Even with elves, dwarves, magics and dragons, Shadowrun rules tries, at least a little, to simulate reality as we know it. Shadowrun approach to the rules are different from, let's say, D&D approach to the rules.

Changeling 3
Ambidexterity X3
Shiva Arms X2
Agility: 6
Automatics: 6 (SMG’s +2)
Second Hand Muscle Toner +3
Reflex Recorder: Firearms +1

Dicepool: 6+6+3+1: 16D6
Specialization: +2D6

Split by 6: 16/6: 2,66D6 (Round up to 3D6)
Add Specialization +2D6

Get X6 SMGs with FA option.

Give covering fire with 5D6 X6 and let the lead fly.

There was a PC in my game that fired pistols akimbo. He was good enough to hit most grunts and if he was lucky he could drop them with only one bullet. Even if he wasn't that lucky, they would usually be heavily wounded (and since they were grunts with low professional ratings, they'd be running away). Multiply his 4 bullets per IP by his WR, and he was able to dispose of 12 grunts per turn. Vs tougher opponents he would use just the one pistol for improved accuracy. This guy was made using RAW from the BBB only, and wasn't even twinked out (much).

It is eminently doable, but how useful it is depends on the kind of opposition the GM is throwing at you.

Personally I wouldn't allow the 1 die, 9 dice split - or at least the intended outcome. I'd only impose a defense penalty if the defender had actually needed to make a reaction test to negate a hit. Hence the 1 die attack would only make the second shot more likely to hit if you got lucky with that first test. And your second shot is affected by any uncompensated recoil from the first one (easily accounted for by improving your gear).

Actually, the best way to fire guns akimbo in SR4 would be being a mystic adept (yes, even they have a use!).
It's all about getting bonus dice instead of pouring tons of BP into pumping up your base DP.

And the best way to get bonus dice for firearms tests is the enhance aim spell.

Combine that with Adept Centering (and probably that adept power from Digital Grimoire) to decrease penalties for multiple targets, get a posession based tradition and channeling to up your AGI to insane levels and load up on the usual stuff such as Muscle Toner (and/or the Improved Agility spell) and Improved Ability and after a couple of initiations you might actually achieve impressive results with this approach.

Also, the Atunement metamagic might be handy.
Only one weapon can benefit from it, but unlike smartlinks, it is compatible with real dual wielding.

I must admit that i haven't fully checked out the math, so it may still be more interesting to stick with only two shots per round, but i think it might work out with this approach.

Well, a F12 Analyze Device (Your Gun) should work too.

Lets assume 6 successes and a -2 sustaining penalty.

You now have +4D6 to your dicepool.

Depending on your view of the spell this is something that is used one ONE specifik gun or spread out over several guns of the same type.

Rasumichin
If you calculate the Monster ,dont forget to count in Tracer Ammo (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

@The Jopp
Change MPs with the MGL6 Grenny Lnchr Pistol (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

with a (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) dance
Medicineman

I once made a Hong-Kong akimbo gunfighter NPC as an experiment. Then a guest player turned up just before the session and I lent him the charsheets for a character who rolled something 15 dice split between two SMGs.

Ther verdict is as follows:

1) He slaughtered many grunts in one combat turn

2) We had to make far too many rolls! That's 2 guns with 7 and 8 dice each, then two reaction rolls, then (maybe) 2 damage soak rolls. Then came his second simple action where you do it again with modifiers on top! When two more initiative passes were added on that it really took the excitement out of combat and probably left a really terrible impression of Shadowrun on this new player.

WHAT!!! You can't use Analyze Device to give you a bonus in combat! It gives you an understanding of how the device works but it isn't going to make you a better shooter.

Bah!!!!

Another option for dual-wielding ranged weapons, though frightfully expensive in some cases and not directly adept-friendly, is gun-drones. I'm currently playing a character who uses two heavily-modified pistols with pilot upgrades and such, treating them as drones for IP and dice. No immediate SmartLink bonuses, but a technomancer could, with GM approval, compile machine sprites with the SmartLink complex form, them then getting those bonuses.

Just food for thought.

That... that is just... just so EVIL! I like! Will have to build one and see how it comes out.

Screw the smarklink complex form, just make them total drone with autosofts (targeting, pilot). Then they would just fire on their own.

Lets see...
Agility 7 + Skill 7 + 2 Specialization + 2 Smartlink = 18 Dice (before split)
[(Agility 7 + Skill 7) / 2] + 2 Specialization + 0 Smartlink - 9 Dice (after split)


Lets assume you are playing by SR4 RAW - 3 of your 6 Hits go towards beating OR, so you have a net of +3, with a -2 Sustaining, or +1 overall modifier.
Now lets assume you are playing by SR4A RAW - 4 of your 6 Hits go towards beating OR, so you have a net of +0, with a -2 Sustaining, or +0 overall modifier.

This is, of course, assuming that you can reliably get 6 Hits to begin with. And your GM considers guns a step below drones for OR (I know some would put the two at the same level).

Where is that in the rules.

How would you guys handle akimbo firing when the characters hands have different Agility scores.

BBB p. 136 Fire Weapon, p. 135 Change Linked Device Mode, again Fire Weapon.

I'd apply the same rule as for using different skills.

If I have a weapon skill of 5, specialised, thats +2 dice. Doesn't the +2 factor into the total skill rating?

That would mean the maximum skill is 7. 7x1.5=10.5 or 11 (rounding up). That would mean the highest bonus dice pool would be four dice.

E.g. the improved ability 4 or improved 3 + reflex recorder.

Or doesn't the specialisation count?

- J.

Oh right, there was something...don't think i'm going to stat this out soon, though.
There's so many possible variables, you can hardly give a fixed amount for the DP that monster would bring to the table.
Depending on initiate grade, Force of the spirit involved, spellcasting skills and so on...but it would work, i think.
Another possible end of level monstrosity to throw at unsuspecting players (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)



That's what cyberlimb weapon mounts are for.
Bring your own suppressive fire!



No, it is said in the FAQ that it is a DP bonus and therefore factored in after the split.



I'm not 100% sure, but i think you round down in that case.
And the DP bonus isn't capped at all, it is just the increase of the skill itself which is capped at 3 or 4 dice.
This only applies to Improved Ability and Reflex Recorders, all other means available here do not count as an increase of the skill itself (in fact, the only other example besides those two are a couple of qualities from RC, but none of them would matter here).

Is it just me or does anyone think that dice caps on magical/augmented abilities is just silly?

- J.

I've (ok me and my group) already thought of that. It's an elf rigger who rigs his own arms. And legs. And head/eyes. I named him Tinker Toy.

I think skill caps are silly, and the caps they have on magical/augmented abilities even sillier.

THose say nothing about you having to take free action to switch smartlink if you use two Weapons after another.

There is no rule as far as I am aware against running two Smartlinks - only using them when splitting your pool for two-weapon combat.

The free action is just for a GM who might rule that only one weapon may b connected to the smartlink computer at any given time.

OK, i was starting to think that there was some kind of rule for tat, that i had missed.

you want to be careful going down that path. You'll wind up with folk refusing to pay essence for cyber limbs "since they're just drones". Pretty soon you'll have de facto jarheads without the drawbacks.

Nono, they're modular cyberlimbs with the Drone modification.