This is getting ridiculous…

Magic swords are a very common enchanted weapon in fantasy, but what really be the ultimate power for a sword?
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#sword #swords #knight #longsword #falchion #medieval #swordreviews

[@ValidFish]

If the sword teleports whatever touches the edge to like, the asteroid belt, that would probably also be able to cut through anything.

[@AB-ln2py]

Dude, but then the sword must be made only out of edge :D

[@darklighter8968]

.... and all the atmosphere in that world gets sucked into space. Really need some safety measures on that one

[@VibratingSkeletons]

A fencing blade, perhaps?@@AB-ln2py

[@guymanhumanperson]

​@@darklighter8968 any solid or liquid

[@bavettesAstartes]

Dnd had a spell like that. Black Blade of Disaster. It was a black hole sword

[@bradbrandon2506]

Stay-sharp/indestructible is possibly the most underrated enchantment on...any blade, might less a sword.

[@sydneymattingly2773]

I'd personally like one sheathed in lightning that doesn't arc. It still conducts. Suddenly, armor is useless, the slightest touch is lethal, and sharpness is no longer nessecary and is instead just a bonus.

[@theendersmirk5851]

​@@sydneymattingly2773couple issues though, mostly regarding "are the crossguard, pommel, or handle at all conductive?" Because if so you'd need relatively thick rubber gloves.

[@hackertrollerVT]

Maintenance is an important part of a sword, so one that doesn't need it would be very practical.

[@danielantony1882]

@@hackertrollerVTÐat's an extreme understatement. A sword wið infinite durability is a game-changer.

[@gabrielmccray3457]

Read Joe Abercrombie's The First Law. One of the main characters gets an unpolished shoddy looking sword. But it stays sharp forever. Great low fantasy trilogy.

[@butterkirby1]

My favorite "sword that cuts anything" comes from the Eragon book series. It was a blade that was insanely thin. So thin you could see through the blade slightly. It was magically strong so it wouldn't shatter. But the other worldly cutting only came from the insane thinness of the blade. And they treated it realistically. You had to be super careful not to touch it and it needed a special sheath. It did have quite a few downsides even though it could cut anything.

[@Songfugel]

The problem with such clean cuts would be that the materials cut by it, would just reseal themselves

[@chadblodgett8634]

​@Songfugel would it be a solid bond though? I mean take a tree, slice it horizontally it may fall back upon itself but would likely be able to be pushed over...cut it at an angle it would likely slide right off.

[@jacobmulraine2593]

I don't remember that, which book, whos sword?

[@fynnkessels2488]

@@jacobmulraine2593I believe it was Angela‘s but I‘m not sure

[@TauGDS]

​@@jacobmulraine2593yeah it was Angela's, don't think it appears before Inheritance

[@redwarrior864]

What Shad is describing as a +1 sword (Atomic edge, can slice someone in half) sounds more like a Vorpal Sword, which IIRC is a +3.

[@richdurbin6146]

or a Sword of Sharpness perhaps?

[@MosBikeShop]

Snickersnack!

[@Saren-yc1rk]

Ain't Vorpal Sword just magically aligns itself for perfect decapitations to anything that has a head?

[@OldSkullSoldier]

Yeah. +1 sword looks more like a sword, which magic allowed the steel to have less impurities and better carbon proportions. Making it this way harder but also possible to be sharpened better than normal sword made of weak steel. Nevertheless, +2 and better enchanted weapons also happen, so at some point all comments from clip are still relevant. +5 basically being reality bending or power sword.

[@SaulOhio]

@@MosBikeShop I'm just not that good at galumphing. Fortunately, thats what you do afterwards. I hope its optional.

[@ravager2-636]

Shad: Sees a finely crafted enchanted sword in a stone.. 👀 Sword inscription: “Any who removes from thy stone, shall become King of all the Shadlands” Shad: Boys bring me a shovel and a sledgehammer.. it’s technicality time..

[@danielantony1882]

It's not his stone ðough. Wouldn't hurt to know what "thy" means. It means "Your" (Informal singular).

[@FredyTirannion]

Nah... Magicka time when you use Excalibur with stone still attached on it for blunt damage :D

[@ravager2-636]

@@danielantony1882 That’s the beauty of once you free the sword from the stone and become king of the land, thus making the stone indeed technically yours.. 😉

[@danielantony1882]

@@ravager2-636I smell cope.

[@KairuHakubi]

@@danielantony1882it was a joke dude relax. Here's another one, imagining the wizard like "D'OH! I enchanted the sword but I forgot to enchant the stone! I need to stop doing important magic at 3 AM."

[@adamlewitt788]

What if the plus 1 sword isn't about the edge sharpness but instead reads to users mind and improves edge alignment?

[@Phantom86d]

Yes. I pulled this sword free and automatically became edgier. Now my backstory is in sepia tone.

[@Kayem237]

That's closer to the intent in some ways, the classic RPG +1 sword is in relation to AC, which is the targets defenses ranging from armor to their skill at defending themselves. HP is also not merely how much damage you can take, it includes your level weariness. So that means that getting +1 to hit means "increased chance of getting past your defenses and armor." And taking +1 damage means, "Increased effort in avoiding a mortal blow."

[@frankbarnwell____]

That's StormBringer and Mournblade. And Excalibur. Intelligent swords.

