Crispus

It would be interesting to see if the results of the poll were the same if it was for competitive play only.

I recently noticed that the Gunsmiths Leadstorm spell has a damage profile of: 6. Clearly indicating that area effects and attack type can coexist. Including the in the leadstorm ability makes it a ranged attack (even though the damage is distributed by an area effect) and threfore benefits from "The Hard Way". and also: *bump*

and indicates two completely different things. One is an attack type and the other is an effect type. Nothing in the rules manual says an attack type and a damage type can not "co-exist" is not defined as an attack on pg 18 and nothing in the rules says that a blast is a new attack generated by either a melee or ranged attack. It's a part of the original attack. Why would the properties of the damage an attack makes effect the properties of that attack?

Why do you assume that bulletproof only works against a direct hit? I can't find anything in the rules manual that support this. Bulletproof provides protection against a specific type of attack (defined on pg 18 in RM), not against a specific type of damage effect.

I think my argument is solid. There is nothing in the rules that says that a blast is a new attack generated by the original attack. A blast is part of the original attack (since it's listed as an effect of that attack) and therefore has the properties of that attack (such as melee, ranged and/or magical). Sounds like an awesome dude. He just might be me.

Yes, if a blast is part of the damage caused by a ranged attack. One attack can have several effects (including different damage effects). All of these effects still come the same attack, regardless of how the effect itself is "generated".

If an attack is a ranged attack then all damage effects caused by that attack are caused by a ranged attack. The blast is in this case an effect used for distributing damage. The attack causing the blast(s) is still a ranged attack and will trigger bulletproof for all modells affected by the attack. The fact that blasts does not get the same bonuses that the "direct" damage does is not connected to the attack type but to requirements regarding the target of the attack. Bulletproof has no such requirements.