Grenades/Indirect Area spells, per the FAQ, Bag of Devil-Rats problem? Options

[RunnerPaul]

So, in the new FAQ, there have been guidelines suggested for how to handle grenades, and indirect area effect combat spells. Basically, the idea is, if you're trying to catch targets in the blast radius, you must always have a primary target who will be rolling against you in an opposed test, even if you're "targeting the floor".

Supposedly, this is being suggested because the strategy of targeting the floor is too easy.

For grenades, I would counter that assertion by pointing out that once you've reduced your scatter to 0m, any extra successes start upping your DV against your nominated target. If your target is a point on the floor, guess what? The floor takes more damage. However, this increase in DV only applies to the actual target of the grenade. Nothing in the section on Blast Effects references the accuracy of your throw, so I take that to mean anyone who isn't the named target suffers the base damage of the grenade, not adjusted for accuracy, factored down per distance from the centerpoint of the blast.

So while it's easier to target a point on the floor than to hit a live target with a grenade (Success Test vs. Opposed Test), by doing so, you're sacrificing the chance of an accurate throw increasing the DV.


On the Magic side, I'm inclined to give a little more leeway; while p.173 talks about spells that target points in space, the simple fact is that a combat spell is going to need a tangible thing to slam destructive energy into. The centerpoint of the area doesn't have to be on top of your primary target, but in all honesty, you should have one. However, there's a snag.

The v1.5 Errata states that indirect combat spells can affect targets that are in the area, but not in LOS. This would make indirect combat spells very useful, because you could use them to take out opponents you can't see. But as FanPro giveth, FanPro taketh away: the FAQ says you have to have a primary target that you can see, so that you get the Opposed Test. So never mind the fact that you know the swat team's on the other side of that alloy steel door, you can't just cast your fireball at the door with a centerpoint a couple of meters into the next room, and hope to get a few successes over the Object Resistance Threshold of 3, because that tactic is "too easy".



However, I believe I may have the solution. Borrowing a page from the RPG that gives you cancer, I figure we can just repurpose the handy "Bag of Rats" (or, since this is Shadowrun, more appropriately, Bag of Devil Rats):

Step 1. Get a bunch of devil rats. (Check your local barrens, they should have an ample supply)

Step 2. Fit them with miniature AR goggles and train them to scamper over to an ARO that will show in the goggles field of view.

Step 3. Drug the devil rats with something that will knock a few points off their reaction (Won't need much, since they'll also be at -2 dice for trying to dodge a blast effect) and then bag them up.

Step 4. Whenever you would normally want to "target the floor" with a grenade to catch opponents in the blast radius, or you want to be able to catch unseen foes in an indirect combat spell, pull a devil rat out of the bag and use your commlink to move their "go here" ARO where you want to hit.

Step 5. Rat scampers over to the spot you want and Boom, you grenade/spell it. (while the FAQ insists on having an Opposed Test, nothing says you can't rig that test in your favor by bringing your own target)

Step 6. ???

Step 7. Profit!