Topic: [RMU] Creating a Lightsaber with Treasure Law

[Thot]

Yes, you read that right. It's not supposed a tech gadget, of course, but a magical item. A sword hilt that can be turned on by an attuned character (or whoever is holding it?) to create blade of solid light just as we know it. The exact optics may vary.

The base spell for this would obviously have to be researched (i.e., made up), but what existing spell list should this spell be added to? I cannot find any spell that would fit it at least remotely. Level of the spell may vary depending on damage.

I see it as a Constant enchantment, cast twice per day to make this thing able to be switched on and off. Standard rules apply, right?

[nash]

So create a sword that does lots of heat damage.  Then fuse that with a changing item - a sword hilt.

Tapping the button causes it to change forms. 

Have to go through the mechanics specifically, but that gives you the mechanisms, and the rest is just flavour.

[rdanhenry]

What effect do you actually want to get with it. If it is going to be something equivalent to the old Space Master "power sword", that's a very powerful weapon that is going to be hard to balance. If you just want it to act like an Arming Sword with alternative crit type, that's going to be much different.

[Thot]

[...]something equivalent to the old Space Master "power sword", [...]

Well, that's what a lightsaber is, isn't it?

[Thot]

So create a sword that does lots of heat damage.  Then fuse that with a changing item - a sword hilt.
[...]

A fascinating idea! Thank you, I'll have to think about the details.

[netbat]

You could use modifications of the lightning blade spell from the mana currents arcane list RoCo5, blade change spell from the weapon alterations  open essence list RoCo4, spirit rune willshape from RoCo 3 along with any of the spells giving a heat crit(or my favorite eldritch weapon from the RoCo3 plasma mastery list). Or just import the energy blade spell from HARP The Codex(if you can find a copy), it exactly what you describe.

[Spectre771]

You could cheat and use the Sword of Light from C&T1   (or  it may have been RMC-I) 

[Thot]

Thanks guys, but please note the RMU tag in the subject.

Older versions of the game may have different assumptions about what an appropriate level is, after all.

[Thot]

So, using Nash's idea, this is surprisingly easy to do!

It is basically just a Multiform II enchantment (the 3rd level spell from the "General Enchantments" Adept base list in RMU TC). You create a weapon with a glowing blade and a sword hilt that is identical to that of the weapon, and then fuse the two with Multiform II.

So the most basic version should be as easy as this:

• Work Material (Steel, a mundane metal, so that's level 7) for both the weapon and the separate hilt.
• Multiform II (3rd level) on the weapon

So that is 10 days, or 17 if the same alchemist does both objects' work spells, and will cost 68 silver pieces (34 of which is material) plus the price for the original weapon and hilt.

Huh. That's quite useable!

[rdanhenry]

That'll give you an ordinary sword that springs out of the hilt, a far cry from a superweapon meant to make melee viable in a world with plasma repeater rifles. That's why I asked what you actually wanted it to achieve. If you want some of the "cuts everything" feel of a lightsaber, add Doorcleaver, Shield Breaker, and Armor Breaker. Maybe Weapon Breaker, but since lightsabers generally would be meleeing another force weapon, they are really noted for cleaving weapons.

[Thot]

That'll give you an ordinary sword that springs out of the hilt, a far cry from a superweapon meant to make melee viable in a world with plasma repeater rifles.

Correct. One step at a time: First we invstigate the principle of a switch-on weapon. And it just surprised me how easily that could be done.

[...] If you want some of the "cuts everything" feel of a lightsaber, add Doorcleaver, Shield Breaker, and Armor Breaker. Maybe Weapon Breaker, but since lightsabers generally would be meleeing another force weapon, they are really noted for cleaving weapons.

But even with all that, it is still not a full lightsaber. We'll have to add light, and heat. I am not sure such weapons enchantments exist in RMU TL right now?

[rdanhenry]

Well, you can add extra crits, but there's nothing to replace a regular blade with space magic. But give it constant Light spell of some kind to make it bright, add an extra Heat crit with Additional Crit III, and to ensure it is OP, Increased Size True.

You could even make it defend against ranged attacks by embedding Deflections; you'd probably want to make this a Constant effect.

[Thot]

Well, you can add extra crits, but there's nothing to replace a regular blade with space magic. But give it constant Light spell of some kind to make it bright, add an extra Heat crit with Additional Crit III, and to ensure it is OP, Increased Size True.

You could even make it defend against ranged attacks by embedding Deflections; you'd probably want to make this a Constant effect.

That would work! However, it would be quite unwieldy. Suppose some Adept wanted to combine all that into one neat package: An Alchemical spell  (possibly on the weapons enchantment list) that has all these abilities. And for good measure, we also add the Multiform II spell's effect into that… what level should it have?

[cdcooley]

Of course it would be unwieldy. You're building a super-weapon. The idea of combining all of that into a single spell doesn't fit the model of how alchemy works. You're contemplating combining dozens of effects, some of which are already level 35 or higher into a single spell? On a practical level it would be completely useless since the level would be well over 200. There is no benefit to creating some sort of super-spell that would bypass the magic merging feature build into the very nature of alchemy magic.

[OLF, i.e. Olf Le Fol]

AwesomeButImpractical.
"It seems that the designers put so much time into maxing out the "ultimate" factor of the ultimate attack that they forgot to actually make it usable."