I don't think this is intentional, but the way I read it, according to the new rules, whenever a figure uses Pulse Wave, it would have to also target itself.

From p. 12 of the rule book:
RANGE
When an effect refers to a character’s range, it’s referring to its range value. ... Squares within a character’s range are all of the squares you can reach by counting up to the character’s range value, starting with a count of 0 in the square the character occupies and counting outwards in all directions (including diagonals).

From the PAC:
PULSE WAVE RANGE: Halve range, [improved targeting, ignores characters and can shoot when adjacent]. Other characters within range can’t use powers or abilities (for this action). Make a range attack targeting all characters, at least one of which must be opposing, within range and line of fi re using their printed defense values. If more than one character is targeted, each hit character is dealt 1 damage instead of normal damage.

It's because you start counting your range with 0 that I think right now the figure would target itself. I've asked for clarification on the rules site. But does anyone else read it this way?

You've always been within range and line of fire of yourself. This is not a change.

The range is counted for other characters. See bold above. And an attacker can't target themselves according to page 13.

I was thinking there was a rule that prevented you from attacking yourself, and there is, but it specifically makes an exception to that rule for ones that target all characters, which pulse wave does.

p.13

I won't play this way, since that would really make pulse wave a lot less effective. Reading it that way would also make the last sentence of pulse wave useless, since you would never be able to target only one character, since one must be opposing and the pulse waver will always be in range and line of fire.

This is a change, btw since old pulse wave said you drew lines of fire "to all other characters within the area of effect."

Yeah, the change is that old Pulse Wave actually specifies that you target "other characters." New Pulse Wave does not.

But I agree, I highly doubt this is what they intend. I'm planning on running this as if they do not target themselves until I hear otherwise. Which I might because I did ask them to clarify.

Yeah, they definitely missed punctuation or something in what you quoted. I first read it like "you can't target yourself OR you can't target a friendly character unless."

But the black box right below it seems to only focus on the friendly character part of Pulse Wave, so I think it's pretty obvious what it's supposed to mean to say.

I think some might be overthinking this.


The quoted phrase tells you all you need to know.

If you really do target yourself, then this phrase is unnecessary as every time you targeted a single opposing character the damage would automatically become 1 (because you would also be targeting yourself).

There is zero possibility that WK intends PW to be a power which self-targetis every time it is used.

I don't disagree, but unfortunately you have people that are a bit too anal about these things.

Too anal? And here I thought this was the rules forum.