I was playing the other day with a bunch of friends and when I used Green Arrow, my friend said that you couldn't use GA's "Emerald Archer" power to give the +2 modifier to the ranged combat attack with RCE, since RCE is a power action which gives a ranged combat attack, and you could only use Emerald Archer for straight-up ranged combat attacks. Without a judge handy, and rather than arguing about it, we rolled dice to settle who's right. Anyway, he ended up right by the dice, but i'm not entirely convinced with his argument. So is he right? or horribly wrong and made me waste my perplexes on modifying GA's damage value?

You were right. Emerald Archer activates every time you make a range combat attack. RCE is a power action that makes a ranged combat attack. Incapacitate can be a ranged combat action that makes a ranged combat attack.

So while they are both different kinds of actions, they both make ranged combat attacks, and as such activate the "Emerald Archer"

He was wrong. Were you making a ranged combat attack? Yes? Then you can use the modifier. There is no qualifier other than it grants the +2 to ranged combat attacks, not close combat. It doesn't matter how the RCA was granted...

:edit: or just read what ouchmaker said:

He's wrong. Emerald Archer is triggered whenever Green Arrow makes a ranged combat attack, no matter what kind of action he was given (and, by the way, even if you weren't using Ranged Combat Expert, you'd still need to give him a ranged combat action to attack: there's no "straight-up ranged combat attack" in this case). It's perfectly compatible with Ranged Combat Expert.

EDIT: slooooow...

He was wrong.

( You know, just in case you hadn't gathered that from the previous three posts. )

Here's the long and short of it: If you are attacking at range, it always results in a ranged combat attack

Here is Emerald Archer: When Green Arrow makes a ranged combat attack, modify his attack value by +2

Here is ranged combat expert: Give this character a power action. It makes a ranged combat attack against a single target character; modify its damage value by +2 for the attack.

From the glossary:

attack: An action that includes an attack roll to determine whether one character hits another.
ranged combat attack: An attack that requires a clear line of fire to a target up to the character’s range value away in squares.
ranged combat action: An action given to a character that allows it to make a ranged combat attack.

If your friend can provide one iota of evidence that GA should not get his +2 when he makes ANY ranged attack when Emerald Archer is showing, I will eat my Earth 2 Superman. On camera!

I'd like to see that anyway . . .

With hot sauce.

No thanks, I filled up on Power Pack

Wow, how could I have missed something so obvious.

I have been playing Green Arrow Oliver Queen, one of comics' characters that I am most passionate about, completely wrong all this time.

Man, sometimes I amaze even myself with my absent-mindedness.

Thank you all, for righting a most overdue wrong.

just remember, the emerald archer can use the bonus on any ranged attack - but the SR hawkeye from avengers needs to be given the power action to use it (which is what i'm assuming the mix-up stems from)