Projectile shardweapons ?

[Zape]

just finished WoR and saw kaladin turning his shardblade into a variety of weapons which made me wonder could you make a projectile shardweapon like a bow or a blowpipe obviously you can make it into a throwing knife but that dosn't really count   

[Calderis]

Yes. Tough they'd need to be the projectile to use the properties that Shardblades grant, rather than the launcher. Splitting themselves into two is unpleasant for the Spren. 

That thread goes into a lot of the specifics. 

I personally think that the ability to summon the weapon back negates many of the drawbacks of a thrown weapon. An oversized chakram would give the cutting area for a shardweapon to be effective, and remove the problems of a multipart ranged weapon. 

[Stark]

This is why you need to attract two spren.  So you can use one to launch the other.  Which leads into potential buddy-spren type comedy situations as the spren argue amongst themselves as to who gets to be the bow, and who gets to be the arrow this time...

[Zape]

i wonder if you would be able to use a honorblade as a projectile

[Yata]

8 minutes ago, Zape said:

i wonder if you would be able to use a honorblade as a projectile

Worst projectile ever XD

Seriusly Shardweapons as projects are an awful choice, you will need to fully center the right point to hurt a limb of an already vital point to kill the guy...something that could be as dangerous as a regular projectile. Notice also that only the "edge" will phase upon the target so the rest of the projectile will struck into the target or any other obstacle between.

Lastly as you mentioned Honorblade as projectile...This is a 90% "how to lose your Honorblade" as everyone in touch with the Blade will gain superpower and will be able to steal your bond with it (by the way, how fast can you throw a Blade ?)

Edited April 5, 2018 by Yata

[Stark]

On 05/04/2018 at 9:21 AM, Yata said:

This is a 90% "how to lose your Honorblade"

Reminds me of Farslayer, the Sword of Vengeance in the book of swords.  If you knew someones name, you could kill them anywhere in the world, at any distance, by throwing the sword.  But it would not return, unless someone near your victim threw it back, at which point, you're dead too.  Ultimate power, but super risky.

 

Shardprojectiles, especially edged ones like arrows are very weird.  Massively armor piercing - they just won't stop.  And unless you get a kill shot through the spine or head, the damage they leave behind is super limited.  Honestly just easier to use a normal projectile.

 

Unless, you evolve what Shallan is already doing with Pattern.  She can attach illusions to him.  If Radiants can attach a surge to a projectile shardweapon to be launched and released on impact (like the Era 2 mistborn Allomancy grenades), then projectile shards become super interesting.  Sure, that Sylarrow did very little damage to you, but your gravity is up now.  Have fun falling into the sky.  Oh, that Wyndlerock was more insulting a weapon than harmful (both for Wyndle and the target) but that progression surge attached to it has just grown a tree around you.  Your not moving.  Or Dustbringer exploding munitions...

Edited April 10, 2018 by Stark
Used the wrong you're

[Calderis]

Again... Oversized chakram. Make a 3 to 4 foot wide bladed ring. Throw, cut, summon back to your hands. Win. 

[anna]

5 hours ago, Calderis said:

Yes. Tough they'd need to be the projectile to use the properties that Shardblades grant, rather than the launcher. Splitting themselves into two is unpleasant for the Spren.

I didn't realize spren could undergo mitosis

5 hours ago, Yata said:

Worst projectile ever XD

Seriusly Shardweapons as projects are an awful choice, you will need to fully center the right point to hurt a limb of an already vital point to kill the guy...something that could be as dangerous as a regular projectile. Notice also that only the "edge" will phase upon the target so the rest of the projectile will struck into the target or any other obstacle between.

But spren can change size, right?  What if we make a thunderclast-sized crossbow, and have a spren grow into a giant projectile?  We'll be bound to hit something that way!

[Naurock]

5 hours ago, Stark said:

This is why you need to attract two spren.  So you can use one to launch the other.  Which leads into potential buddy-spren type comedy situations as the spren argue amongst themselves as to who gets to be the bow, and who gets to be the arrow this time...

"I did it last time!"

- "Last time you were the bow you flinched and made me go wide. I told you, I'm all time bow now."

"You can't do that!"

- "I just did! Go!"

I find this idea hilarious. Have an upvote!

