https://infinitythewiki.com/Deactivator This isn't intended to be a dismissive post. This is a skill I have never declared in years of playing infinity (or minesweeper from N3), and I started getting curious about it. The rules on the wiki don't seem to define 'deactivate' although a separate bullet mentions you remove the equipment from play. Beyond the basic rules of deactivation, is there any practical use for the ability or useful rules interactions? +6 at 8 inches seems very impractical considering that's roughly the same band as a small template that deployable weapons will be using, plus you would need to discover most deployables first. Also seems like using a weapon to shoot the equipment/deployable off the board would be far more effective because of burst or auto hitting template weapons. Thanks in advance.
I've never used it either, but since it works on WIP and ignores mimetism and cover, and doesn't allow an armor save, there could be circumstances where it's better odds than shooting the equipment. I suppose. Maybe against a drop bear since you don't have to discover it first.
I used it once to great effect with Yuriko Oda, to deactivate all the pitchers in my way. Sure, she got spotlighted, highlighted and any other lightning after effects... but you should've seen the wreck my Samurais did after she was done deactivating all those pesky pitchers.
Deactivator also works against Deployable Repeaters and other Deployable Equipment, which is where you can get the +6 bonus. Perimeter weapons, Drop Bears, and launched mines don't need to be discovered before deactivating. A standard BS11 engineer at 8-16" is looking at about 51% chance to destroy a mine with a combi once you take into account cover, mimestism, and ARM rolls, 56% for BS12, 60% for BS13. Deactivator is WIP +3 at the same range and no ARM roll, so been a lowly PanO WIP 12 Machinist has a 75% chance of success, which is also as good or better than any DTW.
For most WIP13-14 guys in the midfield between 8 and 16in, doing a Discover+Deactivate against a Mine is more efficient than Discover + Shot (if you know it is a mine). If not a mine, it is also quite efficient as people said, since it ignores cover. But we still deeply believe in burst and tend to just shoot things to pieces, right?
BIG EDIT: Wow I should read the rules. no mods allowed, so it is a clearly better option to deactivate That's a good point, I wasn't really math'ing out the options or considering the lack of armor save. B1 just always feels so much more prone to bad luck than higher burst in my best guestimates, even if that doesn't bear out in the math.. Is this correct though? Deactivator says it's a BS attack so you would be getting +3 for range -3 for the mine's mimetism? In the machinist example, it's either 1B at WIP12 with no arm allowed vs B3 at BS12 with ARM saves allowed. That's probably a lot closer right?
Edit: just noticed your edit ;) https://infinitythewiki.com/Deactivator > The WIP Roll only applies MODs for Range, but not those from Special Skills (for example Mimetism), or Cover.
