I would imagine that any self-respecting Firewall agent would only use a combo plasma sword / particle beam bolter.

Trappedinwikipedia wrote:

Well, they're going to have some interesting effects on nearby magnetic objects. Pulling small unsecured ones into the blade, violently pulling themselves to large ones, etc. The "blade" is also probably quite fragile compared to fancy solid-matter blades in EP, which makes disruption of the blade by thick or large objects a real danger. Holding it is probably the second worst place to be when its containment fails, so that's scary. Near as I can tell the only people who are probably going to use one with gusto are Purifiers who really want to be able to go RULES OF NATURE on TITAN warbots, everyone else uses them more like a scary death hacksaw, pretty gingerly and carefully. I think its kind of weird that the plasma hacksaw is Blades, while the monowire garrote is exotic. A tiny, weaponized magnetic field which makes MRIs looks like nothing should probably be harder learn to use than a physical weapon. Maybe that's just exotic weapon skills being phased out more, which is a good thing for the system.

I think there might be a suite of async powers that permit one to use a plasma sword with greater safety and efficiency . . . :) [Warning: Use of a plasma sword against beings claiming to be your father is dangerous and will void the warranty]

branford wrote:

I would imagine that any self-respecting Firewall agent would only use a combo plasma sword / particle beam bolter.

Ah yes, the Space Bayonette. I'd go combo plasma sword/plasma rifle myself. Seems like it's be much simpler to merge them into one weapon.

ThatWhichNeverWas wrote:

In any case, how about attaching one to the end of a smartmaterial "whip"? Or replace the static magnetic loop with a rotating one! With Hooks on it! Plasma Chainsaw!! Oh, or attach them to vector-thrust enabled Creepies and Jam them! One for Each Hand!!

This organic pleases me. Looking at the actual stats, you are still better off with good Somatics and a standard sword. At least in the first printing, your strength does not provide bonus damage which is somewhat disappointing. That said, this is the only melee weapon that is always at full effectiveness no matter what morph you are sleeved into (hands assumed).

Working off of old (faulty) memory, there's still a few things that you can do to improve melee damage that I would assume do not work with the P-S. Like Pneumatic Limbs. So what I meant to say is "it's awesome because it's consistent damage, its unfortunate that it's so expensive, but a truly dedicated build can still outpace it" Also, I think the dedicated Unarmed build still wins, but it's finally a close race instead of a "haha, sucker" one.

Unarmed would be at most 2d10+4 (and with, like, -2 AP from a Battlesuit), and I assume you logically cannot stack effects like Pneumatic/Crasher Suit/Battlesuit and probably also can't actually use unarmed weapons in conjunction with the suit-type things. The only serious contender is the Hyperdense which unless my notes are out of date is +3d10 to Unarmed, with -5 AP. But that's an Expensive exoskeleton system. Considering I see no provision that the Plasma Sword is two-handed, you're still pretty good dual-wielding swords for that +1d10 damage and +10 Fray, since I'm pretty sure unarmed weapons don't count as wielding multiple weapons. And with a Plasma Sword, that's much more solid AP which is what melee really needs to be a contender with shit like Warbots running around.

Quote:

And with the myriad non-wound (wounds are easy to negate) ways to reduce your skill number (poisons, shock, overload grenades, traumas, etc.) the chances of critical fails increase to dangerous levels.

Eh, the actual [i]Critical[/i] failure chances aren't too crazy, it's still only on doubles. Each -10 would be like, what, 1% more chance to roll a Crit which is also a failure.

UnitOmega wrote:

Unarmed would be at most 2d10+4 (and with, like, -2 AP from a Battlesuit), and I assume you logically cannot stack effects like Pneumatic/Crasher Suit/Battlesuit and probably also can't actually use unarmed weapons in conjunction with the suit-type things. The only serious contender is the Hyperdense which unless my notes are out of date is +3d10 to Unarmed, with -5 AP. But that's an Expensive exoskeleton system.

I could see stacking a Crasher Suit with Pneumatics, but I agree re: the battlesuit - though I don't see why a battlesuit could not itself be fitted with the Pneumatic Limbs augment. Leaving that speculation aside, maximum Unarmed damage without shenanigans would actually be 3d10+9; Cyberclaws are 1d10+3 and use the Unarmed skill, Pneumatic Limbs add 1d10, and attacking with two melee weapons adds another 1d10. SOM 40 adds 4, and being sleeved in a synthmorph adds another 2.

Quote:

Considering I see no provision that the Plasma Sword is two-handed, you're still pretty good dual-wielding swords for that +1d10 damage and +10 Fray, since I'm pretty sure unarmed weapons don't count as wielding multiple weapons.

Maybe, but given how magnetic fields work I would not want to be the one swinging two of them around. >_>

TheGrue wrote:

UnitOmega wrote:

Unarmed would be at most 2d10+4 (and with, like, -2 AP from a Battlesuit), and I assume you logically cannot stack effects like Pneumatic/Crasher Suit/Battlesuit and probably also can't actually use unarmed weapons in conjunction with the suit-type things. The only serious contender is the Hyperdense which unless my notes are out of date is +3d10 to Unarmed, with -5 AP. But that's an Expensive exoskeleton system.

