I noticed that Commissioner Gordon from the new Dark Knight Rises set posses both energy explosion and the sharpshooter ability. By my reading, energy explosion can splash to friendly characters if they are adjacent to the target (though they may not be targeted by the attack). Sharpshooter allows a figure to make ranged combat attacks even while in base contact with an opposing figure, if they target the figure they are in base contact with.

My question is, if Gordon is in base contact with an opposing character and wishes to use energy explosion to damage some other figure also in base contact with that opposing character, will he also end up affected by the splash? My read of the rules implies that he will.

I'm just somewhat amused by the idea of Gordon using the sharpshooter ability and the result being that he damages himself in the same shotgun blast that gets his attackers. Bonus fun if he manages to score a critical hit.

Yup, Gordon is not immune to his own Energy Explosion. The PG even says it is possible in a sentence in the clarification of Energy Explosion: "If the attacker itself takes damage, it is not knocked back."

Yea, pretty funny to see sharpshooters hitting them selves with their own attack and/or crit-misses

With sharpshooter and energy explosion you can target the figure hiding behind a stealthed figure to hit them both.

Or to target a defend figure in the middle of an opposing formation.

It's not completely worthless...but it didn't exactly get me excited for the fig either.

You are wrong on the last point - you do not take crit miss damage from energy explosion (any more)

It is a no damage attack, so no crit miss!

ENERGY EXPLOSION Give this character a ranged combat action to make an attack that deals no damage. For each target character successfully hit, all adjacent characters are attacked as well. Each character hit is dealt damage equal to the number of times it was hit by this attack (characters adjacent to multiple targets might be hit more than once). Critical hits deal 1 additional damage to all characters hit.

NO DAMAGE
An attack that deals no damage ignores modifiers to the damage value. Attacks that deal no damage deal neither critical hit damage to the target nor critical miss damage to the attacker.

You can't target a non adjacent target if there is already an adjecent opponent.

...I never said you could.

I misread. My apologies.

BigSoph ur soooooo right. Forgot about the rules update. Quick question since I thinking of the lateset update, splash damage would trigger ESD to adjacent character? (probably should ask in rules forum)

Yes, if you make a ranged attack, ESD happens - even if the ranged attack is adjacent due to sharpshooter

Comes in handy when swarmed by pieces without damage reducers and you have toughness or better. I pulled this off with Gordon yesterday when he was swarmed by three characters, damaged all three and absorbed the one splash damage via toughness. Fun move!