Handgun Skill, is about resilience,  
  concealment and variety of effects  

This skill is dedicated to one thing everybody knows : Concealement. But there is more than that behind the skill, resilience, and variety of effects come immediatly after. It's more versatile than you might think.

The results

Advantages

• x1 skill

• Concealment

• One handed

• Popup ranged weapon

Average

• Versatile

• Price

Flaws

• Range

• Damage

Conclusion

Thanks to concealment and the use of a single hand, you're more resistant to any threat.

• Because you always have a weapon with you.

• You can't be disarm

• The ability to deal with critical injuries is really underestimated.

IP wise, it's cheap, as a Solo you can invest only in 3 x1 Skills, Handgun, Evasion and Brawling. And you are effective even in areas where you are not supposed to bring weapons. Cheap investment in Combat skill means you can have other Skills.

Damage dealers

Malorian Arms 3516

• 10.000eb - Excellent Quality Exotic VHP - Ammo 8 - ROF1 - 5D6

• Smartgun Link

• Exotic --> no other type of ammo except with a 10.000eb upgrade.... that's a tiny bit expensive.

• Perfect for aimed shot to the head.

Militech Perseus

• 5000eb - Excellent Quality Exotic VHP - Ammo 11 - ROF1 - 4D6

• If it was fired during the previous Round in a combat, it operates as a 2 ROF weapon instead of a 1 ROF weapon.

• Exotic --> no other type of ammo except with a 5.000eb upgrade.... that's a bit expensive.

• ROF2 + 4D6 that's a huge damage dealer gun.

• But without AP ammo, it's only a bit more reliable than a HP + AP.

Magnum Opus Hellbringer

• 1000eb - Exotic VHP - Ammo 3 - ROF1 - 5D6

• BODY 10 or the weapon jam after each shoot

• That's a pretty reliable secondary weapon. You will get through armor with it. Then you can switch to HP + AP.

Mix Ammunitions

Militech Fox Dual Ammo Pistol

• 1000eb - Exotic HP - Ammo 10 x2 - ROF2 - 3D6

• Can fire Non-Basic Ammo

• The 2 magazine can be loaded with different type of Ammo.

• Each magazine take an action to be reloaded.

• That's a bit expensive... but if you want to limit the cyberware on you (not a lot of Popup Ranged Weapons) that's a good way to have AP and Incendiary in one weapon.

Constitutional Arms Multiple Ammunition Pistol

• 500eb - Exotic VHP - Ammo 5 - ROF1 - 4D6

• Accept mix ammo and you can select which one you will shot each turn

• This one is good to start a fight against a SP11. Start with Incendiary, then AP, then switch to HP + AP

Nomad Big Gulp

• 100eb - VHP - Ammo 2 - ROF1 - 4D6

• Accept mix ammo

• Incompatible with magazine attachements

• This one is good to start a fight against a SP11. Start with Incendiary, then AP, then switch to HP + AP. And you can buy it (EQ) and add a Smartgun Link.

Conclusion

Handguns are more versatile than most people think. Of course as a damage dealing skill, that's not the best. On the other hand you can use Arrows, Bullet, Shell and special effect like EMP, Acid, or Shrieker. If you are not a Solo think about the special effect you can inflict to your opponent. 

If you are playing an Executive, your most combat effectiv, teammates have Handgun as their main skill. Three EMP hits per turn targteting a martial artists with a linear frame, you might bother him "a little". Ok sooner or later if you abuse this tactic, you gonna hit a wall against hardened shielding borgware. You can try to put them to sleep with sleep ammo. Or to impair their movement with a Shrieker.

List

Synthcoke : +1 REF

Excellent quality weapons (+1 price category) : +1 to hit

Neural link + interface plug or Subdermal grip + Smartgun Link : +1 to hit

Cyberarm + Popup ranged Weapon - 500eb - HL(2D6)

Cybereye

• Dartgun - 500eb - HL(2D6)

  • • Exotic VHP - Ammo 1 - ROF1 - 4D6

    • can only load only Non-Basic Arrows

    • does not need a Check to be Concealed if a glove is worn over it.