[Weltall]

9 minutes ago, anna said:

But spren can change size, right?  What if we make a thunderclast-sized crossbow, and have a spren grow into a giant projectile?  We'll be bound to hit something that way!

There is an upper limit to how large a spren can manifest and we've basically seen it with the large Blades. So no, gigantic Sprenbolt isn't an option.

[anna]

1 minute ago, Weltall said:

There is an upper limit to how large a spren can manifest and we've basically seen it with the large Blades. So no, gigantic Sprenbolt isn't an option.

Aww.  So much for that idea, then.

[Stark]

4 minutes ago, anna said:

Aww.  So much for that idea, then.

Considering that the upper limit is human sized, given that most projectiles (outside of a circus) are smaller than humans, that still leaves a pretty huge range of projectile sizes.  Especially if the limit is volume based, not surface are based.  It is likely a mix of the two, kept to a section of volume to surface area ratios, but still.  If you're maximum volume is that of an adult human, you can still create some ludicrously oversized projectiles.  Same if you are limited to surface area. 

 

So Gigantic Sprenbolt is still an option.  Within reason.  I don't think you could get a sprenbolt the size of an icbm, for example.

 

@Naurock That's pretty much how I imagined it.  Plus some fun being poked for chosen size and shape of the projectile spren.

[ThrillSeeker]

10 hours ago, Stark said:

This is why you need to attract two spren.  So you can use one to launch the other.  Which leads into potential buddy-spren type comedy situations as the spren argue amongst themselves as to who gets to be the bow, and who gets to be the arrow this time...

If we don’t get an interlude or a short story about a Herdazian who has bonded two Spren, and has gone off on a madcap buddy comedy road trip adventure... I’m going to be disappointed. 

[Random Reader]

Can't a spren change shapes by itself? You can just throw the knife/boomerang, and if it even gets close to any of the target's essential body parts, it grows a sharp part to chop it off.

[Inkthinker]

Maybe a Shardbow or Shardgun would just straight up shoot bolts of Stormlight-infused energy.

As a bow, it would look something like Hank's weapon from the old D&D cartoon.

As a gun, it would resemble (in effect) a pretty common blaster weapon.

[Calderis]

4 hours ago, Random Reader said:

Can't a spren change shapes by itself? You can just throw the knife/boomerang, and if it even gets close to any of the target's essential body parts, it grows a sharp part to chop it off.

We've yet to see a blade change shape other than when held by their Radiant, and frankly I don't think they can. 

Altering their shape seems to be a function similar to being summoned in itself. If they can do one, they should be able to do the other... And if they can do both, why bother wielding a weapon at all? Just have your spren fly around and phase in and out as a blade taking out enemies on its own with no risk of injury to the Radiant. 

[Weltall]

55 minutes ago, Inkthinker said:

Maybe a Shardbow or Shardgun would just straight up shoot bolts of Stormlight-infused energy.

Since Wyndle remembers that Radiants of old sometimes did have their spren become bows but had to carry string and arrows separately and there's no mechanism by which most Radiants could create a 'Stormlight arrow' (unless you count Soulcasting an arrow from air) I think we can say 'probably not'.

Similarly, Shardguns are tricky because, well, moving parts. You pretty much can't make that work with a spren. Now a fabrial 'gun' making use of one or more Surges, that you could definitely do interesting things with.

[Alfa]

There were a couple of arrow types which maximized cutting power. For example, they had some type of a crescent for a tip.Enlarge that, combine that with a greatbow, and shoot it approximately at shoulder height through a charging army to maximize destruction. Repeat.

Bonus point: give two to five of your squires a greatbow each. When one shoots, the next draws, so you can shoot almost without stopping.

[Draigon]

On 4/11/2018 at 0:40 AM, Calderis said:

We've yet to see a blade change shape other than when held by their Radiant, and frankly I don't think they can. 

Altering their shape seems to be a function similar to being summoned in itself. If they can do one, they should be able to do the other... And if they can do both, why bother wielding a weapon at all? Just have your spren fly around and phase in and out as a blade taking out enemies on its own with no risk of injury to the Radiant. 

I'm now put in mind of the Yaka arrow used by Yondu in Guardians of the Galaxy which he controlled by whistling.