[@qgqsrg1]

or it's more durable and boosts strength/agility while striking with it, +1 attack and damage = +2 relevant ability score.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

Or it contains some of the thoughts and skills of an epic-tier wielder of that type of weapon, and that enchantment 'lends' extra skill/speed/accuracy/tricks to the weapon's current holder.

[@mmstudios4538]

You know the idea of being able to make your weapons appear or disappear on command is the definition of Erza's Re-quip Magic.

[@cherrydragon3120]

Ah yes, thats nice. But that would just end up with you having a dozen blunt weapons after a while. Or having to sharpen a dozen swords after a fight. 😂 so i kinda find it useless magic. Works fine for the anime. But IRL? Nah.

[@fairytailwizard7752]

​@@cherrydragon3120 while I see what you're saying logically. However Erza's The Knight magic not only let's her take control of any weapon and armor she pleases. Her enchantment makes the weapons and armor immune to wear (not immune to breaking by other magic)

[@ashernoreen]

I thought y'all was talking about Ezra Miller 💀

[@KraNisOG]

@@cherrydragon3120 Bro completely forgot about the idea that you can just take the swords out, and sharpen them, and take care of your swords. Erza can simply use her magic on time off, check her weapons, but also her weapns are enchanted with magic, which increases durability and sharpness to begin with. You can't just choose one aspect of her magic and ignore the rest of it when trying to apply any logic to magic.

[@lonelystrategos]

Depending on how magic works in the setting, you could have "friendly fire clause" in an enchantment that prevents the weapon from harming its wielder. That would be especially useful with enchantments that have an area of effect, a hammer that causes bursts of flame on impact for example.

[@JarieSuicune]

Are you trying to make a loophole to justify nunchucks?🤨

[@charlottewalnut3118]

Or it just makes the user immune to whatever kind of damage it does

[@JohnDoe-vm5rb]

Ah yes the morrowind school of enchanting where that fireball on hit scorches everything.

[@williambarnes5023]

The main benefit that a fire sword gives you is BEING FREAKING SCARY! Who's gonna come swinging at you in melee if you pull one of those out!

[@Barlmoro]

and now imagen a flame Speer or polearm. And now think about how speers where used in battle. did you see the wall of flamespeers too?

[@DiZtheJedi]

If you can turn the fire on and off conveniently enough, it can be used to completely blind your opponents in low-light conditions. Obould Many-Arrows from the Hunter's Blades Trilogy did exactly that and surprise bisected his enemy, the elf Tarathiel.

[@24darush]

And especially if you are a mummy...

[@JarieSuicune]

An entity using water/wind/fire/earth/illusion/metal/dragon, perhaps, might not be bothered. But general fleshy opponents, yeah, they're probably gonna keep their distance.

[@destinytroll1374]

How about a Sunforged Sword that has multiple lives in case it touches Darkstone or a Shade? It's a little broken but I think it's cool lol

[@Raximus3000]

There is only one though.

[@kolman3178]

Shadow of the conqueror is a good story. I need to buy it again because my lasf copy was borrowed and never returned :(

[@destinytroll1374]

@@kolman3178 I would also highly suggest getting the audiobook on audible, Michael Kramer and Kate Reading are fantastic narrators and do the different perspectives superbly. I have a hard copy, but I'll listen to an audible 5 or 6 times

[@CanisMythson]

@@Raximus3000 If I'm right about how it works, there were actually a lot more of them. At least of the blades. It's my theory that Imperious is not one sword, but one hilt, with a load of replacement sunforged blades for it within a hidden vault. When one blade shatters, Imperious teleports one of the replacement blades into the hilt. That would explain why he counts each time it hits Darkstone or a Shade, because he's counting the number of replacement blades remain in the vault.

[@xidarian]

​@@CanisMythsonI think that was pretty clear in the book that something like that is happening. Perhaps it's not actually teleporting but instead they're infinitesimally small and layered or the enchantment causes a replica to shatter in it's place.

[@PerlStalker]

Star Wars has another interesting concept called the "vibroblade". Not only are the blades super sharp but the vibrate. (You can really see them in The Mandalorian.) The way the blade vibrates could help to separate the material that's being cut allowing for deeper penetration.

[@JarieSuicune]

The vibration would still have to be considerably powerful... and where do you think the core of that vibration is? Oh yeah, your arm holding the hilt. Wonder what kind of massive damage that would do to the unfortunate holding it. (I am not an expert on vibration tech.)

[@OldSkullSoldier]

@@JarieSuicune No necessary. Firstly the grip can hold a small counterweight (as done in some oscillation sanders). Secondly power does not need to be that comparably huge. I'm shaving with Power shaver that works on razors (meant for wet shaving with cream). It is powered with AAA battery and effect when it's turned on vs turned off is huge on sharpness. Therefore I really like idea of vibrating blade.

[@conwayredeemed2734]

Heh, the vibro blade, deeper penetration, those are both things people's girlfriends would love.

[@shadowx3benz117]

Also seen in Metal Gear as High Frequency (HF) blades, except that those are apparently even faster, enough to actually weaken bonding between the target's molecules and just make it basically disintegrate along the cut.

[@kingjudiciousmorticiangodo1924]

Antarctic Vibranium in Marvel functions exactly like HF Blades.

