Fun wob

[Tamriel Wolfsbaine]

I just found this: 

Spoiler

astalduath

After reading The Way of Kings, I couldn't help but to wonder this: hypothetically if there were two equally skilled combatants in every way, one armed with a Shardblade and the other with a Lightsaber, and take magic and the Force out of the equation (except for the weapons themselves), who would win? And yes, the Shardblade would have already been summoned and the two are just squaring off in a dual. Have fun with it.

Brandon Sanderson

A lightsaber is actually a little more easy to wield than a Shardblade, I would guess. Shardblades were designed to fight something larger than another person; you don't actually need all of that size when fighting someone. So that gives a slight edge to you average Jedi. If it's someone like Szeth, who has a more modestly sized Blade, then I don't honestly know.

17th Shard Forum Q&A (Sept. 27, 2012)

I think it is kind of an interesting find.  The traditional shardblade size is viewed by Brandon as a negative for duels.  

I know loving shards can be any weapon but the reach of a 6 or 7 foot long blade is not necessarily a boon in a fight against an opponent with a more agile and modestly sized weapon.  

[alder24]

10 hours ago, Tamriel Wolfsbaine said:

I just found this: 

  Hide contents

astalduath

After reading The Way of Kings, I couldn't help but to wonder this: hypothetically if there were two equally skilled combatants in every way, one armed with a Shardblade and the other with a Lightsaber, and take magic and the Force out of the equation (except for the weapons themselves), who would win? And yes, the Shardblade would have already been summoned and the two are just squaring off in a dual. Have fun with it.

Brandon Sanderson

A lightsaber is actually a little more easy to wield than a Shardblade, I would guess. Shardblades were designed to fight something larger than another person; you don't actually need all of that size when fighting someone. So that gives a slight edge to you average Jedi. If it's someone like Szeth, who has a more modestly sized Blade, then I don't honestly know.

17th Shard Forum Q&A (Sept. 27, 2012)

I think it is kind of an interesting find.  The traditional shardblade size is viewed by Brandon as a negative for duels.  

I know loving shards can be any weapon but the reach of a 6 or 7 foot long blade is not necessarily a boon in a fight against an opponent with a more agile and modestly sized weapon.  

I think it was even said by Adolin in OB, during the battle of Thaylen field - Shardblades are shaped like this to fight thunderclasts, not humans.

Here is another WoB where Brandon said the same:

Spoiler

[deleted]

Given Brandon's answer to a block of Cheese stopping a shardblade, how does the last clap work?

Brandon Sanderson

So, I'll admit, I've been considering the cheese question since it was asked.

I'm not sure if it has to be cheese. But any object that is sufficiently thick but also sufficiently pliable that it's going to press down on the blade while it's cutting IS going to create drag on the blade.

The Blade does, by necessity of my understanding of the relevant physics, need to be able to vaporize a tiny bit of matter into Investiture while cutting, in order to create space for the Blade to continue to slide through. This is related to why it doesn't cut things with souls.

At the same time, I'm not convinced that this is relevant to the actual question being asked. I think that I have to relent that, with a sufficiently large block of cheese and a Shardbearer trying to cut lengthwise through it, the drag produced on the flat of the blade is going to tire the Shardbearer. Making cheese legitimately more difficult to cut through than stone or metal. And a big enough block of cheese might stop the slice straight up, because the weight placed on the blade will be pretty heavy.

That said, the top replies to this thread are pretty relevant, and are correctly explaining the mechanics of the situation. There is this little "shield of vaporization" around a Blade while it cuts, so a thinner Blade (like Szeth's Honorblade) might not have this drawback at all. It depends on how far back the shield of vaporization extends, and how thick the blade is.

My current instinct says that wider blades would be stopped by this, and so those of you planning to make ten-foot-thick walls of cheese to stop an invading Shardbearer can continue in your...endeavors.

Remember, kids, keep your Shardblade thin for actual combat (for multiple reasons.) Only make the big showy forms when you're trying to look intimidating. (With a nod to the fact that a thick blade does tend to be better for getting through Shardplate, giving you more mass to hit with. Choose Adolin's Blade for Shardplate Duels. Szeth/Jezrien's Honorblade for cheese.)

General Reddit 2022 (March 19, 2022)

 

[Frustration]

Honestly the larger size of shardblades is in my mind nothing but an advantage.

I made a thread recently about one YouTuber who made a giant foam sword for mock combat, and the size alone allowed him to easily beat his opponents.

[alder24]

27 minutes ago, Frustration said:

Honestly the larger size of shardblades is in my mind nothing but an advantage.

I made a thread recently about one YouTuber who made a giant foam sword for mock combat, and the size alone allowed him to easily beat his opponents.

Long and thin - that's good. Long and thick - that's less good. Thick blades are easier to catch, deflect and block, they're slower because they're more massive. And you don't really need more mass in a sword that cuts through a soul.

[Tamriel Wolfsbaine]

1 hour ago, Frustration said:

Honestly the larger size of shardblades is in my mind nothing but an advantage.

I made a thread recently about one YouTuber who made a giant foam sword for mock combat, and the size alone allowed him to easily beat his opponents.

I enjoy Shads videos.  All of those dudes were totally gassed after just a few swings of foam swords that size... I respect that shardblades are lighter than what a steel sword of the same size would be but they aren't foam.  Also the blades used to deflect the attacks were foam as well. I can also respect that plate will help largely in swinging a shardblade but it doesnt change the balance.  Balanced weapons exist where shardblades dont for a reason. Every other episode of forged in fire has Doug commenting on how the balance of blade x lends itself to the movement better than blade y.  

Shads first video on the massive sword he actually showed the impossibility that is swinging a sword like the buster sword. With one of the worlds strongest men struggling to lift the thing. I understand his point in this project is to find a design that would allow it to work but without shardplate it would be an impossibility. With shardplate you still have this horribly forward heavy monstrosity that will ruin your day to swing it a few times. 

The best case scenario is stormlight making it impossible to feel fatigue and having plate as well. (Likely a pewter burner could swing it as we see Vin do with the koloss blade to great effect). 

No doubt a huge reach advantage is a big deal but perhaps the radiants at the recreance in part abandoned their oaths with massive unwieldy blades for a reason? 

1 hour ago, alder24 said:

Long and thin - that's good. Long and thick - that's less good. Thick blades are easier to catch, deflect and block, they're slower because they're more massive. And you don't really need more mass in a sword that cuts through a soul.

Deflect is the key word here. Anyone who tries to block a shardblade with a smaller blade is asking for issues. The thrusting design of a spear is why they are so efficient... doubling a spears weight and trying swing it like a large sword would take it from S tier weapon to trash tier.

When smashing through plate the mass is needed and important according to that wob for sure. 

I am a big fan of big brutish weapons. I would love to see a koloss blade get awakened and watch a mistborn jumping around the battlefield Vin style with it. But I dont think Shad breathing heavy while swinging a big foam sword should be taken with any more than a grain of salt. Reach is great. I dont see anyone in the cosmere being as efficient in a duel using a shardblade like oathbringer as they would using a faster more balanced blade shardblade.  

Big swords like that are great at doing what we see them doing in the books. Swing away and clear serious space. But that is only a viable option until someone else has a smaller faster weapon that can deflect and parry that shardblade. As was said in the other post... Sylspear ftw. It is a perfect weapon.