A small twist on implant weaponry in bionics...

[Metellus]

So, for my first Inquisitor-scale modelling project I'm working on a veteran Guardsman armourer armed to the teeth with weapons he's stolen, looted, or made himself, and due to model constraints I can't fit everything I want on him. So, while thinking about how I could give him something extra that wouldn't take up any more space on the model, the idea of a single-shot grenade launcher built into a character's leg popped into my head. The basic concept is that when the character kneels is can be used a bit like a mortar; alternately, the leg can be pulled out and fired like a regular launcher. Now, the problem I have with this is that the rulebook says you can only have implant weapons in a hand (page 87)... that, and if one were to use the launcher as an improvised weapon in CC, say against a power weapon, and was destroyed, would the leg be destroyed too? And for that matter, does that destruction rule apply to all improvised weapons, such as the butt of a lasgun in close combat?

[MarcoSkoll]

Now, the problem I have with this is that the rulebook says you can only have implant weapons in a hand

If you can imagine something like that (unless there's an actual fluff reason it can't happen) then someone in universe could imagine it and build it. Don't worry too much about what equipment the rulebook allows.

if one were to use the launcher as an improvised weapon in CC

Seems unlikely. As he's missing a leg in order to do that, he's probably going to be at more than a slight disadvantage - if he chooses to parry with his detached leg, rather than actually having it attached, he's inviting something to go wrong.

... but if he should chose to do so...

say against a power weapon, and was destroyed, would the leg be destroyed too?

Depends on your GM. In this case, I would consider the weapon destroyed, and resolve an attack against the leg as well. (If someone had their unarmed attack parried, I'd do something similar as well, power weapon or not).

But detached limbs can be trouble anyway. How exactly should injury total work (because it is still counted for bionics) when removing a heavily injured limb? Would the pain go away - allowing the character to avoid the onset of pain-induced unconsciousness? What about reattaching a limb that has been damaged since it was removed?

I personally get around this by saying that bionics are too integrated to be easily removed - a good bionic does after all have all the nerve connections that would exist in a normal limb, so it wouldn't be the kind of thing that could be removed in a few seconds.
Well, unless you just cut or yank it off, but then it wouldn't reattach very well either.

From that viewpoint, I'd make it so that it can't be removed, which simplifies things a bit - if he wants to fire it directly, he'll have to find some odd position to stand/kneel in.

And for that matter, does that destruction rule apply to all improvised weapons, such as the butt of a lasgun in close combat?

Yes. If you're going to swing a lasgun at someone with a power weapon, or parry a power weapon with one, you can't be surprised if it gets cut in half.

[Alyster Wick]

But detached limbs can be trouble anyway. How exactly should injury total work (because it is still counted for bionics) when removing a heavily injured limb? Would the pain go away - allowing the character to avoid the onset of pain-induced unconsciousness? What about reattaching a limb that has been damaged since it was removed?

All very valid questions, and this should really be a where a bulk of your time is spent if you want to go ahead with this: making rules that work.

Personally I'd say you should make it a fairly advanced piece of kit and (as Marco suggested) have the leg permanently attached to the body.  As far as rules go all you have to do then is decide what position he needs to be in to fire his leg weapon and whether or not there are penalties associated with it. 

If you want the leg to be detachable (more like a Planet Terror type thing) then I would say that the leg should be a lot closer to conventional prosthetics now days and the character should incur heavy penalties to movement*.  On the upside I would also say that you could have damage done to the leg be ignored for purposes of injury total as it isn't part of the character (but make it possible for the grenade launcher to be damaged).   

*I'm not trying to start someone on the thesis about the wonders of modern day prosthetics, I just think that if a character a) has a prosthetic leg not permanently affixed to their body and b) said leg contains a grenade launcher then it should follow that they aren't going to walk around like everything is fine and dandy.

[Myriad]

This sounds like quite a cool basic idea, and certainly not implausible.

Marco and Alyster sum up pretty well the issues involved with making the leg detachable.  Which isn't to say don't do it, just that it requires a certain amount of thought.

