Zofia Marek
Master and Commander
Intent: To create a new variant of melee weapon that is both unique to the Ganathan military and exceptionally viable on the battlefield.Development Thread:
Manufacturer: Traditionally and currently produced by local swordsmiths on Ganath, both incorporated and independent craftsmen.
Model: N/A
Affiliation: Ganath, Ganathan military, RGTC
Modularity: The weapon has no standard template and can be produced from a variety of manufacturers and craftsmen. As such, the size, shape, and weight of the weapon can vary from blade to blade, but the functional design has remained the same.
Production: Limited
Material: Alusteel, Durasteel, field projector, electronics, and various other weapon construction materials.
Classification: Sword/Sabre
NOTE: Size/Weight derived from averages pulled from the most popular variants among the Ganathan military. These are, essentially, a baseline.
(OOC: If you use a Kaclav that drastically differs from this baseline, you'll need to submit your own variant of the weapon as a semi-unique/unique weapon)
Size: Usually one-handed, though two-handed Kaclav are not unheard of, though rare.Length:
- Blade - 82.5cm
- Hilt - 10.5cm
- Total - 93cm
Special Features:
- Effective against most known armor types
Strengths:
- Reaper - Powered by technologies not fully understood, the Kaclav is capable of cutting through most known armor materials with relative ease.
- Situational at Times* - Unknown/Variable effect against super-dense/super-durable restricted materials (i.e. beskar, phrik, etc.)
- Deflected - Due to the intricacies of the Kaclav's energy field, the weapon can block and parry melee weapons utilizing magnetic fields such as lightsabers, though only when the weapon is activated.
Weaknesses:
- Deflected - Due to the intricacies of the Kaclav's energy field, the weapon deals only standard damage against shields of any type (ray, particle, deflector, etc.)
- Situational at Times* - Unknown/Variable effect against super-dense/super-durable restricted materials (i.e. beskar, phrik, etc.)
- A Gentleman's Weapon - Difficult to produce and expensive to purchase, only front line officers or those officers or nobles wealthy enough to own a Kaclav are seen with the weapon. (OOC: this weapon is complex enough that only a few NPCs and PCs are noted to possess one. Namely, Lieutenants and up of the Ganathan military possess a Kaclav, meaning that often a single unit may only have a handful of the traditional weapons. In other words, no unit of any size may be armed entirely with the weapon.)
- Restricted - As the weapon requires an activated power field, the Kaclav only gains the strengths listed above when the weapon is active. In addition, even when active, the weapon is susceptible to kinetic force and damage, which in simple terms means that trying to block a bullet with the Kaclav, active or inactive, will probably break the blade. Other similar physics apply.
- An Edged Weapon - While the Kaclav will interact with shields and magnetic fields when the blade is activated, only the cutting edge sports the ability to do any exceptional damage.
- A Simple Sword - When inactive, the Kaclav is reduced to a basic melee weapon, albeit a very well made one.
- Time Limits - As the Kaclav is a powered weapon, the blade relies on an integral power field usually built into the hilt of the weapon (though some variants find the cells in the base of the blade or pommel). The standard power cell is only capable of lasting a half hour of standard use, though heavy use (commonly seen in heavy, thick fighting) reduces the time period to half the standard. In addition, the power cell is integral to the weapon itself and cannot be reloaded. Instead, it must be charged, meaning that the weapon reverts to a simple sword once the charge is depleted.
- Watch Your Fingers - As the energy field is only projected over the blade from the hilt, the hilt itself has no benefit from the power field. This means that the hilt and handle are only as durable as the materials used in its construction.
Description:
While Ganath as a whole has fully embraced new technology or adapted previous technology to modern standards, possibly one of the only weapons that the Ganathan military has failed to find a replacement or an updated standard for is the traditional melee weapon used by officers and nobles of the Ganathan military: the Kaclav.