[@GoErikTheRed]

If you know ahead of time that the blame is going to be enchanted to be indestructible, then you can make the sword ridiculously thin so as reduce the wedging effect

[@TheScarvig]

i remember that in a previous iteration the sunforging in shads books just made the blades near indestructible so in universe they started applying this enhancement to paper thin blades, that would have been not structurally sound without the enhancement but with a super thin edge and almost no thickness to talk about. but i think shad changed this after thinking about what the lack of weight would do to the handling

[@Saren-yc1rk]

Edge alignment would be a bitch with that Other question - is how flexible blade would be in that case.

[@Armored_Muskrat]

Carrying it would become a serious problem, though. The super-sharp edge would already make scabbards difficult. Make it THAT cutting effective and it would cut through the scabbard too. And then you'd have a super-cutting-effective blade bouncing around with zero protection on your thigh.

[@starburst98]

My setting as a variant Adamantium, it is totally an utterly immune to all physicl forces once it hardens, but is completely transparent to magic. So an adamantium shield will block an infinite number of arrows but a magic missile will pass right through it like it doesn't exist. This means that it can be melted down in a magic furnace that uses magical heat and flame and then poured into a mold of your desired shape. The other downside is it has no in between step for forging, it is ether a liquid or a perfect solid, so no hammering is possible. It is also immune to even itself, so a razor thin adamantium sword would bounce off an adamantium shield and neither would be chipped by the clash, which means an adamantium lining would be in a scabbard for such a weapon.

[@Verdinhox2]

@@Armored_Muskrat considering how he explained sunforging you would probably sunforge your scabbard too to be perfect at holding any blade

[@shanewiford1758]

I like the dragonrider swords from Eragon series. The enchantments are forged together with an ore called Brightsteel into a sword. The enchantments consist of never losing edge, increase durability, heat resistance, and some other things I can't remember off the top of my head. The main character in the third book dragonrider sword can be set on fire by saying it name.

[@TauGDS]

Any sword could be set on fire (it's just magic) the interesting thing about the blade was that Eragon called it 'Brisingr' (fire in magic language) and it just so happened to be the true name of the sword as well, so the sword reacted especially strongly and set on fire unintentionally until he figured it out and was more careful about it

[@dallinadams9422]

I like that one because of their reactions to the sword suddenly bursting in flame

[@mrghilliesmadhouse6286]

​@@TauGDSbecause I'm a nerd I'm also going to recall Rhünons other theory: that because Eragon was involved with the forging of the sword part of his willpower ended up being imbedded into it, thus him being able to cast a spell through the sword without consciously intending to.

[@harleycriswell8504]

So here is my reasoning for +1,2, and 3 weapons. 1 is slight corrections. So sword's lign up better and go were you want them to easier. 2 is when they hit they go in and a bit of magical forces helps keep the blade from binding. 3 is magically sharp so it cuts through things even easier. All magic magic swords are master works. And then I usually give them some history and minor effects so it's not so boring for the players

[@Squeeble00]

One of my favorite things about baldur's gate 1. The best longsword you can get for most of the game is +2 and does one extra point of cold damage, and it has a full on paragraph of lore about it.

[@isphus]

What about +3 maces though?

[@sapateirovalentin348]

​​@@isphusits a bit more tricks but it was already discussed in a video about sword enchantments in a way: basically the mass could be multiplied for an instant when it hit so that it Hurt a bunch harder but isnt harder to manipulate.also i prefer to specify it multiplies existing heft rather than add a flat value because otherwise the mace would e replaced by a wooden branch that would be just as strong

[@Niyucuatro]

In my headcanon, te enchantment of a +1 sword works by guiding the sword towards weak points of the enemy. So the sword itself is the same, but it guides itself towards gaps in armors, points with thiner skin, etc. the more +X, the better it guids itself.

[@JarieSuicune]

Bit of a problem if an armor explicitly doesn't have an accessible weak point? (Of course we DM's always have to rule there must be, unless it's like a puzzle fight or something, but really that's always immersion-breaking to me that a fantasy-setting character simply is incapable of having an armor lacking any available weakness. Not haven't a weakness doesn't mean unbeatable, just means you have no advantages to take against it.)

[@ShikiRen]

One of these days, Shad will write his own, super-realistic (if magical) TTRPG system... And I'd be totally there for it. Great vid! Cheers!

[@nickdesanto6119]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/bnjTq5qZj7V_rbssi=6SJyPkxUFJNtuwW7 he already did with his brother

[@TeKett]

Its not that hard. DnD is heavily simplified in order to make it user friendly as a pen and paper game. Since the shift to more digital tools and even playing on computers people are just still too afraid to make changes.

[@danielcox7629]

Use the advanced combat rules for cogent roleplay and you're playing the beta.

[@tobiassalisbury245]

He kinda did with Cogent...

[@nextcaesargaming5469]

I think we all know that the best enchantment for a sword is the 'Confusion' enchantment, achieved by making a Mall Ninja blade so atrocious that the opponent is flabbergasted to the point of brain hemorage.

[@Squeeble00]

Inflicts 1d4 psychic damage to everyone that can see it, creatures must roll a wisdom save to avoid being confused

[@Wastelandman7000]

ROFLOL

[@tristanseaver9054]

A possibility for the standard +1 enchantment: An increase in the speed of the strike. The increased speed would account for both the increased accuracy (harder to dodge a faster moving object) and damage (increased force from increased speed)

[@Goldenleyend]

But how? Is the sword lighter? Or is the momentum multiplied once a certain amount of force is applied, creating an infinite loop and launching it into space? Does it slow down time to be faster in real time? I cant think of a way that works

[@WJS774]

@@GoldenleyendThe sword is semi-sapient, and being a sword, it _knows combat._ It provides just a _little_ bit of assistance to the wielder, nothing compared to a _dancing_ sword that can fight by itself with _no_ wielder, but just enough to give the bearer an edge in combat.

