Hi guy, a question arose after our last game and I hoped to have it cleared up.

If a PR 3 pysker attacks a horde in close combat and hits with his force sword (with no addition degrees of success), does he cause 1 hit for the attack, plus additional 3 hits for the psychic effect of the weapon? Under the section of psychic powers against hordes it says "no matter what the power may be", and since a force weapon channels psychic powers, this question came up.

Thanks Craig

craigpearson81 said:

By what I understand the force weapon's extra damge is not a psychic power (at least not mechanistically) in the DW game and is instead an extra mechanic that uses a focus power action. I believe that if a force weapon is sucessfully used against a Horde the extra damage to magnitude would be determined by the degress of sucess scored in the opposed check. Of course there is also the argument that because it is not a melee attack, a ranged attack or a psychic power (per se) then it wont actually do any damage against a Horde.

Yeah, I see what you mean. I think the extra hit on a horde for every degree of success on the opposed willpower test is fair enough though. Okay, it doesn't say it's a psychic power, but it's still classed as a psychic attack.

I think it's a GM's best judgement.

I'm pretty sure channelling your killing will into a blade wouldn't kill any extra people, the only possibility for mag damage is that it would kill the person you hit in such a horrific way (think the Ring or his body just exploding from the psychic force) that 4 of the guys buddies turn tail and run

As a GM I think I would buy that explanation and rule yes. but it could easily go the other way

Just because a focus power check is used to channel the engery it doesnt mean ist a psy attack. I wouldn´t allow it.