Dating back to lost sections of the planet's history, the Kaclav has remained a highly effective traditional weapon of the Ganathan military. Produced only by master smiths and the best materials on hand, the weapons are half military sabres and half symbols of prestige. Each blade is unique to the smith that makes it for each smith possesses a standard blade that they create, though many nobles that can afford such often order unique Kaclav. Despite variations in functional design and aesthetics, the construction of a Kaclav has not changed since the weapon was created in unremembered history.
The Kaclav is a weapon of mystery as much as it is a weapon of tradition. Forged as a high quality sword or sabre, the primary difference between the Kaclav and simpler weapons is the energy field installed within the blade itself and the field it produces. Each field is handmade by master smiths and the secrets, much like Mandalorian beskar smiths, are never divulged. In fact, some would argue the creation of a Kaclav is more ruthlessly guarded than the secrets to forge beskar as any master smith is, by law and by standard practice, allowed to teach only one apprentice the hidden art of forging a proper Kaclav.
The energy field is an unknown quantity and has periodically become the subject of speculation among many colleges and scientific institutions on Ganath. How the field works is unknown and while only a master smith is capable of creating one, even the most famous Kaclav smiths know only how to properly construct the field projector, not how the projector truly works. What is known is that the field envelopes the Kaclav blade itself, is powered by an integral power cell, and reacts to materials and energy in one of two ways.
Along the edge of the Kaclav's blade, the power field is capable of shearing through most materials with relative ease. Metal, cloth, and even stone have been slashed through with a full swing of a Kaclav while powered, to say nothing of flesh and bone. In addition, against energy or magnetic fields the weapon simply functions as a regular sword, blade edge or flat. While this can prove detrimental against a personal shield, it is somewhat useful against weapons utilizing magnetic fields such as lightsabers and equivalent weaponry. It should be noted that the field only extends along the blade itself and is emitted from the hilt, meaning that the hilt is only as durable as the material it is constructed from.
The weapon is a handmade weapon and even in situations where multiple master smiths work in groups to churn out blades, only a small number are generally produced. Between this limitation and the inherent cost of such a weapon, the Kaclav has always been a fairly scarce weapon, easily numbering only one blade per few hundred soldiers and always restricted to officers. Only officers and nobles presented the blade or those capable of affording such a weapon are able to carry one into the field. This means that there are often only a handful of weapons per Ganathan military unit and the weapons have never, nor will ever, see use in large numbers within a single unit. This is half because of the cost of the weapon and half because
The weapon is not without its problems, however. Primarily, the weapon only benefits from its special abilities and traits when the weapon's energy field is active. This requires an intact and charged power cell, usually set into the weapon's handle, though some styles mount the cell into the blade base or the pommel of the weapon. The power cell is only rated for a half hour of standard use before requiring recharging, though in heavy fighting conditions the power cell only sees perhaps fifteen minutes of life before failing. In many similar weapons, the cell can be swapped out for a charged one, but as the Kaclav's cell is integrated into the weapon itself, the cell must be recharged before it can be used once more. In addition, while the blade is active, only the cutting edge of the weapon is capable of shearing through most materials, though the entire blade will react with energy and magnetic fields as a whole. Despite the powered field, however, the blade is susceptible to kinetic damage, meaning any attempt to deflect high powered projectiles or trying to fully block an ax-blow from an enraged wookiee will most likely shatter the blade, activated or not. Lastly, when the blade is inactive either from not being switched on or the power cell dying out, the Kaclav reverts back to a simple sword or sabre, albeit a high quality one.
Situational At Times*:
This is basically to state that anyone using said restricted materials has the right to determine damage regardless of what the Kaclav is or is not capable of doing. Essentially, if a Mandalorian wants his beskar vambrace to stop the blade, he can do so. At the same time, if the Jedi wants to pull a Luke Skywalker and have the weapon shear through their Phrik gauntlet, that's cool too. Figured I'd just put it in clear writing rather than have someone try push the envelope and someone's patience.
