Gunblade, It CAN be done! Options

[DamienKnight]

OK, you lost me right here.

Kevlar (now almost 40 years old) has a tensile strength considerably higher than steel. The reason soft armors are vulnerable to knives has nothing to do with any "weakness" of the material and everything to do with how that material is ASSEMBLED. It's a weave. That means that anything with a sufficiently sharp point is going to penetrate the armor and ease your way in as many of the threads part around the object. Yes, you WILL wind up cutting some fibers, but you've completely eliminated over 50% of the vest's strength - that part which derived from the threads parallel to the blade. But if you're swinging the blade, you're not just "cutting", because a lot of your damage is coming from the impact of the weapon itself. The traditional katana is somewhat unique compared to more typical Western weapons. Even curved horse-blades (scimitar and saber) are cutting more after the impact. I don't see that you're going to meaninfully defeat the armor with a swing such that the gun is helping in any real way.

Exactly why the Swing does not bypass armor, but the stab does.

[DamienKnight]

Gunlance
Lance: Reach 2 Damage (STR/2)+2 AP 0
Gun: Damage 6P AP –2 Mode SS RC -1 Ammo 6(cy) Range: as Hvy Pistol
Special: 2-handed, due to bulk, 'untrained' users suffer -1 dp to attacks,
Both gun and lance may be used in tandem in melee by splitting your dice pool as per multiple target rules (SR4A, p.158).
(Melee stats reflect spear, Ranged stats reflect Warhawk with weighted barrel)

Gunlance Maneuvers: (must be learned as MA maneuvers)
Stick'n'Shot:
The practitioner of this technique uses a stab to pin an opponent in place for subsequent fire.
Net successes on the Lance melee attack impose a dice pool penalty to defense tests against subsequent gun attacks in the same round.

etc.

I doubt that the one handed use as in the picture is possible in anything other than an anime/wuxia style game, so I made it a 2-handed apparatus. I think this is more feasible than a gunblade.

Agreed, they are unwieldy. I personally would never try using one in real life, and probably not with a character either.

However, to suit the needs of m plyayers, we are assuming that someone who is well trained with the thing, and perhaps has magical or cybernetic enhancements making him more capable, could make it work.

Imagine the average Pirate Goon trying to use a gun blade with 3 skill and 3 agility, while on a moving boat in chaotic combat. He may only have 4 or 5 dice to attack with in the first place, so he is unlikely to hit with a called Stab-shot with -4 dice, and is unlikely to be able to get any successes roll 3 - penalties for the shooting part of a slice shot.

Its like telling a group of cops they are only allowed to shoot suspects in the feet. Medium to low skilled people find special tasks like called shots dibilitating.

However, when considering inhumanly fast runners who are stronger and better trained, something that makes the average person FLUB is not too hard for them.

[Bladerunner]

I would like to preface this post by saying, I am not a Final Fantasy fanboy.

You've put up quite the long winded argument for not being a fanboy (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rotfl.gif)

Your overall present and interesting thought and premise, but I don't see it being engineered in the sixth world or being easily usable either.

That being said, your question is more about finding a way to do it in your game for your players, rather than push it into a book or supplement for all to use.

Give the player the dice penalty and see if it works. I mean this is your game, you've got to try and fail (if needed) and adjust from there. I'd let the player use it with the stipulation that it will be adjusted if it becomes a problem. If they can agree to that, then whats the harm?

You're going for story over realism anyway at that point, if it works out, just nail the story and your golden.

edit: typo!

[McCummhail]

You're going for story over realism anyway at that point, if it works out, just nail the story and your golden.

I can't agree with this more.
It has been an interesting distraction from work
and a chance to stretch the left and right lobes,
but it boils down to between you and the players.

I think I might spring a gunlance on my players
for shits and giggles.

[DamienKnight]

You've put up quite the long winded argument for not being a fanboy (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rotfl.gif)

Ah, you pierce me with truth!

No, actually I have NEVER played a game with a Gunblade in it, and have never seen an anime with a gunblade in it. Just had this idea presented to me by one of my players.

You're going for story over realism anyway at that point, if it works out, just nail the story and your golden.

I had decided to add this to my game already before I posted this thread. The interested players had discussed the rules and we agreed on them. I simply posted here to see if someone had better ideas, or suggestions for better rules, not really for approval/disapproval. (although I always crave praise (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Indeed, story over realism is the goal. However, I feel my rules have achieved realism, and my arguments support that.