Leaving that speculation aside, maximum Unarmed damage without shenanigans would actually be 3d10+9; Cyberclaws are 1d10+3 and use the Unarmed skill, Pneumatic Limbs add 1d10, and attacking with two melee weapons adds another 1d10. SOM 40 adds 4, and being sleeved in a synthmorph adds another 2.

(shrug) It doesn't say anywhere in the rules that you can't stack the Pneumatic Limbs mod with an exoskeleton. I've had the idea approved by at least three GMs, but it always comes down to what *your* GM says. But I am glad you were thorough. I didn't even have to find my old character sheet. The only caveat/addendum I'd make is that Extra Limbs can further boost both Unarmed or Melee damage by turning dual wielding into poly-wielding (again, approval for octopus blenders falls to *your* GM). Ultimately *I* don't think that ridonkulous melee stacking is the most broken thing I've seen players try to do. I had a player in one of our forum games on rpol try to legitimize jamming (piloting, dang they need a better word) seeker launchers so she could fire as many attacks as she had Speed + Ambidexterity + Mesh Actions + extra limbs + .... So the idea of a min/maxer making a thermonuclear fist character is perfectly ok, as long as they understand 2 things: Their first egocast turns them into wiffle bats, and punching out cthulhu usually only gets you eaten first.

Quote:

Considering I see no provision that the Plasma Sword is two-handed, you're still pretty good dual-wielding swords for that +1d10 damage and +10 Fray, since I'm pretty sure unarmed weapons don't count as wielding multiple weapons.

Yeah, just have a knife in your off-hand. Also, according to the rules melee dual-wielding is a combined attack, and not treated as 2-weapon fighting, so you don't even need ambidexterity.

FrivolousVector wrote:

Yeah, just have a knife in your off-hand. Also, according to the rules melee dual-wielding is a combined attack, and not treated as 2-weapon fighting, so you don't even need ambidexterity.

I just want to comment that, as an Arnis practitioner, I was very happy to see they did it that way rather than all the bizarre disadvantages you usually see in RPGs. I do have one question, though. Plasma being what it is, what's it do with regards to oxygen consumption/interaction? I dunno about you guys, but I'm not too keen on a weapon that might make it hard to breathe, or that a quick life-support hack could turn into a bomb through hyperoxygenation of a room.

FrivolousVector wrote:

So the idea of a min/maxer making a thermonuclear fist character is perfectly ok, as long as they understand 2 things: Their first egocast turns them into wiffle bats, and punching out cthulhu usually only gets you eaten first.

[url=https://youtu.be/m7RosIoQisA?t=8s]I can't resist.[/url]

I'm not military or anything, but after a long, long career as a martial artist and self defense instructor, I just don't see the benefits outweighing the risks of a plasma sword. In fairness, I haven't gotten Firewall yet, but with Lightsabers (*pushes up nerd professor glasses*) the reason Jedi used them was part tradition, but mostly because the Force gave them precognition and gave them enough time to put the saber in the path of oncoming blaster fire. Actually using a lightsaber is weird because of the weightlessness and gyroscopic effect, but nothing a mundie can't learn to do with practice. It's just that unless you can use the thing to counter the most common weapons in the galaxy, there's not much point. If I want to slice up a bastard, I'm going to pick the option with the most flexibility and utility too. Sure a plasma blade might cut through my shape-memory machete, but I'm not going to explode if someone hikes up the O2 in the room or worry if I get too close to an electromagnet. And you can't really use a plasma blade for a lot of the things you can use a physical blade for, like operating screws, eating dinner, or sharpening as a way to pass time and calm nerves, to reference Mara Jade. Personally, if I'm resorting to a blade of any sort, it better be the most reliable tool in my arsenal, which means raw simplicity to me, at least.

I can see the plasma sword being popular between the general public, I´m pretty sure that ALOT of movies made on Mars will feature action heroes/villians using them because it looks cool, like the .44 magnun or the desert eagle .50 they are not practical but they are famous and "very cool". Just imagine the meme generated by a movie with villian(its a consortion movie) beinga neo octopus ninja wielding eight plasma swords at the same time jumping and doing acrobatic stuff on micrograv......its like katanas in the 80´s and 90´s they will be everywhere! I believe they have their use, rules aside, becacuse if you are forced to go close combat with an exurgent, at least it will help you to not get splattered with contagious blood or fluids, just because of that it will have a place on players arsenal..... On the other hand I cant wait to be "cruel" if the player are reckless with them. I like the idea of an exploding room because the oxigen saturation is too high, as I used to do in other games when all the players run with hand cannons liike the dessert eagle and inist on dual weild them just because the rules tecnically allow it, "ohh you got a critical failure......well you just broke both of your wrist, or the gun jumps to your face and brokes you nose and jaw...blind and mute for a few turns

A year or so ago I had started up a more tame version of this that emitted a Beam Pulser, and had a two-handed handle; the fluff was that it was a gardening tool invented by the irresponsibly rich, and ran off of Exotic Weapons [Scythe]. Let's be honest, I was trying to replicate the Blood Berry here…

Thinking about it more, I could see these things being added to one's kit mainly as an entry tool. Lighter and more compact than a bunch of shaped charges and beats a plasma cutter in a fight if something nasty is behind that door. Or wall, really.