A standard utility mechadendrite comes with a cutting blade. (Count as a knife with defensive + mono - upgrade).

The question is: Will a best-quality utility mechadendrite give that blade the same quality benefits as a best-quality knife?

I don't see why not. Though I also don't see why you would even want to waste money on a best quality mechadendrite, since there is no difference between one of best quality and one of common quality.

because it then becomes a Best Craftsmanship Defensive weapon with a +25 bonus to Parry.

Meaning the Leatherman/Swizz-Army-Knife tentacle now rivals the best mastercrafted shields in term of personal combat protection. Thats why

Except it doesn't, that WS bonus only applies to attacks.

By the DH RAW, yes you are right.

But if you adopt rules developments as made in later games, the situation changes. From Deathwatch and onwards it becomes a flat +10 to WS tests. We have taken the rules changes introduced in later games and applied them as Errata, and I find that mostly it makes for a better games. There are some issues, but this change is mostly for the better. A weapon that handles better should do so for defense as well as offence, especially if it is a defensive weapon like a pryying dagger or a shield.

What would be the point of a Best Quality shield if it only improved it's ability to attack?

mosern said:

As others have said: yes to everything. You would get the +10% to parry and attack and it would be awesome.

I just do not see it.

On the one hand, we have a specially designed instrument of defense, like a Sigilite, master crafted by the finest smiths of Landunder. It's sole purpose is to defend against melee attacks, it is designed with only this function in mind. It is uniquely suited to this task, and nothing else. As such, it grants a +25 bonus to Parry test (but a penalty to attacks).

On the other hand (or should that be mechadendrite?), you have a long metallic tentacle that: houses a variety of tools and attachments designed to assist a Tech-Priest in the course of his holy duties. The mechadendrite counts as a combi-tool, granting a +10 bonus to all Tech-Use Tests. The limb also houses six injector pistons, each of which may be filled with one dose of sacred unguent. These may be supplied separately.
In addition to this, the limb contains an electrically powered censer, which can gust incense fumes over particularly troublesome faults. The censer generates one “blast” of smoke every fifteen minutes. This may be employed in melee combat to distract and choke, imposing a –5 penalty to Weapon Skill
Tests made by all living creatures within a two-metre radius for one Round. This is a Half-Action. Unless the censer is deactivated, all Perception Tests made to detect the Tech-Priest that rely on a sense of smell gain a +10 bonus. Finally, the mechadendrite contains a cutting blade …..

… which somehow is JUST AS GOOD at defensive swordplay as the special-made custom-blade mentioned before?

Tech-Priest is already broken (Though not as hard as psykers are) the only thing we do is measure how much he is broken.^^

Darth Smeg said:

I hear ya Darth Smeg - have a hard time stacking the two side by side and not thinking the Mechadendrite is a little ridiculous. But then again, I think the way Parrying, Balanced and Defensive work doesn't seem quite right to me: it makes it hard to have distinctive-feeling defensive item. And the way the percentages stack (if we go with post-Deathwatch rules) means that a Best Quality sword is a better defensive item than a shield - again, an item designed for defense. (Maybe a system where the defender gets to add their "Weapon Skill Bonus" to parries with a balanced weapon, or double with a defensive weapon? Best-Quality might then grant some different kind of bonus like WS bonus ONLY to parry OR Attack - (player's choice?) - but not both..)

I think it makes more sense to say the mechadendrite has Balanced at best (instead of Defensive) but it hasn't come up in our game.

FieserMoep said:

Broken ? How are those two careers broken ? In what way ?

Myliel said:

A lot could be said about those careers, but I'll just say this:

• Psyker: The problem with the psyker in my experience is less about how powerful he/she can be (though they do often stand out as among the most powerful of the group). It's more that the chance of blowing yourself up with a power is so high as to be really annoying and potentially destructive for the game. It should certainly be risky for Psykers to use their powers, but the problem is that the PC has virtually no way (at least through the first 5 ranks or so) to mitigate this in any way. (Rules that take too much control out of the players' hands are not, in my view, good rules).In later rulesets, they change this to give psykers a choice as to how much risk they wish to take. Much better. But in DH, the Psyker is more likely to die using his powers (even some of the most basic powers when not in combat) than through bolter fire or whatever.
• Tech-Priest: The one major problem of the tech is that while most characters only get significantly better through the expenditure of XP, the tech-priest gets better by buying more tech. Yes, other characters can use their ressources to buy bigger guns and armour, but that's where it generally stops. For a tech-priest, however, they can keep buying cybernetics (moreso than other PCs) which give them benefits like extra attacks, super-senses, super-armour, etc. They can quickly outpace the developpment of other characters as they become juggernauts of amazing abilities and exceptions to the rules.

Behold my powers of thread-necromancy!

I just discovered the Errata for Only War. It's probably been out for a while, but hey, I had stuff to do

But it says:

The eighth and ninth sentences of the first paragraph read: “Finally, the mechadendrite contains a cutting blade. This counts as a knife with the Defensive Quality and a Mono upgrade.” These sentences should be removed. Additionally, there should be an addition at the end of the paragraph that reads: “Once per Round, the character can utilise this mechadendrite as a weapon by spending a Half Action or a Reaction to make a Standard Attack Action with it. A utility mechadendrite counts as a weapon with the following profile: Melee; 1d5 R; Pen 2; Defensive.”

Now I accept that rulings in OW aren't necessarily valid for DH, but I've always accepted changes and revisions from later gamelines as RAW for our DH games. And this shows that the designers agree with me, so there!

Darth Smeg, you forgot this.

That is true, and it's a fair Cop. However, while the mecadendrite is treated as a weapon, it also explicitly states that you may only attack with them.

The general "counts as a weapon" is removed, and the specific "utilise this mechadendrite as a weapon by spending Half action... to make Standard Attack.."

You don't count as armed with a melee weapon, you may not parry. At all.

Not sure if you are commenting something what I said Darth Smeg.

I was only pointing about adding SB to Mechadendrite attack's, nothing about it's possible defensive use.

Sort of. I thought you might imply that your quote suggested a mechadendrite would work as any ol' weapon.

But I may have misunderstood. It happens

If you can't parry with it, why does it have Defensive?

I don't see why not. Though I also don't see why you would even want to waste money on a best quality mechadendrite, since there is no difference between one of best quality and one of common quality.

Aside from the discussion already played out.. what about, you know, roleplaying?

It is a roleplaying game, after all.

I've even got a whole concept for a character that refuses to use anything except best-craftsmanship implants, bionics and mechadendrites. I don't get why anyone would be trying to "beat" the game.

If you can't parry with it, why does it have Defensive?

Good question. But then, nobody ever accused FFG of being consistent and logical