Melee weapon (Cyberpunk RED)
Definition
Melee Weapon covers everything you swing or stab with: knives, katanas, batons, hammers, and the implanted cyberweapons that make a person a weapon on their own. It is armed close combat specifically, which is the line that separates it from Brawling. At the table it is quieter, cheaper, and never out of ammunition. A blade gets through a scanner more easily than a pistol, it kills without waking the building, and inside a corridor or a stairwell it is genuinely competitive with a gun. The catch is that closing to melee range in a firefight means crossing open ground while people shoot at you, so the skill is at its best when the fight has not started yet or has already collapsed into chaos.
How it works
Tips
Frequently asked questions
Melee Weapon or Brawling?
Melee Weapon is anything held or implanted, Brawling is fists, elbows, and grappling. They are separate skills with separate ranks, so points in one do nothing for the other.
Are cyberweapons covered by this skill?
Yes. Implanted blades and monowire use Melee Weapon to attack. Remember that installing them costs Humanity out of your EMP times 10 starting pool, so the chrome has an ongoing character cost.
Can melee compete with guns?
In tight spaces and surprise attacks, absolutely. In an open exchange at range, no. Melee characters win by controlling where the fight happens, which usually means Stealth and Athletics, not a higher weapon rank.