• Targeting scope : +1 Aimed shoot

Modular Finger Cyberhand - 100eb - HL(1D6)

• Cyberfinger - Dartgun - 500eb - HL(2D6)

  • • Exotic VHP - Ammo 1 - ROF1 - 4D6

    • can only load only Non-Basic Arrows

    • does not need a Check to be Concealed if a glove is worn over it.

• Cyberfinger - One Shot Special - 100eb - HL(2D6)

  • • Exotic HP - Ammo 1 - ROF2 - 3D6

    • can load any type of Ammo

    • does not need a Check to be Concealed if a glove is worn over it.

Clint "Quickdraw" Westwood

You're not going for Aimed shoot, you want to make a good use of ROF 2 weapons and Spot weakness. And you want to have access to different weapons and . 2 weapons in one cyberarm + Subdermal grip (requires a TechUp cyberarm) allow you to choose freely which weapon your going to use each round.

The character is a brazen solo with high REF / COOL. Facedown and duel are his biggest joy in life. And beautiful people, that's another story. Of course he love Synthcoke and like to party with a bit of Smash. He wouldn't touch Prime Time as the primary effect (cooldown emotion) is the opposite of what he is looking for.

Phase 2: 800IP + 7100eb into gears

(I took into account you have to pay for rent, lifestyle, therapy, ammo, etc...)

IP : Solo rank 6 + Skills : Handgun 7

Cyberware

• Kerenzikov (500eb)

• GMBL (1000eb) + Linear Frame (1000eb)

• Right arm (TechUP) (1000eb)

• Subdermal grip (100eb)

• Popup RW - HP (EQ) + Smartlink + AP (1000eb)

• Popup RW - Hellbringer (1500eb)

Gear : SmartGlass (500eb) + Lowlight/IR/UV (500eb)

Result

Main weapon - HP + AP > Handgun Base 16 + EQ + Smartlink + Training area + Synthcoke = 20

• 2x 3D6 + 6 damage and -4SP per turn - hit on 2+

• That's a lot, do the maths, it's effective

Hellbringer > Handgun Base 16 + Training area + Synthcoke = 18

• When you need to go through armor 5D6 + 6 ROF1

• Reliable

• Hidden holster - HP + Incendiary > Handgun Base 16 + EQ + Smartlink + Training area + Synthcoke = 20

• You need to put people on fire sooner or later, sooner is better.

Militech Crusher > Handgun Base 16 + Training area + Synthcoke = 18

• 3D6 +6 AOE Incendiary. That's a good way to start a combat against packed opponents

Dartgun > Handgun Base 16 + EQ + Training area + Synthcoke = 19

• Sleep ammo is a mook stopper. Cost a bit of money. But when needed you are almost sure to take them down in one hit

Are you going to deal more damage than a HW expert ? or Hurricane shotgun user ? Nope. But you are Concealed. You always have multiple weapons with different ammo on you and they aren't easy to spot. You are versatile in term of Ammunitions and technique. Because you're also good at grappling. Meaning you can disarm the dude with a Hurricane shotgun, or a Cowboy GL. Yup... you can't disarm a Martial Artist. But you can hit a target up to 25m on a 2+ if it can't dodge bullet. Even if they can dodge, you still have the upper hand againt Evasion.

Don't forget that CA is versatile, yes this Gunslinger is about concealable versatile damage dealing gun with Spot weakness. Against a support dodgy opponent, it might be good to spend an Action for CA reallocation. +2 Precision attack might save the day.

Handgun skill is a good skill, more versatile than you may have thought, capable to deal damage. You trade Damage and Range for Concealment, that's the tradeoff. It works fine for non-combat optimized character. With a base 12 in hand gun and (EQ) you can use it well. Some effect are more dangerous than you might think : EMP, Shrieker, and even Acid. And of course a Gunslinger Solo can deal a fair amount of damage with Spot Weakness and it's Concealed unlike the Hurricane Shotgun.