They cannot make it just as powerful (able to one-shot everyone in a small cone) and let you sprint while firing... probably it will be exactly like a plasma pistol.
I didn't say sprint. But, yes. It can't be a one hit kill weapon and move and fire. I don't see why we can't have our own plasma weapons anyway. Star cannons rock and plasma pistols too.
Camo on a fusion weapon, something about this is just funny to me. It's like putting camo on a giant battleaxe which shoots fireballs. I actually kind of like the overall design, minus the uncomfortable grip(not enough room for your hand) and the (ugh) gems.
actually putting camo on any weapon that is carried by a character wearing bright primary coloured armour seems ridiculous
I'm guessing you're not familiar with the Wazikashi, the Gurkha Khukri knife, or a host of others. These are all designed to lop off limbs. I prefer the original, EC knife. The teeth on the chain have a Monomolecular edge, so they can chew through even power armour. Eldar are meant to be wiry, and at least as strong as a well-trained human soldier. As for the Basket, it's actually more like a knuckle duster that also catches the edge of bladed weapons. This part is both designed to protect the wielders hand when they're punching someone (usually in the face) and to prevent an opponent's blade from sliding under the wielder's guard to position for a slice across the body. You punch even a helmeted SM in the face with this basket and you'll damage their ability to see. I prefer the original. That line isn't necessarily the edge but maybe a pattern within the blades substance, similar to how Samurai swords have a wavy line pattern along the edge. But then again it could be reflection of the Dark Eldar swords. Eldar do not lack strength, plus many of their blades have curved edges in order to amplify the power of a blow (like the Kitana, Cutlass, Sabre, Scimitar, and others). And such a power sword can cut through SM power armour like a hot knife through butter. As for your take on the design, I do like some points, like the length though I am worried it is a little long. But I dislike the straightened grip, it should have that slight curve with a heavy pommel. Eldar swords do remind me of foils, sabres, scimitars, and other single-handed sword grips which remind me of fencing. The leaf-shaped blade is not only reminiscent of Elven blades, but the curve with a broad head make it perfect for slashing and lopping bits off. As for the decorations, they're part of the psychic component of the Force Weapon. As for the power unit, even when the Farseer/Warlock directs their psychic might directly against the enemy, their force weapon must still act as a power weapon. Without a power field unit or any psychic ability to charge it is just a sword. I don't like the poor Knapped Flint look of the Spear. I believe the blade should be like a Halberd, with a broad, leaf-shaped blade.
Dagger - See page 2 of this thread for kukri and curved dagger re-design. Also, read my reponse to Quothe about daggers, while you're there. Chainsword - Like I said, I tried to make the weapons as realistic as possible. In which case realism takes precedence over lore. So, sorry, no 'monomolecular' mumbo jumbo. If the sword's teeth had their edges single-molecule thick, they would break or bend after the first hit, since I'm also assuming the teeth aren't made of some super-magical indectructible material. If they were, so would the Eldar armour. As for the basket - baskets were introduced into sword design once the heavy armour started to dissapear from the battlefields. They were a form of compensation for the lack of protection given by heavy gloves or gauntlets. While I would find completely reasonable to put a basket on a Commissar's or Inquisitor's sword, I find it pointless on swords wielded by any armoured unit. When the blade slides across your fingers, most of the momentum is already gone and the force is small enough to be mitigated by a decent glove/gauntlet. Also, I'm not a fan of Space Marines, but I think they can withstand much more than just a punch to the face from a 'well-trained human soldier'... Diresword - I know that some eastern and saxon swords have wavy patterns due the way the metal was folded during forging. Now take a look and some of them and compare that the the original diresword. It looks nothing alike. I agree with you on the lenght, I might have over-done it. As for cutting through power armour like through butter... Are you sure you're not talking about lightsabres? Witchblade - Those decorations, whatever their role was, made the sword completely not functional. So I don't really care if they were part of 'the psychic component'. If you can't properly fight with a sword, then it doesn't matter how sharp it is. For a re-design with the power-node, see page 2 of this thread.
Sorry really had to comment on the re-designs, but I was in a hurry so missed the re-design. Actually monomolecular is a real-world term, and not mumbo-jumbo. In this case it means the cutting edge comes down to a point one-molecule thick, making it really sharp. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomolecular_wire The punch from a normal human soldier, or even an Eldar, to the face of an SM would probably break the knuckle bones of the one throwing the punch. But a basket-hilt that protects the hand would prevent such damage to the one punching whilst increasing the damage to the one on the receiving end. That's common sense. Punching an SM whilst their wearing a helmet could damage the autosenses. which is another reason for the design. Actually Anglo-Saxon swords are pattern welded together. It's Japanese swords of the middle ages onwards that are folded. Both have a wave pattern of the different layers of metal through the blade. But that's not the pattern I am talking about. Japanese swords have a second pattern along the cutting edge. It's probably due to the mud used to create the differential in cooling during the final quenching of the blade that also tends to give it its curved blade. From here: http://www.realswordsaustralia.com/...y-Hardened-Authentic-Sharpened-Blade-131.html But a Witchblade is a Force Weapon and as such is more of a psychic weapon than a physical one. http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Force_Weapon http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Force_Weapon The gems are part of the blades psychic matrix which allows the Farseer/Warlock to channel their psychic ability.
