Weapon Focus Monowhip, Power of the Attack? Options

[JaronK]

If a Weapon Focus Monowhip (let's say force 1) is used in Astral Combat by a shaman (let's say he's charisma 8), what's the power? On page 191 of the BBB it says "When used in astral combat, the weapon focus's Power is determined using Charisma instead of Strength." Now, since Monowhips don't use strength, and just do 10S, I'd assume in astral combat it does 10S, from this paragraph. However, on page 176 of the same book, the Astral Damage Codes table says an armed attack does (Charisma) + weapon focus damage, so I'd think from that he'd do 8S. Which is correct?

Likewise, would the same mage weilding a weapon focus Staff do (Charisma)M or (Charisma + 2)M?

JaronK

[Guest_Crimsondude 2.0_*]

It'd cause as much damage as my fist impacting with the player's face for even suggesting a Monowhip Weapon Focus.

I'd use Charisma + Weapon Focus, since the whole point of the monowhip's lethality doesn't really mean anything on the astral.

[hermit]

Can monowhips even become weapon foci? Didn't these need to be specially grafted and forged with special ceremonies and/or ingredients?

[mfb]

according to SR3, the weapon has to include some amount of orichalcum. according to MitS, this is optional. you could make the axle for the spool out of orichalcum, if your GM uses the SR3 requirements.

[hahnsoo]

I'd let my players use it as a very small club in Astral combat. Dunno about applying weapon foci dice to Whips attack tests.

[hermit]

The point is, to be present n astral space, the whip wire has to be enchanted too, right? And it's pretty hard to get a magical alloy onto a carbon hydroxide molecule chain ... unless you plan on destroying the molecule, that is.

Small club. I like that. Would it only be a small club weapon focus in the real world, too? After all, the whip wire would not get any more magical there ...

[hahnsoo]

[Tarantula]

The monowhip is special, I'd give it a base damage of (Cha)L simply because it relies on the cutting ability of its monofilament for damage. This is the base whip damage, and thus I consider it to be fair. Also, this only applies if attacking a purely astral target, they would have to make the rolls to dodge their own attack, as if the target had dodged theirs (because well, the whip won't stop simply because it hit them, it'll go back around). This is already in the rules, and I say that if they're astral already, they automatically cause these rules to come up.

[JaronK]

Well, it only has to include some orchalium... I assumed it would be in the counterweight at the end of the whip, and in the wieght at the base of the whip.

I don't really see why a monowhip wouldn't deal damage appropriately in the astral. The astral is a place of feeling and intent, and most people probably believe the monowhip to be quite deadly, so it would work there just as well as an astral anything else.

JaronK

[hahnsoo]

[JaronK]

I've always assumed that if you had a weapon focus katana, then dikoted it, it would behave as a normal katana in the astral, but if you had a dikoted katana, and turned it into a weapon focus, it would behave like a dikoted katana in the astral.

After all, isn't a katana a club that uses technology to make it do more damage (namely metalworking and sharpening and all that)?

JaronK

[Eyeless Blond]

Exactly. Every weapon focus in the game should do the same damage as either a sap (Str+3 M Stun), a club (Str+2 M Stun), or a staff (Str+2 M Stun), depending on the Reach. After all, the astral plane and thus magic does not interact with technology at all, which is why spellcasting cannot ever affect a computer and people with cybereyes cannot use astral perception to see on the astral plane.

And I'm not being in any way sarcastic. Nope, not at all.

[Fortune]

You don't need to get any mystical alloy into the whip part. If you choose to use Orachalcum in the enchanting process, it could easily be incorporated into the non-whip part of the weapon. The wire itself can be enchanted just as anything else can.

Edit: Very late response to hermit. Too many windows open. :)

[Fortune]

[Tarantula]

Actually, I retract my previous statement, a monofilament whip would do 10s astrally. I still would heavily enforce making them dodge their own whip after it goes through the astral form however.

[hahnsoo]

Ah. Semantics. Great. Let's have 20 posts on the subject of weapons and technology, then move on to the real subject, shall we? :D

Hey, I think my explanation is better than the "Astral plane is touchy feely, and therefore, because I think the monowhip will damage me more, therefore it does". Didn't weapon foci all used to do (CHA + Force/2) M damage in 2nd edition?

[Edward]

Remember, according to the enchanting rules in MITS (and these are the latest ones I am aware of) you don’t have to add anything to the item when you enchant it. You just perform rituals over it and hope you roll good because you’re talking TN 20ish.

With no oricalcum or radicals you could enchant it so it would come with you. Of cause it is OR 10 so you want to use some materials to bring down the TN.

I would have the wait on the tip of the line be replaced with a unit of radical gems, the casing around the outside is plated with radical silver with inlays of radical gold and oricalcum.

As to its damage I think it would be more than a whip,
To extend the dicoat argument. This is my reasoning.
If you take a weapon focus and dicoat it, it dose not apply in astral combat because the dicoat is not part of the enchantment.
If you enchant a dicoated weapon as a weapon focus it will apply, of cause the OR of the weapon is probably higher.

High tech materials can be enchanted, its just harder.

What happens however when I enchant a weapon (say a Kris) as a power focus, can I use it as a weapon from astral space.

Edward

[Necro Tech]

Actually I asked about dikoting a weapon focus and was told that the benefits don't transfer if you do it before or after.

On the monowhip thing, how is anyone going to replace the weight on the tip? How are you going to reattach the line? I've always considered them factory only items and when they break you chuck them. Anyone ever bought a monowhip B/R kit?

[Tarantula]

How did they attach the line in the first place? Whip b/r kit, whips (monowhip) b/r skill. Get to it. Microscopic vision major bonus. I mean, hell, companies string up monowire lines without too much issue, it can't be that hard to attach it to a chunk of something.

[Necro Tech]

I would say a machine. You can't exactly tie it on. Logically (forgive my use of the word here) you would graft it on to a small rod and cast a weighted tip around it. I seriously doubt the weight can or was ever meant to come off.

If you want to replace parts with radicals use the spool, the handle, the screws that hold it together. You better have steel mesh gloves when playing with monowire.

[ShadowGhost]

[JaronK]

Okay, so, ignoring all that other stuff, and just going by cannon rules here, what's the astral damage of a Monowhip? (charisma)S or 10S?

JaronK

[Tarantula]

Shadow, you replace str with cha. Since str isn't a factor in monowhip damage, you just get 10S on astral with it as well. And, I would say if attacking a purely astral target, you have to soak on every attack, since the whip isn't physically hitting them. Unless you're purely astral also.

[Tarantula]

[JaronK]