Not so. You cannot be given an attack. HSS gives you a free action.

From the rulebook: A free action may be used to perform a close combat, ranged combat, move, or power action; in each case, the description of the free action will indicate what other type of action may be used.

HSS does tell us this, it says to use a free action to make a close combat or ranged combat attack. Not a ranged combat action, not a close combat action, not a power action, not even a move action — an attack. Try reading it with the Rulebook entry on free actions inserted into the text:

Hypersonic Speed
Original
This character receives one free action during its movement that it may use to make a close combat or ranged combat attack.
With the rule inserted
This character receives one free, close combat, ranged combat, move, or power action during its movement that it may use to make a close combat or ranged combat attack.







And just so everyone realizes this, it is not just RCE and CCE that are being limited...

From the PAC: Mind Control
Give this character a power action. It may make a close combat or ranged combat attack.

From the PAC: Telekinesis
Give this character a power action and choose one of the following: (1) It may make one close combat attack... 3) It may make a ranged combat attack.

From the PAC: Ranged Combat Expert
Give this character a power action. It may make a ranged combat attack.

From the PAC: Support
Give this character a power action and make a close combat attack.

From the PAC: Close Combat Expert
Give this character a power action. It may make a close combat attack.




And for posterity, the entire rule:

why does everyone make this more complicated than it needs to be.....?

Just an update from the Judge's Forum at Wizkids where the same debate is continuing between Judges:

Dr. Gandalf has ruled that Power Actions can't be used with HSS.

A member has respectfully disagreed with the ruling and is seeking further clarification/review.

look at the can of worms that I opened.

This is why many people flunk out of law school, Psylockeslover...

Anyway, my take on explaining this:

Free actions are unlike other actions. They are a sort of "action modifier" in that they allow an action to be taken without acquiring an action token. A free action may be any type of action, but is that does not mean that any time you get a free action you may use it for any type of other action. That is a logical flaw in thinking. Just because a pet may be a dog or a cat does not mean that everyone with a pet has a dog and a cat.

So, you follow the rules. HSS gives you a free action with which you may make a close combat attack or a ranged combat attack. These rules are in the rulebook under combat. You may not use the HSS free action to take a power action. True, RCE's power action gives you a ranged attack just like HSS. That is a similarity between the two powers. It does not mean you can combine them.

Here is the logical chain:
Assign a move action to a character with HSS
Gain a free action for making an attack
Assign a power action for making an attack with RCE
Make an attack

Note the line in red. It doesn't work because you can't take that power action. Leave it out and the chain of events follow logically.

I've been wondering that myself, though I think it's because some people can't get it into their heads that in the new rules there a is a clear and distinct difference between action and attack

A power that allows you to have free action that gives you a ranged combat attack or closed combat attack doesn't give you a ranged combat action, a close combat action, a power action, or another free action.

Every version of the PAC I've see only the free action in Hypersonic Speed to gives a ranged combat attack or close combat attack. Nowhere does it state the free action in a Hypersonic Speed move action give a ranged combat action, close combat action, power action or another free action for that matter.

I really wish I could give a better reasoning of why RCE and CCE can't be done with Hypersonic Speed, but the rules seem simple and clear enough to me that there's no way this can be allowed. When I first read the rules and PAC, it seemed to clear to me that this couldn't be done. Am I truly the only one who read them this way?

Guess I should have read DreadDormammu's reply first. He did an excellent job of explaining why and how people are complicating what really is a simple rule.

Just remember that attack and action are not the same thing in the Indy HeroClix Rulebook.

I am quite aware of the difference, that is not the issue. The issue is where is this attack coming from.

Bravo! That is the problem right there. A free action cannot give you a ranged combat attack or close combat attack. I'll say that again to let it sink in... You cannot make an attack with a free action. There simply is no provision for it in the rules.

Let's take a look at free actions, shall we?

There are only two uses for a free action. The first is to call a specific Power & Ability into play, such as Outwit, Enhancement, etc. This is obviously not a form of attack (as required during HSS), so on to the next...

The second use (and the one we are dealing with here) is to assign an additional action. That's it right there. That's all it does. The free action in HSS (and Mind Control) is only used to assign another action. And under the rules, that action may be a free action (for Outwit, etc.), a close combat action, a ranged combat action, a move action or a power action.

