Clarification on Confusion (the power, no pun intended)

[Lindharin]

Okay, maybe a little bit of a pun intended...

Confusion is a type of attack power so presumably takes up your attack action for the panel, right? And there's a Mind contest to apply it successfully to the target. The effect lasts until they make a 20 Mind check, or 3 pages, etc.

There are two alternate versions of it. One makes a lingering area. I think that one is pretty straight forward.

The other alternate version says:

Instead of targeting an individual or group for confusion, you can also buy this power to affect those trying to attack a specific target (normally yourself, but can be any target within range of your ability)

It also says that it "lasts for 3 pages".

One of my players made a character using this ability over the weekend, so I want to get some advice on it. How exactly does this version work?

If it would help to have an example, let's say I have an "aura of confusion" power bought with this option. I turn it on during my panel in Page 1. A villain attacks me on Page 2 which prompts a Mind contest which I succeed at so he is affected. He has a low Mind, so assume that he'll never make the 20 difficulty and it will last the full duration.

First, does it still take an attack action to turn this version of the power on even though there was no immediate die roll to affect anyone? Or since there is no immediate roll to affect anyone, does it become a free power activation like Armor, etc.?

When it says it "lasts for 3 pages", is that saying that my "aura of confusion" ends after 3 pages, so there would be no new effect on a new villain who attacks me on or after Page 4? Or is it referring to the duration of time that the villain who attacked me on page 2 is affected? Or both?

Assuming it is the "aura of confusion" power that ends in 3 pages, would the villain who was affected on Page 2 still be confused for the normal 3 pages he's affected (until page 5), or does his confusion end early as soon as my power ends on page 3, even though it had only affected him for 1 page so far?

Does the range between me and my attacker matter? If I want to affect a sniper who attacks me from range 40 just like I affect someone who punches me, do I need to buy enough range to reach 40 squares with my confusion? Or is range irrelevant for this version (except if I want to protect someone other than myself) and all that matters is whether they attack me?

Does the affected villain suffer the penalty to all his Agility rolls just like I had targeted him with the normal version? Or is it only the attacks targeting me that get penalized?

Thanks in advance!

[BASHMAN]

Hold up- if you have Confusion on so that it's personal (say you've got a displacement illusion or "bad luck powers" etc) when you turn it on, it lasts for 3 pages. For those 3 pages, anyone who attacks you has the penalties associated w/ Confusion. There is no Mind roll needed. If they attack you, then someone else- the effects don't continue against the new target.

What it gives you is 3 pages where you become very hard to hit. During that time, EVERYONE who attacks you has penalties. After that time, the penalties are gone for everyone.

You don't need range- that's the benefit of having it personal- a sniper from 40 squares away that you cannot even see- will have problems hitting you (or whoever you placed the protection on)

Only attacks targeting the individual protected by the Confusion effect are affected.

[Lindharin]

Excellent, that was my original thought, and it seems fairly intuitive.

I think what threw me off when we actually started playing with it was this part:

Either case lasts for 3 pages. In the case of a lingering Area of Effect, there is no Mind Check or Contest- the Confusion effect is automatic, but ends as soon as one leaves the affected area.

It talks about 3 pages for either case (referring to the personal or the lingering area of effect). It then said that for the lingering AoE version there is no Mind Check, so that implied (to me, anyway) that there is still a Mind Check for the personal version. And from there we went down a garden path to "that must mean it affects all of their agility rolls" then "what part lasts 3 pages", etc.

So an alternate wording might be:

Instead of targeting an individual or group for confusion, you can also buy this power to affect those trying to attack a specific target (normally yourself, but can be any target within range of your ability) or for the confusion to linger in an Area of Effect (which you buy as an enhancement). In either case the power lasts 3 pages and there is no Mind Check or Contest - the Confusion effect is automatic. For the defensive version, it only applies to attack rolls against the target, regardless of distance between the attacker and the target. For the lingering area of effect, the confusion effect applies to all Agility checks while they are in the area but ends as soon as one leaves the affected area.

Is it still an "attack action" to activate these alternate versions? Or do they become free power activations (like Armor) since there is no opposed rolls, etc? I assume it still takes an action, otherwise the duration becomes a little less meaningful, if it can be re-applied for free. Yes/no?

[BASHMAN]

It's free to turn on when it's your turn. It isn't an attack, it's a defense. The Lingering Area, is an attack though, I'd say.

[Lindharin]

Okay, thanks again!