Is an unarmed-combat specialist viable and how to build one?

[Spiderprof]

I want to build an Ysoki unarmed-combat-centric soldier named The Metrius. Is there a way to build one that would still manage to be on par with the other, standard, weapon-weilding builds?

[Robert Gooding]

With house ruled damage

Not with current rules

[Eighth-Elf]

I think the best way to do it right now is to use battlegloves and pulse gauntlets and flavour them as if you were unarmed.

[Steve Geddes]

Hard to do it without being a vesk, I think.

[Serisan]

My vesk soldier is doing fine and my stat array isn't necessarily conducive to unarmed. I've got improved unarmed for the dice scaling and at level 6 I'm doing as much with unarmed as I would with a light reaction cannon. Highly dex-based character (started on the premise of ranged), so my unarmed suffers slightly in that regard.

The vesk special (1.5x level to damage) is really important to the success of unarmed. I wouldn't recommend unarmed on other races.

[Jofo]

Definitely. Armor Storm spec, and don't forget to describe the use of your jump Jets when he does the arm bar mid suplex ;)

[Farlanghn]

Or be a Solarian and have your Solar Weapon cover your fists. You can do this since it says you can form the Solar Weapon into any form you want as long as it doesn't change the mechanics. Even having it cover multiple limbs since it doesn't change gameplay.

[Porridge]

The ring of fangs bumps the bonus damage up to x2 your level. So that item seems pretty much mandatory for such a build.

[MagicA]

armored storm for hammer fist
its an unarmed strike
take melee striker gear boost
it's great

[FlanGG]

Armored storm is good for pseudo-unarmed strikes, and you can still get IUA for situations you're not wearing your power armor. Currently planning to make one.