Hello,

I was wondering if with an attachement like Experimental arms (While attacking you may apply +1 surge to the attack result...) you must decide if you want to use it before seeing both attack and defence rolls?

Is that any different that Saska device token that use the wording : when a figure declares an attack, it may discard one device token to apply +1 suge to the attack result?

Thank you

They are different. "While attacking" effects usually happen after the dice have been rolled, including rerolls. This is where dice are modified. (I may be 95% right as I don't have the rules in front of me now.)

Saska's device token states "When a figure declared an attack", so it must happen before dice are rolled.

Thank You. I'd like to see if there is a part of the rule book that actually adress those "keyword" in question, but this is a valid explanation.

Thank You. I'd like to see if there is a part of the rule book that actually adress those "keyword" in question, but this is a valid explanation.

Check steps of an attack on page 5 of the RRG.

The Declare Target step comes before rolling dice and if you look at Step 4 this is when you add or modify icons as per cards that say "while attacking."

The only other "while attacking" that I could find are "you may reroll one dice" and "and X damage to the result"

Obviously the first one would take place in step 3 (rerolls), while the second could happen in step 3, before or after step 3, and it would not matter much (no reason not to take a bonus to your attack and its mandatory anyway). The attachment in question cause you to take one damage if you took the extra surge, so it's probably the only "while attacking" skill that you may not want to use, thus the importance of the question.

Step 4 reads : If players have any effects that gain or remove icons or Accuracy, they are applied at this time. (...)

A surge is an icon, like the damage, so both abilities would trigger in step 4, like you said, so after the dices are rolled.

So it seems like "while attacking" does not refer to a particular step of the attack (we have one in step 3 and other in 4), but that each of those skill have a time to be triggered after the dice are rolled.

Is there any other instance of those kind of skills that have a "you may" clause that is not a reroll?

So it seems like "while attacking" does not refer to a particular step of the attack (we have one in step 3 and other in 4), but that each of those skill have a time to be triggered after the dice are rolled.

Is there any other instance of those kind of skills that have a "you may" clause that is not a reroll?

Havoc shot on Fenn but I think the rules pretty much treat that as an icon.

Basically anything that alters what dice are rolled needs to be during declare. This also applies to Mak's ambush (because of execute) and Saska's practical solutions (because of power converter) as well as more obvious stuff like Diala's shattering blow and focus. Re-rolls are always while attacking. Everything else is done case by case.

Haven't read through everything to make absolutely sure but as far as I can remember these are the rules.