"Powered" weapons which fall under the Unarmed Skill are fairly few and far between. The Power Fist is one such example, a gauntlet utilizing pneumatic technology to generate powerful punches that can cause high damage and even unbalance the opponent. But the Fist is showy, obvious and fairly recognizable. For those who want to bring a more high-tech edge with subtlety, they need a different option. Of course, the people who need such devices often raise the question if they need subtlety at all...
Vibroknuckle: A nasty little high-tech version of a knuckleduster used by some street gangs and pugilists. Instead of using hard rings or spikes, the Vibroknuckle has oscillating blades which vibrate at high frequencies when activated. Under normal circumstances, these don't do much besides add a little bit extra penetration when punching (and inflicting more painful injuries), but when used to make prolonged contact, they add an additional -3 AP and +1d10 DV. Vibroknuckles are usually embedded in a glove or gauntlet to give the user additional protection [Low]
AP -2 1d10+2+DB
As noted above, the primary market for vibroknuckles are street toughs who want painful, intimidating weapons (those with Enhanced Hearing say the noise of the vibration is particularly unsettling) which in a pinch can be used to puncture tougher armor. However, there is also a market in certain sports for using the knuckle as an alternative to conventional gloves or possibly even other weapons. This form of "razor boxing" or many other names is popular both as an informal (sanctioned or unsanctioned) sport in underground sports or some Scum circles, and as a formal one in some extreme sports leagues, including as a "Chess Boxing" variant.
Showing posts with label unarmed weapons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unarmed weapons. Show all posts
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Power Fist
The act of fighting "unarmed" has several interesting features and complexities. Exotic morphologies allow numerous and different limbs to be utilized in unusual ways. Strength enhancing augs can make any morph have a punch like a truck - but Synthmorphs' inherently hardened shells give them a slight advantage in terms of the damage they can do. While Eelware or Shock Gloves offers some incapacitating or "less-lethal" benefit to fighting hand-to-hand, if one wants to have a more powerful "punch", the nominal ideal way is to sleeve into a synth and utilize the Pneumatic Limbs (p. 311 EP) to greatly increase the base power of a fist. However, technical solutions always exist - and through careful engineering based on long history of science-fiction, even biomorphs can wield the power of a pneumatic limb in the palm of their hand.
Power Fist: A high-power unarmed weapon which uses the same technology as the Pneumatic Limbs augmentation. It's favored by a few martial artists and sportsmen, or some particularly aggressive or vindictive security forces. It takes the form of a massive gauntlet with a strike-plate hooked to some high-pressure pneumatic cylinders. When an impact is made with the gauntlet, the cylinders release concentrating a lot of force into a small space. The gauntlets are so hefty that most users only wear one at a time, and their bulk grants a -10 penalty to all tests using the gloved hand, but offer an additional 1/3 AV to that arm. Scoring an excellent success with the Power Fist also forces the target to make a SOM x3 test or be knocked down, as if they had taken a wound. [Moderate]
AP -4 2d10+DB DV
Due to it's nature, the Power Fist does not enhance a Synthmorph equipped with Pneumatic Limbs already. And while potent, the added bulk is awkward, hard to conceal sometimes, and bound to attract some attention - not everyone wanders the streets bearing a Power Fist. It is up to GM discretion if a Power Fist can benefit from the bonuses for fighting using two melee weapons (since it is not traditionally paired), but if two gauntlets are worn it is encouraged to apply additional situational penalties for the doubled loss of dexterity.
A common fighting style in certain Venusian circles uses the Power Fist in the off hand, and long-bladed swords, usually monofilament, in the primary hand. The power fist is used to block, parry or even attempt to break the enemy's weapon, while the sword hand is free for strikes on a vulnerable foe.
Power Fist: A high-power unarmed weapon which uses the same technology as the Pneumatic Limbs augmentation. It's favored by a few martial artists and sportsmen, or some particularly aggressive or vindictive security forces. It takes the form of a massive gauntlet with a strike-plate hooked to some high-pressure pneumatic cylinders. When an impact is made with the gauntlet, the cylinders release concentrating a lot of force into a small space. The gauntlets are so hefty that most users only wear one at a time, and their bulk grants a -10 penalty to all tests using the gloved hand, but offer an additional 1/3 AV to that arm. Scoring an excellent success with the Power Fist also forces the target to make a SOM x3 test or be knocked down, as if they had taken a wound. [Moderate]
AP -4 2d10+DB DV
Due to it's nature, the Power Fist does not enhance a Synthmorph equipped with Pneumatic Limbs already. And while potent, the added bulk is awkward, hard to conceal sometimes, and bound to attract some attention - not everyone wanders the streets bearing a Power Fist. It is up to GM discretion if a Power Fist can benefit from the bonuses for fighting using two melee weapons (since it is not traditionally paired), but if two gauntlets are worn it is encouraged to apply additional situational penalties for the doubled loss of dexterity.
A common fighting style in certain Venusian circles uses the Power Fist in the off hand, and long-bladed swords, usually monofilament, in the primary hand. The power fist is used to block, parry or even attempt to break the enemy's weapon, while the sword hand is free for strikes on a vulnerable foe.
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