Large weapons are two-handed implements of bodily ruin such as claymores, halberds, tetsubos, or other such weapons. Unlike smaller weapons, they rely largely on Strength for their employ, and can bash through lighter forms of armor. Large weapons count as two encumbrance items.
A primitive weapon is simply one of ordinary metal or wood, with no high-tech augmentations.
Primitive weapons are often unable to harm targets in powered armor.
Shock Damage
Shock damage represents the inevitable cuts, bruises, exhaustion, and terror of close combat.
Shock damage is only inflicted on a melee target if the hit roll fails, and it only applies if the target has an AC equal or less than that listed for the Shock.
Shock damage always includes the wielder’s attribute modifier and any bonus damage granted by weapon mods, foci, advanced tech, or other damage bonuses. An actual hit with a weapon never does less damage than Shock would otherwise inflict; if the user somehow rolls less damage, use the Shock damage instead.
Thus, if you had a Strength score of 14 and were swinging an oversized alien battle axe at a target with AC 13, you would inflict 3 points of damage on a miss; 2 from the weapon’s Shock, plus 1 from your Strength modifier. If you hit, you’d do at least 3 points.