## Force Weapons in Traveller ### What are Force Weapons? Force weapons have a plasma blade held in containment by gravitational control. The damage is purely due to the plasma. The blade will destroy normal weapons that tries to parry; only a few weapons can parry it, including hyperdense weapons. These all mass 2kg, use the Melee (blades) skill. #### Basic TL-12, 3d6 damage, cost Cr10,000, duration 15 minutes. #### Advanced TL-14, 4d6 damage, cost Cr20,000, duration 30 minutes. #### Supreme TL=16. 5d6 damage, cost Cr50,000, duration 1 hour. #### Psi TL=16, 5d6 + Psi modifier, cost Cr100,000 (requires a special crystal), duration 1 hour ### The Power and Importance of a Force Sword Without both skill and a positive psi modifier, a force sword can be a dangerous weapon to the wielder. If a to-hit roll is 3- regardless of modifiers, it is a critical failure. In Darrian space, these are relatively common among the upper classes. Throughout the Spinward Marches these devices are known, though not everybody will know of them. There are also ones made for some orders of knighthoods in the Imperium. ## What are Force Weapons in GURPS? Force Weapons, mostly swords or knives, have "blades" of force. Their damage is tight-beam burning damage. The blades are bright and unmistakable. When turned off, the hilts are also known, but not as well. ### The Power and Importance of the Force Sword **A Dangerous Weapon for the Uninitiated**: Without the prerequisites for Precognitive Defense (Danger Sense or Communion), if your skill is 15-, then any roll of 14+ which is also a failure becomes a critical failure. If your skill if 16+, then 16 is a normal failure and 17-18 are critical failures. **Precognitive Attunement**: Characters may treat Precognitive Defense as a _stabilizing skill_ for force swords: if they roll a critical failure, they can roll Precognitive Defense to turn that critical failure into a failure. Thus, trained psychic characters rarely look foolish with a force sword. ### Types of Force Swords There are several types of Force Weapons: Technological, Psi Weapons, and Resonance Weapons, plus a few odd ones. All typically require a hilt. They do Burn Surge(5) damage. - **Technological Force Weapons** have a hilt with a power cell which is the sole power for the sword. - **Psi Weapons** have a hilt with a carefully selected and cut zuchai crystal that produces power when psionic energy is channeled through it. It has a couple of unique properties: it doesn't require a power cell, and the blade cannot hurt the wielder. - **Resonance Weapons** are an attempt to create an improved psi weapon that is powered via a power cell and psionic power. Its wielder does not have to be a psion, but in that case it only does the base damage, which is around 3(5) dice.] - The Knights of Starshine and Shadow carry intricate broadswords and large knives which do damage damage with an amour divisor of 10. They have a zuchai crystal is a pommel and the blade is a psi-sword doing the weapon damage plus energy damage with a divisor of 10. These are considered ultra-fine swords. They are made by smiths belonging to the order, and created with psionics. The blades are beam immune. - The mystics of the Brotherhood of the Blue Star have a blue zuchai crystal embedded in their forehead. They use this to create a psi-staff (that works as a psi-sword, but is used with the Force Staff skill). These are considered ultra-fine. #### Force Sword (DX-5 or any Sword skill-3) | Weapon | Dmg | Reach | Parry | Cost | Weight | ST | Power | Notes | | | -------------- | --------------------------------------------- | ----- | ----- | ------- | ------ | --- | --------- | ------------------------ | --- | | Force Blade | 4d (5) burn | C,1 | -1 | $8,000 | 1 | 5 | C/60 mins | | | | Force Sword | 8d (5) burn | 1, 2 | 0 | $15,000 | 2.5 | 7 | C/30 mins | | | | Psi Blade | * | C,1 | -1 | $9,000 | 1 | 5 | — | | | | Psi Sword | * | 1, 2 | 0 | $18,000 | 2.5 | 8 | — | | | | KSS Broadsword | Sw+1 cut/Th+2 imp<br>Force Dmg: 1/2 Psi Sword | 1, 2 | 0 | | 3 | 15 | — | +1/dice to normal damage | | #### Psi Sword Damage Table You must have psionics in order to use a psi weapon. Only psionic abilities are counted, not skills or talents. | Power-Level | Points | Dice | KSS | Notes (quick suggestions) | | ----------- | :----: | :--: | --- | ----------------------------------------------- | | Latent | 1+ | 1d | - | Must have linked with the sword | | Minor | 15+ | 4d | 2d+ | Any naturally psychic race, such as the Lirians | | Major | 25+ | 6d | 3d+ | Minor psionic template | | Greater | 50+ | 8d | 4d+ | Major psionic template | | Epic | 100+ | 10d | 5d+ | 100+ points of abilities | Note Psi Weapons of Blade length do no more than 4d - #### Resonance Weapons Resonance blades combine the effects of a force sword with a psi-blade. Such a weapon does 2d damage plus the psi weapon damage. This requires both a power cell and psionic powers. - #### Knights of Starshine and Shadow These have specially made broadswords and heavy knives. These are made of layered ceramics deposited on the blades via vacuum via psionics. These are ultra-fine hyperdense blades. They are beam-immune. These blades do extra damage as per the KSS column on the psi-sword table when ignited. The effect is like there is pale glowing blue static electricity on the sword. - #### The Mystics of the Blue Star These mystics create a psi-staff out of seemingly nothing. It is created by the blue zuchai crystal embedded in their foreheads. This does the damage of a psi-sword. #### Quality of Force Weapons Very fine force weapons (including psi and resonance weapons) do an extra one point of damage for each 2 dice of damage. Ultra fine do an extra point of damage for each die of damage.