[Metellus]

But detached limbs can be trouble anyway. How exactly should injury total work (because it is still counted for bionics) when removing a heavily injured limb? Would the pain go away - allowing the character to avoid the onset of pain-induced unconsciousness? What about reattaching a limb that has been damaged since it was removed?


I personally get around this by saying that bionics are too integrated to be easily removed - a good bionic does after all have all the nerve connections that would exist in a normal limb, so it wouldn't be the kind of thing that could be removed in a few seconds.
Well, unless you just cut or yank it off, but then it wouldn't reattach very well either.

From that viewpoint, I'd make it so that it can't be removed, which simplifies things a bit - if he wants to fire it directly, he'll have to find some odd position to stand/kneel in.

I think I'll simply remove the detachable rules and have it as a kneeling down thing, which was the original intention - the detachment came when I thought about reloading (it'll probably just be a 2-shot thing to keep the power level down). Although I distinctly remember from the second Grey Knights book (the title eludes me at them moment) that it was possible to disconnect one's augmetics quickly... nothing's said about reconnecting them though, so I see your point.

If you want the leg to be detachable (more like a Planet Terror type thing) then I would say that the leg should be a lot closer to conventional prosthetics now days and the character should incur heavy penalties to movement*.  On the upside I would also say that you could have damage done to the leg be ignored for purposes of injury total as it isn't part of the character (but make it possible for the grenade launcher to be damaged).   

*I'm not trying to start someone on the thesis about the wonders of modern day prosthetics, I just think that if a character a) has a prosthetic leg not permanently affixed to their body and b) said leg contains a grenade launcher then it should follow that they aren't going to walk around like everything is fine and dandy.

I'm thinking either a -1 or -2 to all movement rates... which do you think would work best?

[MarcoSkoll]

Although I distinctly remember from the second Grey Knights book that it was possible to disconnect one's augmetics quickly...

Just because something is in the canon doesn't necessarily mean that the writer actually thought it through.

There are about 70 kilometres of nerves in the human body. If you want to be able to control a limb properly, you need an awful lot of connections, and they need to be made properly.
Yes, in particularly advanced cases, bionic limbs/hands/etc may be removable and swappable - but my own bionic characters are normally quite happy that their limbs remain well attached.

(I wouldn't take augmetics as being removed very easily at all however. I use the term augmetics to describe bionically augmented/repaired limbs, a mix of organic and bionic parts. Not all writers use it that way, but it seems a more appropriate use of the word.)

[Metellus]

Although I distinctly remember from the second Grey Knights book that it was possible to disconnect one's augmetics quickly...

Just because something is in the canon doesn't necessarily mean that the writer actually thought it through.

There are about 70 kilometres of nerves in the human body. If you want to be able to control a limb properly, you need an awful lot of connections, and they need to be made properly.
Yes, in particularly advanced cases, bionic limbs/hands/etc may be removable and swappable - but my own bionic characters are normally quite happy that their limbs remain well attached.

(I wouldn't take augmetics as being removed very easily at all however. I use the term augmetics to describe bionically augmented/repaired limbs, a mix of organic and bionic parts. Not all writers use it that way, but it seems a more appropriate use of the word.)

70 kilometres... wow. GCSE Biology just keeps on missing things out. As to your description of augmetics, I should have used better wording - the plan for the leg is that it is entirely mechanical - no flesh-and-blood sections (perhaps electrical couplings for nerve endings etc just so that he can move - I would imagine that after 38000 years we'll be able to replicate nerves completely on a larger scale). However, it will most definitely not be removable, as I cannot be bothered with thinking over the rules for that, otherwise I will end up writing them down absent-mindedly in the middle of my RE GCSE, which may slightly annoy the examiner. Just slightly.

[Alyster Wick]

I'm thinking either a -1 or -2 to all movement rates... which do you think would work best?

If you aren't having the leg be removable then I'd say just treat it like a normal leg (or whatever level bionic leg that it happens to be).

[precinctomega]

INQ2 specifically states that bionic limbs suffer damage and injury like any other limb, either due to their delicate and sophisticated internal workings or due to phantom pain in the case of primitive examples.

MarcoSkoll will be delighted to hear that bionics and augmetics are entirely separate sections in the INQ2 Armoury.

R.