(I've not got the book to hand, but I'm fairly sure this conviction crystalised when comparing the Sidearm bit of Power Pack to the rest of the weapon trait.)
Book of Outlands Page 142. Power Pack Trait.
"A Weapon with this trait is worn mounted on the power pack of an Ironhead Squat Prospector and does not count towards the maximun number of weapons a fighter can carry. However , a fighter cannot have more than two weapons with this trait.
If the weapon also has the Melee trait it can also be used in addition to any other weapon carrierd by the fighter granting an additional close combat attack"
First paragraph. = 1, only Ironead Squat Prospectors can have it and you put in on the backpacks we made. (Buy our models please)
2, It does not count towards your weapon slot limit (usually three)
3. 0-2
Second paragraph = 1"the weapon" It is discussing a single weapon.
2, Melee Trait. Only applies to ones with the Melee trait, so the Stone Burner for example does not. (But it does have the Side Arm rule so it can be used anyway. a Bit redundant given point 4 below...)
3 "in addition to
any other weapon carrierd by the fighter" The word any is a plural so it allows your fighter to use a Axe and hammer duel wielding as normal (They could have just written "in addition to other weapon
s" instead and it would mean the same thing and save them printing 2 letters).
4, granting
an additional close combat attack. The use of the word "an" denotes an Indefinite Article. It means that the following "additional close combat attack" is non spercific but the use of the words "the weapon" previously already denotes the item (the power pack weapon) as the Definite Article. which is singular.
As it says "can also be used in addition" it denotes that the power pack weapon is an add on to the normal weapon and not the Primary attack. This means you only apply it once.
5, The final word "attack" If they used the phrasing "granting additional close combat attack
s" (with the s at the end of attack) then that would open the powerpack weapon to be used for multiple attacks. Since they used the singular word "attack" that means only
One.
"Like for the Drill Master with a Mining Laser & power pack gem extractor. I'd taken that to be 2 base attacks & +1 from the gem extractor, and that you'd get to make all three with the gem extractor. Get a circular saw too, it'd be 2 saw, 2 extractor, and one either way if you're on the charge. Alternatively, what? 50cr to make one decent attack whilst you've a heavy weapon (plus two bare fists), when for 5cr less you could get a power hammer and do two attacks full tilt"
The Power PAck trait details it's use in conjunction with a "Weapon" Unarmed Strikes are not considered weapons so technically the Drill master you mentioned has no Weapon that can be used in Close Combat so because the Power pack trait says "in
addition to any other weapon" you can't use them in melee ( There is nothing to add them to).
