The most devastating shard weapons

[Fifth of Daybreak he/him]

So, given that the spren can change their shape and form, I thought it might be fun to try and decide on what sort of weapon might be the most devastating in battle. 

 

Personally, I think some sort of Shardic Rope dart in a skilled hand would be about unstoppable, even if it's only the tip that could go through someone. The sheer flexibility of the rope dart, and the difficulty you face trying to block one, already makes it a difficult weapon to face off against, but add in the 'cuts through anything' effect, and you have yourself one heck of a game changer on a crowded battle field.

 

Any other thoughts on weapons made way more scary by spren?

Edited May 24, 2014 by EMTrevor

[maxal she/her]

I would love to see a spren slip up to form two shardblades... but this is just me wishing to see someone fight with two swords. I suppose spren could become other weapons such as warhammers. I wonder however if they could become shardbows........... In fact, I wonder if a spren can become any weapons that needs throwing, if not then apart from sword, spear and hammer, I cannot think of much else.

[Fifth of Daybreak he/him]

I would love to see a spren slip up to form two shardblades... but this is just me wishing to see someone fight with two swords. I suppose spren could become other weapons such as warhammers. I wonder however if they could become shardbows........... In fact, I wonder if a spren can become any weapons that needs throwing, if not then apart from sword, spear and hammer, I cannot think of much else.

 

We have the precedent of Adolin throwing his Shardblade. As for shardbows, I personally think that they could become a shardarrow, but not the bow itself. So, as long as you had a bow, you could probably have an infinite number of shardarrows.

[maxal she/her]

We have the precedent of Adolin throwing his Shardblade. As for shardbows, I personally think that they could become a shardarrow, but not the bow itself. So, as long as you had a bow, you could probably have an infinite number of shardarrows.

 

Well Adolin's blade is dead and he had a hard time throwing it.... I am not sure you can throw a living one...

 

As for the shardarrow, I assume one would need to have the shardbow to go with it. The whole idea of the spren is that it transforms itself into the desired weapon: no need to carry one. I guess the question is: "Can a spren slit itself into two weapons"?

[Fifth of Daybreak he/him]

Well Adolin's blade is dead and he had a hard time throwing it.... I am not sure you can throw a living one...

 

As for the shardarrow, I assume one would need to have the shardbow to go with it. The whole idea of the spren is that it transforms itself into the desired weapon: no need to carry one. I guess the question is: "Can a spren slit itself into two weapons"?

 

I got the opposite impression, that it was harder because it was dead. He had to get the right mental command to get the dead spren to understand what was required of it. Syl reacts to Kaladin's battle tactics incredibly well, and I'd be more surprised to find out that a dead spren would have an advantage over a live one, such as being able to be thrown. 

[maxal she/her]

I got the opposite impression, that it was harder because it was dead. He had to get the right mental command to get the dead spren to understand what was required of it. Syl reacts to Kaladin's battle tactics incredibly well, and I'd be more surprised to find out that a dead spren would have an advantage over a live one, such as being able to be thrown. 

 

You are probably right. I would tend to agree with you on that one: living spren must have an advantaged over dead spren.

[Baine he/him]

Well, you could have a Shard-arrow, but you would need to use one of those shardbows like they used in the chasmfiend hunt. You wouldn't ever run out of arrows, either because you can just summon the arrow back when it's done.

[kaellok he/him]

I'm thinking a chain whip would be of the "insanely devastating" variety, if hard to control.  The nice thing about a living spren forming the weapon is that they could *poof!* away instead of hitting yourself or an ally during a wild swing.  Even assuming that it is only approximately the same length as Shardblades (assuming that their limitation is in how long they can be, rather than how much mass they are) the advantages would be awesome.  And as I just realized that I'm basically agreeing with EMTrevor, I'll expand on my personal favorite potential (and utterly ridiculous) tactic using said weapon!

 

Step 1: Get 100 KR with chain whip sprenblades

Step 2: Attach them end to end

Step 3: One KR will hold on to each side of the ~600 foot long whip.  They should be Edgedancers or Windrunners

Step 4: Send these two KR, holding on to the whip, charging at high speeds around the sides and then through clumps of the enemy, effectively creating a highly mobile and devastating monofilament trip-wire.

Step 5: Cook s'mores over the fires that consume the dead bodies of your foes

[Terisen he/him]

What about a shard-chakram (see http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chakram)? Ranged throwing weapon that could be stacked to throw multiples rapidly and could also double in hand to hand combat.