[@Goldenleyend]

@@WJS774 What if the sword's combat knowledge differs from the wielder's? Will it override split second actions with its own? Or is the sword sentience so above ours it can make these split second decisions simultaneously with us while at the same time not advanced enough to achieve conscience? Is a sword that inputs momentum disconnected from the wielder's input really better and not harder to use?

[@yajurka]

@@Goldenleyend If sword had some sort of telekinetic magical enchantment, and you could control it with your mind, then you could move the sword with both your muscles and telekinesis to get greater force and therefore acceleration.

[@TheTenzen12]

@@Goldenleyend I think reducing weight while mantaining mass could definitelly work. Also it's not impossible to assume magical sword would actually give buffs to weilder. Sure it's bit of cheating, but making owner stronger and faster does improve performance of sword as well.

[@GothamClive]

Shad is very proud of his idea to explain magical enchantments with magic. And nice of him to allow us to use that idea, too. That's really good writing.

[@animefan3794]

So, something I’ve heard before regarding +X weapons in D&D is that when the concept was first introduced the idea was “this weapon is made of both the materials of our plane of existence and ones from another realm, so it’s effect is felt in both at once” and each + was another realm the materials came from

[@jchinckley]

I bought the first edition when it came out. I do not remember that concept in any of the material I read. It is a pretty cool concept though.

[@vite293]

How about "enhance" magic instead of "elemental" magic? Like: - Enhance sharpness (cut through steel like hot knife through butter) - Enhance durability (no need to oil or any kind of maintenance and still in perfect condition) - Self-healing (if the blade got chipped or the sword break, it can heal itself after sometimes) - ... Less is more 🤔.

[@gibbous_silver]

a self-healing sword enchant i came up with is whenever you dip it into molten metal (the same type the sword is) it reforms itself into how it was when it was enchanted

[@knweeb]

The last one reminds me of a sword from naruto called the executioners blade which uses the iron in the blood of those it’s slain to repair itself

[@gerald2508]

I like the enchantments that add abilities as opposed to effects; my favourites are projectiles (ie. razor-wind), extension (ie. light-blade), and command (ie. mystically enforced kingship).

[@KaiKrimson56]

​@@gerald2508Projectiles and laser blades are my favorite enchantments too.

[@dorkangel1076]

When I played D&D, a roll to hit wasn't just to hit the enemy, it was to hit them and beat their armour - then roll for damage (as opposed to say, Runequest where armour doesn't effect your chance of hitting but instead subtracts from the damage you roll on a successful strike). A +1 sword in D&D therefore doesn't cleave through armour. All it really does is add a 5% greater chance of the sword getting through/beating armour.

[@Likexner]

I never liked the D&D way. Missing should not be treated the same as hitting but not getting through the armor.

[@TemperedMedia]

@@Likexner That's really up to DM interpretation, given that "damage resistance" works technically the same. "Okay, you hit, but those dragon scales be thicc boi" is how I treat a player "missing" a big target (depending on the target). Storytelling is the biggest thing for me in a campaign, so I always mix it up.

[@dorkangel1076]

@@Likexner Yeah, I preferred the Runequest way where you have an attack roll, followed by a parry roll, and then if you hit, armour reduces the damage you roll. Also preferred their hit locations which each with its own armour. It was more gritty realism while D&D was more abstract fantasy.

[@sirbluelagoon7091]

The best demonstration of an enchanted sword was in the Fate anime series. Saber's Excalibur is sheathed with invisibility. It makes it difficult for her opponents to counter. Saber even mocks her opponents, asking them "am I using a sword? Maybe I'm wielding an axe, or a spear?"

[@oliverrowland2725]

The more interesting part of Excalibur is actually the scabbard, while the sword I recall being enchanted to have the finest edge, the scabbard would inhibit wounds and limiting any blood loss while worn.

[@sillypuppy5940]

I rather like the idea of Elric's sword Stormbringer: it drinks the souls (I suppose life energy) of its opponents even if the wound it makes is slight, and passes on a little of that to its wielder. That means its owner does not necessarily need to be strong or even that skilled in combat. The downside is that the sword is actually a demon that rends to make its owner a bit crazy.

[@kevinsullivan3448]

Don't forget that for every soul consumed (living being killed), Stormbringer became more powerful. No spoiler, but this is eventually a downside...

[@occultnightingale1106]

An enchantment that could increase a blade's cutting capacity while also avoiding it getting wedged in armor could be just reducing/eliminating the effects of friction from objects that the blade cuts. But, of course, one would need an enchanted scabbard that nullifies that enchantment while the blade is inside, to allow for safe transportation. Edit: dear god, reading comprehension is well and truly dead.

[@StreamerChair]

Could use a scabbard that holds it by the crossguard, never even touching the blade. If something like that could be designed.

[@MrCoxmic]

never underestimate the effects of a good scabbard

[@kayn9651]

Zero friction would also mean it can't do a draw cut, it could only hack into things, and it still wouldn't allow it to wedge into material. It still would need to push material apart to cut into something, and if anything, zero friction would make it impossible to contact it. Frictionless blade would be weaker, in fact.

