What is considered an active Power in regards to Disruption?

[Ibskib]

I found Disruption way too harsh compared to the old rules especially for Arcane Backgrounds not using Smarts, but it hit me, when reading through the Powers, a lot of powers that affect enemies, such as Blind or Lower Trait has a duration of Instant, with an effect lingering until the target has successfully overcome it.

An interpretation could then be that it is only powers with an actual duration and which can be maintained that are Active.

So the new Distuption rules can be more considered a nerf on buffs specifically rather than something more all-encompassing.

Does that make sense? It seems to me a logical reason for having powers (debuffs) that affect enemies generally be Instant rather than with a duration.
Or am I perhaps spouting nonsense?


Another thing I started wondering, if you received enough damage for it to be one or more wounds, and ended up soaking it all, do you even have to roll for disruption since you got neither shaken nor wounded after all?

[Deskepticon]

An "active" power is one that is currently below its Duration cutoff. You can't Disrupt a power that has ended. A power with a Duration of Instant effectively "ends" immediately after being cast. Their effects may last longer, however.

So a foe blinded by the power does not regain their sight if the caster is Disrupted, because blind is no longer an active power... much in the same way that a foe harmed by bolt or blast won't eliminate their wound(s) if the caster is later Disrupted. The effects of Instant powers don't become Disrupted.

[Deskepticon]

Another thing I started wondering, if you received enough damage for it to be one or more wounds, and ended up soaking it all, do you even have to roll for disruption since you got neither shaken nor wounded after all?

I'd rule that if you Soak all the damage, the Disruption roll is negated. Same with immediately spending a Benny to remove a Shaken condition (as long as it's before your Disruption roll).

[ValhallaGH]

An interpretation could then be that it is only powers with an actual duration and which can be maintained that are Active.

That's pretty clearly the intent. An "active" power has to actually be operating; Disruption isn't going to make the Wounds caused by bolt vanish, and it's not going to make the sloth victim speed back up or the entangle victim be free.

Another thing I started wondering, if you received enough damage for it to be one or more wounds, and ended up soaking it all, do you even have to roll for disruption since you got neither shaken nor wounded after all?

Nope. If you use a benny to negate an event then you don't have to worry about it because it didn't happen.
This one has clear precedent from the various Official Rulings, about Poison, Disruption, interrupted Actions, etc.

[Ibskib]

Thanks, it's nice that I'm not the only one that sees it like that.
Hopefully my buddy who is GM currently will see it the same way :-)

Disruption in its current form is not a mechanic I'm a fan of, I've never really found buffs a balance problem, at least in my group.
If I end up GM'ing in SW I will probably run a softer version where only wounds and stun can disrupt, and for the Concentration edge instead to give +2 to the Smarts roll, perhaps with a secondary benefit of some sort in order to have the edge be useful more often...

[PEGThomas]

Thanks, it's nice that I'm not the only one that sees it like that.
Hopefully my buddy who is GM currently will see it the same way :-)

If you search the old fourms under Official rules . Clint discusses this. But its as ValhallaGH points out, if the Wounds are compeltely soaked there is nothing to cause the Distruption roll.