If you enchant a weapon with reach as a weapon focus, you get reach in astral combat, right? But what if you enchant a Riot Shield? They're weapons (they have a listed damage). Do they still give the +2 to hit for anyone who doesn't have a reach of two or higher in astral combat? I would assume they don't give any armor value, but is that correct? And also, trolls get reach in astral combat, right?

JaronK

You aren't enchanting weapons like you could in other systems.
Weapon foci are constructed out of materials by an enchanter (read someone magically active with enchanting skill), not adding magical effects to existing mundane weapons. (anchoring aside)
Materials that are highly processed make the enchanting test harder.

The process is outlined in MitS I think.

Right, but that wasn't the question. The question is if you have a Weapon Focus Riot Shield (since you can make any type of weapon as a weapon focus, and Riot Shields are weapons) do you get the usual Riot Shield bonuses in astral combat.

JaronK

You're the GM, you make the call.
I would allow it, no armor though.

I'm only the GM half the time (we rotate who GMs in this group, and myself and another guy run this particular game together). This is why I'm asking... I don't want to just "make the call" arbitrarily.

Personally, I would allow the shield as a weapon, but there isn't anything for astral armour other than a spell. I think astral combat works differently than physical combat so it would not use the same armour rules.

I'd only allow the weapon bonuses, not the armor bonuses because there are no armor foci only weapon foci. The person chose to exploit the part of the rules I quoted you stating. As there are not armor foci, I'd use it's force to withstand damage or attacks, so maybe they do get an armor bonus, but no more so than any other focus or astral entity.

I'd have to look through rules to be sure, but I believe the description explicitly states that reach applies, which implies that other properties of weapons should not be expected to apply—this makes some sense, as if they were expected to apply you'd expect the aura of a weapon focus stun baton to cause shock damage.

~J

I think my head just exploded.

There is no such thing as a weapon focus stun baton.

Sure there is! It'd just be difficult to enchant.

It's just a 'club' focus on the astral, though. No shocky shocky.



-karma

well, the Focus gives Bonus to your combat skill in force dice.
And in SR3, close combat, wether armed or unarmed, is a comparsion.
Both parties fight, both parties roll, the one with more successes deals damage.
Don't know wether or not this also applies for combat on the astral plane or not . .

I was thinking about this. If it was a dual focus, part weapon and part sustaining, you can cast the armour spell which will work on the astral.