I always looked at it this way. The Sammie's tools of the trade are going to be a sword, pistols, maybe some SMGs. I've never seen anyone play a sam with a gun bigger than an assault rifle. A weapons specialist, on the other hand, should come packing HMGs and grenade launchers. Now is the pregen built this way? Not at all, but that's a difference of opinion between me and the writers.

That's not what that's for!

THAT'S NOT WHAT THAT'S FOR!

hi hi

While this is somewhat tangential to the WS as written, one option for mundanes is to spend some money and buy their awakened friend a sustaining focus, and maybe some favors to help cover the karma cost. It has its up sides and its downsides, but it is a viable option.

If I were trying to play an unaugmented mundane, I would make sure they had an edge of at least 6.

My guess is that the weapon specialist as written was purposefully toned down (edge 3 and the lucky merit, really?) as an example of what kind of characters people might bring into a low powered campaign. Show a little diversity and such.

In particular, that part of the build is really irritating. That character is a whole lot more playable with a 5 Edge.

I am with an edge of 6 or 7 makes a big difference. having 6 or 7 dice to roll extra with the rule of 6, powerful.

I didn't mean that cyber downgrade would be / should be implemented in rules as they are now. It was just a random musing that me, as a Shadowrun begginer had. Rules for pretty much everything else would have to be changed for it to work, I think. I can expand my idea in another thread though.