Shatter

Description
An affordable and common "armor-breaker," Shatter deals reliable flat damage to the target's armor, then adds a little bit more based on the ranks of the attack that carries the Shatter effect.

Armor damage dealt by Shatter affects all modes of the victim, with a very slight amount of random difference between modes, but the damage is permanent until repaired. At a premium of 9 energon, Shatter is inexpensive enough to use fairly often. It can represent any means by which one might progressively reduce an opponent's damage resistance over the course of a fight... typically acid or pulverizing blows. Shatter attacks may have 0 ranks of damage. A shattering attack pulled to 0 will do armor damage.

Strategy
Shatter early on to get the most benefit out of it over the course of a battle, but beware of the energon cost creeping up on you and causing you to tire out before your opponent, who now has wrecked armor but is feeling fine otherwise while you are gasping for fuel. Don't let the ability to Shatter seduce you into the idea that Shatter is always the right thing, however. Each use of Shatter is 3 ranks of damage you can't produce because you just used its energon/ammunition on Shattering.

If you are hit by Shatter, try not to get hit so much as it will hurt more from then on. It usually takes two or three Shatters to knock your armor out.

Related Effects

 * Disintegrate