[@sijonda]

What about a vibrating blade?

[@cordyceps182]

The slippery sword The butter blade

[@jedianderson2883]

I've always liked the idea of a sword that will change the point of balance to suit whatever situation you're in

[@artificersworkshop]

Speaking of weapons with a crazy sharp edge, I recently read a book - The Artificer's Chronicles by E.M. Hardy - where the main character accidentally enchants his knife to be that crazy sharp. One of the consequences of him getting this object was that he had to be extremely careful with it, including creating a new sheath that stored the knife in the opposite direction (blade up) to avoid it cutting through the sheath. I found it to be one of the most fascinating depictions of this kind of enchantment that I've read.

[@alphastronghold715]

How to flavor the infusion of vorpal longswords in RPGs: they are created by conjuration wizards. Conjuration being the essence of transporting something somewhere else, a vorpal longsword doesn’t cut the target, but rather banishes whatever material touches the edge of the blade to an alternate dimension so long as the blade is moving at a certain speed.

[@Firesgone]

A weapon using the edge of a portal as the 'cutting edge' is an interesting idea for comparison. Would be fantastic for a tool too, such as a shovel that makes the dirt it strikes disappear and lets you 'replace it' in a different spot.

[@Marcelo-ms4od]

That's what I came here to say! Conjuration and portals can kill anything at all if the answer to their paradox is favorable. The paradox being the property of the portal itself.

[@WhatIsThatThingDoing]

You'd need to run into a being with a high degree of internal redundancy/entity puppeteered by an incorporeal being capable of interacting with the mundane/something supremely effective in ranged engagements before you run into issues.

[@Mutski1579]

I love that the vorpal blade was sighted in the old Alice in Wonderland and D&D put it in as a joke and the entire community just rolled with it! ❤😂

[@lordnul1708]

​@@Mutski1579my group's setting takes it further and has the enchantment itself be reverse engineered from the knife in American McGee's Alice and Alice Madness Returns, and treats Alice Otherlands as canon to the two games. There's a bunch of other references as well, some of which are of varying qualities. For example... When my DM replicated the soup can puzzle from The 7th Guest... let's just say the ones who got it were even more annoyed than the ones that didn't.

[@shadowwolf9595]

I always understood weapon base enchantments to be using magic to enhance the natural mechanical advantage that the weapons offer. So it makes proper edge alignment easier/better with a sword, or it would improve the momentum for blunt weapons. EDIT: As for a sword that can 'cut through anything', you're talking about the Vorpal enchantment, which is powerful and expensive. (+5 bonus, so even a +1 Vorpal weapon is gonna run you 72k gold (In 3.5 rules, at least.)

[@Njilin]

This was extremely informative and you helped me realize what the difference is between regular +1 swords and vorpal swords. +1 swords are just at peak effectiveness at all times while vorpal swords function like Imperius, which is why when I GMed for my friends, when they found a vorpal sword I demonstrated it by having it fall to the stone tiles blade first and sink all the way to the hilt with zero force required. Awesome stuff!

[@UPTAUT]

That thumbnail is so completely on point. Shad I was so glad to see you on the open bar. I would like to see you again on the bar.

[@SOSFREAK]

A sword with the edge of obsidian and the durability of tungsten would be monstrous to master.

[@everydaypeople3197]

Depending on how much someone can manufacture and who has access to them you could build a empire rather quickly especially if you could enchant an entire spear

[@URMyNewTV]

Genie: your wish is granted. Catch: it's a Maharana Pratap's sword made of osmium.

[@everydaypeople3197]

@@URMyNewTV I'm not familiar what is it

[@URMyNewTV]

@@everydaypeople3197 Maharana Pratap is said to have wielded two swords, 25 kg each. Osmium weights 22.59 grams per cubic centimeter - steel 7.9 gram per cubic centimeter. Good luck swinging that around. :)

[@everydaypeople3197]

@@URMyNewTV just looked it up thanks

[@ampgamer7941]

If a blade vibrates in a sawing motion like in star wars, would that get rid of the wedging issue? Or perhaps if the blade itself was somehow frictionless and able to keep "slipping" through materials?

[@henry_tsai]

That would help but it can still get stuck in thick hard material. You need to be able to push the materials side ways or remove them out right. It's the spine of the blade that would get stuck, due to its thickness, not the edge.

[@TheTenzen12]

@@henry_tsaiOne of adventage of vibration blades is nothing else but ability push the material around it.

[@Da1337Man]

Raiden from metal gear solid has a sword like this. I think it vibrates at such a high frequency that anything that touches its edge has its molecular structure weakend, meaning it can slice through *anything* Except of course for Senator Armstrong, because *N A N O M A C H I N E S S O N*

[@endlessnoodle3056]

I love new videos Shad makes with the lads, but this type of solo functional fantasy is always gonna be god-tier

[@bradencb2970]

“Imagine being able to summon large, battlefield weapons whenever you need them” *Vallenhall has entered the chat* (While more limited, soul spaces in Cradle can achieve this too)

[@kriegerh]

Both Gilgamesh and Archer Emiya has entered the chat😂

[@accountname1047]

Love your pedantry and passion Shad, great video.

[@danielwesley5051]

Another interesting enchantment, what if you had a sword which was only visible to the user and his allies. Would probably work great on thrust focused swords.

[@gibbous_silver]

another thing making that sword hard to fight is you can’t see how long it is

[@Firesgone]

A spear formation with spears that can only been seen from the angle of the wielder would be very effective at stopping charges. Can't see where they are stabbing, and you certainly can't charge them.

