By the RAW talons appear to be compatible with the Swordsman SPA (campaign Ops. p.80). However the wording of the SPA is entirely written from the perspective of the melee weapon being arm mounted. The examples are all arm mounted (hatchets, swords, and retractable blades, oh my!) and the aimed shot portion would be a significant departure from standard kick attacks, since direct-fire energy weapons would hit on the full body table rather than kick or punch.
The pilot with the Swordsman SPA has taken their own advanced understanding of melee weapons of outside the cockpit and fused it with their mastery of the physical combat capabilities of their BattleMech or ProtoMech. Swordsman are capable of delivering ultra-precise attacks using any melee weapons mounted on their machines—be they hatchets, swords, retractable blades, or even the variety of ProtoMech-scale melee weapons. If the ’Mech or ProtoMech lacks such weaponry, the Swordsman cannot use this ability in combat. The Swordsman can use his machine’s melee weapons to deliver either an Aimed Shot attack or an armor-piercing strike. These two special attacks may not be combined in the same action.
Aimed Shot: When using melee weapons to deliver an Aimed Shot attack, the Swordsman uses the rules for a targeting computer (see p. 143, TW) as if the melee weapon were a standard, direct-fire energy weapon. Any modifiers associated with the melee weapon (such as the –1 To-Hit modifier for BattleMech swords, or the +1 To-Hit modifier for BattleMech maces) also apply to this attack. Any special Piloting Skill Rolls for missed strikes and other requirements also apply.
Piercing Strike: When using melee weapons to deliver a piercing strike, the Swordsman applies a +2 To-Hit modifier to their attack roll. If the attack hits, the Swordsman makes an additional Critical Hit check for the area struck after assessing the weapon’s normal damage. Apply a –1 roll modifier to this bonus Critical Hit check if the location is still protected by any armor.
1. Does the Swordsman SPA work with talons?
2. Arguably, this SPA (especially the Aimed Shot portion) creates a new attack type that is not restricted by the regular physical attack rules that include the attacker and target levels. Even the name of "Aimed Shot" implies ranged combat making whacky interpretations more plausible. I'd suggest "Aimed Blow", "Finesse Blow", or "Expert Strike" to bring the name more in line with a physical attack and then to add a clause like "When this unit may execute a physical attack, the Swordsman may make a physical attack applying the rules for a targeting computer as if the melee weapon were a direct-fire weapon to determine hit location on the appropriate physical attack table."
