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Ashin's Big Book of Lightsabre-Resistant Materials

Ashin Varanin

Professional Enabler
Ashin Varanin
The opinions in this post are the result of many, many hours of research, including substantial recent research. I've endeavored to reconcile conflicting sources when possible. These opinions do not represent an official Factory or Staff position, and are in no way binding upon starship or tech judges, whose opinion of these materials may vary based on the variety of canon sources available. Also, suggested armor classes are approximations.​
​
Special thanks to @[member="Ayden Cater"], @[member="Isley Verd"], @[member="Jaxton Ravos"], @[member="Circe Savan"], and @[member="Seroth Ur-Rahn"]​


One very important point to consider is that some of these are probably only suitable for light or medium armor. For simplicity’s sake, and to avoid confusion with our ten-point scale for armor ratings, I’m going to discuss the physical strength of these materials in a scale from 1 to 5, with durasteel being about a 3. I’m also going to rate them on a five-point scale in terms of weight, with durasteel being about a 3.

On the ten-point scale of armor ratings, 1-4 corresponds to light armor, 5-7 corresponds to medium armor, with 8-10 being considered heavy. Lighter armors allow you to move faster, and if you pick the right lightsabre-resistant material in the right amount, you can theoretically have very light, very fast, lightsabre-proof armor while sacrificing protection against blasters, slugthrowers, explosions and so forth. Many duellists consider that sort of tradeoff worthwhile. Armor does not have to be quality 7-10 to be awesome.

Most of the animals whose scales and hides feature on this list are deadly combatants, often beyond the powers of Jedi and Sith to survive or defeat, let alone kill. Development threads involving these animals would be expected to be very, very substantial, in both post length and post count.

My advice is to pay close attention to this line from the factory rules. "Multiple lightsaber-resistant technologies or substances in one submission will not be approved. This includes beskar/Mandalorian Iron, songsteel, cortosis ore, cortosis alloys, alchemically hardened metal, Eol Sha fireworm scales, lightshields, force fields, phrik, ultrachrome, neuranium and so forth." Leeway has sometimes been given on a case-by-case basis for moderately or minimally lightsabre-resistant materials like armorweave or duraplast, but be wise.



Akk Dog Scales


Physical Strength: 2

Weight: 2

Degree of Lightsabre Resistance: Moderate

Suggested Armor Classes: Medium

Special Properties and Other Notes:




Alchemical Metal (Factory restrictions upcoming)


Physical Strength: 4

Weight: 4

Degree of Lightsabre Resistance: Fully to partially immune. Basic Sith swords can last an entire duel against a lightsabre without significant damage. Some works of alchemy, however, are less durable, while others can be considered untouchable by lightsabre.

Suggested Armor Classes: Heavy

Special Properties and Other Notes: Most items of alchemical metals can absorb lightning to be released later, generally with a successful strike. It should be noted that a true master of alchemy, as in a Master-level alchemical specialist, is probably capable of making wood and bone lightsabre-resistant.



Armorweave


Physical Strength: 1-2

Weight: 1

Degree of Lightsabre Resistance: Variable depending on quality. Dooku’s armorweave cloak could entangle lightsabres, but Zam Wesell’s Mabari armorweave bodysuit provided no significant resistance to a direct hit from Obi-Wan’s lightsabre.

Suggested Armor Classes: Light

Special Properties and Other Notes:



Beskar/Mandalorian Iron (Factory restrictions)


Physical Strength: 4

Weight: 4

Degree of Lightsabre Resistance: Fully immune, in most cases. Micronized beskar crushgaunts can literally hold onto a lightsabre blade. It would burn out a lightsabre’s power pack to cut through a beskad -- a short, heavy sword made of beskar.

Suggested Armor Classes: Heavy

Special Properties and Other Notes:



Cortosis (Factory restrictions)

Physical Strength: 1 (ore), 2 (weave), 3 (alloy)

Weight: 2

Degree of Lightsabre Resistance: Special case. Cortosis ore, like the rock formations underneath the Hand of Thrawn, is very crumbly but will deactivate a lightsabre. Cortosis weave, like the armor of the Jensaarai, is a form of purified cortosis ore, generally backed with, or combined with, layers of another kind of armor; Jensaarai armor (the first canon source to create and flesh out cortosis weave) will deactivate a lightsabre. Cortosis alloys will fully repel a lightsabre with minimal damage to the blade or armor, but will not deactivate it.

Suggested Armor Classes: Any

Special Properties and Other Notes:




Duraplast

Physical Strength: 2

Weight: 2

Degree of Lightsabre Resistance: Low. Heavy duraplast offers some resistance to cutting, comparable to turadium.