[@Sukenus]

How would explain the "and his allies" part of the enchantment? Is the sword sentient and all-seeing and/or all-knowing to discern the wielder's friends from foes beyond the wielder's vision range? On the other hand, making it visible only to the wielder sounds easy to achieve. Just hold it and the blade becomes visible to you.

[@WhatIsThatThingDoing]

It would be beyond brilliant if used on daggers or other assassination tools.

[@gerald2508]

​​@@Sukenus The identification could be achieved through blood-oaths in an army or emotional-magic in an adventurer-group.

[@Ben_Benson.]

I’m currently going through shadow of the conqueror myself and I am absolutely loving it!! The story has me enthralled and I love all the detail and meeting put into everything! I can’t wait for the next book you publish!

[@GameSage12_]

Hearing you describe how magic works in your book, it sounds awesome. I have to finish listening to the audiobook.

[@arkventrie7858]

I have not finished the video, but here’s a way that I think sharper swords could work: The blade of the sword is surrounded by an outgoing field of force, that is no farther out than a millimeter, usually much less. This field is in such a shape that the edge of the blade is pulling (it pulls matter in) and the faces of the blades are pushing (they push matter away). This has two effects (in my opinion), the face of the blade has very little friction, if any, but the edge retains its friction. And the blade pulls matter over the edge and expels it outward as to not trap it, allowing for much deeper cuts. Edit: when the sword is pulled away from something, that pulling force on the edge would be reversed, as to push it away from the thing it may be stuck in. Also, a sword enchanted in this way may feel much heavier due to the pulling and pushing forces of the blade, but I’m not sure about that.

[@absolstoryoffiction6615]

For Sci Fi... It's usually a Nano Grav Field or an Nano Antimatter Field which sharpens the blade. The Nano Electronic Field tends to have faults when against other electricity fields. Thus, ruining the sword's augmentation. For Fantasy... Magical Field Types may differ for the +1 Sword. True Magic; however, is on par with Divinity. A sword forged with True Magic can equal that of a forged sword with Divinity.

[@kayn9651]

This makes me think of power swords from 40k, but I love your description just by itself, that'd really be interesting to build around.

[@AzraelThanatos]

Considering that with games like D&D, there's the magical damage modifier that magical weapons also have, it seems like something that might work as an explanation. Especially if you consider the older editions and lore where most magical weapons, unless otherwise stated, tend to always stay clean...so dirt and such just fall off of it. It might also only, really apply enough of the effect that you wouldn't notice it on a weaker enchantment so you might really feel it on a +3/+5 but it's barely noticeable on a +1 outside of things like water might bead up and slide off the surface and seems to dry off nearly the instant you pull it out of water. Of course, then you have some interesting non-magical ones where the explanation is more headscratching such as certain crafting types from earlier editions that can do the same thing while being non-magical and can be enchanted ontop of it.

[@Firesgone]

This is extremely similar to the idea I had, with the main difference being the repulsion force on faces being emphasized with a force projection acting as a cutting edge instead. The reversal would be a dangerous complexity, as then an opponent could throw sand at you and the reversal force applied if you tried to block/flinched from the moving/airborne sand could deflect the blade into yourself. A one sided blade could greatly decrease the risk of the blade wounding you, or flinging itself around when put down without a sheath, or flinging itself around when it snows or rains. But it remains very dangerous to have a weapon that might try to wrestle itself from your grip whenever the environment includes a lot of moving elements you can't avoid. I think a weapon with a force attraction into the blade in any form is simply a bad idea, as now you have moving out of alignment of the wielder's scale of intent and movement. Instead, a new cutting plane formed of the repulsion forces of either blade face joining together past the cutting edge may perform a lot better. At minimum being more consistent and reliable. Another idea would be to make the inertia of the blade lower, being disabled briefly when struck. It would make the blade more dexterous and allow it more chopping/blocking power where needed.

[@Sirfinchyyy]

It would probably feel top heavy on your strikes but very light when you parry.

[@EpicRandomness555]

My thought with sharpening enchantments is the best way for it to work is to forcefully part whatever material it is cutting into as long as enough force is behind it. So while normally, if you try to cut a branch with a sword, it won’t work even if you hit it hard enough the sword isn’t sharp enough. But if you use a sword that forces material apart with the same amount of force it does cut through.

[@Likexner]

I think a less than bombastic but still very useful enchantment would be giving your (preferably one-handed) sword the ability to project light from its tip like a flashlight. You could use it for utility but also to blind enemies to gain an upper hand in combat. That sounds like something that even a less skilled enchanter would be able to manage.

[@donovangibson9335]

I think the concept of a “cut anything” is fun but to get into the specifics might make more of a headache than it’s worth it’s like the whole teleportation conversation all over again if it works for you that’s great but too specific might lead you to inconsistency bringing you back to “because it’s magic” food for thought

[@Monk-ts3xr]

if you didn't know magic swords with short names are very dangerous you won't want to be on the pointy side of Lord William's Skull-cutter but you DEFINITELY don't want to be NEAR the Scraggler

[@Balinux756]

Redeemer Chaos depredation Ravager

[@badcat6628]

Or the Throngler

[@Croz89]

Or Dave.

[@Monk-ts3xr]

you get where i'm coming from.

