The applicability of Killing Attacks

[phoenix240]

First you need to differentiate between the two general Directions of gameplay: Superheroic and Heroic.

 

In Superheroic games Killing attacks are generally not supposed to be used against enemies in the first place (even without explicit CvK). They are not supposed to be effective either. Thier role is more or less: Breaking Entangles, Barriers, Foci. And the occasional Robot/Zombie/Demon against which Code vs Killing does not apply (and which might have "No STUN" Power). If it is killing damage in Supers, it is mostly because the Special Effect did not seem to allow Normal Damage to be used.

 

I wanted to ask if this user was correct and is something that was discussed in 6th Edition? AFAIK the guidelines for Superheroic are mainly for a more four color style of play (The Champions Universe) and aren't an overall statement about how things are supposed to work across the board given that Superheroic isn't the same as Four Color. And even at the stated caps, Killing Attacks are still dangerous to characters with the max Resistant Defense (18 vs a potential 24 Body).

 

[Steve Long]

That's not a topic that's discussed in 6E. That users opinion is his own, pure and simple; it's not necessarily an accurate assesment of either the intent or mechanics of the game. Personally, I've been in plenty of Superheroic games where Killing Attacks were both common and mechanically effective.

 

I would agree that in Superheroes genre games (be they Heroic or Superheroic), Killing Attacks and their use by PCs tend to be much less common than in Heroic genres that rely primarily on blades and guns as weapons (e.g., Fantasy, some forms of Dark Champions, Pulp, some forms of SF). But saying that is a far cry from saying "they're not supposed to be used, or effective."