That is the argument. The free action must assign another action in order to perform the attack. There is no other way to do it since the free action cannot do it by itself. And the rules say that a power action is one of the options available for use as long as the end result is a ranged or close combat attack (which HSS requires and RCE fulfills).

So now I ask you, how exactly are you making this attack during HSS without an action to do it?!?

hmmmm......Nothing here that says a free action must be a Move, Combat, or Power action.......

hrmmmm.......this says a free action may be used for a combat, move, or power action, but not that all free actions must be an action. It also says that, within each power, it will tell you what you can do with that free action.

And before you jump on this part of the line: "in each case, the description of the free action will indicate what other type of action may be used.", it is immediately preceeded by, and is a part of this line: "A free action may be used to perform a close combat, ranged combat, move, or power action; in each case, the description of the free action will indicate what other type of action may be used."

Since it is part of the same sentence, thay cannot be interpreted seperately. The second part tells you that, if an action is assigned by the free action, then the power will tell you what kind of action it can be.

True, and I already covered that. If you choose not to assign another action, then the only thing you can do with a free action is activate a Power/Ability such as Outwit or Perplex.

HSS says that a "ranged or close combat attack" must be accomplished. Must. But how do we arrive at that. To perform a ranged or close combat attack, you must assign a Ranged Combat Action, Close Combat Action or Power Action. A free action, by itself, no matter what, cannot do it. So this particular free action must assign another action in order to satisfy the HSS requirement of a "ranged or close combat attack." When a free action assigns another action then a Power Action becomes an option according to the rules.

When you have assigned your character a close combat action without using any powers, that allows for the use of a close combat attack. So a free action CAN give you a close combat attack.

The problem you're not understanding is that the intent of HSS is to allow for a free action ONLY for the above case (and its ranged counterpart). If they had used the term "close combat action" instead of attack, that would have opened up a slew of other powers allowed to be used with HSS.

No, they ONLY want you to be able to use a close combat or ranged combat ATTACK with HSS.

Just because there are powers out there that also result in a close combat or ranged combat attack, it doesn't mean you're allowed to used these.

On a side note, although this may be perceived as a heated argument, it really isn't on my part. I respect Psylockeslover, and the work and help he offers here on the boards. (He really is a Super Groovy Dude.) And I really am enjoying debating the merits of a power combination that, admittedly, is only an option for 1 character in the entire game! It is especially nice that alot of you are being very articulate in your defense (pro or con) of the issue.

No. I think you might be confused. The free action gave you another action. The resulting close combat action gave you the close combat attack. A free action cannot, ever, give you an attack of any kind, only other actions that can.

It would not have cause any problem whatsoever to use more precise language. That is why we are not having this argument for Charge or Running Shot. They specifically say to assign a "Ranged/Close Combat ACTION as a free action." If they had wording HSS similarly, then I wouldn't have a problem with it. But they didn't. And I for one am willing to give the game designers the benefit of the doubt and assume that they meant for this combo to be allowed.

Actually, when you are assigned a free action, that is exactly what you get .

Okay here's one final way for me to demonstrate this.

"ranged combat attack: The result of giving a character a ranged combat action."

So basically people would have been happier if Wizkids chose to lengthen the PAC's by saying that HSS gives one free action that allows the character to make one ranged combat action to make one ranged combat attack or one close combat action to make one close combat attack.

They'll need to rewrite Ranged Combat Expert as well, since the definition of ranged combat attack above says it's the result of a ranged combat action. So now Ranged Combat Expert must say Give this character a power action. It may make a Free Action to make a Ranged Combat Action to make a ranged combat attack against a single target.

Basically Wizkids' mistake was in assuming the average gamer could get from A to C without needing to mention the implied step B. I guess they should have realized this from the size of the old FAQ.

On a side-note, did Psylockeslover get judge status, and I missed it? If so congrats! I just see his name mentioned a lot these days. I remember answering rules questions with Tsannik back in the good ol' days, and nobody ever remembers me when I introduce myself to players at tournaments. *sniff* Not that I do it for the fame, mind you...