[@frankknox9127]

A sword in the scabbard is worth two in the blacksmith’s forge. Better to use the one on your hip, than trying to get the sword out of the stone.

[@Kraleck]

Although if you're a middle-aged Brazilian ninja or Dracula reincarnated as an exchange student in Japan, you would just swing the sword in the stone around, stone and all, like a mace...

[@LuckySketches]

​@@KraleckOr the CEO of a pie company.

[@mysite1012]

Kinda funny, when you talk about being really careful with a sword that cuts through anything, it reminded me of a scene from the Eragon series. The setup is Eragon and Arya are captured, amd deprived of weapons. Another character rescues them, and gives Eragon a mystical blade with the ability to cut through anything. It shimmers and hums when swung. Angela named it "Tinkledeath". Eragon swings it, but didn't realize it didn't have weight, and nearly cut his foot off.

[@ElectricZoel]

I really like your videos man! There are so entertaining and cool!

[@notsae66]

A blade with an effect like fast flowing water moving from the edge to the back, allowing it to essentially pull itself further forward into wounds and be self cleaning, could be very interesting and powerful.

[@Marcelo-ms4od]

Would be very powerful but also extremely messy and hard to control.

[@funkydiscogod]

Isn't that just a magic chainsaw?

[@MrSphandor]

Chainswords ref wh40k ridiculous but so much fun! And terrifying to the opponent

[@jacobweatherford4696]

Shad if you had a sword thats edge was sharp enough it could cut atoms id be scared because what are you gonna do if you accidentally cut a atom in two and cause a nuclear blast.

[@danielwesley5051]

Don’t be silly, that can only happen with a POMMEL OF MASS DESTRUCTION!!!!!!!

[@ravenpotter5131]

Most atoms wouldn't make a large blast. Uranium plutonium and others used in nuclear thermal reactors and bombs give so much energy because they are extremely dense atoms. The density of those atoms is so great they actually have trouble holding themselves together contrasted with most smaller atoms which easily stick together. I'm not a nuclear physicist so I can't speak to if a explosion would happen however I know enough to say that even swinging the sword through the air would at the bare minimum split the atoms in the air releasing very large amounts of potentially deadly radiation.

[@merpius]

Atoms or nuclei? If it can just cut atoms then it is basically just creating ions and free electrons. Atomic nuclei are vastly smaller than the atom itself.

[@frostmagemarii]

I think the “mechanics” of the +1 weapons is that it feels lighter (so it’s easier to wield) but strikes as if it’s heavier. So in the end you can put more force behind the edge for less strength.

[@KonladVDragon]

My favorite "cut everything sword" is Yamato, the katana from game Devil May Cry, it literally cut time and space

[@nObOdyb0y]

I'm glad someone is finally bringing physics into the equation instead of shouting MAGIC everywhere. As a DM, my players are always trying to become manga protagonists without being able to explain what's going on and their actions half of the time.

[@harbl99]

How very different from the 80s and 90s, when the realism of the fantasy was almost a fetish for TTRPG players.

[@kaynesylvar8277]

The way I explain it is that magic works off of the conceptual reality people desire. What do people want a sword to do? To cut. Therefore, because the conceptual reality says “this sword cuts better” the world recognizes it as such

[@zaneweiss]

That's why I remove magic from my Dnd games.

[@gerald2508]

​@@zaneweiss What, how, and why!?

[@zaneweiss]

@@gerald2508 The worlds I used to make had no magic and everything was replaced with robots.

[@tomraineofmagigor3499]

A sword with an acid enchantment might have the ability to cut through anything. It could destabilize the structure as it cuts

[@Patrick33194]

Would stink

[@Sukenus]

That would need to be some magical super-acid. With real world acids, the "cuts" would be slower than using a saw.

[@Patrick33194]

@@Sukenus Idk I barf on my sword and it's been working pretty well

[@matthewwriter9539]

This sword is made of nanobots that eat away at anything the blade touches, leaving behind a living silvery slime that obeys whomever is holding the sword.

[@mrkiky]

@@Sukenus That's why we don't have any new cutting technology that would work in a sword. Anything that melts, vaporizes or saws through is super slow and only good in industrial settings or as tools like chainsaws, CNC lasers, plasma cutters, EDM, etc.

[@marcoeckhoff9920]

I always thought of it as a propability enhancement. The blade "drags" itself into openings and oppurtunities (and correcting edgealignment in the process), so the wielder is more likely to actually hit the target.

[@metatronyt]

You crack me up mate 🤣🤣Love that intro. Now let's watch the rest of the video. 🍕🍝

[@MrPlainsflyer]

Let the over-analysis flow through you...feel it...use it Shad!

[@williambarnes5023]

Being indestructible and unable to lose its edge means you don't need to give the blade any width. You aren't worried about its structural stability anymore. You won't get wedged in the steel because you won't need to push it apart as you cut. Your blade is a flat sheet. You don't have to reinforce it by making it thicker in the middle. It's just a straight razor edge thin all the way across. It cuts through their armor in a flat plane without separating it apart. The pieces of their armor fit back together again neatly after you chop them in half, and you can't see the seam.

[@victorro8760]

And now you have an extra floppy Indian whip sword.

[@Firesgone]

A force projection acting as the true cutting edge may perform better, ripping the material to the sides or otherwise out of the way. It would crack more brittle materials from the unusual stress on the target and if the kinetic force is ahead of the physical blade's cutting edge it could bypass armor and wound beneath it even if the sideways repulsion force wasn't strong enough to split everything on the way through anyway.

