Attacks That Damage Adjacent Creatures

[Xyrlove Woodsoul]

Suppose I have an area attack that deals x damage to the target(s) on a hit, and secondary y damage to creatures adjacent to the target that was hit. Does the secondary damage caused to the adjacent creature repeat itself with each creature that was hit by the main attack?
For example, say there are three creatures adjacent to each other, a, b, and c.

a, b, c

If (a) and (c) are hit by an above mentioned power, then does (b) take the secondary damage twice, or only once?

 

[Aulirophile]

Twice. It is a creature, and it is adjacent.

Note "Creature" means all creatures, including allies. Be careful.

 

[Xyrlove Woodsoul]

Thanks. The power in question was the Sorcerer attack power 25, Wrathful Vapors, which target's creatures (in a burst 2 too!) and secondary damage to adjacent creatures. It turns out to be a very nice opening power when I can use it early, and problematic on later turns. Thus, the nice damage and latter fact, balances the power. Thanks for the quick reply, especially, since I'm in the middle of playing!

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

I am not sure I agree with this, despite having a Druid whose powers will eventually do alot of this sort of thing....

I would think that the adjacent character can only receive the damage once, despite being adjacent to multiple targets that get hit.

This is due to the question that arises when you have 4 characters huddled together and you attack, and hit every one...

Does that mean that each creature takes [base hit] + [adjacent damage] + [adjacent damage] + [adjacent damage] ?

Seems kinda nasty and I am sure if a NPC did this to the PC grouping, I would get a load of XXXX about it...

 

[Ferghis]

Twice. It is a creature, and it is adjacent.

Note "Creature" means all creatures, including allies. Be careful.

Even the PC who authored the effect in issue. And his dog, too.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

It is really going to depend on the way the specific power in question is worded.

If you have a Hit: line that says something like "Hit: X damage to target and Y damage to all creatures adjacent to the target" then it would in the OP's case pile the damage onto 'b' multiple times. If OTOH the power has an Effect: line like "Effect: All creatures adjacent to a target hit by this power take Y damage." then no, it won't stack because Effect: lines resolve after all the hit effects are dealt with and it just becomes an adjacency test.

In the case of Wrathful Vapors it IS going to stack as part of the hit line. Creatures can easily be hit by the power AND suffer splash damage from hits to adjacent creatures. You be a blasty guy!

 

[KahnyaGnorc]

Even the PC who authored the effect in issue. And his dog, too.

"I'll get you, my PC, and your little dog, too!" -Wicked Witch of the AE.

 

[Aulirophile]

I am not sure I agree with this, despite having a Druid whose powers will eventually do alot of this sort of thing....

I would think that the adjacent character can only receive the damage once, despite being adjacent to multiple targets that get hit.

This is due to the question that arises when you have 4 characters huddled together and you attack, and hit every one...

Does that mean that each creature takes [base hit] + [adjacent damage] + [adjacent damage] + [adjacent damage] ?

Seems kinda nasty and I am sure if a NPC did this to the PC grouping, I would get a load of XXXX about it...

It is a highly positional Epic Striker Daily. If it wasn't nasty, it'd be pointless. Perfect for Sorcs to, normally AE striking just isn't that good but being able to do mods x4 if you can get three things grouped up is awesome. Indeed, at epic, since flight is so common and bursts/blasts are cubes, if you have a helpful controller friend you can get 8 creatures together in a block and do base damage+7 instances of adjacent damage.

Also I believe some of the new Monster Vault/MM3 monsters also have abilities similar to this. So it isn't like it is a one way street.

 

[Ahrimon]

I read the power in question, and in a tightly clustered group, you could hit someone three or four times. But it's a lvl 25 daily. I would expect it to be nasty. Horrible in it's time efficiency, but nasty to the creatures.

 

[Nullzone]

I am not sure I agree with this, despite having a Druid whose powers will eventually do alot of this sort of thing....

I would think that the adjacent character can only receive the damage once, despite being adjacent to multiple targets that get hit.

This is due to the question that arises when you have 4 characters huddled together and you attack, and hit every one...

Does that mean that each creature takes [base hit] + [adjacent damage] + [adjacent damage] + [adjacent damage] ?

Seems kinda nasty and I am sure if a NPC did this to the PC grouping, I would get a load of XXXX about it...

Don't forget you actually have to hit each target in order to splash the damage around like that. Without the hit, you simply deal half damage to the primary targets. So it's not that unreasonable, especially considering it's a daily.