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6e Bone density + shock limb

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Catlord

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« on: <10-03-19/1030:39> »
Bone density augmentation (pg 291) says “Your unarmed combat damage becomes Physical and your Damage Value and Attack Rating increase per the table below.”

Shock limb (pg 290 implant weapons stats table) says it’s unarmed Combat.

Ergo bone density augmentation affects the shock limb...would this be correct?

It makes sense that it would affect hardening. It seems kinda unusual that it would affect electrical
« Last Edit: <10-03-19/1049:16> by Catlord »

ZeroSum

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« Reply #1 on: <10-03-19/1223:57> »
Shock limbs use the Unarmed Combat skill, but it is a weapon with distinct DV and AR values. So no, I would say that bone density does not alter the DV and AR of shock limbs.

CigarSmoker

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« Reply #2 on: <10-03-19/1251:39> »
In the House Rule Thread are several Rules to change the RAW regarding Melee damage.  So there is a lot not adding up in that area.

The "base" unarmed Damage is indirectly mentioned on page 111 regarding Grapple:
Attacker
"[...]If the attack is successful, the attacker does their unarmed combat damage (Strength/2, rounded up)[...]"

Now since the Shock Limb and the Hardened Limb are listed as "unarmed" you are right they replace the default Strenght/2 when used.

But if the hardened Bones in the biological part of your body give the Cybernetic limb an advantage ? could be since your Body mass is overall increased. But i wouldnt bet on it ^^

Tecumseh

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« Reply #3 on: <10-03-19/1338:59> »
There's something of an (unofficial) understanding that shock weapons are electric attacks that don't play by the same rules as kinetic attacks like unarmed strikes.

A shock attack is a touch-only attack where simple contact is the key element - it's more of a binary "yes/no" consideration - not the force of the contact like in a kinetic attack. The book's examples of "the shock kick" and "street head butts" make it reasonably clear that, per the Rules as Written, these types of attacks would only deal the shock damage, not shock + unarmed.

So, long story short, up until now almost everyone rules that the two don't stack. But, if you're like many people (such as myself) who are house ruling melee damage to incorporate Strength, then it's possible that shock limbs might need to be similarly house ruled to ensure that they don't fall too far out of balance.

Grappling, with prolonged contact, is another can of worms, but I don't know enough about how electricity grounds itself through living bodies to know if using a shock limb during a grappling attack will backfire on you.