Now, Energy Aura, assuming you chose that as the optional power for the spirit, has the following effects:

How do I reconcile the two bolded sections? My guess is that the general case cold damage (half impact armor) is superseded by the special case engulfing cold damage (armor does not help, but inhalation protection does). But... Force + 4 DV, resisted only by your gas mask and body? Twice every combat turn (manifest spirit initiative passes)? Ouch.

Also, two other things concern me:

1) There is no mention of the engulf damage taking up the spirit's action. This would seem to imply that my hypothetical air elemental could drift about the battlefield sucking up opponents like a giant, suffocating vacuum cleaner. Yikes!

2) Energy aura neglects an important word when it describes attackers taking damage -- melee is never mentioned, instead it says any successful attack. This would seem to state that opening up on a spirit with a fully automatic weapon from 50 meters will net you cold damage. Again, Yikes!

The first engulf action is, when the character is actually sucked up. But what about the subsequent rounds when the damage is "automatically inflicted" according to the description. Things that are "automatic" don't normally require actions. But having it NOT require an action to continue damage... well, that leads to the vacuum cleaner elemental.

The duration under engulf is sustained. Page 286 says sustained powers may be maintained over time at no effort or cost.

Again, magic is very powerful. This is why the NAN's, elves, and dragons are in power and not the UCAS.

But engulf isn't really THAT bad. Lets say it's a force 4 spirit of air. Your basically getting hit once a action phase by a guy with a light pistol and 11 dice to hit you. If the thing has Energy aura ontop of that, it's like a guy with a shotgun shooting at you. Either way I would only give the player a penalty of half impact armor, not no impact armor.

Not fun, but not really that nasty compared to what some of the players can do.

p.s. Spirits only get two IP's. So a player with wired with a heavy pistol and decent skill is going to be pumping out a LOT more damage then a spirit with these powers. Give the guy a sub machine gun, or an assualt rifle and it's even worse.

Oh?

From "Energy Aura"

From "Engulf"

I'm not sure that can be construed as anything but being applicable. One power states it's a melee attack, the other states it applies to melee attacks.

"Logically" this makes sense, too. Being engulfed in something that is harmful on contact is worse than being engulfed in something that is merely trying to strangle you. In the case of high force spirits, it's a bit like poison-tipping your EXEX, but, well, there it is.

This is how I read and saw it as well. The trouble is, which armor applies? Air engulf says no armor, cold aura says half impact. I side with "no armor" -- 'cause my lungs aren't armored. But... I'm frightened of Force + 4 DV with no armor applied automatically every turn, and was hoping for an out.

Also of importance is, is it all stun damage, or no? Cold usually isn't; air engulf is. Again, I'd go with "is stun", but that's me.

Yea.. that's what I was afraid of. Anything saying engulf can't be sustained on more than one target at a time? Obviously, you could only hit one target at a time with the attack... but once the spirit has successfully engulfed its victim, what is to stop it from simply engulfing another, while the first suffocates and freezes?

It doesn't say it IS a melee attack, but to treat it like one. However the context that is said in is where it is talking about the attack test. It then switches to giving a different damage and also giving a secondary effect (that may or may not be directly related to the *cough* energy of it aura). I'm just saying there is some wiggle room there, and frankly spirits don't need the power. *shrug*

P.S. If i did include the extra Energy Aura damage i would most definately include 1/2 Impact plus full rating of Insulation if applicable. Why? Because to include the Energy Aura i'm overriding the Engulf with the Energy Aura....although i guess if you thought it that important to be a stickler you could roll the armour dice separate and limit it to avoiding 4 boxes. *shrug* Not that it's going to make much difference most of the time since you are unlikely to have more than 10ish total in effective armour rating (and outside of polar expeditions and planned combat vs. air spirits that'll be rare i'd think). Just roll it all as one and let it sort itself out.