"I am completely out of ammo. That's never happened to me before."
I wonder if some of you are getting tired of niche content for a game nobody but me and my group plays. Hi, guys! You're the only ones who might care about this post. I'm not doing great, so I thought I'd bang out some helpful philosophy and information, even if it's ridiculously specific. Today we're talking about weapon skills in SR3.
I should say something general before diving into the analysis of Shadowrun 3e, and detailing my guidelines might help someone analyze a game they actually play. First, ask yourself what's important in your system beyond damage. Concealability, utility, and ammo costs, for example. I promise you that stacking the most damage possible isn't always a good idea, and you'll see plenty of that below. Next would be accessibility and usability. In SR3's case this is trends of Availability Numbers, but in other systems this might be proficiency requirements, general rarity, or even what feats you need to take to make a weapon "work". The final consideration is if the system you're looking at is tilted in a particular direction. You can understand why melee weapons aren't very valuable in Mechwarrior, I hope.
Anyway. Let's go.
Edged Weapons. The Cadillac of melee weapons. Plenty of concealable options and plenty of options for raw killing power. They can accept dikote to increase damage further, meaning a short Cougar Fineblade is (STR+1)S for a conceal of 8, making it a dominant strategy for a lot of characters. It has two shortcomings: one is the obvious idea that you're not subduing anyone with an edged weapon. The other is that none of these weapons have a reach above 1: so if you come into contact with someone that has major reach, you need to have learned a martial art in addition so you can apply Close Combat.
Clubs. You know, this whole thing started because I kinda wanted to play someone who uses clubs and I was disappointed with the options. Clubs are great at subduing people with stun damage, but other weapons can accomplish that. It has a great concealable stun damage option with the extending baton, but other weapons can do that as well. It's also locked to reach-1 weapons and none of them can benefit fully from dikote. The only time I can justify this skill is for someone who isn't invested into combat very much and wants to use a stun baton. It's a great weapon, especially considering that shock damage can cause target number penalties. It's just that there are other skills which have access to shock weapons too... and they have more than one good weapon. The final saving grace to clubs is that you can gun-bash with it if your hands are occupied and your GM is a real bastard about that kind of thing. I should note that this sort of heavy-handedness isn't supported by any of the book's listed rules.
Pole Arms/Staffs. Not very concealable, but very effective. These are all reach-2 weapons with superior damage codes. There are some decent subduing options like bo staff or telescoping staff. There's also combat axe, spear and claymore if you want to murder people. These truly are the Heavy Weapons of the melee set: very powerful but limited in application. At least, in most games. Nothing's going to conceal most of these weapons, and having a weapon you didn't even try to conceal pretty much guarantees that Lone Star officers have to stop you.
Whips. The Porche of melee weapons. Remember when I said there's better subduing weapons? The Manriki-Gusari has a somewhat poor damage code, but it's a reach-2 weapon with a concealability of a whopping ten. This means that even high-quality MAD machines struggle to point this thing out. The damage code means you have to be pretty good at using it, however. Whips also have the slightly-more-murderier Kusari-gama with a similar concealability. Whips also has one of Shadowrun's holy grails, the monowhip. The monowhip is the only source of melee-based 1/2 impact armor damage in the entire game, but is also incredibly dangerous to use. If you're willing to deal with Ninjutsu, you can even apply some great maneuvers to whips. It's strange to say, but this skill is one of the game's best melee options.
Cyber-Implant Weaponry. Extremely effective, full stop. Their damage profile looks mediocre at first glance, but they can be dikoted and hand blades have a great bonus to power. cyber-implant weaponry also gain a large power bonus if you've got two of them. This is in addition to two-weapon combat. These are technically the most effective melee weapons in the game if you build for it. The disadvantages may not seem so obvious, but they're significant. Firstly, they cost essence. Not much, but it's a consideration. It means you're rarely going to see cyber-implant physads. The other is that these are weapons you can't put down. You can buy retractable blades, but it's still one more thing that prevents you from walking through a MAD with confidence. Razorboys and other sammies frequently have to find other ways of entering facilities than walking straight in. However, if you're already buying cyberware... may as well get some hand blades too.
Martial Arts. Unarmed combat can be expensive thanks to required maneuver purchase, but can function wonderfully as either a supplement to your primary skill or the primary skill itself. There's a martial art that can supplement every other melee skill by teaching it maneuvers, even cyber-implant weaponry. As a primary weapon it's still pretty good, but you have limited options for increasing your attack's power. You also have access to the shock hand. The drawback here, obviously, is that it's very expensive. Not everyone has the room in their build to buy a whole melee skill, then another melee skill, then all those maneuvers. It's also not easy to deal lethal damage with unarmed combat, and generally not worth taking the maneuver that facilitates it. Killing being a better option than knocking out, however... rarely comes up. Consideration leans heavily toward the opposite in Shadowrun.
Thrown Weapons. Listen. If you wanna use grenades, you either have to take this, or launch weapons. That's your lot. Grenades have way more utility to them than The Real Big Boom, too: flash-bangs, smoke grenades and chemical splash grenades can be very powerful in the right hands. A successful team will make room for one or two people to use grenades. This also gives you access to shuriken: low damage, completely silent, and very concealable weapons. You can do worse for weapon skills.
Projectile Weapons. The Ranger-X bow is a preposterously high-power weapon which is dead silent and can only be fired once a turn unless you're a physad. You can also use funky arrowheads and pretend you're Green Arrow. Frankly, what a character can do when built specifically for the Ranger-X bow is astonishing. You know how I feel about weapon skills that only have one good weapon, though. You're either an Archer or you're not. Nobody takes this skill "just in case".
