I have a pretty simple question that just basically I need an interpretation of how the power reads.

So pulse wave ignores characters for line of fire, but you need to drawn line of fire to at least one opposing character to activate it.

I'm basically asking if this assumption, that you need to drawn LoF to an opposing character is something that is meant to cover the power as a whole - that it's a condition that needs to be met by the use of pulse wave - or if it's something that's ordered as in, you have to first be able to draw line of fire to an opponent, before you can activate pulse wave.

for a picture example.... say you have the following terrain setup:

■ ◙ E
■ F ◙
■ ■ ■

■ are squares of elevated terrain
F is the character that wants to use pulse wave (F is on elevated terrain, like the rest of the squares, other than E)
E is an enemy character, who is on ground level (not elevated)
◙ are squares of elevated terrain, occupied by characters friendly to F

Normally, line of fire to E would be blocked for a standard ranged attack from F to E. I want to know whether F would be able to use Pulse Wave to attack E.

I'm guessing that since I'm pretty sure that it's understood that you can pulse wave a stealthed character (and you normally can't draw line of fire to them with a normal ranged attack), that in the above example you would be able to hit the opponent with Pulse Wave, but I just needed a clarification to be sure, since it came up in a match up at our venue the other night.

Pulse Wave ignores powers, traits, feats and pretty much everything else... *except* terrain. The LOF from F to E is blocked by the elevated terrain and thus Pulse Wave cannot be used.

F to E is a direct Diagonal though (at least that's what I'm trying to illustrate in the diagram). The conflict that arises I believe, which is why I'm not sure about this situation, is that the friendly characters are blocking line of fire for normal ranged attacks (I'm pretty sure that since it's a direct diagonal, and if the friendlies weren't there a standard ranged attack could be made from F to E). Trying to figure out if the same is true for Pulse wave.

I made the diagram larger - maybe that helps the illustration better.

And because it is a diagonal, you follow the intersection rules for drawing LOF. What terrain is on either side of the intersection? Elevated terrain. So you treat the LOF as if it crosses elevated terrain and thus the LOF is blocked. Even if there weren't characters in those squares, LOF to E would be blocked by the terrain itself.




Now, if there was no elevated terrain and everyone was on the same elevation, LOF could be drawn just fine since PW's LOF is not blocked by characters.

The line of fire from F to E is blocket by the two friendly characthers to F BUT PW ignores charaters so the LOF can be draw to E. BUT the LOF cross the corners of two squares of elevated terrain and PW not ignore terrain, then in your example the LOF is blocket NOT by the characther but by the terrain.

Ah. Well Normalview, you both managed to correct a previous assumption I had, as well as answer what was going to be my follow up question. There needs to be something higher than rep.... like a super rep or something.

This was a question I thought I knew the answer to, but asked for clarification's sake.... Good thing I asked! Rep to the others for helping as well. Thanks.

Wait... So if in his example there are no charcters adjacent to F, He still can't draw line of fire to E? That doesn't make any sense. F is obviously standing on the edge of elevated in an inside corner. So what your saying is that F can't target E due to elevated being in the way. It's a corner(yes an inside one). I don't see how line of fire would be blocked. And if that is the case, everyone I know has been playing wrong since the first inside corner on a map showed up...


If this is actually the case, I really believe the rules need to be looked at...

I've got a question. Can you be adjacent to an opponent and use pulse wave or do you have to have the sharp shooter ability. My friend says yes, is this correct? What about energy explosion, you can't be adjacent unless you have the sharp shooter ability, right?

Pulsewave you can do in adjacency without sharp shooter, EE you can't do in adjacency unless your a sharp shooter.

The intersection rules are crystal clear on this matter: when a LOF crosses an exact diagonal (AKA intersection), you treat the LOF as if it crosses the most permissable terrain on either side of the intersection. In this case, the terrain on both sides of the intersection is elevated terrain so neither one is more permissable than the other and they both block LOF.

It's been this way since at least Blackest Night, possibly longer... I honestly can't remember if the current intersection rules appeared in the FF starter or not. At any rate, these rules have been around for at least a littl while now and I don't think it will be changing.

I still haven't seen your basic questioned answered:

I'm basically asking if this assumption, that you need to drawn LoF to an opposing character is something that is meant to cover the power as a whole - that it's a condition that needs to be met by the use of pulse wave - or if it's something that's ordered as in, you have to first be able to draw line of fire to an opponent, before you can activate pulse wave.

Perhaps I missed it, but it is a good question. I can only guess that because F had friends in the orange diagonal sqaures that you could even use pulse wave to begin with. What if the orange diagonals were friends of E instead of F and all were on the ground would you still need to draw a line of fire to F to even activate the Pulsewave? Considering that you can just shoot characters in stealth this way I'm guessing not, but because of what 7 of diamonds highlighted in his or her opening statement it does make one think.

If you truly must draw a line to a character to activate the power then you shouldn't just be able to target a stealthed character. You should have to target a character out of stealth first, which then activated the power so you can shoot the character in stealth as well because only then can you target.

I also have yet to understand that if Elevated terrain truly blocks line of fire to use Pulsewave then how come characters that are both standing on elevated terrain can get shot by it. In the description itself it says that crossing a line of elevated terrain blocks line of fire, so if Batman is standing 2 squares away from chase Spiderwoman and she (who is also engaged with Green Arrow) how can she really shoot Batman with pulsewave since lines of fire from pulsewave are crossing elevated terrain when all characters involved are on elevated terrain?

I did answer it.

It really is that simple.

The rules for PW don't change how elevated terrain and LOF interact. Instead, it points out that elevated terrain (like few other things, since PW is the great exception to most rules) causes LOF to be drawn normally and could thus block LOF. So if you could draw LOF between elevations for a normal ranged combat attack, you could also draw that same LOF for PW. And if that normal LOF would be blocked, it would also be blocked for PW. PW has does not ignore elevated terrain.

Thank you sir, For straightening this issue out. Like I said I've overlooked that perticular rule a few times, As has alot of ppl I know...

I took that by Normalview anticipating and then answering my follow up question - that if they were all on the same elevation - that since the pulse wave could happen while the line of fire was blocked for normal ranged attacks by the friendlies, but not for pulse wave that:

For pulse wave, drawing line of fire to at least one opposing character is a condition that needs to be met by the use of pulse wave and not an initial check that had to be made before you could activate pulse wave.

That is what I got from Normalview's answer.


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I trust Normalview and will stand by his interpretation because he's a deputy and has a pretty fantastic track record with rules.... but a slight gramatical thing actually would suggest a difference in the rules perhaps.

As is, the line reads: "At least one opposing character must have a line of fire drawn to it to activate this power"
The operative word here is activate. If in order to "activate" the power, I would think that you need to draw line of fire to an opposing character to trigger the other effects of pulse wave such as ignoring characters, powers, and such.

If my interpretation of Normalview's answer is correct, and that drawing line of fire to one character is actually a condition to be met with the use of the power (thus assuming that before the line of fire is even drawn, the effect of pulse wave come into play such as ignoring powers, characters for LoF, etc.), then perhaps a better way to write that sentence would be:
"At least one opposing character must have a line of fire drawn to it to [be able to] use this power." - not "activate" it.

Or maybe not? I don't know, that's just my interpretation of how the grammar of the sentence (even if heroclix terminology) and the actual ruling don't exactly line up. We know from past examples (like pulse waving a stealth character) that you don't necessarily have to be able to normally (without pulse wave) be able to draw line of fire to the target character.