Me and my shadowrunning group were discussing this during a recent session and this question came up:

Can shock Frills be used as an offensive weapon (I.E. since anything touching a person wearing the frills suffers the electircal attack, I can "force" you to touch me and you suffer the damage)?Would this count as an unarmed touch attack (with applicable bonuses for being such), like shock gloves? And if so, what point is there to having shock gloves?

It'd be a melee touch attack, but probably use Exotic Melee Weapon: Electric Pants

As per SR4 page 317 it use Unarmed Combat as the skill to use.

A specialization in touch attacks would probably be useful.

The difference with shock gloves and shock frills is that you MUST have the nonconductive modification to the clothing or take damage yourself.

I would say at least the same rating of nonconductive modification as the shock frills do in damage.

Do they operate with excessive rubbing?

-Chrysalis

Not to mention that IMHO shock frills would make you look dumber than hell.

If it works, it ain't stupid.

They make you look about as stupid as putting a femur through your septum. That is, they make you look pretty badass, since you can electrocute yourself with any of a zillion gestures, but you're still alive.

As far as the "point" of shock gloves, they are comparatively easy to conceal, and aren't as obvious in use. Most runners have at least two sets of armor (one for combat, one for social occasions), so getting two sets of shock frills and two non conductivity modifications is substantially pricier than one set of shock gloves.

What happens if you forget to take off your gloves when you go to the bathroom?

-Chrysalis

Pain but I guess you can turn off the frills or it would be quite hard to put the armor on while staying alive due to all the over flow.

My view on shockfrills personally is that someone triggering them (IE punching the occupant of said frills) would effectively be attacking themselves for damage code of the frills.

if you were to actively attack someone with frills you'd pretty much in my eyes have to throw yourself upon them, bear hug them or bump them hard 'GM: So actions?' 'Player1: I wanna chest bump him triggering my Shock frills, I left my gloves at home like a dope today'
evidence of the awesomeness of this idea Here!

Also like Shock gloves I can't imagine them running current ALL the time otherwise you couldn't shake hands with people, hand over a credstick, open a car door (well mebbe a jackrabbit, I guess they are all fibre and plastic ) they'd have to be triggered with impacts over a certain threshold otherwise they'd be totally useless.

The book states quite simply that you use Unarmed Combat to attack with them. I imagine someone waving their forearm around like a lightsaber.

Once again Real Life appears to be more advanced than Shadowrun:

http://www.no-contact.com/


-karma