Some powers and abilities use the term “area of effect.” An area of effect allows a power or game effect to target more than one character. Characters within the area of an effect are affected even though they may not be within the character’s range or line of fire. When it includes an attack, only one attack roll is made and the Attack Total is compared to each target character as well as any other characters specified by the area of effect. When a character is attacked exclusively as a result of being in an area of effect, it is not considered a target of the attack and it may be friendly to the attacking character.

The game effect including an area of effect will define how damage is dealt to hit characters and may specify targeted characters’ damage differently from other hit characters. When a power or ability uses a ranged combat attack with an area of effect, if the game effect describes target characters, then the attacking character may multi-target normally, possibly creating multiple areas of effect.

•(HeroClix Website 05-14-2013) So there is a fair amount of stuff happening in that paragraph, so let’s break it down.

An area of effect allows a power or game effect to target more than one character.  First it tells us that an Area of Effect (or AoE) exists to that a power might allow for there to be other characters affected by it.

Characters within the area of an effect are affected even though they may not be within the character’s range or line of fire. Next, it explains that a character can be within an AoE even if, normally, it’s not someone that can be targeted.

When it includes an attack, only one attack roll is made and the Attack Total is compared to each target character as well as any other characters specified by the area of effect. This is a general sentence that basically says “if you’re attacking and using an AoE to hit multiple characters, you only make one attack roll.”

When a character is attacked exclusively as a result of being in an area of effect, it is not considered a target of the attack and it may be friendly to the attacking character. This is the double-edged sword of AoE attacks. By default, they include friendly characters as characters that may be affected by it. This in itself isn’t really a new concept to HeroClix and the first 2 powers with using Area of Effect –Energy Explosion and Pulse Wave – have been potentially damaging friendly characters for a while now.

The game effect including an area of effect will define how damage is dealt to hit characters and may specify targeted characters’ damage differently from other hit characters. The key in this sentence is the fact that we start to see the kind of language AoE game effects will use, specifically things like “targeted characters” and “other hit characters”. There is no overlap with an AoE. You are either being targeted OR you are “other character”.

When a power or ability uses a ranged combat attack with an area of effect, if the game effect describes target characters, then the attacking character may multi-target normally, possibly creating multiple areas of effect. And here is the true power of AoE effects. Characters with the ability to multi-target can still do so with AoE attacks, provided that there’s a ranged attack going on and the character is targeting opposing characters.

In a nutshell, we were looking for a way to easily describe any kind of effect (whether it was some kind of an attack or not) that would cover more than one square. By using this term, now, we can do this easily and make it more clear how damage is dealt to targets and “other characters.” For an example of how this would work, please take a look at our article earlier in this series that focused on Energy Explosion.