Currently I am trying to make a character as a play on Sonic in a MM3e game. I am trying to make that "Homing" attack he has where he jumps up and then like dive attacks an enemy.
So far the power is Leaping 1, Damage 4, Ricochet 1, and Improved Range for a total of 11pp. His Close Combat ranks are 6 for fighting stat and another 4 in "unarmed" skill for a +10 attack bonus.
At a power level 11 character, is that Attack/Effect balance based on the ranks of the total Homing attack, ie the 11, just the power effects (so leaping and damage for 5 allowing more distance/damage), or just the damage effect specifically; again leading to room for more power?
here is the Text from the rules:
Attack & Effect: The total of your hero’s attack bonus and effect rank with that attack cannot exceed twice the series power level. If an effect allows a resistance check, but does not require an attack check, its effect rank cannot exceed the series power level.
As the GM, im inclined to think its likely the +11 and the attack bonus of 10 bringing me to 21 of the 22 cap… but I thought I'd ask… Funny thing is I asked a similar, but not exactly-the-same question 8 years ago that google directed me towards and the conclusion was basically "GM Decides."
Best Answer
After rereading your question, I think there may be a more basic answer to your question.
It looks like you're treating the 11 PP spent as the "effect rank" for the PL check. That is the cost of the power, not the effect rank. Right now, in that power, your only effect rank is Damage 4, which (assuming it's not Strength-Based, and you have nothing else adding to it) is "effect rank" 4, which is then combined with your +10 attack bonus for a total of 14, which is a PL 7 attack.
As I noted in my other answer, you could be talking about a Slam Attack, where you could use Leaping (or your base speed) to add +1 to +2 Circumstance Bonus on a Charge (using either your movement rank or your Damage), with the drawback that you have to make a save against half of your damage on impact. For a Strength-based Damage attack, you could also be adding your Strength bonus to your effect rank. So, if your guy has Strength 4, and you're using this power, they could have an effective Damage 8 effect rank, which would then be summed with the attack bonus to determine if the attack is within PL.