Sith Lightsaber

[pawsplay]

What comparative advantages does the double-sided lightsaber have, in HERO terms? The Disadvantages are obvious: it requires a separate WF for a weapon with few intrinsic differences from a lightsaber in terms of damage or OCV. Possibilities I've considered:

 

- It might be helpful for making Sweep maneuvers. Perhaps a limited CSL for making Sweeps?

- Since it uses wider, more sweeping strokes, perhaps it sacrifices the lightsaber's +1 OCV for +1 DC instead

- Perhaps +5 PRE, "Only for making PRE attacks against melee opponents" due to its vicious appearance

 

The way Maul's saber is built into a Multipower is probably not a net point gain for him in a Superheroic campaign, but it does offer some options (CSLs that you move around are probably cheaper than a multipower version of a lightsaber), and in a heroic campaign, Maul is likely not spending points on his saber.

[Outsider]

Re: Sith Lightsaber

 

Look at what the difference between a quarterstaff and a sword is in HERO.

 

Not that the write-ups in FH area all that interesting or differentiated...

[Hyper-Man]

Re: Sith Lightsaber

 

Another way to differentiate the 2-bladed Lightsaber from the traditional single blade variety would be to give it bonus CSL/PSL's vs. Sweep with the sfx of spinning the blades. This would be balanced by requiring its users to pay an additional 1-2 points for the weapon familiarity to use it safely in combat.

[pawsplay]

Re: Sith Lightsaber

 

Now that I know how to build a CSL with a specific maneuver, I'll probably add +1 with Sweep.

 

Other than that, I'm probably going to design its own martial art, build around lightning strike and sacrifice strike rather than the reverse for Jedi. Of course, Darth Maul is trained in doubebladed saber combat, standard lightsaber combat, and probably Echani, too.

[Hyper-Man]

Re: Sith Lightsaber

 

Here is a somewhat related thread you might find interesting:

Damage for lightsabers

[pawsplay]

Re: Sith Lightsaber

 

Here is a somewhat related thread you might find interesting:

Damage for lightsabers

 

You came up with the same damage ballpark I did, but I prefer Armor Piercing... we've seen plenty of times a lightsaber didn't completely sheer through a dense object, and it allows me to treat them similarly to blasters. I have blasters all doing AP, which makes stormtrooper armor into tissue paper, and I just define all shields or magnetically sealed defenses as Hardened.

 

I never quite understood the rationale for the Damage Shield on lightsabers. You wouldn't want to grab a longsword by the blade, either. And it's not that handy for negating Blocks, since many Blocks will simply be executed without blade contact against a lightsaber wielding opponenet.

[Hyper-Man]

Re: Sith Lightsaber

 

You came up with the same damage ballpark I did, but I prefer Armor Piercing... we've seen plenty of times a lightsaber didn't completely sheer through a dense object, and it allows me to treat them similarly to blasters. I have blasters all doing AP, which makes stormtrooper armor into tissue paper, and I just define all shields or magnetically sealed defenses as Hardened.

 

I never quite understood the rationale for the Damage Shield on lightsabers. You wouldn't want to grab a longsword by the blade, either. And it's not that handy for negating Blocks, since many Blocks will simply be executed without blade contact against a lightsaber wielding opponenet.

 

Instead of making all blasters and lightsabers take the AP advantage you could instead just house-rule that all armor takes x2 damage from such weapons (it's functionally identical).

 

Damage Shield on Lightsabers is what allows Qui-Gon to thrust the blade into an armored door and use the blade as a 'hot knife in butter'. It also means that the maneuver "Bind" from UMA would not work unless being performed with another Lightsaber of some sort. A physical weapon like a metal staff would be cut by the Damage Shield.

[pawsplay]

Re: Sith Lightsaber

 

Instead of making all blasters and lightsabers take the AP advantage you could instead just house-rule that all armor takes x2 damage from such weapons (it's functionally identical).

