[JustADude]

Jesus, dude. Chill.

It's a style thing, especially in Shadowrun, where there are katanas in fiction made out of smart materials that hold a monomolecular edge and can be used to block minigun fire.


That said, it seems more apt for his Robert Patrick-voiced pursuer, who already has that Highlander vibe going on.

Hey, I did put in a rant warning. As I also mentioned, I've had to deal with more than a touch of Katanas Are Just Better bull-crap over the years and, as someone who actually knows his way around sharp bits of metal, it irks me. I do get that there's a big Nippophile trend in the Shadowrun universe, so the odds of any given Mono-Sword looking like a katana are probably around 50/50, but that just makes them generic, diluting the "badassness" of carrying one.

Tacking the most common "lets give this guy a cool sword" sword in modern history on a character whose basic concept is quadriplegic-with-psychic-limbs... which is so out-of-context for the game it already screams "Look at me, I'm a special little snowflake!"... for the specific purpose of adding more "badassness" feels more than a bit like jumping the shark. Its not my character, though, and not my place to judge on that front. Hell, I almost played a Naga with Shiva Arms statted out as a Phys.Adept Archer.

[Crimsondude]

Come to think of it, isn't Mind Quad awfully similar to a paraplegic character from The X-Files?

[kirk]

Perhaps a katana for bad-assness...

  Oh god...  you're one of THOSE people!

*WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! RANT MODE TRIGGERED!*

A katana is not some ultra-super-special mega-sword. It's a good weapon for draw-cutting (aka "slicing") through lightly armored opponents, but so is a standard saber, a scimitar, a falchion, or any of a dozen other curved blades. And, just like any of those, it can be stopped cold with a simple wooden shield, something the Japanese never developed, let alone anything approaching proper metal armor, which they never had either.

The simple fact of the matter is that Japan just didn't have the quality or quantity of iron to come up with effective defenses to swords, so their swords got to the level of "able to cut barely protected flesh really well" and stopped there.

A one handed European "arming sword", by comparison, is also able to lop off limbs with ease, and its more robust blade geometry and straight edge provides superior piercing and percussive-cutting (aka "chopping") capabilities, meaning it can compromise chain and plate armors, respectively. Plus, being one handed, it allows you to use one of those aforementioned shields, allowing for a greater level of defense.

*Deep Breath*

Sorry, I've just had to deal with way too many weaboos who talk about the katana like western culture didn't spend a couple dozen centuries developing its own highly sophisticated ways of separating people from their lives, starting before Rome was more than a collection of huts.

But anway, back on topic, I suggest you go with either a Combat Axe or Mono-Whip instead of a katana. One or the other is the best bang for your buck, depending on if your effective Strength.

First - chill, it's a shadowrun meta-meme, not the player.

Second, agreed. Along the same principles is the joy of listening to someone talk of the folding process and not know about tamahagane, nor of wurtz or patternwelding. It's all damascus to them.

But that way lies the madness of clips and magazines, and I'm not sure I can pass the SAN check if we go there. So.. rule one: it's the game, it works, let it be fun.

[John Q. Mind]

Maybe it would be better for his enemy, although I only though of the katana because it looks cool. I know my history more than most and have no delusions about what a real katana can and can't do thank you very much


On another note, I am trying to make him at least semi-respectable as a character...

[JustADude]

Maybe it would be better for his enemy, although I only though of the katana because it looks cool. I know my history more than most and have no delusions about what a real katana can and can't do thank you very much


On another note, I am trying to make him at least semi-respectable as a character...

The problem isn't that they don't look cool, it's that they do. Everyone uses a katana to make their characters look cooler. If he's an ex-Soldier, perhaps go with a Marine-style saber or a Machete, or something really vicious looking, like a Kopis or Kukri. The last one, especially, is a vicious little bastard developed by the Nepalese Gurkha*. They've got blades just over a foot long but are capable of stabbing, slicing, chopping... and even bludgeoning... like a sword three times its size.



*Gurkhas, for those that don't know, are a warrior culture from high up in the Himalayas who are pretty much best described as 300 pounds of badass in a 150 pound body. Best exemplified by a 35-year-old Gurkha driving off 30+ train robbers on his way home after retiring from the Indian army. He killed 3, severely injured 8 more, and the rest ran off in terror.

[Katrex]

A katana is not some ultra-super-special mega-sword. It's a good weapon for draw-cutting (aka "slicing") through lightly armored opponents, but so is a standard saber, a scimitar, a falchion, or any of a dozen other curved blades. And, just like any of those, it can be stopped cold with a simple wooden shield, something the Japanese never developed, let alone anything approaching proper metal armor, which they never had either.

You know a modern katana can cut though steel quite easily like if you catch the top of a breastplate, that said your skill has to be perfect and good luck getting your oponent to stay perfectly still haha.

