I haven't found an useful thread/post here so i hope you don't mind my bothering.

Since we have some downtime in playing i've tried to understand Ki and how to use it. But i'm not very successful. I do have a lot of questions:

But first the powers and effects i'm refering to (don't have Dominus Exxet – only my gm has it)

- Attack Ability (page 99)
- Block Ability (page 100)
- Counterattack Ability (page 100)
- Supernatural Damage (page 105)
- Presence Extrusion (page 96)
- Aura Extension (page 96)
- Damage Augmentation (page 100)
- Damage Multiplier (page 100)
- Energy Damaging Attack (page 105)

1) There are different Dominion Effects regarding Attack, Block,... Bonus. Some work only for one attack, others for all attacks. So the Attack Bonus only works for the first attack in the round (and if the technique is maintained for every first attack of every round as long as duration) while the effect stated in the Dominus Exxet works for all attacks. Is this right so far?

2) Some Effects don't have this kind of difference. For example „Counterattack Abbility“, „Supernatural Damage“. Do they work for all Actions or only for the first?

3) Can you combine Presence Extrusion, Aura Extension, Damage Augmentation and Damage Multiplier? I'm wondering if i could damage a creature (you have to be able to damage energy) with this combination and how much damage would i do.
Example:
50 damage (Longsword)
+10 damage (Strength)
+10 damage (Aura Extension)
+ 50 damage (Damage Augmentation)
x 2 (Damage Multiplier)
= 240 Final Damage
Is this correct?

4) With Presence Extrusion and Aura Extension you can harm creatures that are immun to plain physical damage. You hurt them as if you had a weapon with presence twice your own presence. Are there creatures that don't fit in this criteria? I'm wondering about the usefulness of „Energy Damaging Attack“ .If Presence Extrusion and Aura Extension would be enough, why should someone take this effect?

5) With „Supernatural Damage“ you transfer your damage from Physical to Energy code. The Longsword would deal 50 Energy Damage instead 50 Cutting Damage. I guess all the Damage Modifiers transfer as well? So the example of 3) would deal 240 Energy Damage (if „Supernatural Damage“ would be added to this Technique)?

6) Is „Supernatural Damage“ alone capable to hurt creatures which can only harmed if your able to attack energy? I guess so, but i need confirmation.

I hope my bad english is not to much pain to read and you can understand my problems.

Thanks
~ Sofia Corba

wow, those are some good questions you have their, i know my way around ki pretty well so let me see what i can do...

1) absolutely correct, spot on actually.

2) only attacks associated with that technique; if you have an attack that does cold damage from elemental binding (water) and that also increases your attack ability for one attack; only that one attack gets cold damage unless there is another effect that carries over to other attacks.

that's more of just my interpretation though, so i could be off.

3) not quite, while all ki damage does stack you multiply all other damage before adding in damage augmentation or damage added from spells or psychic disciplines.

4) pressence extrusion does allow you to damage anything that isn't just plain too tough. energy damaging attack does have its uses even if you have pressence extrusion; in DE energy damaging attack boosts damage by 10 if you can already damage energy, and not every ki user takes aura extension, also a long distance attack that uses the pressence formula for damage doesn't auto damage energy, so energy damaging attack is still necessary.

5) yes, except that it can already damage energy so it would get a boost of +10 extra base damage.

6) also yes

your english is just fine, i believe i understood you just fine, my english isn't that great either and its the only language i know.

Yay, thanks for the quick response.

brewmaster_vitty said:

Ok. So in my case it would be (50+10+10)x2 +50 = 190. Do i understand this right? What about the Ki Ability "Increased Damage"? Is it handeled like Aura Extension or Damage Augmentation?

brewmaster_vitty said:

Ah, i mssed the fact, that DE has a new rule combining Aura Extension and Energy Damaging Attack. I've never heard of the 10 damage bonus so far. I really wondered about this, cause blocking fighters like my paladin most likely learn Aura Extension.

I guess this +10 damage would count like Damage Augmentation concerning Damage Muliplier?

~ Sofia Corba

oh, increased damage is from DE, its under pressence extrusion and adds to it, so treat it like pressence extrusion in all facets. and yes, your formula is exactly correct.

as for that special +10 from energy damaging attack, i would personally rule it as added after multiplication, though it could be left up to the GM since it is such a small boost.

Here is my next question:

It's possible to inflict elemental damage. There are Ki Abilities and Ki Techniques for this damage type. But there is only Cold, Electricity, Fire and Stone mentioned. How does this work with Light and Darkness?

I'm considerering to build an Attack-Technique which allows me to deal a Light-Damage Attack. But i don't know what the effect is. I'd guess the attack type would be the type of the weapon and the only difference is if the opponent has some sort of Light Immunity or Vulnerability. This would be no attack with the posibilty of damaging energy.

My understanding is the Longsword would be 50 + Strength modifier Cutting Damage (modified if the opponent is immun/vulnerable to Light).

~ Sofia Corba

hmm, neither core nor exxet say anything one the matter; so the best i could offer you is a homebrew solution, you are free to make your own though.

what i would do is give elemental attack an 'additional advantage: light and dark': giving it the ability to attack on the energy table but not innately damage energy. and simply up its primary ki cost to 3 and its secondary ki cost to 5.

but your free to do whatever, and that's sometimes half the fun.

