(or modifiers to existing forms) that GMs can allow in their campaigns, if desired.
ACCuRATE SElECTIvE
value: +¾ more advantage
This modifier is like the Selective modifier, but with one important difference: after hitting the Area, the character doesn’t have to roll to hit the targets in that area which he wants to hit. He hits them automatically. In other words, this form of Area Of Effect is like a regular Area Of Effect, except that the character can ignore targets in the Area he doesn’t want to harm.
CAGE
value: see text
A character can make an Area Of Effect (typi- cally a Radius) into a “cage” — with an area in the center that’s not affected by the power — by applying the Limitation Targets Only Take Damage
If They Touch Cage Or Move Into/Out Of The Affected Area (-½). In other words, the bound-
aries of the Area form a “wall” that affects anyone who touches it (from either inside or outside), but being in the interior of the Cage doesn’t cause anyone harm. The Cage’s “walls” can include a “ceiling” and a “floor” if the creator of the Cage so chooses.
Typically a Cage uses Area Of Effect (Radius) so the “walls” of the Cage conform to the edges of the Area, leaving most of the interior of the Area open — how big the interior is depends on the size of the Radius. For larger Cages, typically the “walls” of the Cage are narrow ones along the outer edge of the Area, leaving a large interior unaffected. However, with the GM’s permission a character can define his Cage as having thicker walls and a smaller interior area; he must make this choice when he buys the power, and can’t alter the configuration of his Cage thereafter. (At the GM’s option, for an additional +¼ Advantage the character can change the configuration of his Cage’s walls, making them thicker or thinner from use to use as desired.)
A character trapped within a Cage isn’t inhibited in any way. He can move freely, and even leave the Cage if he wants to — it’s just that moving through the “walls” causes him damage. (By Linking the Cage with a Barrier, a character could give it a physical component that the victim has to break through to get free.) He can perceive through the “walls” of the Cage normally, and even fire Ranged attacks through them without difficulty. (However, the GM may rule that any physical missiles passing through the “walls” suffer the Cage’s damage.) If the GM permits, characters can buy Adders and Advantages like Cannot Be
Escaped With Teleportation or Opaque to a Cage to
further incapacitate those trapped within. Because a Cage is made of “energy” (or what- ever the special effects of the power indicate), the Cage itself can’t be attacked (any more than a stan- dard Constant Area Of Effect could be). For ¼ less Advantage, a Cage has BODY equal to its Active Points divided by 10 (but no PD or ED) and can be attacked; it has DCV 3, and is destroyed when it reaches 0 BODY. For 0 less Advantage, a Cage has BODY, PD, and ED equal to its Active Points divided by 10; it has DCV 3, and is destroyed when it reaches 0 BODY.
COnFORmInG
value: +½ more advantage
Normal Areas Of Effect do not conform to the space they affect; they expand out to their limits and, if blocked, affect whatever blocks them. For example, suppose a wizard has a Fireball spell (RKA 2d6, 12m Radius). He casts it into a corridor that’s 6m wide. The Fireball fills an area equal to 12m (up and down the corridor) by 6m (the limits imposed by the corridor’s walls, though the damage from the Fireball may be enough to destroy the walls so the Fireball can expand to its full area, albeit with its damage in the areas beyond the walls reduced by the ED+BODY of the walls).
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An Area Of Effect power with this additional +½ Advantage conforms to the area in which it’s used, and won’t damage the walls (or other objects) that form that area’s boundaries. (A Barrier qualifies as a “boundary” for Conforming purposes, unless the GM rules otherwise.) If the boundaries do not allow the Area Of Effect to expand out to its full size, the force of the attack is channeled in whatever direction it can go. For example, the Fireball described above, if it had this additional Advantage, would not blast down the corridor’s walls, but would be channeled by the walls so that it filled more of the corridor than just 12m. The GM determines how far a Conforming Area Of Effect reaches, in what direction(s), and the other exact effects of this Advantage.
Characters can buy Conforming as a separate +½ Advantage for Powers that inherently affect an area, such as Darkness.
LiQuids and gases
At the GM’s option, characters can buy Conforming in a slightly different way to reflect attacks based on liquids or gases.
Conforming (Liquids) represents an attack that takes the form of a liquid. It’s typically bought for Area Of Effect (Surface). A Liquid attack acts just like a liquid. It runs from higher places to lower (the GM determines the rate of flow, based on the amount of liquid, viscosity, the nature of the surfaces involved, and other factors). It fills up cracks and crevices along any surface it comes to rest on, can gather in puddles, tends to seek the lowest level it can flow to, and so on. However, unless the GM rules otherwise, the overall size of the “pool” of liquid can never be larger in its overall dimensions than the size of the Area Of Effect purchased.
Conforming (Gases) represents an attack that takes the form of a gas, mist, smoke, or the like. It’s typically bought for Area Of Effect (Radius). A Gas attack acts just like a gas. It billows out to fill an Area, then gradually sinks to the lowest level it can reach as gravity pulls it down. However, unless the GM rules otherwise, the overall size of the “cloud” can never be larger in its overall dimensions than the size of the Area Of Effect purchased.
Both Liquid and Gas attacks can seep through small cracks, such as under doors or through open windows. However, unless they’re bought with the
Indirect Advantage, the GM should only extend
this effect so far; Conforming shouldn’t grant other Advantages for free. If necessary he should require characters creating Liquid and Gas attacks to buy Indirect to represent this ability. Similarly, Liquid and Gas attacks may be subject to being dispersed by wind powers, drained away, and the like.