[CanRay]

*Gurkhas, for those that don't know, are a warrior culture from high up in the Himalayas who are pretty much best described as 300 pounds of badass in a 150 pound body. Best exemplified by a 35-year-old Gurkha driving off 30+ train robbers on his way home after retiring from the Indian army. He killed 3, severely injured 8 more, and the rest ran off in terror.

Gurkhas, for those that don't know, have probably already killed you without you even knowing it... 

[JustADude]

You know a modern katana can cut though steel quite easily like if you catch the top of a breastplate, that said your skill has to be perfect and good luck getting your opponent to stay perfectly still haha.

Here's a Viking Longsword doing the same thing with one hand. If you think that flimsy... yeah, it is. It's also roughly the same gauge they use in most "zantetsuken" demos. Real, historical armor was much thicker, 18ga or 16ga by modern standards.

Also, please remember that heat-treatment is at least as important as thickness. Mild, untreated steel off a roll of sheet stock won't be nearly as tough as something that's been worked and hardened.

[John Q. Mind]

Also a type of armored vehicle!

[CanRay]

BTW, my FLGS sells Kukris from Nepal from the same firm that makes the blades for the Gurkhas.

[JustADude]

BTW, my FLGS sells Kukris from Nepal from the same firm that makes the blades for the Gurkhas.

Khukuri House?

[Katrex]

You know a modern katana can cut though steel quite easily like if you catch the top of a breastplate, that said your skill has to be perfect and good luck getting your opponent to stay perfectly still haha.

Here's a Viking Longsword doing the same thing with one hand. If you think that flimsy... yeah, it is. It's also roughly the same gauge they use in most "zantetsuken" demos. Real, historical armor was much thicker, 18ga or 16ga by modern standards.

Also, please remember that heat-treatment is at least as important as thickness. Mild, untreated steel off a roll of sheet stock won't be nearly as tough as something that's been worked and hardened.

True though lets not forget though that modern historical theory shows that if you had to wear any sort of heavy armor in to battle if you had to walk more than half a mile in it you would be so tired that your fighting force would be rendered incompetant. Which can if used by a proper stategist negate a lot of the "awesomeness" of heavy armor. that is if you make your troops play an endurance war with their heavy infantry.

I know its not that relavant, but it does to a degree negate the heavy armor arguement., Not to mention that in shadowrun katanas have monomolecular edges AND do have arguably one of the best shapes for acomadating stress when using them to slash. (though I doubt anyone would be able to use to such thength that it put a sword to it's stress limit, (strength 10 anyone?))
Still it's a vervy good blade and i prefer it to the four pointed claymore.

[John Q. Mind]

Sooo back on topic, I need to think about a spell list for this guy.

[JustADude]

True though lets not forget though that modern historical theory shows that if you had to wear any sort of heavy armor in to battle if you had to walk more than half a mile in it you would be so tired that your fighting force would be rendered incompetant. Which can if used by a proper stategist negate a lot of the "awesomeness" of heavy armor. that is if you make your troops play an endurance war with their heavy infantry.

Not true. Yes, they're (marginally) heavier than chain, and much heavier than padded cloth or leather armor, but anyone in fighting trim could run, jump, tumble, ride, and be combat effective in a suit of plate, no problem.

A full suit of Gothic plate, which is generally what people think of when they think "full plate", weighs about as much as a Marine's combat loadout, and is much better distributed over the body. The articulation of a properly fitted suit is also good enough that it's less cumbersome to move in than many other forms of lighter armor, further equalizing the equation.

And that's not even considering that the people that could afford full-plate generally also had a horse to ride, and a few more on standby for when the first one got killed.

Sooo back on topic, I need to think about a spell list for this guy.

 Okay, back to the topic...
 
 Magic Fingers (obviously)
Levitate (ditto)
Stunbolt
Single Elemental Attack (Recommend "Screech" or "Boom")
Increase Reflexes
Healing
Improved Invisibility

Beyond that, it's all up to what kind of mage you want to be.

[Crash_00]

Plate armor is used to describe so many types of armor over such a wide span of time that it isn't really of any use to try and argue a point about it's design or encumbrance. Early suits could weight as much as 50kg while later renaissance era suits would weigh in closer to 20kg. In addition, while knights and nobles generally had high quality suits, they did field the armor to infantry units and that armor was usually much lower quality and more encumbering. And then of course there was Jousting plate (which many people think of since that's what they've seen the most) that wasn't even made for mobility and was designed even in later eras to weigh as much as 50kg.

Full range of motion didn't really show up until after gothic plate (more of the renaissance Maximilian era of the armor), but a good suit of earlier armor wouldn't encumber one much more than chain. The issue came when a group of infantry was issued the lower grade armor as it would slow them down and tire them significantly if they had to give chase.

As for spells:
Magic Fingers
Levitate
Demolish (Guns) //You know you want to catch the street sam in the area, accident of course
Increase Reflexes
Mass Agony
Improved Invisibility

For some reason I'm seeing him as more of a scary guy with hands of blue than a normal "mage"