Mutants & Masterminds 3E - Multiattack Array

[punchbeard]

Hi everyone.
I have a question about how much arrays can be abused in M&M 3E. I'm a GM. Let's say my villain has an array of powers like this:

Fire Array, 18 pp
> Attack 1: Fire Perception Ranged Damage, multiattack, rank 4 (16 pp)
> Attack 2: Fire Burst Area Ranged Damage, multiattack, rank 4 (16 pp)
> Attack 3: Fire Close Damage, multiattack, rank 4 (12 pp)

Assume that the character already has really good bonuses to hit.

With this array, does this mean that the character can use Attack 1, Attack 2, and Attack 3 on the same turn?
If not, does the array need to be dynamic?

[Cazero]

Short answer : mostly no.

Long answer : If you don't use extra effort, you only have 1 standard action and can only use 1 of those attacks. Using several powers with the same action require them to be linked, wich is incompatible with different settings of an array. However, you might allow a dynamic array to have different settings linked.
But assuming you use extra effort with the Extraordinary Effort advantage to obtain the 3 standard actions required to use 3 different attacks in the same round, you can still only change the setting of the array once per round. You may be able to attack 3 times, and you can use the same power 3 times for that, but you can't use 3 different powers from the same array in the same round.

I'm quite sure Multiattack is incompatible with Perception range and Area since there is no longer an attack roll.

Important point : NPCs are not limited by the same pp budgets that PCs have. Building a PL 10 villain with 1000 points worth of minions alone is perfectly legit.

I'm not sure I understand what you are trying to do with this. M&M is relatively easy to break, and it's probably better if you don't.

[Grod_The_Giant]

With this array, does this mean that the character can use Attack 1, Attack 2, and Attack 3 on the same turn?
No, for several reasons:

You only get one standard action a turn, and you can't link two identical effects (eg, Damage linked to Damage)
You can't use multiple powers in an array simultaneously unless they're dynamic. A normal array can only have one active at a time, and can only switch once per turn.


Arrays are only really abusive when they cover wildly disparate abilities (say, Transform, Remote Sensing, Mind Reading, and a set of skill boosts), or when each entry is so big that you're practically switching characters as a free action once per turn.

[punchbeard]

Short answer : mostly no.

Long answer : If you don't use extra effort, you only have 1 standard action and can only use 1 of those attacks. Using several powers with the same action require them to be linked, wich is incompatible with different settings of an array. However, you might allow a dynamic array to have different settings linked.

Hm... I still don't understand. If a power has Multiattack and Alternate Effect, and you multiattack, then why can't you use the alternate effects? It's still the same standard action, because of multiattack... right?



I'm not sure I understand what you are trying to do with this. M&M is relatively easy to break, and it's probably better if you don't.
I want to make the villain boss fights exciting. Once the players knock out the minions, then they team up on a single boss who gets 1 attack per turn. I learned earlier in the campaign to give villains relatively low defenses, otherwise fights would drag on until one of the players finally gets in a hit. Instead, making the bosses hit harder and do more keeps the fight fast-paced. For instance, rather than spending a turn to spawn a minion, the boss could also get in an attack. Or maybe the boss tries to damage one player and afflict another player. Having multiple bosses per fight could do this, but my goal is to have a single powerful boss.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Hm... I still don't understand. If a power has Multiattack and Alternate Effect, and you multiattack, then why can't you use the alternate effects? It's still the same standard action, because of multiattack... right?
No. Multiattack has three effects: bonus damage if you hit a single target by a lot, the ability to take a penalty to shoot at multiple targets, and the ability to provide covering fire. It doesn't let you take extra attack options.


I want to make the villain boss fights exciting. Once the players knock out the minions, then they team up on a single boss who gets 1 attack per turn. I learned earlier in the campaign to give villains relatively low defenses, otherwise fights would drag on until one of the players finally gets in a hit. Instead, making the bosses hit harder and do more keeps the fight fast-paced. For instance, rather than spending a turn to spawn a minion, the boss could also get in an attack. Or maybe the boss tries to damage one player and afflict another player. Having multiple bosses per fight could do this, but my goal is to have a single powerful boss.
Personally, I usually use the system-neutral solution of "give boss enemies an extra turn," but if your players would protest that sort of thing, start stocking up on reaction abilities. Things like
Counterattack: Reaction (Missed melee attack) Damage 8, linked to Move Object 8, Reduced Range, Limited to knockback.
or
Go For the Kill: Reaction (enemy fails save against Affliction or Weaken) Ranged Damage 12
or
Aikido: Reaction (Enemy moves adjacent) on Strength 10, Limited to non-damaging uses

Instead of taking a turn to spawn new minions, make them appear automatically when he gets hit, Multiple Man style. Giving him adaptive immunities. Slap Reflect and/or Redirect on some of his defenses. Give him Triggered heals and buffs.

One interesting thing about M&M is that it's almost more complicated for the player than the GM. The players need to know exactly how to model their powers, because they need to pay. But the GM doesn't count points, so he doesn't need to care about the exact combination of effects and modifiers. As long as the numbers fit properly within PL, and the actual rolling follows the guidelines in the Affliction/Damage/Nullify/Weaken effects, you can pretty much make things up as you go along.