Pistols. These may be the best weapons in the game, all things considered. While hold-out and light pistols may have limited(almost no) usefulness, heavy pistols are a shadowrunner's workhorse. Heavy pistols have superior power(which is often the real dangerous part of a damage code) while maintaining fair concealability. They can also benefit from concealed holsters, not something that(strictly RAW) melee weapons can use. Most have decent ammo counts, and they can even fit silencers with impunity since they don't need much recoil compensation. This is also the skill that handles the arguably-best chemtech weapon, the Supersquirt-II. You also get tasers, one of the game's few shock weapons and the only ranged one. The pistol's only drawback is range, with heavy pistol's short range being a mere 5 meters. This won't come up that often while you're inside a building, but it's a consideration.
SMGs. Concealable and high-damage, but with the drawback of (almost always) being loud and needing a certain build to make full use. Burst fire is powerful, but needs recoil to be properly compensated to be effective at all. Access to full-auto fire also means full-auto tricks like cover fire and searching fire, but not every SMG gets this. They also have slightly more range than pistols. The drawback is that these frequently need to be built around for maximum effectiveness. This isn't a good weapon for the party mage or skill-monkey, but can be one of the sammy's best overall options.
Rifles. Rifles are for distance combat. You can probably think of a hundred different scenarios a shadowrunner can use a long-distance weapon for, and you're right. You can't begin the game with sniper rifles, but sport rifles can fill in for a while. You also get the dart rifle, which isn't a great chemtech application weapon, but it's your best one for sheer range. Probably not your first choice for a weapon, but an excellent one chosen as secondary. The sheer distance can also mean a character who shouldn't be in open combat(like a stealth character, face or decker) can help out in combat.
Assault Rifles. Just go back and read the SMG paragraph again. Seriously, though, these things are SMGs that trade conceal rating for a bit of power and much better range. This is also one of the few weapons you can justify placing an under-barrel weapon like a grenade launcher on. Not being able to conceal them is often a concern, so expect to use only after your party's gone all Plan B, or if you're marching into a Z-zone. These are solid all-around weapons, and in some ways compete with heavy weapons thanks to decent power, better accessibility, and having the same Full-Auto tricks as machine guns.
Shotguns. Superior single-shot damage and access to limited AoE via shot rounds. You can even saw the barrel off for some decent conceal: a sawn-off SPAS-22 with the stock folded has the same conceal as a heavy pistol. You also have access to some interesting shotgun-only rounds like shock lock, dragon's breath and flare rounds. If you're waiting for me to drop the other shoe and list a serious drawback... uh... they're loud? They're very loud. That's all I can think of, shotguns are fucking great. You even get to use net guns with this skill.
Heavy Weapons. Machine guns and assault cannons. These require specialized gear or tactics, are frequently very hard to find, and will get SWAT vans and attack helicopters called on you if Lone Star spies you carrying one. They're also very hard to find, and you have limited options of heavy weapons you can begin the game with. Nobody gets to come out of the gate with a panther cannon. Heavy Weapons do the big damage, though. The real big damage. This is another 'specialized' skill: you're either a heavy weapons character or you're not. All heavy weapons will require specialized building outside of just taking the skill, including wearing a restrictive gyromount stabilization, cyberware or physad powers to reduce recoil, and(with some weapons) having to kneel before firing.
Launch Weapons. If you don't already know everything there is to know about rocket launchers, I simply can't help you. Mortars are expensive and hard to find, but can also provide some grenade-like utility like wide-area smoke cover. This is also the skill you use for grenade launchers, which have more range(but fewer neat grenade tricks) than just throwing them by hand. If you need something asploded like a wall or a car, this is the skill you're taking. Keep this in mind, though: un-subtle teams have to be very good at what they do, or else lead short, violent lives.
Spray Weapons. You want chemtech aoe sprayers and flamethrowers? We got those. It's about all we've got, though. Chemtech application can be very powerful, but there's probably better ways to go about it than a big tank on your back like you just read about the Mad Gasser of Mattoon. Flamethrowers can be powerful since they use the same 'aoe' choke settings as shotguns, deal damage vs. half impact armor and have the ability to light buildings and people on fire. Their damage code is lackluster, however, and the only concealable flamethrower(the Shiawase Blazer) has a mere four shots in its tank. Overall, limited use weapons that(once again) would likely be the purview of a specialist and nobody else.
All Those Other Weird Fiddly Weapon Skills. There's a ton of skills that are only useful for one or two weapons and, if I'm being honest, most of these are just traps. Gun canes, gun bracers, eye weapons, fangs and crap...there's virtually no point. I don't think any of these things are better than just concealing a traditional weapon and working around that. The exceptions are gyrojet weapons (which are decent to use on land and the best undersea weapon)... and lasers. The lasers are OBVIOUSLY great weapons, but they're insanely hard to find and expensive. They almost feel like weapons only the GM will ever see use of. If you ever find one, though... I guess start spending that karma. I wouldn't buy the skill before having the laser in your hand, though.
What did we learn? Well, most weapons have some kind of point even if their application is limited and you'd never take them as your single, solitary weapon skill. Everyone should have a melee skill to defend themselves, and I think virtually every build can fit pistols into it. Aside from that, what skills you take have a lot to do with how your character intends to act. Characters sneaking into locations have to worry about conceal rating a lot since a high conceal may let you walk past guards or even straight through MADs. A group heavy may care a lot less so long as nobody questions the gun case in the back of their car. Don't get pulled over. A physad obviously has carte blanche to take whatever weapon they want and just throw as many dice as possible at using it. Having a wide variety of weapons available for your use isn't always a concern, after all. Sometimes you're just the Shuriken Dude or the Flamethrower Girl. If you're fine with that, I'm fine with that.
Just think twice before you take those eye guns. Please.