Suggested Armor Classes: Any

Special Properties and Other Notes:



Eol Sha Fireworm Scales

Physical Strength: 1 (very hard, but low tensile strength)

Weight: 2

Degree of Lightsabre Resistance: Can repel direct strikes from a lightsabre, but a full-powered strike will crack the scales and render the worm or wearer vulnerable to repeated strikes in the same location.

Suggested Armor Classes: Light to Medium, depending on what material is used for backing

Special Properties and Other Notes:




Force-imbued Blades (not to be confused with weapons protected through the power known as Force Weapon)

Physical Strength: 3

Weight: 2

Degree of Lightsabre Resistance: Fully immune

Suggested Armor Classes: Not suitable for armor.

Special Properties and Other Notes: This is a very ancient forging technique, lost to history, predating even protosabers.



Gadolinium/Non-Ultrachrome Superconductors

Physical Strength: 1

Weight: 3

Degree of Lightsabre Resistance: Equal to ultrachrome; see that entry.

Suggested Armor Classes: Generally not suitable for armor.

Special Properties and Other Notes:



Hijarna Stone/Greater Calama Shell

Physical Strength: 4

Weight: 4

Degree of Lightsabre Resistance: Moderate to High

Suggested Armor Classes: Generally not suitable for armor.

Special Properties and Other Notes: 'Scoundrels' confirmed that Hijarna stone is significantly lightsabre-resistant - even a few inches of it would require several minutes to cut. This may make it more of an option for creative use.



Leviathan Hide

Physical Strength: 4

Weight: 4

Degree of Lightsabre Resistance: Can withstand a direct hit from a lightsabre.

Suggested Armor Classes: Heavy

Special Properties and Other Notes: Good fething luck taking down a Leviathan of Corbos.





Maalraas Bone

Physical Strength: 2

Weight: 1

Degree of Lightsabre Resistance: Moderate.

Suggested Armor Classes: Generally not suitable for armor

Special Properties and Other Notes:





Neuranium (Factory restrictions)

Physical Strength: 5

Weight: 5

Degree of Lightsabre Resistance: Moderate. A lightsabre required several minutes to punch through several inches to a foot of neuranium (Palpatine’s lightsabre being retrieved from the inside of a neuranium statue), but the lightsabre punched through successfully.

Suggested Armor Classes: Generally not suitable for armor (a very thin layer would make for very heavy and tiring armor)

Special Properties and Other Notes:




Orbalisks

Physical Strength: 3

Weight: 2

Degree of Lightsabre Resistance: Can repel direct strikes from a lightsabre.

Suggested Armor Classes: Orbalisk armor, with full coverage, could be considered class 8.

Special Properties and Other Notes: Orbalisks can heal their wearer. However, they cannot be removed without immense risk to your life, even with help from an expert healer, and cause extreme pain.





Phrik (Factory restrictions)



Physical Strength: 4

Weight: 1-2

Degree of Lightsabre Resistance: Can repel direct strikes from a lightsabre.

Suggested Armor Classes: Any

Special Properties and Other Notes:





Songsteel (Factory restrictions)


Physical Strength: 3

Weight: 1-2

Degree of Lightsabre Resistance: Can repel direct strikes from a lightsabre.

Suggested Armor Classes: Medium, variable

Special Properties and Other Notes:



Taozin Flesh

Physical Strength: 1

Weight: 2

Degree of Lightsabre Resistance: Special case. Darth Maul observed that when he struck a large taozin with his lightsabre, the blade appeared to diffuse in the translucent flesh, and the taozin was moderately burned but not cut.

Suggested Armor Classes: Generally not suitable for armor

Special Properties and Other Notes:





Terentatek Hide

Physical Strength: 2

Weight: 2

Degree of Lightsabre Resistance: Moderate.

Suggested Armor Classes: Light

Special Properties and Other Notes: Confers significant resistance to Force effects



Tikulini Hide

Physical Strength: 2

Weight: 2

Degree of Lightsabre Resistance: Moderate.

Suggested Armor Classes: Light

Special Properties and Other Notes: Generally more flexible than terentatek hide




Turadium

Physical Strength: 4

Weight: 4

Degree of Lightsabre Resistance: Low to moderate. Heavy turadium armor and blast doors offer some resistance and take longer to cut than military-grade durasteel.

Suggested Armor Classes: Heavy

Special Properties and Other Notes: Turadium is most commonly used for high-security blast doors, and sometimes to reinforce key sections of elite starships.



Ultrachrome (Factory restrictions)

Physical Strength: 3

Weight: 3

Degree of Lightsabre Resistance: Special case. As a superconductor, ultrachrome can withstand any amount of contact with a lightsabre...until the entire piece melts simultaneously. As a result, Kar Vastor’s ultrachrome vibroshield weapons were large and bulky. Small ultrachrome plates, such as gauntlets and shoulder pauldrons, melt very quickly if they are not in constant contact with other ultrachrome plates.

