Sonic powers have always braught up questions in my games and I thought I'd ask you folks what your take on them are. In the MSH it says that sonic attacks inflict damageon the force column. This would allow for a hit, bullseye or stun effect which seems reasonable but I've been in both the cartoons and comics characters with sonic attacks slamming targets. And what of those who kill with sound?

Could sonic be one of those variable attack forms which can change effects based on the user? While Banshee might scream at targets to knock them out, couldn't a villain use the vibration of their scream to inflict energy/edged damage on targets in the way of Vibration ( UPB ) by causing internal hemmorhaging. Cyclops' eye beam hits on the force column as well and we've all see it knock things over or push them away.

When sonics do attack a target, what part of the target are they attacking? Characters like the Thing have resistance to sonic attacks and body armor. The thing has IN body armor and RM sonic resistance so would a hypnotic sonic attack meet with RM resistance while a force based damage from sonic meet with IN body armor? Thus the Hulk could not be scratched by sonic damage of MN or less but could be easily emotionally controlled by the effects of a TY or higher sonic attack that effects emotions.

This has led some players I've talked to to suggest that sonics can bypass body armor (but not force fields). To some extent I agree with this train of thought as while fire would burn your skin, sonics attack the organs within you. Screaming at a target in a battle suit would still deafen him as his armor does not provide resistance to sonic attacks (Look at Iron Man, his stats list resistances to sonic and light based attacks, which again suggests a different damage/effect resistance. A laser would meet with his MN resistance to energy attacks while a blinding light would have to get past his AM resistance to light based attacks.) I always respond to challenges on this ruling like that, saying unless its listed, body armor provides no protection from the effects of sonic/light based attacks, but it does stop the damage.. Bit then I'm asked "Well, would a character with protective goggles (resistance to light based attacks) take less damage from a laser?" No, the have a resistance to effects, not damage.

So how do you judges out there rule on this?
Does a resistance to sonic attacks provide protection for both effects and damage or just one? I understand this varies from character to character; a character with sound generation would counter both damage and effect but some one with protected hearing would only resist the effects, not damage.
Does a sonic attack cause deafness and if so, wouldn't that limit the damage to the target on the following round as they can no longer hear as well?
Does a sonic damage attack bypass body armor? We already have mental attacks that do and many arguee that magic attacks do as well unless the body armor is magical in nature as well.
Can sonic attacks change the type of damage they inflict to force/edged/blunt in order to cause different effects based on the color you roll?
Do characters with enhanced hearing take more damage from sonic attacks or are just the effects increased? (Tigra has enhanced hearing and it says she suffers a -1cs on feats against sonic attacks, it does not mention damage)

I know this will be a case by case type thing but, having a house rule would help when its questioned.

Yes… Sonic Waves with enough intensity are considered as ‘Blunt’ or ‘Kinetic’ Force which pretty much hit the target with intense vibration…


The Sonic Waves can be focused to pin point or ‘Edge’ to hit a Target area, such as the Head, Face, Torso, or any other Body Part and it basically ruptures all the Tissue (Flesh) in that area….. Basically, inflicting a ‘Cut’ or Laceration….



If the Sonic Waves ‘Pulse’ outward in all directions at once, or it’s a ‘Scatter-Shot’ it will hit the entire Target Body and ruptures all the Softer Tissue (Flesh) ALL over the body……. And may inflict internal Bleeding…. Which is just as Fatal as a ‘Cut’….

The Ears, Eyes, Orifices, Membranes, and other ‘Soft’ Tissues (Flesh) take the Impact….. Similar to a ‘Force’ attack or being drenched with Acid or hit with Fire……. The tougher parts of the body (Muscle, Bone, Cartilage, Skin) will resist up to their Durability Levels.

The Power Rank determines the Intensity and Durability…. But some times the FEAT Roll determines the Intensity and Durability too…


Sonic Attacks can also be considered as a ‘Disrupter’ attack if it can rattle things all the down to the Molecular, Atomic, or Sub-Atomic Level……. Basically ‘Disintegrating’ or ‘Pulverizing’ Mass into atomic particles….. At this point you have a simple ‘Energy’ Attack that is achieved by ‘Sound Waves’ rather than ‘Light Waves’ or ‘Electric Bolts of Lighting’ or ‘Heat Waves’.

Slams, Stuns, and even ‘KILLS’ can be scored with a Sonic Attack….



Straight Up ‘Sonic’ Attacks can be resisted with Traditional Armor, Flesh Armor or Energized Armor….. Pretty much any ‘General Armor’ will hold up with the ‘Armor’ Rank.

