Captain Tylor

Re: Okay, Lightsabres rule... but Star Wars is so-so. [Hi, all...Long time lurker / first time poster chiming in.] In my sci-fi campaigns, here's how I have implemented a lightsaber-like weapon. There exist a class of materials collectively referred to as 'Electrobond'. These are solid materials that become orders of magnitude stronger when exposed to certain energies (electric current, magnetic fields, etc.). IN effect, the energy strengthens the inter-molecular bonds in a way not unlike the 'polarized hull plating' on Star Trek: Enterprise. An electrobond sword functions in much the same way as the Ringworld monofilament sword explained above, except that when the current is applied, the filament is in the form of a long, very skinny loop. The loop is so skinny and the two halves of the electrobond filament are so close together that the fields that stiffen the filament interact with one another and cause the filament to glow like the filament in an incandescent lightbulb. And the interacting fields also produce a slight humming noise in an atmosphere. Just use the damage of whatever monofilament sword / monowire whip you may have in your favorite rules-set and viola! Instant Lightsaber-analogue! ...and perhaps a bit more technically explainable and feasible to boot!