Making a melee weapon with monomolecular edge is mumbo-jumbo. As an interpreter I keep a list of specialists, who help me with technical translations. One of them is an engineer, who has a major in material durability. Had an interesting discussion with him about the subject. In short, a monomolecular edge would be so brittle, it would dent by hitting a human, not to mention a suit of armour. Also, read your links, before posting them as proof that something is real... The first sentence goes: 'Monomolecular wire is a fictional wire, often used as a weapon (...)' The closest thing we have to monomolecular technology are carbon nanotubes, and they are a great example what such technology would mean. Carbon nanotubes are incredibly durable, but they are too flexible, meaning you could make a CNT bulletproof vest and a bullet won't go through, but you would definetly have some broken bones, because of the impact alone (and some serious health issues due to toxicity). CNTs are almost always used as an additive to other, much more rigid materials. A great example is 17th century Damascus steel, which contains accidental CNTs. It was, at that time, the best material for making weapons. Not because of a monomolecular blade, but because of it's durability. So, the way to go about the monomolecural technology is to think of it as somothing that is used to enchance material durability. I can imagine Eldar swords being created with extensive use of nanoengineering. I can imagine Eldar mesh suits made with CNT additives. But a monomolecular edge remains to me a mumbo-jumbo sci-fi magic bullshit. Do me a favour - get some knuckle dusters and hit a sewage grate with them. You can then tell me about the increased damage on the receiveing end. Do you see what my point is? Your hitting a mutated bodybuilder wearing thick, mechanicaly enhanced armour. The common sense here is that, basket-hilt or no, your doing no damage whatsoever. I'm not arguing the differences between Saxon and Japanese swords, since that's not the topic. Please, read again what I wrote. The original Diresword looks nothing like the katana. Even if it's a differential hardening pattern, then the sword is still not functional and it would quickly break in the very middle, where the wavy edge takes almost half of the blade. It's. Not. Functional. I'm not questioning that. Sure, it's more powerful. And, yes, it channels the psykers power. But come on, for crying out loud, it has to be a weapon! It still has to be balanced and durable. And the original design is far from that. Unless I'm wrong and it doesn't have to be a weapon. Well, then I'm petitioning GW for force-frisbees for the Eldar. Or even better - force-armour. Who needs weapons. ================================================= I'm not criticising the designs just for the fun of it and I am aware that Warhammer is a fictional universe. Me re-designs aren't necessarily lore-friendly, though I try to apply real world physics to the lore. Though I do not have a engineering background, I have access to people who have. I practiced historical european martial arts (which include fighting with a variety of melee weapons), which gave me quite a bit of knowledge about weapon functionality. Having said that, I'm not above criticism, but also take into consideration that I wrote at the very beggining of this thread: 'I really prefer realistic weapons in any fiction, and my re-designs were made with that in mind - to make those weapons as realistic as possible.'
But it is in use within 40K. This is a 40K game so it exists in the Universe as standard. It's like redesigning Star Trek and saying no Phaser because it's unrealistic! Plus you sound like you're basing your analysis on current materials. Wraithbone is definitely not a current material, with a lightness and strength that puts Titanium to shame. http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Wraithbone http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Wraithbone Plus there's the other 40K substance, Adamantium. http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Adamantium http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Adamantium I did, and if you read further down it talks about actual Monomolecular wire being researched/made, though for none weapon purposes. You forgot Graphene. It's a molecule thick and yet said to be stronger than steel or Kevlar (probably at the same scale). You must remember, we are talking about cultures whose pinnacle technology was tens of millennia more advanced than we are, though that has degenerated by 40K. So it is possible that have weapons this sharp, but the only terms we have to describe it is "Monomolecular Edge". Actually, I've done some research and found it is not a Basket Hilt on those swords but actually a Knuckle Bow. http://lunievicz.com/2013/04/12/k-is-for-knuckle-bow/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapier Though sword types other than the Rapier use them, like the Cavalry Sabre and Talwar for instance. Just because the artists did the wavy pattern wrong doesn't mean the overall design is invalid. The blade should have a curve to it for amplify the strike and increasing cutting power. The wavy line should be limited to being along the face of the cutting edge, between the actual edge and the spine of the blade. Straightening the blade turns it into a design similar to a British Heavy Cavalry Sword (like in the Sharpe series), which is a design already used on SM. Yes but your re-designs are based on your knowledge of current technology. You are justifiable in challenging the points I make. But when the challenges appear to be formed from inaccuracies I do have the right to address them.
Actually on Graphene, it's right that it is more resilient than steel, and even harder than low carbon kind of steel, but being a bidimensional material (it is in fact a one atom thick monomolecular carbon lattice) it is also VERY flexible, so absolutely not usable for something rigid like a blade. On the knuckle guard fact, i concorde that it would be useless in doing damage to armoured targets, but however it can be useful in protecting the weapon's owner hand, with the "toothed" design of ec original chainsword even able to block the incoming blade, allowing to better counterattack. I don't think that's a fact of tecnology here (we are in a fictional universe after all!) but to functional shapes and designs. I really like the Zavalus witchblade redesign, because it recreate an actual cleaner and solid blade, (and even cooler in my opinion) instead of a jagged one divided by a big gem that only shorten the cutting edge, reducing cutting capability and structure rigidity. And actually even original designs don't need to have that big gem in the center of the blade to work.
