Every shadowrunner is always concerned with bigger and better weapons, so this section will probably end up being quite extensive. I'm not going to get into a lot of detail with these pages, as I already know many of you are going to strap missle launchers and assault cannons on the armor whether I list it or not. What I am going to do is provide some guidance for arming your suit and let you do with it what you will (with GM approval of course).
Armor is going to have three basic types of weapons that can be utilized. They are described below:
Integral weapons are weapons that are dependent on the armor for functioning. The dependency may be something as simple as an electricl security impulse that tells the weapon that it is permitted to fire, or something as dependent as a portable rocket launcher that requires power, targeting information, and even sensor locks from the suit. So, for the sake of simplicity an integral weapon is defined as a weapon that can be internal or external, but is dependent upon the armor for proper functioning. Intergral weapons may or may not utilize Utility Slots.
Internal weapons are weapons that are actually part of the suit, whether it is attached to an arm, or built into a shoulder plate and programmed to pop-up and fire. Internal weapons are part of the suit and are strictly dependent upon the armor for functioning. Some internal weapons have manual overrides, just incase the power systems fail, for example, a suit of armor that has a heavy pistol mounted on the wearer's left arm. It is automated and usually controlled through the armors targeting computer, utilizing sensors. The power of the suit gives out, and the wearer still needs to fire it. The pistol may have a trigger, or button, near the point of the weapon so it can still be fired. The same thing would apply to a knife that automatically springs forth. It is bound to have a release button. Note: When suit power is out, the weapon looses any of the benefits it normally receives from the armor (i.e. targeting). Internal weapons utilize Utility Slots.
External weapons are exactly that. They are weapons that have nothing to do with the armor. In most cases they are carried like a normal rifle or machine gun. Other types of external weapons are weapons that are mounted to the armor, but have no automation or connections to the sensors or targeting systems. An example of this would be a sword blade that is mounted onto the forearm of the armor. It is always exposed, using no power. Another example could be a shoulder ballistic launcher. It could be built into the suit, (for structural purposes only), but still have it's own sources of power and targeting. External weapons do not utilize Utility Slots, but do count towards the suits Frame Weight Capacity.
Enhancing Your Suit.........................................................Securing Your Suit