[Chrono she/her]

Shard Ball and Chain. With the fact that Shardblades are pretty light, and that it can smash through anything, you have a weapon of mass destruction. It's unwieldy, but in the right hands, it's an absolute monster. 

 

Granted, my only experience with a ball and chain is playing video games, so I'm biased.

[Tempus]

Everyone is thinking too small! Assuming some sort of mass conservation is required, transform the shard into a mm thin cutting wire, like a garotte, and make it several hundred metres long and surrounding the battle. Have it be attached to a tension-spring retraction device. Activate it, instant slice and dice for everything within about a hundred metres radius of you. A gigantic shardblade dragnet.

[SmurfAquamarineBodies he/him]

Did you mean a chain mace ( handle, chain, ball. What Sauron uses ) or a spiked chain ( no handle, chain with spikes, ball. ) if the latter then just helicopter it and absolutely own with it. Even the former would wreck people but I'd say that a sword would be more effective than a chain mace. Without substantial training at least. This would at least be my experience having trained with a spiked chain, chain mace, mace, sword, short and long spear. Not for long but enough to judge which weapons are the best. For me at least.

[Moogle]

Curl up into a ball, and summon your Shard-weapon around you as a ball of spikes around you with a harness hooked up to you so it stays on you. Will it to not pierce the ground, and get rolling. A Surgebinding hedgehog of sorts, though invincible and prone to turning enemies to red mist.

Edited May 24, 2014 by Moogle

[High prince of geeks he/him]

A throwing  star would be devastating. With no resistance just throw it through twenty advancing solider the "poof" back in your hands. repeat

[SmurfAquamarineBodies he/him]

At moogle: Get some lashings going and you have the most awesome game of bowling in the world.

Edited May 24, 2014 by CrystalBodies

[kaellok he/him]

Everyone is thinking too small! Assuming some sort of mass conservation is required, transform the shard into a mm thin cutting wire, like a garotte, and make it several hundred metres long and surrounding the battle. Have it be attached to a tension-spring retraction device. Activate it, instant slice and dice for everything within about a hundred metres radius of you. A gigantic shardblade dragnet.

 

My suggestion is specifically based off of physical size and length being conserved, rather than mass.  May not make sense with physics, but spren likely have some weird limitations we are not aware of in addition to 'real-ish' physics.  The limit of "approximately six feet" makes for interesting possibilities without insane overpoweredness.

 

Did you mean a chain mace ( handle, chain, ball. What Sauron uses ) or a spiked chain ( no handle, chain with spikes, ball. ) if the latter then just helicopter it and absolutely own with it. Even the former would wreck people but I'd say that a sword would be more effective than a chain mace. Without substantial training at least. This would at least be my experience having trained with a spiked chain, chain mace, mace, sword, short and long spear. Not for long but enough to judge which weapons are the best. For me at least.

 

I absolutely meant a length of chain that had spikes jutting out of it.  My suggestion is similar to Tempus's, actually, but assuming that it would take a hundred or so KR/Blades to achieve a similar result; maybe more.

Edited May 24, 2014 by kaellok

[Terisen he/him]

Curl up into a ball, and summon your Shard-weapon around you as a ball of spikes around you with a harness hooked up to you so it stays on you. Will it to not pierce the ground, and get rolling. A Surgebinding hedgehog of sorts, though invincible and prone to turning enemies to red mist.

 

Soooo....Samus Aran if she were a Radiant then?

[SmurfAquamarineBodies he/him]

Yeah with that, a ball on the end then helicopter it. Assuming Spren weapons obey some laws of physics. Stormlight would negate any effects of spinning plus allow the Knight to spin faster. Wow, that would be devastating, the enemy would fall in the thousands.

[kaellok he/him]

Yeah with that, a ball on the end then helicopter it. Assuming Spren weapons obey some laws of physics. Stormlight would negate any effects of spinning plus allow the Knight to spin faster. Wow, that would be devastating, the enemy would fall in the thousands.

Always assuming, of course, that the enemy don't have anti-Blade properties similar to Plate.  If they can absorb or rebound the blow of a Blade, then many of these weapons suddenly become far less effective than we're thinking lol.

[SmurfAquamarineBodies he/him]

Always assuming, of course, that the enemy don't have anti-Blade properties similar to Plate. If they can absorb or rebound the blow of a Blade, then many of these weapons suddenly become far less effective than we're thinking lol.

Yeah, as soon as the enemy has same level weapons ( weapons that can block them. ) sword and spear are really the best weapon, without prior training.

[Fifth of Daybreak he/him]

Yeah, as soon as the enemy has same level weapons ( weapons that can block them. ) sword and spear are really the best weapon, without prior training.

