Bladed Weapons

Bladed weapons are melee weapons designed to cut or puncture an opponent.

Overview
Bladed weapons are the most diverse form of melee weaponry as blades can be built to perform specific actions. Broadly speaking, most bladed weapons can fit into one of two categories:


 * Edged Weapons: Edged weapons emphasize cutting power. They are generally effective against lightly-armored opponents and groups. Edged weapons include axes, most types of swords, and sickles.


 * Puncture Weapons: Puncture weapons are designed to pierce into a target. They are more effective against armored opponents than edged weapons but are comparatively ineffective against groups, being better suited for one-on-one engagements. Puncture weapons include most knives & daggers, bayonets, pole weapons, and some swords.

Utility Blades
Utility blades are standard metal blades with no enhancements. Such blades are used more for utility and ceremony rather than for combat, though they can be laced with poisons and germs.

High-Frequency Blade
High-frequency blades increase their sharpness by having the blade vibrate at a high frequency. They are relatively subtle, producing only a quiet humming when activated. High-frequency blades require a battery to operate.

Plasma Blade
See also: Plasma Weapon

Plasma blades come in two varieties. The first variety is an otherwise standard bladed weapon which produces a plasma blade. The more advanced variant uses an electromagnetic field to produce a blade of pure plasma. Regardless of whichever one is used, plasma blades are devastating against flesh and armor alike, though they are less effective against energy shields.

Revolving blade
Revolving blades utilize either saw blades of chain-blades. Standard revolving blades readily cut through flesh, inflicting often lethal wounds, and are modestly effective against energy shields, but they are almost wholly incapable of reliably piercing armor plating. Their armor-piercing capabilities can be increased by having the blades vibrate or by encasing the blade in an energized field.

Electroshock Blade
See also: Lightning Weapon

Electroshock blades electrocute their targets upon contact. This function is primarily used to drain a target's shields; to increase their actual lethality, most electroshock weapons feature high-frequency blades.

Crystal Blade
Crystals blades are made of pure Marganite and can be honed into either edged or puncture weapons. Crystal blades are both razor-sharp and incredibly poisonous, with even small cuts potentially proving lethal.