Sonic Attacks used as a Carrier Wave to carry some other ‘Effect’ can be resisted with Specific kinds of Armor …. Hypnotic would most likely be a ‘Psyche’ FEAT or a Psyche Shield.

The Player should describe the mechanics of such an Attack….


Ultimately a ‘Sonic’ Attack is classified as an ‘Energy’ Attack, in which general ‘Armor’ can reduce the Attack’s Intensity….

I'm really glad someone posted this. I've been in the same boat as Killjoy and TankerAce's post helps on some aspects. Thanks both of you. My question in regards to this power. What about non-sentient like robots or sentient ones with A.I. ability like droids or androids or even bio-mechanics folks like bionics, borgs or cyborg characters? What does sonic affect towards these individuals?

RAGNARöK Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm really glad someone posted this. I've been in
> the same boat as Killjoy and TankerAce's post
> helps on some aspects. Thanks both of you. My
> question in regards to this power. What about
> non-sentient like robots or sentient ones with
> A.I. ability like droids or androids or even
> bio-mechanics folks like bionics, borgs or cyborg
> characters? What does sonic affect towards these
> individuals?


It would depend on what you were trying to do with the sonics to them. If you are attacking them, they take damage. If your sonic attack controls minds, it might not work on them because they do not have "minds" (same as psychic attacks). If you are attempting to vibrate their inner workings to either throw off their gyro (Agility feat to remain standing every round, or a Reason feat to compinsate) or attempting to shut them down by shaking their electronics apart (Endurance feat to avoid).
Basicly think of it in terms with psychic powers if you are not trying to cause damage, though robots can be messed up in lots of ways fleshies don't deal with.

I don't know if this even applies here but I concur with TankerAce. Sonic attacks are about as deadly as magic. They can be broad and generalized or focused. They can hit with blunt force like an object or cut like a knife. They absolutely affect everything from hearing all the way down to the molecular level. So when the sound vibrations are focused enough they can split apart atoms! The fact is that at the atomic level, there is no solid mass to contend with. Each part of the atom is kept together by attraction to the other, thus actually are not connected physically. There is more empty space between them than matter and are thus subject to movement or vibrations. A tightly focused sound wave can therefore disrupt these parts enough to overcome their attraction which means everything is desrtuctable to sound if it is the right frequency and focused enough in intensity! Now all things exist on different wavelength so sound can pass through objects and forcefields to disrupt a target if that wavelength is found! An example is how Nimrod actually hurt the Juggernaut with high frequency sonics! It may be disputed, but it is a sound theory! As the Juggernaut is shielded from practically all harm, he does in fact exist and therefore does have an atomic structure susceptible to intensely focused sound vibrations! This is what I imagine caused him so much pain! Nimrod was literally destroying him atomically!
Now he survived thanks to the magic that empowers him but I suspect a longer attack would have cost him his life!

At some point matter can be made to resist sound attacks such as armor & shields. But that will only go so far as to defend against specific types of sonic attacks as you and TankerAce already mentioned! As far as hearing, sonic attacks can do damage regardless of who hears it and for the wavelengths that can be heard, it will do extra damage to whom ever can pick it up! Certain wavelengths can be heard and most cannot! So the wider the frequency range of hearing the opponent has the more he can be hurt. What matters most is the type of attack! If the sonic attack is meant for reciprocating or oscillating is what will determine the kind of affect it will have! As we all know like in earth quakes....the P waves and S waves travel at different speeds and through different materials differently!

Well when you hit a microphone with excessive sound you could blow it out, so could burn out audio receptors for a robot (or power armor for that matter), and high intensity sound or vibrations can shake and crack circuit boards and break connections so would probably be like edged attacks inflicting potential kill results. So for the mechanical/electronic characters like you mention they'd suffer damage that would require repair once blown out unless they have specific self-repair systems capable of repairing the damage. Androids on the other hand are artificial flesh and blood beings and not mechanical/electronic in nature (note that some can be sufficiently human to breed with human beings) and would be able to be injured just like any human (relative to whatever powers it might have in its design that might provide greater protection).

Responding to TankerAce and Daikumanoken :

So my take on this is Soncis fall into a catagory with Storm control/TK/force field/ect., a power you have that you build power stunts from. I get sonic generation and at first I can just scream at people, causing force damage due to my lack of control. After a while I try a power stunt to focus the sound in a way that it inflicts edged damage. After that I try a stunt to disrupt matter (disintegrate it) and then another to temperarially disrurt matter (allow phasing). I try another to use it to fly like Banshee and then another stunt to counter attacks like a force field.

