When perplexing a combat value.

If my opponent has a fig with a def of 17, and he perplexes it up to a 20. On my turn can I perplex it down by 6 to a 14? I was told by a judge I could not, cause of the rule of 3. I thought that as long as the end result was +or-3 from the value on the dial it would be ok. But this judge insisted that 20 is the new cobat value and that it can not be effected by more than 3 minus to a 17.
This ruling occured in a month 6 fear itself final. So if an orange could chime in quickly it woyld be appreciated.
Thank you in advance.

Show him page 7 of the rule book, you were correct.

We had the rule book, but his interpretation was 20 is the new combat value and the rule of 3 would appply to 20 not 17, cause he said nothing says what the combat value is.

Show him this additional paragraph from page 5

Perplex very clearly qualifies as modifying a combat value, thus creating a modifier. More modifiers on top of the first perplex creates a sum of all modifiers.

It almost sounds like you were cheated in a big game!

No, if that happened, he would have mentioned being cheated in at least 3 other threads.

Sadly you did get robbed. You were right on in your thinking. A good thing to remember is that you can modify beyond the rule of 3 as a means to counteract opposing perplex. Your opponent could have applied 6 perplex's to a printed 17. This would only yield a result of 20 for attack purposes but the perplex's are still technically there so if you went to perplex his dv down your -3 would only end up at 20 making your negatives pointless.

An easier way to think of it is to say that you equipped 2 hammers to one figure. The hammers each provide +2 to the av but when you attack you can only use +3. However the other +1 is still there so if someone tried to perplex your av -1 it would do nothing to your attack total because they simply negated the one you couldn't use anyway.

This all? Makes perfect sense and is completely understandable. It's how judging works.

This all? Not so much. Airing dirty laundry may be entertaining to the rest if us, but when you come in guns blazing like this, seems a but if an overreaction. Don't make it personal.

after six months of this boner coming in and cheating, dropping attendance because nobody wants to play against him and his jabroni pal, then complaining about a ruling AFTER THE FACT that he won the god damn serpent. yeah, its personal. and i for one applaud my judge for not making a scene out of things at the venue. but holy hannah, what kind of friggin crybaby WINS at a venue where NOBODY LIKES HIM and CHEATS CONSTANTLY tries to pull the weight of a rules arbiter after he already won? good riddance. go away and dont come back.

Question has been answered, and this thread appears to be a lightning rod. Closing.