Thus Spake Zargrabowski/NonGCGComments

>>>Ok, now I've got a semi-related question. There's a lot of talk about perfect attacks and perfect defenses, causing some heated debates among me and my players. Basically, what we've come up with is: a perfect attack is one that cannot be dodged or parried, and an attack that automatically succeeds is above and beyond this; a perfect defense is one that automatically works, and trumping applicability (like HGD) is above and beyond this. Please, oh great guru, are we right? - SilverMeerKat <<<

IIRC from the Exalted FAQ, attacks and defenses have two switches which can be thrown- applicibility and perfection.

An attack that is perfect will always hit with at least one success; however, it may be dodged or parried normally down from more than one success. An attack that denies the applicibility of a type of defense makes no such auto-hit guarentee, but does reduce the defender's options. An attack that is both perfect and trumps applicibility always strikes with at least one success, and eliminates either the defender's ability to dodge or parry (or both) it.

A defense that is perfect will always reduce an attack's successes to 0; however, it must be applicible. A defense that trumps applicibility may be used even when it's type of defense is specifically prohibited (for example, one of FWW's Infernal Dodge Charms allows a character to make a Dodge roll even against normally undodgeable attacks). A perfect and applicible defense will reduce any attack's successes to 0, and can always be used. Contrast HGD (perfect and applicible) to Seven Shadows Evasion (perfect but not applcible).

Something else to note, GCG does not, insofar as I know, read or post to the Exalted Wiki. You'd be better off posting to the WW forum. - DS

Oh, so this is just a collection of quotes and such. Now I see. I like the two switches explanation, too - nice and simple. As for the forums, well, I don't go there anymore. Anyway, thanks =) -SilverMeerKat

Regarding "an attack that is perfect will always hit with at least one success", my reading of Accuracy Without Distance makes it seem like it will always hit with at least zero successes. That is, if all your successes are cancelled by a non-perfect defense, then you still hit with only base damage and no successes from the attack (as opposed to one, which is what you seem to be stating). Some of the other perfect attack charms may work as you describe. -- Mapache

And some might give more than just one or zero successes; who knows? We only really have one real perfect attack charm at the moment, and a very very weak one. -- CrownedSun

Not sure if this has come up before- if it has, would someone mind pointing me at the official ruling? How does AWD interact with Impeding the Flow, which is "not a perfect defense", but doesn't require a roll? -- IsawaBrian

The same as if it was completely parried (AWD hits with 5 successes and someone parries with 5+, it still auto hits with 1 success) - Myrlan