JUDGE! 013: Better Know an Effect - HELICARRIER BOMBARDMENT

Welcome back to “Better Know an Effect,” where we
dig into a specific power or ability to hopefully clear up confusion
on the matter.
Today we're taking a look at Black Panther
#031b Col. James Rhodes
HELICARRIER BOMBARDMENT Penetrating/Psychic Blast. // POWER: For each War Machine Drone bystander, choose an opposing character within range and line of fire of that bystander. Make a range attack that targets the chosen characters regardless of range and line of fire. Hit characters are dealt 2 damage instead of normal damage.
This is a fairly
simple power that I think people over think and confuse themselves
with. Which isn't meant as a criticism of any individual, I just like
to try and identify the core issue so we can all deal with it.
So,
first part, it grants Rhodes Penetrating/Psychic Blast. Simple as
simple can be. But it is important because that means the damage from
the second half will be penetrating.
So let's look at the
confusing part.
"POWER".
Give Rhodes a POWER action. So it can't combo with his Running Shot or any other pure move and attack power. Sidestep, as always, can allow for greater positioning.
“For each War Machine Drone bystander, choose an opposing character within range and line of fire of that bystander.”
Okay, so Rhodes can start the game with some of the Drones and can also generate them during the game. So, at the time you give Rhodes the POWER, you choose an opposing character within range and line of fire of EACH Drone.
This means the Drone has to have range and line of fire of that opposing character. If that character is in Stealth and is not adjacent to the Drone, it is not a legal target. It doesn't matter if Rhodes has range or line of fire to the character, just the Drone. This also means that Rhode is not limited by or using his Bolts/Targets to target these characters. The number of targets for this attack is only limited by the Drones and number of opposing characters.
“Make a range attack that targets the chosen characters regardless of range and line of fire.”
This seems to be a major sticking point. Rhodes is making the attack. Not the drones. Rhodes is also making a single attack that targets all the chosen characters, not making a separate attack for each chosen character. And here's where I'll pull in a comprehensive rule book quote.
Under 12.1, “A character can’t be targeted by the same attack more than once.” So, even if you have five Drones and they all choose the same opposing character, that character is being targeted once by the single attack and hit or missed once, by that single attack.
It also says “regardless of range and line of fire.” which applies to Rhodes, because again, he's the one making the attack. So, he's the one that characters need range and line of fire for Probability Control or other effects that care about such things.
“Hit characters are dealt 2 damage instead of normal damage.”
So, hit characters are dealt 2 damage instead of normal damage. So Enhancement doesn't matter, but a critical hit would still increase damage dealt to each hit character. And as I said earlier, that 2 damage will be penetrating because Rhodes can use Pen/Psy Blast.
Hopefully breaking it down into its component parts
makes it a little easier to process and understand.
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Until next time,
they're not going to rain hellfire from above. They're just the
JUDGE!