So, fun with Agent 13.

Her defense canceling power is on click 2. Let's say I'm using her and a figure with EE. Agent 13 is top-clicked, and she bases Superman.

I'm also using JoeSplosion, who has EE and one bolt. JoeSplosion shoots Superman and hits both.

Can I assign the area of effect damage to A13 first, click her onto her SP, and thus cancel Superman's defense power before assigning damage?

LET YOUR GUARD DOWN: Adjacent opposing characters can't use defense powers.

I don't believe so. My understanding it it's all simultaneous, so the targets would all get their defense powers. The only one that I can think of that would kick in would be Mastermind where the damage could be passed on to an adjacent character. In your example, say Superman had Mastermind (from a resource or some other effect). Next to him was a friendly Sponge Lad, the Meat Shield Boy Wonder. Superman could Pass off the damage he would have received to Sponge Lad, who would then take the Splash damage, plush the Masterminded damage all as one source of damage (So no reducing it twice if he had toughness).

That might actually work. Damage Dealt is assigned simultaneously. Simultaneous effects are determined in the order of the active player's choice.
- Damage is Dealt to Agent 13, Damage is Taken, knocked to her new click.
- Damage is now Dealt to Superman. Check for Agent 13's effect and his Defense power can't be used, and the Damage Dealt is modified by nothing, becoming Damage Taken.

I can not find anything that would support this not working. Since applying Damage Dealt includes completing Damage Taken, Agent 13 would be one click in before Superman gets his Dealt applied.

Good question to ask on the WK site, but I'm pretty sure it won't work as I don't think the "simultaneous events" allow "new powers" to kick in until it's resolved. Granted, I don't have my rulebook or any documentation in front of me to say one way or the other, but that's what's sticking in my mind. I'd love to know the answer for sure, though!

I am pretty sure the proposed scenario will not work because the damage process is as follows...

1) Damage is all DEALT simultaneously with all positive modifiers to Damage DEALT occurring first.

2) Negative modifiers are applied to Damage DEALT second (This prevents abusing the 0 bottom for Damage DEALT)

3) After all the Damage is DEALT, Damage is TAKEN.

Once you start taking Damage it will be to late to recalculate Damage DEALT modifiers.

This is explained on p. 10 of the Rulebook.

Poison and Mastermind and Toughness is a good example of this. If the guy with Toughness is next both a friendly MM fig and a poisoner. He would be dealt 1 Damage from Poison and also dealt 1 Damage from the MM passing the poison on to him. He can not stack the effects in such away that he reduces the first damage to 0 and then take the damage then reduce the damage from the MM source again to 0 and take that damage.

If you use MM in this way he must take both damage dealt first (Poison + MM_Poison = 2) and then reduce that to 1 (with Toughness) and then he must take the 1 Damage.

Fwiw, I would say IH nailed it.

Also, you can activate a power in the middle of resolving another if it wasn't active when the attack took place unless it specifically says so. With IceHot 100% on this one.

Thanks for the feedback. That's what I was thinking, but thought I might have found a way to be real mean with her.

Well, yeah, when you put it that way, sure....

And your 3 step breakdown is so much clearer than having to read through a blocky paragraphs of text to find what I'm looking for. The current format of the Rulebook is great if you have time to read the whole thing, but paging through for specific rules is cumbersome.
Flowcharts. Maybe they would help....

And I forgot about Mastermind, which brings the whole process into better focus. Thanks for the correction!