Dikoted Morningstars, The new katana? Options

[Lilt]

From the Cannon Companion, P11
Damage: (Str+2)M, (Str+3)M once Dikoted ((Str+3)S if your GM counts a spiked version as 'edged')
Reach: 2
Advantages: Can be used to entangle opponents as a whip (takes opponent complex action and strength test to get free)

Okay, they have a lower power, but that's offset somewhat by the extra reach and the fun that you can have by holding them stationary and smacking them with whatever's in your other hand.

[A Clockwork Lime]

I personally prefer a dikoted Manriki-Gusari. Concealability 10, (STR+3)L Stun dikoted, Reach 2, and the ability to not only entangle, but do damage while you have them entangled. Sure, the Damage Level is Light, but I've always found Power to be more important anyway. So it's equal to the above in that department, you'll rarely be spotted carrying it, and you can both entangle (with a high Barrier rating to boot) while doing damage. The best part is that it's Stun damage, so you won't have to leave a pile of corpses in your wake.

[Lilt]

The Manriki-Gusari is nice, but it's 2-handed. With the morningstar you can use it in one hand (with another non-lethal weapon in your other hand) or in both hands (gaining +1 power). The ability to damage and entangle simultaniously is nice though, I'm not sure about repeatedly damaging someone with it if you've already entangled them though. The concealability is a great advantage, but compared to the katana's concealability of 3, 4 ia already ahead.

Thankfully; they're both whips. You can use them with the same skill. :)

[gknoy]

I don't think that a diamond-coated ball of steel (even with spikey bits) would be that much more threatening than a normal ball of steel. Thus, while the technicalities of the rules would allow it (?), I would say that you can't dikote clubs, baseball bats, batons, hammers, maces, or morning stars. Well, you CAN, but you just won't get the increased damage code that you wanted. (In other words, this would be either a house rule, or my interpretation of canon rules. Much as I'd rule that an untrained average person CAN suicide while defaulting to quickness to shoot themself with a light pistol. :))

IIRC, the dikote increases a bladed weapon's damage code because it lowers the resistance for it to slice through things -- easier slicing means deeper wounds. A mace doesn't slice, it bashes -- sure it might have spikes, but those won't go any deeper just because they're diamond covered, since the big ball fo steel behind them limits their depth. Maces and other mass weapons were all about crushing underlying bones, anyways.

[Entropy Kid]

[A Clockwork Lime]

In my opionin, like the FirePower™ ammo of 1st Edition, Dikote is really just a rules addition to "fix" the Damage Codes of melee weapons to make them as dangerous as they should be and to give certain types of items a Barrier Rating. You shouldn't put too much thought into the exact reasons for it, just accept it for what it is.

[Shadow]

Good 'ol FirePower ammo. My group thought that, and the reactive trigger, was the coolest thing.

As for dikoting, get dual cyber spurs and dikote them. Concealablity is moot when there housed in your forearms and if your strength is high enough you will be a ginsu machine.

[Lilt]

Yes, the suggestion was that the spikes on a spikey ball could be made sharper thus deserving the +1 Damage Level. The spiked ball would also probably cause a nastier wound as sthe spikes could penetrate further or other spikes, spikes that would not normally penetrate due to resistane, could penetrate the skin and cut them up.

Anyhow: Yes, by canon they do not get the +1DL as they are not edged weapons, but they do get the +1 power.

[Smiley]

I fully respect the Dikote and all the whips in general, but nothing can ever replace the good ol' Dikoted katana (or no-dachi). Old tricks are the best tricks, i always say.

[A Clockwork Lime]

As previously mentioned, a pair of dikoted spurs will trump a dikoted katana any day of the week. [(STR+50%)+1]S Damage. And if both are used with an Off-Hand Weapons Skill or Ambidexterity 3, they both gain bonus dice.

[Rev]

Except that the katana has reach, which is key.

How bout dikoated traditional materials tomohawk :). (Str)S, +1 reach, 7 concealability, no metal!

Far as I could tell from the rules all the whips weapons have the power reduction that regular whips have... whatever it is... half damage against anything with armor maybe?

[A Clockwork Lime]

Who cares about Reach with Close Combat? The katana weilder will get his ass handed to him by anyone with a Reach 2 weapon. At least with Close Combat and the spurs, you're leveling the playing field while getting a superior Damage Code to boot.

[Jason Farlander]

Plus, you can coat those spurs with glow-in-the-dark paint and pretend you're a Protoss Zealot! The enemy's command cent.. I mean research facility doesnt stand a chance! Hit it into destruction!.

[Smiley]

Where are the cyberspur rules? I can't seem to lay my hands on them right now.

[Rev]

If you use the maneuver rules maybe, I don't so I don't know.

If you don't the katana is still a lot better against the reach 2 weapon than the spurs, even if it still looses.

[Shadow]

[CardboardArmor]

I'd dikote my gun for the hell of it and shoot you all from out of melee range.

[gknoy]

[RangerJoe]

Entaro adun, Mr. Johnson....

[Mimick]

Why not just go one step further and make the cyberspurs weapon foci, with the character being an adept.

Of course the costs in time, effort, and cold hard cash are extremely prohibitive, assuming you could even make the blades from your spurs into foci...that and dikoting would conceivably give you double the dice to roll (assumedly if you're going to all that effort you'll invest in high force) and the bonuses for dikoting. :cyber:

But yes, this is a ridiculous idea so don't take it seriously. (please? I can't bear the thought of the ensuing min/max discussion)

[Tziluthi]

Just a thought, but if you were going to turn retractable cyberspurs into a weapon focus, would you not have to magicify the actual cyberware itself, the stuff they implant into your brain. How much is orachalcum circitry, I wonder?

[Lilt]

Well, none of it thankfully. It's all optical quantum computing, otherwise EMPs would fry sammies in a fraction of a second.

[Austere Emancipa...]

Should I advertise the THE WALLHACKER!!!1112?

What's the armor rating on a Leopard III again? (I haven't got SOTA.)

[Lilt]

40 :eek:

[Austere Emancipa...]

Damn. There's no way in hell you can pump up the Power on those dual Dikoted handblades up to 82. I guess I got to stick to Light Armored Vehicles. :(