I'm new to the game, and there are a few rules I can't figure out, which I'm hoping someone can clarify:

1. When using the Defend power, does the character being defended still get to use his own defense abilities PLUS the defence value lent to him? For example if A has 18 defense on its dial and defends B which has a dial of 15 defense and toughness, would B now have just 18 defense or 18 with toughness?

2. Can a character perplex itself? Also if you perplex range or movement, are you only supposed to +1/-1 to the range or movement value on the dial?

3. If character A has pulsewave and 3 damage on its dial and only character B is both in range and in a line of fire, would A do 1 click damage or would A deal 3 damage? If it's 3 damage is the 3 locked or is the 3 subject to B's damage reducers like toughness?

4. If character A uses incapacitate on B when B already has 1 action token on him, does B take pushing damage as a result of the incapacitate?

5. Does earthbound only affect the character with earthbound on its dial or is it intended that you get to inflict earthbound on an opposing character? If earthbound only affects your own character, is there any benefit to having this power or is it more intended to be a penalty which disadvantages your character.

Thanks

1. Yes.

2. Yes.

3. If you only have one character in range, you do full damage with Pulse Wave.

4.Character B would take pushing damage if it did not have either Willpower, Indomitable, or a special power giving it access to them.

5.The character that has Earthbound only affects itself. There are figures that can give Earthbound to other figures, but those are special powers.

1. When using the Defend power, does the character being defended still get to use his own defense abilities PLUS the defence value lent to him? For example if A has 18 defense on its dial and defends B which has a dial of 15 defense and toughness, would B now have just 18 defense or 18 with toughness?

Defend only replaces the friendly characters defese value, not any powers that character may have.

2. Can a character perplex itself? Also if you perplex range or movement, are you only supposed to +1/-1 to the range or movement value on the dial?

Characters may perplex themselves (unless they have a special power limiting their perplex to other characters) and modify whichever of the five combat values (unless a special power limits to which one) by +/-1 (unless the special power specifies otherwise).

3. If character A has pulsewave and 3 damage on its dial and only character B is both in range and in a line of fire, would A do 1 click damage or would A deal 3 damage? If it's 3 damage is the 3 locked or is the 3 subject to B's damage reducers like toughness?

Pulsewave ignores powers and abilities, so it would ignore a damage reducer and deal the full damage if only one character is within range of PW.

4. If character A uses incapacitate on B when B already has 1 action token on him, does B take pushing damage as a result of the incapacitate?

Character B would take push damage unless they had a team ability, power, or ability that grants the effects of willpower (or if they had Battle Fury they could not be targetted by Incap).

5. Does earthbound only affect the character with earthbound on its dial or is it intended that you get to inflict earthbound on an opposing character? If earthbound only affects your own character, is there any benefit to having this power or is it more intended to be a penalty which disadvantages your character.

Earthbound effects the character that it is on. This is a disadvantage at times, but not always. It often lowers the point cost of the character, it also means that characters who could not be carried are now eligible to be carried.

Thanks for these great responses, I get it now!

You are welcome, glad to help.

Also note that locking damage doesn't mean that an opposing figure can't use toughness or invulnerability or impervious. Locking a combat value only means that the value can't be changed. But once you are dealing damage, it changes from your damage value (which may be locked) into the damage dealt value (which is not a combat value, and is not locked.)

I had to read the lock concept a few times, hopefully I've got it right now. If for example I have a character that has a damage value of 2 printed on the dial that then uses Blades/Claws/Fangs and rolls a 4, the "locked" value would result in me reading the printed dial value of 2 as if it were 4. If the target had toughness then I would deal 3 damage to it since my locked 4 is still subject to the damage reduction from the target's toughness. Does that sound right?

Thanks

Correct...