You can do the pump at any time. However, if you've already rolled your attack has already been totaled so the extra will add damage but not attack

If they've rolled Impervious then damage was already dealt so modding damage does nothing for this attack.


Now Prob works b/c it makes you redo the roll. If you attack and miss, then use Venom pump and then Prob the roll you will get the mod for the second roll

That's how i see it

If I remember well (and I am pretty sure I do), when you re-roll an attack roll you are stuck with whatever attack or defense value you have prior to the roll so no, using Venom Pump won't allow you to raise your attack for a re-roll using PC.
And I still don't see why, since when you roll for attack your attack or defense value cannot be further modifed, your damage value would be ? This only add a new level of complexity to a game that doesn't need one, and for no reason whatsoever : as soon as you roll for attack, all combat values are freezed. It might not be clearly said but it make sense and I sure hope it will be ruled that way

Did we ever get an orange ruling on the timing of the use of Venom Pump?

I certainly don't think you could elect to use Venom Pump after the dice have been rolled. Just as you have to declare BCF prior to the roll, you should have to declare Venom Pump, prior to the roll. In fact, I think the timing should look like this:

1.) Declare Breakaway
2.) If successful, declare Venom Pump
3.) Declare Charge and complete the attack as per rules, dealing damage consistent with what was declared for Venom Pump before the dice were rolled.

This, to me, seems consistent with current breakaway rules

1.) Declare Breakaway
2.) If successful, Perplex my attack or your defenses
3.) Declare Running Shot (or Charge or Charge-BCF, etc)
3.) Complete the action

Declaring Venom Pump after the dice have been rolled seems tantamount to cheating. You don't get to Perplex your attack values after the dice have been rolled. You have to do that before rolling the dice.

Not yet on this particular timing issue.

Woh ! Woh ! Woh !
This is wrong.
Using Perplex is a free action and thu, you cannot use it during any other action (some exceptions do exist, Perplex is not one of them). When you declare an attempt to breakaway, it means that you declare an action during which this character will try to move, so it is too late to use perplex to raise any of his (or anybody else's) value.
The right course of action would be :
1/ use Perplex
2/ declare a power action (to activate Charge, Running Shot or even TK) or move action
3/ make a breakaway roll
4/ resolve the action. If the breakaway prove unsuccesful, the action is over
Venom Pump is NOT an action, that's why it can be used in the middle of something like Charge.
You don't have ot use Perplex after the roll is made because using Perplex IS an action. If it wasn't, the same argument would be valid. Don't get me wrong : I'm still on the side of the "no declaration after attack roll is made", but I understand why there is an argument here. Venom Pump is not an action so theorically it can happen any time.

This is what I have put together in exact order from the sources in this thread. Is this right?

At any point before the attack roll is rolled, Venom Pump may be declared.

1) Declare Charge and Breakaway.
If you fail, take an action token and don't sweat it.
If you succeed, Charge.

2) Charge and make your attack roll.
If you fail, and you miss by 1, 2, or 3, you cannot use Venom Pump to turn the miss into a hit.
If you hit, you can use Venom Pump to up the damage.

3) If your opponent uses Super Senses, you do not need to declare VP until a 1-4 is rolled.

4) If your opponent uses Imperv, you must declare VP before the die is rolled.

Like Captain Krueger said, you never declare break away. You declare Charge and because Charge includes movement, you roll for break away before you can move.

I hate stupid silly mistakes. i no da rulez i swearz

Edited previous post =]

I just got lucky. It was a really hard concept to search for because you can't just search for BCF because the term is too short.

Captain Krueger is correct. As I stated earlier, if you reroll an attack, you use the same combat values as the original attack roll.

From the Player's Guide:
That is funny. The same thing went through my head when I read it.

Thanks for finding that, Questions. I thought I had seen it as some point. I guess it is being ruled differently now.

Sounds hot when somebody else say it.

In my country, we have a saying for this : "Les grand esprits se rencontrent". Which can translate into : great minds always meet (pretty much)

I actually have no idea what the ruling is right now. Harpua's earlier comment (from my post) made it seem like if you declare BCF you use BCF. His comment in this thread made it seem the way you said, you can declare BCF but decide not to use it after the attack roll. I'm hoping he clarifies his position with a definitive answer.

You don't need to declare BCF because it is active every time you give a character a close combat action, just like any other "passive" power. Then you may throw the die for damage or not.

If you want to not use BCF at all (to get the bonus from Back-Alley Brawl for example) you must cancel your BCF or declare you are not using it if it comes from a special power.

You actually do need to declare BCF if you want to use it in an attack. BCF is an activated power.

From p. 15 of the 2010 Core Rulebook:
BCF is a power that only activates when you give a character a close combat action.

Thanks Questions

Eager to hear the "official" ruling on the question that spawned from my question (whether or not it can be used AFTER the attack roll is made).





P.S. (and entirely unrelated)
When I used the word "spawned" I realized I want a Spawn Heroclix now.