Powers: Blast

Blast
Buy‑In Cost: 4
UE Facet: Multiplier
Type: Offensive
Element: Pneuma
Modifiers: D
Description:

A brief beam of visible energy damages anything it hits.

This is the most basic ranged attack; to perform this attack, the user must succeed with a Power Action roll against this Power’s rating versus the target's Defensive Action, if any. According to this superpower’s character, it does its RMIB times UE Multiplier Hit Points of damage to the target (less any defenses).

Taking the Blast Power

When you pick the Blast power, you need to specify a few things. These things give your Blast its character, making it different from every other Personae's Blast. There are five things to consider when creating a Blast power, Initiation, Carrier/Medium, Effect, Dispersal, and Character.

Initiation

Where does the superpower comes from? How does the user trigger it? And how is it aimed?

Carrier/Medium

What actually carries the damage to the target, be it particles, waves, or some other kind of 'ammunition?' What does its transmission do to the intervening air? (Also consider what might happen to unusual media, like vacuum.)

Effect

How does this power affect its target and what are any potential side effects?

Dispersal

What happens when the attack concludes; where does the Carrier go?

Character

What intrinsic qualities give the superpower its Character?

Not everything needs to be noted on the Persona Write-Up. Make sure to list the Persona's Rating with the Power and the POW if not their natural POW Rating. You might also precalculate the amounts of damage, by multiplying the UE Facet times each number 1, 2, 3...up to 1 less than the Critical Threshold; this can save a lot of time during a heated battle.

In our example, you can see a pretty stock Blast power; the initiation is his crude 'gun.' Accelerated particles carry the force and they don't affect non-solid objects, but there is a bit of a 'kick.' The effect is to 'soften' the target; theoretically a sustained Blast could turn large objects into soup without heating them. Clearly the target absorbs the particles.

Different Kinds of Blasts

At the point of this writing there are 295 powers listed but they can be grouped into simply 53 superpowers. For example, let's look at the variations on the typical Blast (of Energy); Scattershot lists 10. Each has some small differences and you'll note the Buy-In Costs and Modifiers vary from Blast's "4 D¹." I'll get into what the Modifiers are next issue for those of you who want to really 'do it yourself.' For now, I'll just cover the basics and the pertinent specifics. (The initiation varies so much; I'll leave that to your imagination.)

Of Air
Buy‑In Cost: 4
UE Facet: Multiplier
Type: Offensive
Element: Pneuma
Modifiers: CDET-
Description:

When air is the medium, everything in a room great tossed around; outside this only affects things behind the target. Air is also the carrier (or any gaseous medium the character is in); working in a vacuum requires an Improvement (next issue).

Of Electrons
Buy‑In Cost: 2
UE Facet: Multiplier
Type: Offensive
Element: Pneuma
Modifiers: FINT-
Description:

The air ionizes creating a blue white beam. The effect does less damage. Sorry to say, I need to do a little more research on the side-effects of a cathode ray cannon (unless you'd like to add a comment below).

Explosive
Buy‑In Cost: 4
UE Facet: Multiplier
Type: Offensive
Element: Pneuma
Modifiers: AD
Description:

A solid projectile explodes on contact doing a radius of damage; it is slow enough to be targeted for Defensive Actions.

Of Kinetic Energy
Buy‑In Cost: 4
UE Facet: Multiplier
Type: Offensive
Element: Pneuma
Modifiers: EIR
Description:

The effect causes instantaneous acceleration is target.

Of Laser
Buy‑In Cost: 4
UE Facet: Multiplier
Type: Offensive
Element: Pneuma
Modifiers: CEFN-
Description:

Highly energetic photons carry this Blast (which makes for some interesting character when interacting with mirrors).

Of Projectiles
Buy‑In Cost: 4
UE Facet: Multiplier
Type: Offensive
Element: Pneuma
Modifiers: CDT
Description:

Typically this is taken with the 'exposed source' Disadvantage (guns). Given the character of this Blast, RMIB can be spent on 'spreading' the damage.

Of Tectonic Energy
Buy‑In Cost: 3
UE Facet: Multiplier
Type: Offensive
Element: Pneuma
Modifiers: DENTU-
Description:

There must be some kind of 'ground' to transmit this blast and it damages everything in between User and target.

Of Sonic Force
Buy‑In Cost: 4
UE Facet: Multiplier
Type: Offensive
Element: Pneuma
Modifiers: BEFIN-
Description:

The medium of air also carries these shockwaves. The dispersal is a deafening boom.

Of Thrown Objects
Buy‑In Cost: 4
UE Facet: Multiplier
Type: Offensive
Element: Pneuma
Modifiers: DENT
Description:

This is an improvement over 'ordinary throwing' in that the object flies according to the User's choice despite any aerodynamic problems. The variations in carrier alter the effect and make up the character of this Blast.

Of Water
Buy‑In Cost: 4
UE Facet: Multiplier
Type: Offensive
Element: Pneuma
Modifiers: CDET-
Description:

The dispersal of this Blast can quickly fill a room and do 'flood damage' to the field of battle.

Anything Else?

One last word about naming conventions for powers in Scattershot; whenever possible, the names are adjectives. This is so that two things can be done. First, you can put the name before 'power' or you can place it before the variant. For example, Blast power or Blast of Air, Telekinetic power or Telekinetic Movement.

Modifiers: Area in Effect - Based on Other Statistic - Continual in Action - Damaging - Extra Effects - Facet of UE is Unusual - Geographic Area in Effect - Hardly Used - Invisible Agency - Longer to Take Effect - Modifies Characteristic - Non-direct Effects - Offguard During Usage - Permanently On - Rangless - Self Affect Only - Tangible Agency - Uses Subject as Agency - Vulnerablility of User as Agency - Whole Subject Effected Only - Xtra Add-on Enhancement - +Superior in Effect - -Inferior in Effect