Ambidexterity for Adept, Spurs or unarmed? Options

[Smiley]

I'm doubt I'm the only one here who'd define bitching at everyone for not immediately leaping to your defense and helping you contradict someone who disagrees with you as rude.

[Guest_Crimsondude 2.0_*]

My hate goes to the pattern of offenses, first of all.

Second, it applies to every instance in which it's happened to anyone, and is in fact why I am glad the Lounge is a thing of the past.

Good for you for having an opinion though. Because that's all I did was give my opinion, and I feel no reason to justify it to you or anyone.

Now then, I got the damn cite. My question answered, I'm done. Goodbye.

[Smiley]

[fistandantilus4....]

Not very happy tonight Smiley?

Have an opinion on ambidexterity by any chance?

[Glyph]

The only problem that I have with the Ambidexterity edge is that, game mechanics-wise, it makes no sense to ever take an off-hand weapons skill instead. Why pay the same 6 points, to have ambidexterity with only one skill, plus have to improve two skills instead of one? I think off-hand weapon skill should be something like a maneuver (similar to martial arts maneuvers) or an Edge, to make it an actual useful option.

[Dawnshadow]

What bugs me about ambidexterity is that, melee wise, there's no real benefit to the 8 point over the 6 point. My melee adept has it, but only(!) because I had roleplay reasons for wanting worse flaws. Short of house ruling it, there's no canon benefit to being perfectly ambidextrous compared to "really good with off hand" at the 6 point. You'd think that someone who could operate perfectly with either hand in the lead would have some edge over someone who has a marked advantage with one hand, wouldn't you?

[weblife]

In the CC, page 96, in the table showing the weapons you are allowed to dualwield with Ambidexterity. - Shock Glove is mentioned, as a secondary weapon.

Which to me means the FAQ has again made a blatant error.

And it also means that the unarmed adept, with ambidexterity, should be getting his 1,5 times skill. - Compared to the dual spur scenario we just covered, this is in no way overpowering.

[JaronK]

I think the idea was that the shock glove could be secondary with a normal held weapon, but you couldn't duel weild hand to hand weapons. The idea there being that normal weapons can be duel weilded (more dice) or two handed (more power and reach) while hand to hand got manuevers (more options). They didn't want to give the advantages of two of those to one weapon. And let's face it, dual shock gloves with some decent manuevers (close combat comes to mind) is really nasty.

JaronK

[weblife]

Its also very clearly stated that all secondary weapons can be used in pairs. Its even referred to, as a quote, in this thread.

2 x Shock Glove + Ambidexterity = Unarmedx1,5

Remember you only get to land 1 shock, the second weapon doesn't get an effect. But you do get the advantage of up to 16 shocks instead of 8, before recharging.

[JaronK]

But, since it's also clear that no gloves + ambi = same as no gloves without ambi, this doesn't actually make any sense and leads to odd contradictions.

JaronK

[weblife]

[ES_Riddle]

[JaronK]

I wouldn't say two spurs is totally better than unarmed. For one thing, it uses up cyberware. For another, it's hard to get manuevers with them, and those things are quite useful.

As to the whip... it's expensive, hard to find, can whip you in the face and kill you, and an opponent with close combat will be able to take you out easy enough. It's a good weapon for someone with low strength, sure, but it has an appropriate cost and availability to match.

JaronK

[ElFenrir]

I rememeber the example in the SR3 for the 2 SPur Strx1.5 thing had to do with some guy named Logan(wonder what they were thinking :P), and basically told that 2 Spurs with a Str 6, had his spurs deal 9M, but rolled one time, with the normal skill dice+ combat pool. And with the Cannon Companion stuff, I can see how it can confuse people reading one thing, then another update, then errata...


And yeah, the whip is hard to get...even in our games where we tend to ignore starting availability(to a point, no nuclear submarines or citymasters), no one takes it. As said, it's got it's good points but after we watched the last wielder take his own forearm off with it in a botched roll...well, for a low Str character a polearm still works very well too, is easier to get, cheaper, and safer. Sure you sacrifice some things, but it's nice. ;) Harder to conceal however(another good thing about the whip.)

[hyzmarca]

The monowhip is a good choice for low strength shapeshifters if they are willing to put in the effort to get very high ettiquite.