Bane (Complication)

## DESCRIPTION

There is something that his powers simply have no effect on. Energy Attacks do no damage to it, Natural DR doesn’t block it. This Comp comes in two parts. First, what his Bane actually is, and second, the severity of its effects on the superhero.

 Wood
 Stone
 Attack Type
 Uncommon

**Bane Substances:** The value of his Bane depends on how many JPs the superhero has invested in his powers and what it actually is. Banes are worth 1 JP for every given number of JPs worth of powers the superhero has. For example, Steel is worth 1 JP for every 3 JP worth of powers the superhero has, and Wood is worth 1 JP for every 4 JP worth of powers. The superhero cannot take Bane if he has fewer JPs invested in his powers than the Bane’s value, which means that he cannot take Stone unless he has a least 5 JP invested in his powers, for example. If the superhero buys more powers during his career, his Bane Comp does to yield more JPs retroactively. If and when this happens, the superhero can either bank or spend the JPs, as normal. Steel, wood, and stone refer to anything made with those substances. For weapons to affect the superhero, their “business end” must be made of the relevant substance. A hammer is a Steel weapon, even if its handle is wooden. For the sake of game balance, bullets are Steel when determining if something is a Bane substance. Attack Type refers to bludgeoning, slashing, or piercing. Pick one. Finally, Uncommon Substances are anything that is unusual in the manufacture of weapons, armor, and ammunition. Examples include by are not limited to: cold iron, plastic, a type of metal other than steel (silver, copper, bronze), a specific type of wood (i.e., oak, ash, maple, cedar), a specific kind of stone (granite, shale, limestone). Uncommon substances must be solids. Gases and liquids are covered by the Chemical Vulnerability and Vulnerability comps.

**Bane Effects:** The following effects apply to all Bane substances:

All Banes are totally unaffected by his powers, in either positive or negative ways. Banes block his powers from passing through them if the superhero has powers that travel in a line, such as Energy Attack, Line mode. Area effects, like Pheromones, will spread around a Bane substance, but someone completely encased in it will be unaffected by his powers. If the superhero uses a power to attack someone or something that is made entirely out of his Bane, the attack has no effect. A sufficiently large amount of his Bane could block his powers from passing through an area entirely, like a walled-off room.

Armor made out of his Bane is twice as effective against his powers; double the armor bonus against attacks of his that rely on powers like Natural Weapon or Energy Attack. If his attack is enhanced by a super ability (usually Strength and/or Dexterity), then calculate his attack bonus (before the superhero applied JPs at character creation). Do this instead of doubling the defender’s armor bonus. Essentially, the superhero has to make the attack without his super ability’s bonus. If his attack is enhanced by both a Super ability and another power (i.e., a Super-Strength Natural Weapon or a Super Dextrity ranged Energy Attack), then both effects apply. (If the superhero takes Bane, make sure to note on his character sheet how much of a “penalty” he’d take to hit and damage if his relevant abilities were reduced.

Attacks using his Bane do not cause extra damage to the superhero, but they do ignore any defensive powers the superhero might have, such as Natural Damage Reduction or Natural Armor. Amazing Dodge is unaffected by a Bane attack because it never has a chance to connect with his body, unless he takes Area Toxicity, in which case his Bane substance throws his Amazing Dodge ability off just enough to ignore the power’s bonus.

If the superhero has Danger Sense, the presence of his Bane substance will continuously set it off, regardless of whether there is an actual imminent threat of being attacked with it.

## ADDITIONAL COMPS

* **Additional Comp: Ingestion Toxicity (Value: 2 JP):** Swallowing more than a few grams of his Bane, putting it in his mouth, or otherwise having it introduced to the inside of his body provokes a Fortitude save (DC 30). Failure indicates that the superhero takes 1d4 HPs of poison damage per round and a -2 penalty to attack rolls, saving throws. This effect lasts for 2d4 rounds. Note that powers that grant bonuses to his saving throws have no effect on Bane substances. This Additional Comp is incompatible with a Bane that is not an actual substance
* **Additional Comp: Contact Toxicity (Value: 2 JP):** Physically touching anything made out of his Bane causes 1d4 HPs of poison damage per round and imbues a -2 penalty to attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks for as long as the superhero maintains contact. Anything thicker than cotton will block this effect for 10 rounds, but eventually the Bane does start to affect the superhero. Note that powers that grant bonuses to his saving throws have no effect on Bane substances. This Additional Comp is incompatible with a Bane that is not an actual substance. *Prerequisite:* The superhero must have the Ingestion Toxicity complication to gain credit from this complication.
* **Additional Comp: Area Toxicity (Value: 2 JP):** Being within 10 feet of more than a few grams of his Bane causes 1d4 HPs of poison damage and induces a -2 penalty to attacks rolls, saving throws, and skill checks for as long as the superhero is in the area of effect. Note that powers that grant bonuses to his saving throws have no effect on Bane substances. This Additional Comp is incompatible with a Bane that is not an actual substance. *Prerequisites:* The superhero must have the Ingestion Toxicity and Contact Toxicity complications to gain credit from this complication.
* **Additional Comp: Crit Range Increase (Value: 1 JP):** All weapons composed of the Bane substance have their critical threat range increased by 1 when used against the superhero. The superhero can take this Additional Comp three times. The effects stack.
* **Additional Comp: Crit Damage Increase (Value: 2 JP):** All weapons composed of the Bane substance have their critical damage multiplier increased by 1 when used against the superhero. The superhero can take this Additional Comp twice. The effects stack.
* **Additional Comp: Disfigurement (Value: 1 JP):** If the superhero is reduced to zero or fewer HPs by his Bane, the superhero takes -1 ability damage to Charisma due to a lasting scar or other damage to his appearance. This damage is permanent, but can be removed through plastic surgery (purchase DC 25), or a Restora spell, but not simple healing, mundane or otherwise.
* **Additional Comp: Extra Sensitivity (Value: 3 JP):** The effects of his Toxicity double. The superhero takes 1d8 damage per round instead of 1d4, and a -4 to attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks instead of -2. In the case of Ingestion, his Fortitude save is DC 40 and the effects last 2d8 rounds. *Prerequisite:* The superhero must have one of three Toxicity complication to gain credit from this complication.