NOL-Y941 Heavy Laser Sword

[Kagimizu]

• NOL-Y941 Heavy Laser Sword
  Tier: 5
  Location: Waist
  Handling: Handheld (1H)
  Quantity: Singular
  Weight: 7
  Durability: 260
  Weapon Type: Melee (Sword)
  
  • Beam Edge
    Damage Type: Beam
    Secondary DT: N/A
    Damage per Hit: 120
    Bonus Damage: +30
    Accuracy: 0
    Handling Modifiers:
    
    • Two-Handed Damage: 144
    • 2H Bonus Damage: +36
    
    Critical Chance: 20
    Charge: 8/8
    Rounds/Attacks before Recharge: 8/8
    Recharge Time: 2 turns
  • Solid Edge
    Damage Type: Physical
    Secondary DT: N/A
    Damage per Hit: 80
    Bonus Damage: N/A
    Accuracy: 0
    Handling Modifiers:
    
    • Two-Handed Damage: 96
    • 2H Bonus Damage: +24 bypasses shields
    
    Critical Chance: 19-20
  
  Price: 1400 credits
  

[Ransac]

(Always include the image, it helps.)

"A handheld melee weapon developed by ZAFT based on stolen Alliance data. Similar to the Sword Strike's Anti-ship Sword, it has a laser edge for cutting." - Source

It's a physical sword with a "laser" (beam) edge. It would have Physical/Beam damage. And since it's not pure beam due to just being focused along the edge, it probably shouldn't need a charge count. A reduction to the beam damage should also be considered for this and similar weapons.

Summed up: It's a physical sword with a beam related gimmick.

[Kagimizu]

The beam edge is the weapon's only cutting edge, which the picture makes plain. Being a weighty weapon is a reflection of it not being a pure beam weapon- as is the increased durability- along with the increased charge amount while still acting as a balancing lever for the weapon.

[Ransac]

And the majority of it's power would come from the physical part of the blade smashing into the now melted armor. In this case, the damage would be Beam/Physical. The beam damage is applied first, and then anything from physical. It doesn't rely entirely on the beam for damage because it's not a pure beam weapon like a Beam Saber.

If the beam doesn't work, it can still do damage because it's still a physical weapon. Anti-Beam Defenses hate these kinds of weapons.

[Kagimizu]

Yeah I'm.... not even going to begin to try and figure out how a beam/physical weapon would work or how the damage would be split. The picture shows the inside of the blade being flat, whereas even the heavy blade has some sort of edge. The simplest way to put it is the physical part puts more weight behind its swings, and well look what we have; higher weight and higher damage.

It's a simple and effective solution and I'll need to see direct proof of it being used to attack without its beam edge to be convinced otherwise.

[Ransac]

Refusing to consider or adapt to something because it is complicated is going to deny you more than half of the gear that comes from later tiers. You don't have the luxury of being lazy if you're going to work in the Armory.

The damage doesn't need to be split. The physical part does the same base damage as the beam, minus the beam bonus. Use it only if the beam is negated. Consider aquatic combat where beams are a hindrance. It's still a physical weapon so it's not as badly diminished.

This is from the Sword Strike, which has a similar weapon. And by similar, I mean they're almost exactly the same in every way:

---

"Schwert Gewehr" 15.78m Anti-ship Sword

The "Schwert Gewehr" 15.78m anti-ship sword is the Sword Strike's largest and primary weapon. It is a large physical sword that has a laser blade along the cutting edge. The large blade is designed to easily slice mobile suits in half or to cut off sections of a ship such as the guns. Although "Schwert Gewehr" was designed to have a laser gun at the bottom end, Strike only uses the prototype model which lacks this feature and has it replaced by a short beam blade emitter. Due to its sharp tip, the sword can also be used for aquatic combat."

---

"Due to its sharp tip, the sword can also be used for aquatic combat." You wanted proof of this kind of weapon being used without the "beam blade"? There you go. Note that the structure of the blades are almost exactly the same. The only difference is the size. The Heavy Laser Sword was developed from stolen data for the Anti-ship Sword.

"A handheld melee weapon developed by ZAFT based on stolen Alliance data. Similar to the Sword Strike's Anti-ship Sword, it has a laser edge for cutting."


Note the lack of the laser edge while underwater. Same technology between both versions of the sword. It's still a viable weapon.

If you really wanted to be accurate to SEED, remember that their beams can't stop other beams. So really it's more "Laser" damage than beam. Same damage, less use against beam weapons. SEED went out of its way to make non-traditional weaponry and systems. That must inevitably be reflected in those when adapted to here. Gotta love SEED tech.


NOL-Y941 Heavy Laser Sword
Tier: 5
Location: Waist
Handling: Handheld (1H)
Quantity: Singular
Weight: 7
Durability: 260
Weapon Type: Melee (Sword)
Damage Type: Laser
Secondary DT: Physical
Damage per Hit: 120
Laser Damage: +30 (vs non-beam resistant)
Accuracy: 0
Handling Modifiers:

• Two-Handed Damage: 144
• 2H Bonus Damage: +36

Critical Chance: 20
Price: 1400 credits

Laser: A variant of beam damage that requires less power to operate. While Laser carries the same destructive power of a beam, it is unable to stop other beams or lasers. In exchange, they can operate for much longer and are more commonly used to enhance physical weapons.

Description not final.

[Kagimizu]

Introducing a new- and arguably inaccurate- damage type entirely to deal with a single universe's inconsistency just is not going to happen. That opens way too many floodgates and means a lot of even worse problems down the line.

I'm willing to concede statting out the solid edged tip of the sword, but that's about it. Trying to cover and design every single melee beam weapon to come out of SEED as something else entirely will absolutely saturate the armory. This is one of the few cases where for long-term feasibility, canon accuracy is going to have to be sacrificed for the sake of forum mechanics.

Edit: Edited to add in a physical edge component of the sword.

[Ransac]

Why is it Piercing? Being sharp doesn't make it Piercing by default. Or else every single sword in the armory would be Piercing (we may need to revise or split Piercing into two separate categories). And I feel I should reiterate that the physical damage would act as alternative damage. For situations where the beam/laser doesn't work (for example, being underwater).

[Kagimizu]

It does piercing because it's the tip of the sword and thus used almost exclusively for stabbing. It's weaker because this is a sword designed for swinging motions, rather than say a rapier or dagger.

[Ransac]

Piercing damage on this forum isn't piercing damage from D&D or Pathfinder. It represents an ability to punch through defenses, either through sheer power or some other means. That's why Piercing damage partially bypasses Redirection.