[JackVII]

I don't think I would allow it to parry. Unless by parry you mean destroying the other dude's weapon with relative ease.

[Triskavanski]

Don't forget that it's a whip - if you're ever in enclosed spaces, you can't effectively use it and are more likely to cut off your own fingers and toes than hit the enemy. It's fine when you're outdoors away from the trees and streetlamps...but it's not a good CQC weapon because of needing to be able to maneuver to keep from slicing yourself up while also having momentum so you can quickly snap it at an enemy. I would also imagine a character using a monowhip would quickly gain notoriety, which would hamper the jobs (s)he would be offered.

You mean things I'll slice through anyways?

I also don't think you've seen a real whipmaster in action in closed space. Sure, trying to use it in a coffin sized space would be impossible, as would most weapons. But there is quite a bit of room indoors by maneuvering down the length of a hall and such.

Heck it isn't any more impossible to use a whip in an enclosed space as it is to use a katana or sword.

[Novocrane]

That picture goes against the size that's implied in the books though.  Since apparently the entire thing can fit inside a fingertip compartment.  Plus a few other descriptions of it.  Meh, no big deal.

I think it's accurate to any standard non-throwback monowhip. The type that can downgrade glitches. Whether that's the same whip as the one you can place in a fingertip is another question.

[RHat]

That picture goes against the size that's implied in the books though.  Since apparently the entire thing can fit inside a fingertip compartment.  Plus a few other descriptions of it.  Meh, no big deal.

I think it's accurate to any standard non-throwback monowhip. The type that can downgrade glitches. Whether that's the same whip as the one you can place in a fingertip is another question.

Given that placing it in a fingertip compartment is a standard feature...

[Triskavanski]

I always thought it was a baton with a small ball weight on the end of a very long very thin wire.

[Kincaid]

I always thought it was a baton with a small ball weight on the end of a very long very thin wire.

It can be, although I always imagined it more pen-sized than baton-sized.  The fingertip compartment has long been the iconic location to house your monofilament whip, however.  So much so that players will go to great lengths to put it someplace else just to break with tradition.

[Novocrane]

Given that placing it in a fingertip compartment is a standard feature...

And that all descriptions given thus far are official ...

[Kincaid]

Given that placing it in a fingertip compartment is a standard feature...

And that all descriptions given thus far are official ...

And, you know, page 455.

[Mithlas]

I also don't think you've seen a real whipmaster in action in closed space. Sure, trying to use it in a coffin sized space would be impossible, as would most weapons. But there is quite a bit of room indoors by maneuvering down the length of a hall and such.

Heck it isn't any more impossible to use a whip in an enclosed space as it is to use a katana or sword.

I won't pretend to have seen whipmasters in action in closed space - the closest was a pair of urumi masters in what I'm assuming was a display show (I couldn't read Sri Lankan) due to neither of them bleeding out at the end of the video.

However, I think you're being intentionally obtuse - a standard whip is easier to use than a monowhip which has a weight on the end in order to be effective. Could a monowhip slice through trees and small, low-hanging rafters? Maybe, but that's going to change the movement of the whip and throw off accuracy, even assuming that the weight doesn't get caught on something it's not supposed to (a glitch, perhaps). Nobody ever said or implied anything about trying to use something in a coffin-sized space, the mention was something indoors or when quarters are close enough that you've got friends and enemies all together. With longer weapons like a two-handed club, mace, katana, or longsword you've got to change stance and how you use it because you don't have unrestricted arcs of motion anymore. This is significantly less the case with smaller weapons like katar/punch daggers, stun batons, or the like, but what we're talking about is a whip where its advantage (and, if you think about it realistically, disadvantage) is its reach. You want to have as free motion as possible so you can send the weapon where you want it to go, whether you're using a monowhip, yari, or dagger. The latter two could easily enough be used in confined spaces or situations, the monowhip could not because of how it functions - motion (and motion control) is a large part of the damage a whip causes.

[Kincaid]

As always, I would err on the side of simplicity.  If you feel like adding a "tight quarters" houserule, I'd make it a dice penalty equal to the reach modifier of the weapon.

[Mithlas]

I treat it like Poor Position when I'm running games, -1 to -3 depending on the circumstances. -1 if you're trying to keep the business end of a spear to enemies coming at you down a standard 1m-wide office hallway, -3 if you're trying to use a monowhip under the same conditions.

[firebug]

I treat it like Poor Position when I'm running games, -1 to -3 depending on the circumstances. -1 if you're trying to keep the business end of a spear to enemies coming at you down a standard 1m-wide office hallway, -3 if you're trying to use a monowhip under the same conditions.

Those things only really make sense if you also remove their Reach bonuses.  'Cause I figure, if the problem is that they're too big to use, they shouldn't still be getting an overall bonus from reach.

[Triskavanski]

The latter two could easily enough be used in confined spaces or situations, the monowhip could not because of how it functions - motion (and motion control) is a large part of the damage a whip causes.

I always figured that the large portion of what causes the whips damage was the fact it was practically a monothin wire. Like how just handling microwire (Something just a tad thicker) does 8p dmg and -8 ap unless you have special gloves to handle it with.

We're talking about basically flinging around basically the edge of a blade that never loses its sharpness. It has no weight to it. Nearly all of its cutting power comes from the fact its well, monowire. if its the weapon on the card, choke up on the whip. If its the retractable baton, don't use as much.

And why is it a -1 to keep the business end of a spear in a hallway? Spears are thrusting weapon. I don't get it. Now if it was a 2h great axe of some kind. Then yeah. But it seems to me, that spears, being designed as weapons to fight with while in close proximity with other fighters (Allied fighters of course) would be rather well designed for keeping that business end towards an enemy. Unless you're swinging it, instead of thrusting it.

[RHat]

And why is it a -1 to keep the business end of a spear in a hallway? Spears are thrusting weapon. I don't get it. Now if it was a 2h great axe of some kind. Then yeah. But it seems to me, that spears, being designed as weapons to fight with while in close proximity with other fighters (Allied fighters of course) would be rather well designed for keeping that business end towards an enemy. Unless you're swinging it, instead of thrusting it.

The moment you get into anything other than a perfectly straight thrust, and you would both accidentally and intentionally, the proximity of walls becomes an issue.

[Leevizer]

1) Use of the Exotic Melee Weapon (Monofilament Whip) skill. This means that you can't use the same skill for any other weapon, like you can for Blades and Clubs.

But in which cases would this be a problem? If you have a cyberarm with an installed monofilament whip I find it hard to see you needing to use any other weapon? Although granted, in tight, confined spaces a knife or a hammer would be better, but in most cases?

I guess that my main point here is that should I drop my character's Unarmed combat 5 and turn it to Monofilament whip 5. This would let me drop the unnecessary strength and cyberblade from her cyberarm with which to pay for the whip.

Also, like I said this isn't meant to be a mainly melee character, but something of an all-around combat monster. She has points in every ranged combat method there is except for gunnery but I'd like to have one good melee skill too?