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Zen Shooter01
That it's not very clear in the text of either SR4 or SM that a weapon focus is actually a melee weapon of some kind. The way it's written, it could sound like something that adds dice to tests with a weapon - not like a weapon that adds dice to tests made with it.
Samaels Ghost
We thought this too, but eventually ignored it because it made no sense.
Casper
But weapon foci have always been in the form of an actual melee weapon.
Frag-o Delux
Yes they have, but has everyone always played since before SR4?
Samaels Ghost
I didn't
Synner
Weapon foci are indeed meant to be melee weapons only. Technically you can have a weapon focus heavy pistol, but it's only going to help you out if you use it to pistolwhip someone in a melee. The quote is:
QUOTE (SR4 @ p 191)
Weapon foci add magical power to an Awakened character’s melee attacks.
LilithTaveril
Well, if you go by one argument I had on here, then it doesn't matter what it was in the past editions, just what it is now.

That aside, go with precedence on this one. It was likely just an oversight.
Ancient History
Ah yes, and I can just see you trying to shiv the other magician with your nifty pen weapon focus in Astral Space.
Zen Shooter01
In the text, it sounds like, "If you have a knife and a rating 3 weapon focus, you get +3 dp with the knife," not, "if you have a knife weapon focus rating 3, you get +3 dp when attacking with the focus, which is a magic knife."

I believe this is just an instance of poor editing, not an intentional change.
Critias
QUOTE (Ancient History)
Ah yes, and I can just see you trying to shiv the other magician with your nifty pen weapon focus in Astral Space.

Hey, if it's good enough for Jason Bourne, it's good enough for Shadowrun.
Clay Pigeon
The karma cost to bond to a weapon focus depend on "Reach." I can only assume this means the reach of the focus, which implies the focus is a melee weapon. It's only natural to conclude that the focus gives its bonus when attacking with the focus.

Clay
emo samurai
QUOTE (Ancient History)
Ah yes, and I can just see you trying to shiv the other magician with your nifty pen weapon focus in Astral Space.

It all depends on the force of the pen. If it's a legendary force 10 pen, then you automatically win.
knasser

Guns don't normally have a Reach listed, but I think we can assume that it is at least 50.

Force 1 Weapon Focus with Reach 50 = 53 karma for bonding.
Force 2 Weapon Focus with Reach 50 = 106 karma for bonding.
etc.

RAW is fine. If a player wants to pay the above for +1/+2 dice pool, they deserve a magic shooter. wink.gif
HullBreach
Unfortunately this seems to be part of a trend Im noticing in the 4th edition books. The writers appear to be making lots of little assumptions about prior knowledge on the part of the reader.

In some ways I sort of wish they'd publish a sort of "Story So Far" manual outlining everything thats happened up to the current year in the game.
Synner
QUOTE (HullBreach @ Aug 20 2006, 07:02 PM)
Unfortunately this seems to be part of a trend Im noticing in the 4th edition books. The writers appear to be making lots of little assumptions about prior knowledge on the part of the reader.

The rules for weapon foci are pretty clear. Weapon foci are clearly specified as granting magical power to an Awakened character’s melee attacks (and only melee). Logically any weapon that can be used in a melee can be made into a weapon focus (again granting benefits solely in melee combat).
Zen Shooter01
Yes, it's clearly specified that they add power to melee attacks. What is not clear is that they add power only to melee attacks made with the focus itself, which is required to be in the form of a melee weapon.

It sounds like a weapon focus could be a pendant you wear around your neck, which adds dice to the attacks you make with the bat in your hands.
Samaels Ghost
See that sentence right there is where this confusion breeds:

QUOTE
Weapon foci are clearly specified as granting magical power to an Awakened character’s melee attacks (and only melee).


Melee attacks? My melee attacks? You mean my unarmed and blades and clubs and whatever else attacks all benefit from a weapons focus?

With a little bit of sense and a thorough reading of the BBB you come to the conclusion that you attack with the weapon foci. If you take this out fo context from the rest of the rules on Weapon Foci, then yes you may make a mistake. Especially if you're a munchkin and really like the idea of one item adding 6 dice to every melee attack you make.

This is just another flavor of the magnitude "problem". The answer is an obvious one. The rules do address the perceived problem.
Samaels Ghost
The above seemed more hostile than I meant it to be. Sorry biggrin.gif
hobgoblin
hmm, i feel like turning a shock glove into a weapons focus nyahnyah.gif
Samaels Ghost
Or stun baton. It gets +1 reach, right?
Zen Shooter01
You can. Buy a stun baton, use it as mundane telesma, and enchant away. Street Magic, pg. 83. It does make the enchanting process more difficulty, but according to the canon, that difficulty is reflected neither in the Availability or Cost of the finished focus.

I personally would impose a 10% increase for every -1 dp the enchanter suffered.
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