So Captain America's Shield Ricochet has some confusing wording and I was wondering how it worked.

So his Power states:

SHIELD RICOCHET: Give Captain America a ranged combat action and his damage value is locked at his printed value until actionS resolve. After THE ranged combat attack resolves, he may make a second ranged combat attack as a free action.
Emphasis mine.

Does this power work with Running Shot?

Also, giving him a ranged combat action locks his damage until actions (multiple) resolves. It then states that after the (singular) ranged combat attack resolves, he may make a second ranged combat attack as a free action. Are each of these attacks part of the action/s and thus locked at 3 damage or does the damage depletion modifier kick in after the first attack?

Also, can Captain America wait to use his second attack since the first attack has resolved and he make make the second as a free action? It doesn't say he has to use it immediately, so could he for example, make 1 attack, be carried by a character, placed, and then make his second attack as a free action? This seems possible with the way it is worded, but strikes me as perhaps against design intent.

1: Yes, it works with Running Shot.

2: Damage Depletion does not kick in.

3: As far as I know, you would need to take the free action immediately.

Here's the text for Flurry:

FLURRY
Give this character a close combat action. After the close combat attack resolves, it may make a second close combat attack as a free action. The first attack doesn’t activate the Damage Depletion Modifier.

Cap's power works pretty much exactly like Flurry, except that it is ranged. The free action is nested within the ranged combat action.

Thanks for the explanation guys.

I hate how this game's forcing everyone to think like a Rules Lawyer. It really hurts playability of the game when nobody's sure if there's some kind of silly corner case, like a potentially disastrous ruling could be around the corner.

His damage value locks at his printed value, even though the ability doesn't specify. This remains locked until the second attack has completed, and it does work with Running Shot the same way Flurry works with Charge. I had asked a question about this sort of thing (targeted at Crimson Typhoon) and they explained as much, but have since taken the ruling down. Rotten sneaky little....

I am not sure what you mean by this. It DOES specify in the power.

SHIELD RICOCHET: Give Captain America a ranged combat action and his damage value is locked at his printed value until actions resolve. After the ranged combat attack resolves, he may make a second ranged combat attack as a free action.


And it also specifies that it lasts for both attacks; the damage is locked until actions resolve and both attacks occur during that ranged combat action.

I missed the bolded when I reread the power here. My mistake on that.

It doesn't specify on Crimson Typhoon though!

Umm... yeah, it does.

TRINITY PUNCH: Give Crimson Typhoon a close combat action and it may make 3 close combat attacks as free actions. During this action, its combat values are locked. If it loses this power before an attack, it may not make another attack.

RIPTIDE RED: Crimson Typhoon can use Quake. When it does, its damage becomes 3 and is locked.


Both powers specify that it's locked. That statement is frequently in the middle of the power when it says "locked" so you have to read each sentence carefully to make sure, but the only "multiple attack" powers that aren't affected by the DDM are those that specifically say it's not effected or that it's locked.