Lightsaber melee
Plasma swords are wizard! Why doesn't everybody use them?Jedi Consular Stass Allie addresses a senior cadet class at the Tapani Imperium Military Academy
Good afternoon! My name is Stass Allie. I am a Jedi Master, in particular a Jedi Consular. I serve on the Jedi Council. The Tapani Ministry of the Interior asked me to provide you with an overview of the weapons used by my clerical order -- and to presume that none of you young folks are lightfoil duelists.
Yes, indeed, I laughed too.
So! This is my lightsaber. It is a religious artifact in the same sense that a string of blue crotal bells stamped with bright yellow triangular marks is a religious artifact of an Orange Catholic celebrating Winter Fete. By that I mean: You can see that some thought and care has gone into the crafting of the hilt. It can draw the interest of the eye by its appearance. It fits well in my hand, comfortable to grasp for long periods of heavy work.
I hear that those lightfoils -- you know, the weapons with which we are all completely unfamiliar today -- are more elegant, more refined, and sometimes have fancy flourishes on the bell or quillion. Our lightsabers can be a bit like that: the art involved needs to serve the overall function of it.
And the reason for that is that, like the crotal bells, my religious artifact only serves if it can perform a function.
A lightsaber is plasma contained in a narrow magnetic field.
I am not going to discuss technical details of the inherent mechanisms with anyone in this academy -- and, yes, I am oversimplifying quite a bit -- but for our purpose today, you really do need to understand that it is moving plasma, tightly compacted and confined by this magnetic field. So the first thing is, if you find a lightsaber just lying around somewhere, do not turn it on to see if it works! If anything is one molecule's width out of alignment, if anything is damaged or defective or underpowered, you no longer have "contained plasma" so much as you have "rapidly expanding plasma". Nor do you have whatever parts of your body were closest to the explosion.
A lightsaber is dangerous to an unskilled user.
It has significant energy of its own. To move it is to contend with a great deal of inertia, then with large amounts of momentum. That which is at rest, tends to stay at rest; that which is in motion, tends to keep right on going.
A lightsaber is a difficult weapon even for the advanced student. I have seen many people, not just beginners, badly injure themselves when the momentum of the saber was not fully in their control.
Lightsabers are not perpetually unexploded ordinance to be feared. They are tools. You would not permit a freshly-arrived trainee to mess about with a collimator beam focuser. You would not wave a riveting gun freely around you in the food court. A lightsaber should be considered with the same respect.
Ahh, yes. This is always the moment when I know that I have the undivided attention of my audience. As you see, my blade has a green tinge. Lightsaber blades exhibit many different spectra of visible light -- although I must say that I question the writing needs of that holovid story with the invisible blades. Plasma is seldom translucent! It emanates many forms of energy. Visible light, yes. Infrared and ultraviolet, a bit does get through the magnetic containment. Sound:
With every motion, no matter how small, you hear the vibration of dislodged air particles all the way to the back of the theater, yes?
Higgins, be a dear and put down your camera, would you? I need an assistant for the next bit of today's talk. You get to use that electrostaff. Right, let's move this podium out of our way. Force field active at the edge of the stage? Good. Higgins, Lady Alys Vorpatril tells me that you used to practice pike. Is that still so? Yes? Excellent. I want you to do the kata Groci-Grenza as if your youngest sibling were yelling advice from the sidelines. Terrible advice. Don't pause it just because I happen to be talking to the audience, either.
Ready?
Go.
I chose the electrostaff for my assistant because, as you see, it can block or parry a strike from a lightsaber. I understand that the electrostaff course is woefully under-utilized at this military academy in comparison to other Physical Education options. I am sure the lot of you have your reasons for this lapse. Neither I nor the Private are using our full speed or strength--
-- although that was nicely performed, young man! Good for you. I am an elderly Tholothian, but I am not fragile. Thank you. Much better. Where was I? Oh, yes.
The weapons themselves bring power to wherever their arc leads them. Comparatively few attacks are straight lines, because straight lines are an effort to maintain in a multi-mass gravitic system. Nonetheless, I can use my weapon in reaction to melee attacks using another lightsaber, of course, but also versus other melee weapons or even -- if I were to be so insulted -- versus unarmed melee attacks.
Granted, a boxer would have quite the problem if she attacked me with fists and elbows and open hands and claws when I have my lightsaber. In the many decades of my life, unarmed opponents have been rare factors. They do happen -- alas.
Excellent assistance, Higgins. Thank you. If you would like to return to your camera, I will begin taking questions from the audience.
Effect
This is the melee combat skill used for the lightsaber, whether in attack or as a reaction skill to an oncoming melee attack.
A lightsaber is, as Master Allie points out, a dangerous item. If an attacking character misses the attack difficulty by 10 or more points on their die roll, then the character has injured themself with the weapon. They must roll damage versus their own Strength.
Lightsabers are also difficult weapons to use, as in, their use generally requires a minimum skill roll against a Difficulty number in the 16-20 range for any purpose, even by a skilled wielder. The Difficulty may be increased further by circumstances of the scene.
Side/Secondary Effects
Lightsabers can be used to parry ranged energy attacks -- but not necessarily via this skill. See the Force Power Lightsaber Combat, plus any Advanced Fighting Style on which the character is qualified.
Material Components
Related Discipline
Related School
Dexterity
Range
melee
Applied Restriction
House Rule
Our campaign does not offer "Specialization" skills in particular subcategories of Lightsaber melee.
Nor is "Lightsaber melee" the skill used for related kyber-based weapons. See the table on Combat Skills and Specialization.
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