I still think that a rope dart has an advanatge in this situation, given the training to use it correctly

 

Rope dart vs Shardblade (spear)- Without full plate, the battle is definitely in favor of the rope dart. The shardblade is going to have a hard time blocking the rope dart, as it will connect with the chain/rope, which will then pivot, and continue on its flight path towards the shardbearer-dead. Or, if they manage to dodge with the parry, the wielder of the rope dart then has a great deal of leverage to pull the shardblade or spear out or their hands. On a normal shardbearer that's game over, it poofs to mist, the rope dart is free of the weapon and able to resume its attack. 

 

Rope dart vs Shardplate only- I think this is a better match up, but the speed and force with which the rope dart can be launched by a surgebinder would be devastating, and hard to account for. Again, the conventional weapon will be no help in blocking, especially since the surgebinder can easily use it to disarm them, then recall the weapon back to their hands after it was tangled, immediately putting momentum back into it to go on the offensive again. A few hits to the head and the match is over.

 

Rope dart vs full shardbearer-I truly think this is a worse match up than without a shardblade. As soon as their disarmed, the battle is going to go very poorly for them, and the aggressor is going to keep a lot of pressure on the sword arm as they continue to attempt to resummon it.     I may or may not have been caught up in the moment and talking out of my behind. 

 

 

I think the only way to combat that would be to have instantaneous weapon control yourself.

Edited May 26, 2014 by EMTrevor

[Cstryon he/him]

Shard gloves, simply the spren coating your hands, and then know the hands only martial arts that Szeth uses. Except, no need to throw anyone's weight around. Just go through the forms like you're practicing and let your hands go through everything.

When someone shows up with Shard blade or plate or both, than you throw weight.

To me, this seems more natural, forget the weapons, your body knows how to use it's hands.

Maybe (spreading thin) the spren could be a full body suit that is perfectly form fitting? Then, you just dance ninja/shiek/agent Rominof/River Tam style!

[Mailliw73 he/him]

A sprennuke. Boom! Send your spren into the Voidbringer's gathering and wham, all dead.

[Erai Sedai he/him]

I just love the idea that a live spren gives you endless opportunities to use any weapon in a battle. No need to stick with just one. That's one of the best things.
A bow would be interesting

[SmurfAquamarineBodies he/him]

I still think that a rope dart has an advanatge in this situation, given the training to use it correctly

 

Rope dart vs Shardblade (spear)- Without full plate, the battle is definitely in favor of the rope dart. The shardblade is going to have a hard time blocking the rope dart, as it will connect with the chain/rope, which will then pivot, and continue on its flight path towards the shardbearer-dead. Or, if they manage to dodge with the parry, the wielder of the rope dart then has a great deal of leverage to pull the shardblade or spear out or their hands. On a normal shardbearer that's game over, it poofs to mist, the rope dart is free of the weapon and able to resume its attack. 

 

Rope dart vs Shardplate only- I think this is a better match up, but the speed and force with which the rope dart can be launched by a surgebinder would be devastating, and hard to account for. Again, the conventional weapon will be no help in blocking, especially since the surgebinder can easily use it to disarm them, then recall the weapon back to their hands after it was tangled, immediately putting momentum back into it to go on the offensive again. A few hits to the head and the match is over.

 

Rope dart vs full shardbearer-I truly think this is a worse match up than without a shardblade. As soon as their disarmed, the battle is going to go very poorly for them, and the aggressor is going to keep a lot of pressure on the sword arm as they continue to attempt to resummon it. 

 

I think the only way to combat that would be to have instantaneous weapon control yourself.

The problem with any rope/chain weapon is that it requires a lot of training to use effectively.

Let's say me and you are fighting you with rope, me with spear, no Surges. I charge, it's my best bet of an early victory, so I'm charging and you throw the rope dart at me. I hit the rope with my spear tip, I duck the rope, as I wraps around the spear, and plant myself pulling on the rope, pulling you off balance, throw spear you die. A couple of friends and I actually got bored a couple of months ago and started training with random things to use as weapons ( not at all because we are afraid of zombies, nope not that ) and we found that sword, spear and normal mace are the easiest weapons to fight with because they are the most predictable in the way the move and are effected by the environment around them. It's why those where the weapons most often used throughout history in every country.

I stand by my statement of as soon as the enemy can block the rope, the rope is useless unless you are priorly trained ( for years ) with a rope dart.

Also would the rope itself cut? Because if it doesn't, then the rope becomes even more useless. If the rope does cut how would you use it?