SIGHT RAnGE
value: see text
Characters sometimes use a combination of Area Of Effect and Line Of Sight to represent a power that only works if the target of the power can see the character. This assumes relatively normal sight conditions. As a default, assume sight has a range of 100m if no visual obstacles are present. If anything interferes with a target’s ability to see — shadows, darkness, fog, foliage, or the like — the GM should reduce the effective range of the power, remove some of its Active Points of effect, or rule that it cannot affect the target at all. If something blocks a target’s sight completely (utter darkness, a wall that’s in the way, or the like), then the power cannot affect him.
When you combine Area Of Effect (Radius) at the +1 level with Line Of Sight (+½) and the
No Range Limitation (which may also require
Personal Immunity), a “sight range” power allows a character to affect anyone who can see him. This simulates abilities like a gorgon’s power to petrify anyone who looks at her, or a light-manipulating supervillain’s power to hypnotize anyone who sees the mesmerizing light patterns surrounding him.
TRAIl
value: +1
One common power used by fast-moving char- acters in comic books and some other literature is to generate an attack or other effect behind them as they move. For example, a running speedster might set the ground behind him on fire due to super-friction, a flying speedster could generate a series of sonic booms as he moves through the air at supersonic speed, and just about any type of speedster might “pick up” and move objects in the “backdraft” that follows him as he moves at hyper- velocity. Similarly, speedsters often like to create attacks where they run past a large number of foes and hit each one of them.
To do this using the standard rules, a character simply buys an Area Of Effect: Line attack that’s
Linked to his Movement Power. (In some cases
Area Of Effect: Cone or Any Area may also be appropriate.) The Line should be bought to have a length equal to the character’s meters of Combat Movement. The attack “activates” at the end of the character’s movement, affecting everyone in the Line. If the character moves less than his full meters of Combat Movement, the Line is only as long as he moved. Since the attack is Linked to the character’s movement, it still activates even if he performs a Full Move, and it’s made against DCV 3.
To better simulate these sorts of powers, the GM can allow characters to use a new optional form of Area Of Effect, Trail (+1). A Trail is 2m wide and tall, and as long as the character’s movement in the Phase; it cannot be made longer, larger, or taller unless the GM specifically permits. (Using Noncombat Movement, or Pushing or otherwise increasing movement increases the length of the Trail.)
136 n power Modifiers hero system 6th edition
A Trail only works in conjunction with a char- acter’s movement. It follows his movement path, so if he zigs and zags in and out among various obstacles, the Trail will also. (On the other hand, if someone stops him from moving under his own control, such as by causing him Knockback or tripping him, the Trail stops at whatever point he lost control.) A Ranged Power for which Trail is purchased automatically becomes a No Range power; it gets no Limitation for this. A character cannot Link a Trail power to a Movement Power; by definition a Trail only works in conjunction with a Movement Power. If the attack is one to which the character would ordinarily add damage from velocity (for example, the character’s STR), he may still add velocity damage even though the attack is a Trail.
Example: Afterburner (Running 40m) moves so
quickly that he can generate super-friction that causes the air and ground behind him to burst into flame as he runs past. He buys this as an RKA 1d6, Area Of Effect (Trail; +1). If he runs 20m he creates a 20m Trail that’s 2m wide and tall and does RKA 1d6 damage to anyone and anything in it. If he makes three turns during those 20m of movement, the Trail follows his turns. At the end of the Segment the fires dissipate (though it’s possible the GM may allow them to set flammable objects on fire).
Example: The Scarlet Meteor (Flight 60m, No
Turn Mode) wants to have the ability to fly past numerous targets and punch each of them with his 20 STR. He buys Area Of Effect (Trail; +1) as a naked Advantage for his STR (total cost: 20 points). Now when he flies, he can punch people for 4d6 Normal Damage as he flies past them, twisting and turning in the process and attacking against DCV 3.
If a character wants to apply Trail to an inher- ently area-affecting Power, like Darkness, the GM should consider requiring the character to buy some minimum level of the power (perhaps using the rules on 6E1 187 as a guideline). Otherwise a character could buy a 2m radius version of these powers and make it significantly larger with Trail, causing game balance problems.
The GM should monitor the use of this Advantage to prevent abuse. It’s intended to make it easier for characters to build intriguing and flavorful abilities that add to the fun of the game, not for stunts like criss-crossing planets and galaxies with trails of fire (or what have you) for a cheap cost.
TWO-DImEnSIOnAl
value: ¼ less advantage
An Area Of Effect that normally covers three dimensions (such as Radius or Cone) can be made only 2m high with this option, which reduces the value of Area Of Effect by ¼. Characters can take Two-Dimensional as a separate -¼ Limitation for Powers that inherently affect an area, such as Darkness.
vOICE RAnGE
value: see text
Characters sometimes use a combination of Area Of Effect and Incantations to represent a power that only works if the target of the power can hear the character speaking, singing, or the like. This assumes a relatively normal volume of speech — the character may increase his voice slightly to “project” better, but cannot shout or scream. As a default, assume hearing has a range of 40m if no other noise is present. If anything interferes with a target’s ability to hear — such as other loud noises in the vicinity, wearing head- phones or heavy headgear, or plugging one’s ears — the GM should reduce the effective range of the power, remove some of its Active Points of effect, or rule that it cannot affect the target at all.
When you combine Area Of Effect (Radius) at the +1 level with Incantations and the No Range Limitation (which may also require Personal Immunity), a “voice range” power allows a char- acter to affect anyone who can hear him. This simulates abilities like a siren’s seductive song, a faerie’s power to make anyone who hears his music dance uncontrollably, or a sonic-powered superhero’s Mind Control.