[redwolf]

i dont get one thing str 1 (2)? any time you in a cqc you go down fast str need imo to be 3 min, at str 2 you can't hold the gun up for long (it is two havy)

[Critias]

i dont get one thing str 1 (2)? any time you in a cqb you go down fast str need imo to be 3 min, at str 2 you can't hold the gun up for long (it is two havy)

Any time anyone but a dedicated melee character gets into melee combat, they're going to suck at it.  Strength 2 is just the low side of average, and Strength 3 certainly isn't required to hold up a gun.

And what on Earth makes you think this particular character is ever going to try and punch, kick, club, or stab someone, anyways?  He's so much better at shooting, why wouldn't he just suck up the (miniscule) shooting-in-melee modifier, and go to town?  If worse comes to worse and he's got to knock someone out (instead of kill them) in melee, he defaults to using his shock glove, which doesn't have Strength-based damage anyways.

[redwolf]

if he is a pistol expert he is working in close range of 0-5 so ther is chance to get in cqc so get some automatic or blade to keep them at bey or Handel at close range when he start to grapple with you and for blade you need str. well that how i see it (no offence)

[Hellion19]

I have 0 intention of ever getting into a melee fight. Not to say it wont happen but it will be the very last resort if I can help it. So thus far it would do nothing but be a waste of points as of right now.

Some minor changes though it was mostly because of some earlier advice I went more the adept route and got rid of Wired Reflexes and got Improved Reflexes and a few other adept perks. Brings my essence back up to a little over 4. Modified Improved Skill down to 3 per someone mentioning that I can only go to 1.5 which I found in the book after he mentioned it Though still have a bit of cyberware/bioware but not nearly as intensive as it was before. Lost one point of essence from it...

[_Pax_]

if he is a pistol expert he is working in close range of 0-5 [...]

  Says who?  6-20is also perfectly viable for Pistols, especially someone who can spare the 1-die penalty.

[...] so ther is chance to get in cqc [...]

  Martial Art: Firefight.  10BP for 2 levels of that.  Then pick the "reduce 'use firearms in melee' penalty by 1" maneuver, twice.  All of a sudden, it doesn't matter if they're meleeing you ... you just keep pulling those triggers.

[Noctem]

isn't there also a martial art that reduces the modifier for being melee combat, Krav Maga I believe?  I also allows for a few other useful things.

[JustADude]

isn't there also a martial art that reduces the modifier for being melee combat, Krav Maga I believe?  I also allows for a few other useful things.

Right;

Firefight reduces it by -2 and Krav Maga reduces it by another -1, eliminating it entirely. Take 'Ready Weapon as Free Action' and 'Take Aim as Free Action' as well, and you'll be able to really cut loose Equilibrium style.

[Xzylvador]

Depending on your GM, he might let you use the Defiance EX in melee with the pistols skill.
It's a taser, which use the pistols skill; and there's no mention of it requiring the use of a melee or exotic skill when used as a melee weapon. It's a pretty badass weapon and is just as damaging with 2 str than it is with 13.

[JustADude]

Depending on your GM, he might let you use the Defiance EX in melee with the pistols skill.
It's a taser, which use the pistols skill; and there's no mention of it requiring the use of a melee or exotic skill when used as a melee weapon. It's a pretty badass weapon and is just as damaging with 2 str than it is with 13.

Actually, it's just a general rule that smacking someone with a gun uses the Clubs skill, as do all specifically-melee taser weapons. A lack of special call-out would default to it being used with Clubs.

However, the GM might be nice and make an exception.

[Noctem]

just wondering for the use take as a free action and stuff mentioned above by JustADude.  How do free actions work exactly ?  Unlimited ?  One per round ?  One per Initiative Pass ?  Just trying to understand how it would work with a pistols expert with 3 initiative passes per round.

[UmaroVI]

One per pass.

[Noctem]

ok awesome

[JustADude]

just wondering for the use take as a free action and stuff mentioned above by JustADude.  How do free actions work exactly ?  Unlimited ?  One per round ?  One per Initiative Pass ?  Just trying to understand how it would work with a pistols expert with 3 initiative passes per round.

One per pass.

To elucidate... on the first pass you can use your Free Action to draw your guns and then shoot people in the face with both Simple Actions, instead of wasting an attack on drawing or bothering with Quick Draw rolls. Once your guns are already drawn, you can Take Aim to nail someone at Extreme Range with no penalties, assuming you have Vision Magnification, or take a +1 on your next attack.

[Noctem]

yeah the amount of things i can do with my build are pretty impressive.  I'm still in the process of learning everything that I can do.  So far i've made good use many of my options, but I'm sure there's more to it.  A note on the quick draw though, the challenge is like 3 and I roll 10 + dice, i can't fail to quick draw.  So even on turn one I can free action quick draw and shoot as part of the same action, then shoot again, then do something else with a simple action.  But your chain of actions is just as good really, more a question of situation.

[UmaroVI]

You can get it down to 2 with a quickdraw holster.