Since I'm currently the only one in my group who has the book I'm generating some characters for my players to choose from and after taking a close look at what the physical adept I created can do I have a very strange question . . .

With the great leap ability as high as I bought it the physical adept is capable of a running broad jump of as much as 36 feet (about, I access the net from a library and don't have the sheet on me) and can leap 21 feet straight up. He also specializes in the Katana. As my players are likely to incorporate such a dramatic leap into this characters attacks with his bladed weaponry I was wondering how to handle extra damage from what sounds like it would be a rather devastating attack (if it hit). Charge doesn't seem to cover something of this magnitude, should I extrapolate from falling damage or does someone have a better sugestion?

I would say to incorporate it as a charge. If you want to include falling damage for the target, then I'd say the phys-ad himself would also have to soak the falling damage.

You could look at it as increased reach, which will give bonus dice. I wouldn't though.
I'd say you get enough of a bonus by being able to stand flat footed 6 meters away, and when it's your turn leap into melee range.

Street Samurai can do it too, and from further away.

He just needs a set of Rating 6 Hydraulic Jacks, a good Agility, and a good Gymnastics (Jump) skill.

Let's say he has Agility 6, and Gymnastics (Jump) 4(6). He would score an average of 6 successes on the jump test, and jump 26.4 meters on a running jump. That's 88 feet, if it matters. He can jump half of that from a standing stop.

let him subtract dice from the attack to add that many to damage

Every time you fall a meter or more you're considered falling and need to make tests to land on your feet, not get hurt etc.

hell, if you want to do it, adapt part of the fall damage table and add it to the attack damage = )

It's risky to both people (although probably more so for the victim)

Unless you have hydraulic jacks in your legs. Then it's just risky for the victim.

Can't you use great leap to reduce falling damage and increase the chance of landing on your feet? Shouldn't be that hard.

The thing is, the potential to miss with melee attacks is actually somewhat higher.

They get Reaction + Melee or Dodge to defend against your attacks.

If you drop dice off your attack it is very possible that you will miss a skilled opponent, especially if they spend edge.

Hrm, how about do charging and superior postion together. Also it could generate a surprise roll as well. I mean someone jumping at you from 40ft away is somewhat unexpected.

I would also say that each level of great leap adds a die to the roll to land on your feet, and that there is no falling damage generated from the leap itself providing the fall isn't more than the vertical jump limit. (Providing you land on your feet) In example if the vertical jump was 21 ft then if you jump off something 21 ft or shorter no damage. If you jump off of something 50 ft tall you take falling damage for 29 ft, the difference between your jump and the total distance of said fall.

How about they have a sort of surprise or reaction check for the defender. They win, they get superior position. If they don't, the jumping katana-boy gets it.

Actually, the ability to exceed your normal allotted movement and close distance for HtH is pretty damned powerful to begin with. i hadn't really thought of that particular application for jumping.

Hey wait, what kind of action does it take to jump? It's possible that you can't do a jump attack at all according to the RAW.

Well, in Shadowrun movement has not, traditionally, been considered an action. Thus you could move and still take a full round's worth of actions, because you do them while moving. Which actually makes a lot of sense. Most things I can do in three seconds, I can do while walking, although the movement may affect things like aim or add a distraction. (Which it does, in the SR rules.) And jumping usually falls under the header of "movement". Of course, if you jump more than 11 meters high, then you won't arrive on the same round you jumped. (You fall 11.025 meters in 1.5 seconds, and in a ballistic curve it takes just as long to get up as to get down. Now if magic or science either accelerates your ascent or slows your descent, that's a different story.)

Charging and/or superior position bonuses sound fair, with the note that the shoe could easily wind up on the other foot. If a guy leapt at me from far enough away that I could react, I'd sure as hell get out of the way! And then I'd be ready to kick him in the back of the head when he landed.

Actually, it seems running requires a free action now, and sprinting a simple action. Page 138 seems to say that using a skill (unless otherwise noted) requires a complex action. This is starting to make sense to me. Why would it take less of an action to leap somewhere instead of sprinting? It seems like it should require more effort.