 

Or I could instead just make all blasters AP and save some math, avoid house ruling, and make my notes more useful to others. Also not all armor does take half damage; there are hardened armors, such as most starfighter hulls, blast doors, even cortosises enhanced Sith armor (if you use KOTOR as a source).

 

Damage Shield on Lightsabers is what allows Qui-Gon to thrust the blade into an armored door and use the blade as a 'hot knife in butter'. It also means that the maneuver "Bind" from UMA would not work unless being performed with another Lightsaber of some sort. A physical weapon like a metal staff would be cut by the Damage Shield.

 

Except we know that a properly designed weapon won't, such as the bodyguard droid's electrostaff. Indeed, I don't think a Weapon Bind would damage an ordinary weapon. I think a lightsaber must be pushed to cut much. Just as an example, Yoda's saber stays imbedded in the clone he kills with a thrown lightsaber, it does not simply cut through him and fall to the ground. I don't think blocking a lightsaber is inherently more difficult or risky than blocking, say, a vibroweapon, provided your own weapon is reasonably durable. We know lightsabers tend to scar rather than disintegrate very hard objects.

 

Also, what if the Bind is defined as going hilt to hilt and grappling their wrist? (a very common sort of bind, after the classical blade to blade contact) And does that even come up often enough to warrant being a power?

 

As for the hot knife in butter effect... that's SFX. You can do the same thing with a laser beam. You could even just repeatedly fire on the same spot with a blaster. It's no different than letting someone escape a prison by digging their cell wall out with a stolen spoon.

[Thia Halmades]

Re: Sith Lightsaber

 

You came up with the same damage ballpark I did, but I prefer Armor Piercing... we've seen plenty of times a lightsaber didn't completely sheer through a dense object, and it allows me to treat them similarly to blasters. I have blasters all doing AP, which makes stormtrooper armor into tissue paper, and I just define all shields or magnetically sealed defenses as Hardened.

 

I never quite understood the rationale for the Damage Shield on lightsabers. You wouldn't want to grab a longsword by the blade, either. And it's not that handy for negating Blocks, since many Blocks will simply be executed without blade contact against a lightsaber wielding opponenet.

 

I submit that you don't need to make blasters AP; just give Storm Trooper armor 1 point of rED and you're done; let's face it; it isn't even "armor." it's a reinforced uniform. So if you make it 3 rPD/1 rED, you obviate the need for AP on the blasters, which makes "more sense" from a common/dramatic standpoint. A lightsaber can be AP or PEN, depending on the designer.

[Outsider]

Re: Sith Lightsaber

 

Storm Trooper Armor :

1 PD, 5 ED, not resistant.

 

Blasters do EB (E) enough to KO a stormtrooper on an average hit, even after his armor is taken into account, but the armor prevents him from taking significant BODY damage. Then the mean ol' GM uses the mook rule on them when they get KOed and says they're dead.

 

Lightsabers and Ewok stone weapons are Killing Attacks, so they ignore the ST's armor entirely, which partially explains the effectiveness of the ewoks against the storm troopers.

[pawsplay]

Re: Sith Lightsaber

 

I submit that you don't need to make blasters AP; just give Storm Trooper armor 1 point of rED and you're done; let's face it; it isn't even "armor." it's a reinforced uniform. So if you make it 3 rPD/1 rED' date=' you obviate the need for AP on the blasters, which makes "more sense" from a common/dramatic standpoint. A lightsaber can be AP or PEN, depending on the designer.[/quote']

 

I disagree. Every canon source says it is designed to protect them and weighs about 10 kg. Making it half mass armor puts it at 6 ED/6 PD. With blasters doing 2d6 AP, an average shot from a blaster will easily knock and probably maim a stormtrooper, and a hit to the head or vitals will kill.

[Opal]

Re: Sith Lightsaber

 

Yes, ignore that the stormtrooper costumes are obviously made of thin plastic, that's just because it would have been impractial to put all those extras in thick, convincingly metalic-looking armor. (in 1977, today, of course, it could all be CGI).