Sofia Corba said:

Light and Dark damage always hit on the Energy Table, which I believe means it automatically damages energy and is why dealing Light and Dark damage is so difficult. I could be wrong and am currently looking into it.

i just got done chatting with some guys on irc, one of them is already using the additional advantage solution similar to mine, he really upped the ki cost though, way higher than what seems reasonable to me. just figured i'd throw that out there.

****, you're right. I just looked into DE (my GM was so kind to borrow it to me) and there's nothing written about Light and Darkness either. So there's the question if Light is a possible element at all.

I just want to use this "Light" Damage for style, so it doesn't matter to me, if it's weaker than some other techniques. Either way i have to find a solution which my gm will accept. So what to do?

• Energy Damaging Attack-Technique is really cheap (regarding the costs of 1-2 Ki). It does physical Damage and is able to damage energy. It can be blocked normally.
• Elemental Damage Attack does cost 1-2 Ki more and uses the AT Table regarding the element (Fire = Heat Attack, Air = Electrictiy, Water = Cold, Stone = Any physical AT). It doesn't harm energy. It can be blocked normally (page 93 core book), but there can be a negative modifier. "If someone attempts to Block one of these attacks, such as an igneous dischargem a penalty of 120 applies to his Ability for not being able to Block Energy. In Addition, there are special rules for Cold/Electrical and Heat Damage on page 216. My reading is, that these rules also apply to the attack.
• Supernatural Attack is an immaterial attack and uses Energy AT. It does harm energy i guess since it's Energy Damage. The costs are 5 to 8 Ki + 5 MK more than the two previous techniques. It can't be blocked normally. You have to be able to block energy.

Perhaps it does make sense (and is somehow balanced) when a Light / Darkness Attack using Elemental Damage (remember: I don't know if it's possible at all) is a physical attack dealing Energy AT. The opponent would be able to block it properly and without penalties. Puh, this gives me a headache.

Luckily (or rather sad) my group will play in December, so i have enough time discussing this. And if it's to difficult at all, i change the technique and make a plain Energy Damaging Attack with some shiny style.

~ Sofia Corba

Hah! I've found the answer about the legal possibilty of Light as Elemental Attack.

DE page 17: Elemental Attack:

"...,he must choose which element he is attuned to from the following: Fire, Air, Water, Earth, Light or Darkness."

So regarding this, i don't think "Light" Elemental Attack shouldn't be more expensive than the previously stated ones. But what would be the effect? More headaches incoming!

~ Sofia Corba

Edit: Just found something linked in another forum:

About the new Ki Power (not the technique effect) "Elemental Attack"

You can infuse your attack with an elemental affinity chosen among Air, Water, Fire, Earth, Light, and Darkness.

Air attacks will use ELEctricity mode
Water attack will use COLd mode
Fire attacks will use HEAt mode
Heat attack will use IMPact mode (or add +10 damage if mode is already IMPact)

But what about Light and Darkness ?

They are considered just "holy" and "unholy" powers, wich allows you to double damage against certain creatures.
In any way, no, they add not any special Attack type.

So i think in comprehension with this a Light Elemental Damage technique would do normal physical damage with the "normal" Elemental Damage Attack cost and would be in most cases without advantage, but stylish. I like my reading, just have to convince my gm.

Link: http://cipher-studios.com/AnimaBB/index.php?topic=576.msg30341#msg30341

~Sofia Corba

That is apparently how the official rules work. As a GM I find that imbalanced (Light and Dark are much weaker than Fire (Heat deals additional damage over time and takes twice as long to heal), Water/Air (Cold/Eletricity give all action penalties), and don't even give the +10 damage of Earth.)

I don't matter if it's weaker, since i'll be the only player using this technique. And i rather be a little weaker then bending the rules. I'm fine with this, but that#s only my opinion. And since i'm the most informed player in our group concernig Ki i don't want to cheat. There's no fun in it. I don't want to imply, that's your way of playing. No offense ment, my english is just not that good to write it flawless.

I can understand your opinion, that it's some sort of weaker that the others. But for me it's the wish for a stylish HOLY attack, not that my character is a saint. But she is a strong believer in God an if there's an "official" way to deal such an attack i'll go for ot. If it doesn't work in your games, there is still the opportunity for houserules and/or adjustments.

Thanks for all the help and response here. I really enjoy this forum. Nice and fast answers. Everybody is polite. I've been in much worse environments.

~ Sofia Corba

There is a thing about Aura Extrusion that I don't understand.

"the latter ability may also be applied to armor."

So, what means?

Does my armor stop the energy? And which is the AT?

i'v always interperated that as it grants the armor the ability to block energy, like if you use your gauntlets to block, as well as grant your armor a bonus to fortitude that aura extension gets. also i would imagine your gauntlets would get the bonus damage if you punched with them.

Sebashaw said:

In my reading it has no specific AT against energy. But it gives your the opportunity to block energy. Also the armor gets a bonus to Breakage and Fortitude.

~ Sofia Corba

Could say that "Elemental Light" attacks do "ENErgy" Damage, while "Elemental Dark" does "Cold".