IMHO trigger is more for things like land mines or IEDs where some thing like a radio call can set it off.  This doesn't mean it needs to only be used like that.   I use trigger as an instinctive reflex on several characters and as a spell condition for teleport on a magical character.