I wanted to create a weapon focus that was a pistol. The pistol part of the weapon would not be the weapon focus and you would get no bonus to firing the weapon, but if you used the weapon as a club (ie close combat) it would become a weapon focus. I can see where this could get nasty very quick so I'm hesitant to create it.

It's perfectly legal to enchant the pistol; it only acts as a weapon focus when used to pistol-whip someone.

I'm guessing the damage of a pistol whip is:
(str/2 + 1)P with a range of -
Or would it be the same as the sap:
(str/2 + 1)S with a range of -

Check page 149 of SR4, under improvised weapons. (Str/2 + 1)P

While this may seem odd to those who remember it being stun damage in the Cannon Companion, keep in mind that any blow to the head is potentially dangerous - the movie cliches of knocking someone out by cracking their skull with a pistol are exagerrated.

Most posters here seem to have no problems with a pistol weapon focus used as an improvised club (judging from other threads where the topic has come up). The controversy only arises when people propose pistols as a ranged weapon focus.

A pistol used as a club is, if anything, underpowered compared to things like katanas, monofilament whips, combat axes, and polearms as weapon foci.

I think the original worry was that the adept wouldn't have to ready a new weapon and get all these bonuses for defense using parry...? But with the ability to use brass knuckles and such as weapon foci, I'm not concerned.

Eh. Same old argument with bayonets. 's all good.

I was thinking more of a Gun Kata character loosely based of the character in Equilibrium. Sometimes you want to conserve bullets but you don't want to drop your gun.

BTW:
Most modern pistols (and also most dated ones as well) have very effective safeties that will stop the weapon from discharging when it is used as a club. My guess is that by the time of 2070 these safety devices would have only improved not got worse. Miss fires from jarring a weapon are only common in the automatics (SMGs and assault rifles).

For a gun kata PC, I'd go gun adept (Imp Ab Pistols and/or Automatics 3), some Combat Sense, and an extra point or 2 of magic to accomodate some cyber.

I threw together a quick elf adept with 8 AGI, 7 Automatics(9 SMGs), 4 Pistols(6 Semi-Auto), 5 MAG (3 after ESS loss), and a smattering of other skills. Oh, and 5 EDG for those impossible shots.

PPs went to 3 Imp Ab (Automatics), 2 Pistols, and 1 Combat Sense.

Added Muscle Toner 2, Enhanced Articulation, Reflex Recorder(Firearms), Platelet Factories, and Sleep Regulator, along with a pair of cybereyes loaded with the works.

It all fit within a 400 point build with cash left over for guns and gear. Dropping to human might work even better; you trade 1 AGI for 1 EDG + 30BP to flesh out your other skills.

In play, you'd have to initiate and raise MAG if you wanted to put in more chrome; only .45 "free" ESS left after the adept powers are added into the calculation. Secondary skills are pretty weak, and other stats are a little low (except R/I for Init).

Starting dice pool with SMGs is 26 counting smartlink. Semi-autos start at 22 dice. Swap them around if you prefer pistols, and replace one with UC if you want that instead.

Yum, munchy.

Are you forgetting that foci are created specificly to be just that? As far as I remember there has never been rules for enchanting any ol' thing. The enchanting rules of the old Grimoire (were they in MitS also?) required you to collect raw materials, refine them and then create your own focus from them. How on earth do you create a pistol from your own home-smelted oricalcium/steel mixture?

I might concider allowing this kind of focus, but only as a special weapon-focus model of an existing gun, bought off the rack.

(Basicly there's a reason why foci are so expencive; they all contain (small amounts of) oricalcium. Guns normally don't. So if your GM does not agree that some company manufactures an oricalcium handgun... Though off course they might just as well, as magic is big buisness in Shadowrun. )

Maybe if you got away with having a add-on package for an existing model gun. This would also cover the problem that you can't touch a hot barrel. The add-on would be the weapon focus and would cover the barrel and hand guard (but leaving the action and clip assembly alone).

I always loved the seagulls of death.

I haven't bothered reading enchanting rules since the Grimoire .

Ignorance is not a valid defense.

Ignorance is not a defense at all. It may be bliss sometimes, but it won't protect you. Admiting your ignorance however, is one of the best defenses there is.

Only if you then apply yourself to no longer be ignorant.

Much like the original post appears not to have been meant to be an actual character, I doubt that the response was intended to mena literally dropping a cow on them from orbit.

I wouldn't have a problem with it. With that high a focus on combat the player might find themselves bored for large portions of the run, or even a detriment at times (like when in a social situation).

Moo.

(random poll--how many of you city boys have ever been within 10' of a cow? )

No, it was just some number-crunching and min-maxing. And yes, the lack of IP is a problem--but you're going to have that problem no matter what with an adept, because IP either costs too much ESS, too much PP, or too much $$$ for a starting char.

My advice if you really want to play a min-max char like this is to beg somebody to play a mage with Sustaining (Health) foci and a large spellcasting pool. Adepts in particular should love such a mage, because Imp Reflex is far too expensive in PP as it is now.

Also, stay out of social situations. And pump critical untrained skills to 1 as soon as you can before they get you killed.

Hmmm. Bovine Thor shots.

Or, you could just TP offending characters to the Shadowrun secret "Cow Level".

I would take the magazine end of the gun and crack it on the bridge of someones nose even if the darn thing was plastic. I dont' care, i want to insult you and save a bullet, find then.. SWACK in the nose.

But i see no rules agianst slapping the weapon foci on it as a club. Just got to make sure nothign bad happens to the gun, or it get stole, alot of eggs in one basket. I'm still going to prefer the weapon foci on the Yield Sign over that anyday!

Totally off topic, re: seeing cows?

I live downwind of a cheese factory. I've seen a cow give birth at my grandfather's farm. I see cattle nearly once a week while driving to and from town.

And cows don't hold a candle to the stink that goats do. I'd much rather get hit by an orbital cow before getting hit by an orbital goat.

Agreed on that point. They're also a lot dumber, to the extent that they invent new and creative ways in which to kill themselves that cows could never imagine.

You know, it's not that hard to replace the butt and magazine containment section of a gun. They're easily taken apart; all you'd need to do is replace the bit that you whack them with.

Another thing to consider? Shadowrun is The Future From The Eighties. Or rather, that's what I keep telling myself.

Chrome and Metal are EVERYWHERE. I imagine that, well, with the exception of the Puzzler/Infiltrator type guns? They're going to remain these heavy, full-metal obscenities that scream style over substance.

And will, therefore, hurt like bejeebus. And, well, if you wanted to go for the Cinematic Styling, go get a pair of those things from Equilibrium, even if faces don't slice off like that.