Canon rules for elemental manipulation spells is that they can be dodged. Our team plays (house rule) that you can't dodge an area-affect elemental manipulation spell, because its all around you. You can add Combat Pool to your body resistance roll, but not to dodge in our game.

Does anyone play that you can dodge area-affect manipulation spells? Why?

Perhaps you believe that within the area of affect there are higher and lower levels of affect, and you dodge into a lower level? Perhaps your dodging is to twist and turn so your armor is more directly shielding you, or to duck your head into your armpit so it gets less affect? Perhaps your characters dodge because that's what the rules say.

I don't find anything in the rules to let you dodge a grenade or C4 explosion. Do you play with such an option? Why?

I guess it depends on how you adjudicate area-of-effect spells.

If it's a grenade with a tangible point of explosion, a character might be able to find cover.

If the spell manifests "everywhere", filling the area of effect instantly, then dodging just doesn't work.

-Siege

I personally might allow that every success allows one to get a meter away from the blast center, up to a max of two meters or so. Not much, but potentially a lifesaver.
That is, of course, a complete and utter houserule.

~J

you can dodge grenades at +3 or higher TN; i believe that's in the grenade rules. you can also dodge area-effect elemental manips, probably at the same TN mod; you can't dodge other area-effect spells, like manaball.

I use the FAQ suggestions, which basically adds a +2 to the dodge test at the minimum. In open terrain, I may add another +2, since you don't have much to dodge behind. When combined with the half-armor rule, it means those area-of-effect spells are very tough to avoid.

er, yeah. +2.

Well, unlike Combat Spells which manifest all around, we play that Elem Manips actually "shoot" forward from the caster's hands. You see a ball of fire expanding as it's coming towards you and can choose to dodge it. Admittedly, that's Interpretation and not Canon, but it explains alot. Also, something alot of people seem to forget (including me and the other players in our group sometimes) is that if you roll Combat Pool for Dodging, you're not still standing where you were before you rolled, that's you tuck/dive/roll/whatever to get the hell out. So the dodging roll on an area effect manip often creates a nice empty place in the middle where everyone dodged out of.

Sphynx

I thought that explanation would be somewhat canon... It makes sense as you can't shoot elemental manipulations through glass. Someone got a page ref on this? I think it's in the section about targeting.

[edit]I would also say that a character in an area effect blast might have a chance of covering vital areas (eyes and face ETC.) using hands (less vital areas) which has a chance of lowering the damage level.

"[elemental manip] spells are treated like normal ranged attacks". doesn't say anything about area effect spells; therefore, it seems logical that they can be dodged. i'd add the +2 mod, but that's pretty much a house rule.