After a while I've learned to do MANY things with a power which started out as simply screaming at people for force damage.

Well Nimrod took out Juggernaut with sonics but not from inflicting any actual injury on him, he simply overloaded his hearing as he's still got a conventional range of senses and while he can't be deafened because of his powers it just means a sonic attack will overload his mind with the intensity of it without being able to enjoy going even temporarily deaf to escape it. You could probably do the same with overly intense light displays that continue on; he wouldn't be able to see yet it wouldn't be burning out his retinas either. His other senses on the other hand are within the range of his natural body armor and force field so you can't take him out by overloading his pain sensors or overstimulate his sense of taste or smell.

I'm not sure you could generate a vibrational attack that'd break apart atoms, the energy required to break down a nucleus is massive and with the way vibrational energy is transferred it couldn't very well transfer if it destroyed the medium required to transmit it. I don't think I've even heard of a means of causing electrons to come off under intense vibrational impact let alone create nuclear fission, which would be like setting off a nuclear device.

Good points, but we are not actually talking about sound abilities of today. And we are not talking about screaming either. As far as the medium aspect, the carrier need not necessarily be the same as the affected object. Certain materials have stronger molecular and atomic bonds than others, thus sound transmitters and sound transmission need not have an equal affect on the transmitter as it does on the target. Have you ever seen the Guyver anime? Each Guyver has wave-vibration blades that in theory can cut through anything. The only object known to resist this effect is another wave-vibration blade! Kinda like Light Sabers?! I imagine that even if the atoms do not break apart, they may be excited enough to create a phase-type [liquify] reaction which is more than enough to kill an adversary! As far as Juggy is concerned I will grant the example you use, but I think it was more like what I described here that actually happened to him. Being the fact that magic sustains his life and preserves his body was the only reason he didn't die, but I am sure it hurt like hell! As modern tech today is developing sound guns that pass every other body part only to affect the intestines or stomach! The resulting pain or queasiness brings the target down. Here you go my friend! [en.wikipedia.org]

Response to KillJoy:

Sonic Attacks fall under ‘Energy Manipulation’ such as Magneto’s ability to Manipulate Magnetism….

Actually, Magneto may manipulate ANY energy he desires; even Quantum Theory Energy… Which pretty much covers every Energy Form known to Mankind.

Just Magneto has Mastered ‘Magnetism’ at SX:150…. While the other Energy Forms are mastered at IN:40 or something like that.





Your ‘Sonic’ based Character has to evolve his Mastery over Sound Waves…. Basically, he has to ‘Karma Purchase’ power stunts as you, the Player, creatively conceive these ‘Stunts’….

As an example; your Character can go into any “Joe Bubba’s Pawn Shop” and drop some CASH on a used Samurai Sword (PR:04 to TY:06 Resources)….

The Samurai Sword offers these basic stats:

RM:30 to IN:40 Material Durability “Sword” with [+1CS] to your “Swing” for Damage..

It’s a nice Melee Weapon… But it’s not ‘PIMPING’….. Your Character can learn to channel his Sonic Vibration through the Samurai Sword effectively creating a “High Frequency” Sword, which has nearly the same properties as a “Star-Wars” Light-Saber…. Even the ability to Deflect and Parry other ‘Energy’ Blades and Slice through Solid Matter as if it were warm butter…. Making the Samurai Sword have these stats:


MN:75 to UN:100 Material Durability “Sword” with [+1, 2, or 3CS] to your “Swing” for Damage, and may pierce UN:100 ‘Armor’ or Barriers…

These Stats will pretty much be equivalent to your Character’s Base Rank for ‘Sonics’

I used a “Sword” because it’s easy to describe… But it can work like this for nearly ANY Weapon you may come across, such as a ‘Gun’ that Fires precise Sonic Enhanced Bullets…….. Hell, even a simple hollow tube or pipe may be used to fashion a Crude Shooting devise that launches Pure Sonic ‘Beams’ or ‘Bullets’.

And what about a Concave “Shield”…. Holy Dog S–T!!!!!!

There are many different ways to Gain such Power Stunts, and every Table has different House Rules…. My table would use 500 to 1000 KP to Karma Purchase the example above… Which makes the Power Stunt Permanent…… Another 1000 KP could permanently intensify the Power by 10 Points, going to the next Rank Level….

Really nice points in that post, man. Especially the example using the sword to stunt the power with. Thanks for sharing that.

Yeah! I agree..very cool of you to explain that TA!