Suggested Armor Classes: Medium to Heavy

Special Properties and Other Notes:




Vonduun Skerr (Vonduun Crab) Armor

Physical Strength: 3

Weight: 3

Degree of Lightsabre Resistance: Can usually withstand a direct hit from a lightsabre.

Suggested Armor Classes: Heavy

Special Properties and Other Notes: Living Vong biot. Critically allergic to Bafforr tree pollen, usually resulting in a crushing death for the wearer.



Zillo Beast Scales

Physical Strength: 4

Weight: 4

Degree of Lightsabre Resistance: Can withstand a direct hit from a lightsabre.

Suggested Armor Classes: Heavy

Special Properties and Other Notes:
 

Valik

Professor of Alchemy
Valik
Ashin Varanin said:
It should be noted that a true master of alchemy, as in a Master-level alchemical specialist, is probably capable of making wood and bone lightsabre-resistant.
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I've always wanted to try this, but never had a good reason to.

Also, solid write up as always. Happy to contribute where I can.
 

Valik

Professor of Alchemy
Valik
Kira Liadain said:
@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]

LOL!

I'll have to give myself to @[member="Valik"] the Sylar man for that :p

And we all know how THAT relationship turned out!
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sylar_and_elle__dangerous_proximity_by_selfoblivion-d4irrko.jpg



Elle-Sylar-elle-bishop-2851229-1024-768.jpg
 

Sarah Frostlight

Character
Sarah Frostlight
So is Armorweave restricted?
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this is where you have to start considering and arguing IMO note you could make the argument in Duku's case his cloak was actually alchemically enhanced armorweave (its never stated either way... but) or Duku was channeling absorb dissipate through his cloak.



so my feeling re armorweave is depending on the specific formula blend etc, its kind of like the difference in various armorcloth materials we have today. think of fiberglass vs Kevlar vs carbon fiber materials. or look at it another way wool cloth vs silk cloth. a reason a lot of people used to wear silk cloth (when they could) for military people is that arrows had a hard time cutting the silk, so it would spread the impact (and at least sometimes) push into the wound around the arrowhead making it a lot easier to extract said arrow for treatment.
armorweave is similar in concept, it is a material/process of making armor that can be worn like clothing and provide some protection at the same time. but one of its weaknesses is there isn't enough of it to really stop "real damage" from getting through.

as a side note orbalisks CAN be removed, but not like taking clothing on and off, because they are parasitic/symbiotic organisms at least according to the star wars role playing books I read
 

Ashin Varanin

Professional Enabler
Ashin Varanin
@[member="Sarah Frostlight"] - The reason I say they can't remove is because of the insanely high canonical difficulty of surviving the process, beyond what I think most if not all Chaos characters could reasonably claim. For some further clarity, let's quote from Wookieepedia.



When orbalisks died, they released toxins into the body of the host killing him/her within days or hours (depending on the strength of the individual). Orbalisks could be removed from the host, but the task was both challenging and could potentially kill the host. The host had to be in very good health in order to even attempt it. The first crucial step to remove a living orbalisk was to send an electric jolt—powerful enough to stun the orbalisk but not harm its host—through its small underbelly, resulting in the orbalisk weakening the adhesive it used to bind itself onto the host. After the orbalisks were removed, they could be disposed of by electrocution. For a period of 10 years, Bane wore orbalisks that had attached themselves to him as living armor. In 990 BBY, Caleb {a powerful Force healer} removed many of the orbalisks covering Bane's body with such a method after many of the parasites were killed by the Sith Lord's own Force lightning in a duel against five Jedi.
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Valik

Professor of Alchemy
Valik
Sarah Frostlight said:
this is where you have to start considering and arguing IMO note you could make the argument in Duku's case his cloak was actually alchemically enhanced armorweave (its never stated either way... but) or Duku was channeling absorb dissipate through his cloak.
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Dooku is never shown in Canon to have any alchemical prowess, and most(I want to say all) of Palpatine's alchemical excursions are biological, with creating monsters and hiding his dark side corruption by using Sith Mask. Without looking it up I'd wager to say Dooku didn't meet any other alchemists to make his clothes, and if Palpatine would have done it he likely would have done to himself first. If it's not explicitly stated somewhere that Dooku's clothes are alchemized I'm 99.9% certain we can assume they're normal, probably aided by Tutaminis.
 

Valik

Professor of Alchemy
Valik
We already have @[member="Darth Vornskr"], you just didn't know it at the time :p

I do have monster plans though. We'll see how they work out. I've got some bacteria and gadgets to make first. If you have any specific plans be sure to hit me up and I'll help you out, but I've got a lot of other things I'm outlining before I go developing other stuff. I'd love to make some monster with you.
 
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