[Devil]

No, not that kind of Firefight. I'm talking about the martial art.

I've been rebuilding my character who uses Firefight. It's a martial art much like the Gun Kata in the movie Equilibrium, if you've ever seen that. Two pistols are used, both in melee and at a range. You can find it in Arsenal.

So with the following character features, I'm wondering what the four best martial arts maneuvers would be.

-Ambidextrous The character can use and handle objects equally well with both hands. The character does not suffer any modifiers for using an off-hand weapon. When using two weapons at once, however, the character must still split his dice pool.
-Martial arts: Firefight R2 Reduce the ranged combat “attacker in melee combat” modifier by 2.
-Pistols 6
-Clubs[Pistols 4

[The_Gun_Nut]

My personal favorites:

Full Offense
Maneuver
Finishing Move
Riposte

With Maneuver you can set up your next attack, which is a Finishing Move which occurs instantly with Full Offense.  You have to sacrifice an action to do so, and you cannot defend until your next available action, but it virtually ensures that the finishing move floors the other guy.

EDIT:  Oh, and Riposte?  If someone attacks you first, Riposte with a Maneuver, Full Offense then Finishing Move.  Surprise!

[anotherJack]

The Two Wielding Style maneuver, and Off-hand training can replace ambidextry if you only use it for the firefight. It's less expensive.

I think Finishing move and so ain't really usefull to your character since, if I noticed well, he won't be able to make good damages by melee attacks, but he will shoot with his guns in close combat, so I wouldn't pick a maneuver based on the melee attack.

[Devil]

This is true. I have a high agility and an average strength.

[anotherJack]

EDIT:  Oh, and Riposte?  If someone attacks you first, Riposte with a Maneuver, Full Offense then Finishing Move.  Surprise!

Doesn't work :x Riposte and Finishing move are both interrupt actions, so if he attacks you first, you make your riposte, you lose your next action. Unless you have more IP than your opponent, he will make his next attack before you.

[The_Gun_Nut]

I was assuming that he had at least 3 IP's.  That seems fairly standard for sammies or Warrior adepts.

And it's not called Maneuver (got that stuck in my head from Earthdawn), it's called Set Up.  And it works with the "next attack made" against that opponent.

So, Riposte->Set Up.  Then, since he is using Firefight, his next attack occurs after he's done with this one and before the opponent can attack again, he shoots the guy point-blank with the bonus from Set Up.  Pistol whipping is an option, too.  If you run out of ammo.

The Two Wielding Style is nice, as well.  The only problem is if he tries to use a second firearm in the off hand.  It might be better to have a collapsible baton instead, or just pistol whip the guy with a melee hardened firearm.  Both use the Clubs skill, and if you use the firearm in the off hand (and get that nice maneuver AJ mentioned), you can switch to the off hand firearm to shoot with and pistol whip the guy with the main hand weapon when you run out of ammo.

[Devil]

I have 2 IPs. It costs so much essence just to have that many! Should I really have more?

Maybe I need to just overhaul the whole character... complete remake..

[anotherJack]

About Two Wielding Style, talk with your GM before about how he interpret that rule. As seen here :

http://forums.shadowrun4.com/index.php?topic=348.0

We don't really agree with this rule interpretation. Don't really worry, even with the less powerfull interpretation, it stays very interesting, but if your GM interpret it in the most powerfull way (which I don't agree with, and sounds illogical to me, but I'm not your GM), it's simply a must have, and you don't even have to think about it any more, just run and take it.

[Devil]

What's the standard interpretation? I'd like to be able to use this guy with multiple GMs.

[The_Gun_Nut]

I have 2 IPs. It costs so much essence just to have that many! Should I really have more?

Maybe I need to just overhaul the whole character... complete remake..

It still works with just 2 IP's.  You just gotta be more careful what you interrupt.  If you do it like I did assuming 3 IP's you will run out of defense before your next combat turn, which could prove fatal if you haven't finished your opponent off.

[Devil]

I think I might try effing around with my cyberware to get more IPs then. I like how this would just destroy people who attacked me in melee.

Still open to other ideas though.

[anotherJack]

What's the standard interpretation? I'd like to be able to use this guy with multiple GMs.

You'll be, don't worry.
My interpretation is that with this maneuver you use one of your two wepaons to defend yourself, which allows you to get full defense without spending any action, but it only works against melee attacks ; against ranged attacks, you make your defense test with only reaction, as usual. It's powerfull, since it means you're in permanent full defense for free in melee, but not overpowered, and it doesn't make the classic full defense useless, since it's the only option working against both melee and ranged attacks.
Bradd's interpretation is that this maneuver allows you to get the free full defense both against ranged and melee attacks, which is broken to my point of view.
I don't know the main interpretation. Mine seems more logic to me, but maybe I'm an exception and I just don't see it.

So, whatever your GM interpretation is, this maneuver is still very powerfull. It's just a little bit "overpowered" in one of the two interpretations.

EDIT : I don't know if riposte and so can apply if you use your guns for shooting your opponents. They sure apply if you use them like clubs, but then it's not really interesting for you since you're not very strong. Would I be your GM, I wouldn't allow "riposte" or "finishing move" to be applied to shots, or, for exmaple, it would allow a character to make a simple action shot, then a second shot, and then finishing move, a third shot.

Take care with these maneuvers, your character is based on a very vague style, that can be interpreted in many ways. If you play this character with many GM, some may apply or not these maneuvers to guns.

[Devil]

I don't believe it's vague. Other Maneuvers specifically state that you need to use a melee attack. Riposte does not, meaning that you can attack however you choose.


Considering that firefight is a martial art where you use guns..I think those GMs would be rather silly to not allow you to use your guns as guns.

[anotherJack]

Well, as you which. I just warn you ^^

[Devil]

Thankyou