[@corwinhyatt519]

A flat sheet still has the possibility of being pinched/wedged by what it is cutting into unless you are cutting with the direction of gravity, into something under tension laterally to the cut or cutting something that is perfectly supported either side of where you're placing the cut.

[@konstantin3814]

If I understand correctly, in D&D one first needs to create a sword and then the enchantment is put on it. So to make a 1-atom-thin sword would not be possible using the standard hammer & anvil crafting. As others also said, even a thin sheet could still get stuck or pinched in a material, even flesh. Cutting into ballistic gel is a good visual for this.

[@konstantin3814]

@@victorro8760 that's actually a good question. Could a +1 (or +n) enchantment make a sword blade less floppy and more stiff? Cool idea to think about.

[@robertschwalb4469]

The anime Wise Man's Grandson has the main character create a blade that vibrates on his command, and yes it cuts through anything like butter. Another option would be to make the sword it's self extremely thin as well, which you mentioned in another video at one point. Another neat effect to this is that, depending on the material used, it could also be partially see through. Wood for example, when extremely thin, should be partially see through. Which would be very cool.

[@heathharris2545]

In my D&D games magic swords are surrounded by a halo of energy that reaches out and helps separate what the sword is cutting into.

[@simeonkrastev1901]

That makes me wonder, how would a +1 hammer work? Does it magically gain mass just before the moment of impact?

[@MrFallenone]

What about a stick how does stick gain damage from a +1

[@jimmyju76]

i think it would be like a +1 butterknife be capable of doingvthe same as a regular assassin knife

[@arthurleywin-bf3gc]

I hope you enjoy your time in the U.K!!! Love the new vid

[@Kadranos]

Kinetic multiplication and direction. The enchantment acts as a unidirectional leverage multiplier such that forces applied by the wielder are multiplied however many times into the blade. This explains the +1/2/3/4/5 to damage. Someone else mentioned edge alignment, and that seems to be at least part of what gives the bonus to hit, though I think some part of it must be a combination response to the will of the user and response to the state of the target to assist in aiming the strike. As I understand it, armor bonuses reflect a reduction in the valid target areas (the others being protected), and thus require a more accurate strike to find the gaps, and the +1/2/3/4/5 leads to the sword assisting in guiding itself to these gaps with proper edge/tip alignment, hence the bonus to the attack roll. The increased force then adds to the damage. I've always appreciated Fred Saberhagen's take on enchanted swords in the Book of Swords and Lost Swords novels, if not everything else about the series. Still enjoyable and thought provoking, though. Shad's description of sunforging sounds to me how magic was always conceived of before the modern melding of fantasy to science in which every magical effect has to work in a manner describable by science. Literally the answer used to be "magic, duh!" because magic was understood to be something which works by laws other than natural ones. What a materialistic world we live in in which we expect naturalism from the supernatural!

[@oldnotweak]

+1 sword makes the sword extremely difficult to break, makes it retain its edge vs most everything and it aids you in combat with aiming (imagine a tiny force pushing the tip of your blade where you want it to go). it doesn't make it like a light saber.

[@CaedmonOS]

Actually I think it'd be a pretty cool idea to make it so that a freshly sharpened sword acts like a plus one sword for a few strikes and then it's the plus two and plus three swords that get to the point where that sort is more sharp than you can possibly get it to be with a grindstone

[@brianacton8463]

Some of the older movies had magic weapons and showed clearly how they work. They could move themselves to a limited degree based on the wielders will.

[@Verdinhox2]

what're the names of the movies? they sound fun

[@brianacton8463]

@@Verdinhox2 The Black Cauldron comes readily to mind

[@hulmhochberg8129]

Dnd has the 9th level spell "blade of disaster", not a sword as its really just a blade controlled by the casters mind, but its basically a rift in space itself

[@eyflfla]

Variable sword (From Larry Niven's books): A hand weapon with a variable length blade of mono-filament or near mono-filament(such as Sinclair Molecule Chain), protected and made rigid by a stasis field. A glowing red ball marks the extended tip of the wire/blade.

[@andrewli6606]

Why are there no enchanted guns?

[@silverknight6684]

You could say shrapnel bullets or with explosives are the enchantment lol. But I'm sure there are some fantasy guns that never miss, or spin bullets around corners

[@absolstoryoffiction6615]

Enchanting Magic is one of the most broken Magical Schools to learn from. However, this is heavily derived from True Alchemy over the generations of passing down the magical knowledge. Unlike Divinity. True Alchemy isn't based on the Divine Soul to strengthen the abilities. Where as, Divinity is heavily based on the power of the Divine Soul.

[@thirdplanet4471]

Noel's guns from blazblue come to mind and the origin bullet from fate zero

[@houselightkell]

How about this: an AK except upon impact, 50% of the bullet's kinetic energy will be converted into what ever form of energy you choose

[@marcogenovesi8570]

why you think there are no enchanted guns

[@FierceDeity35]

On the topic of magic swords, id like to see your analysis on some of the weapons of breath of the wild. Theres over 100 different weapons in the range of claymores, broadswords and spears.

[@kyltredragmire4939]

Skallagrim already did it if you wanna see his opinion. It was mostly "eh, it's fine."

[@syncrossus]

I typically leave the magical mechanism up to my players when I DM. If they want their sword to be insanely sharp, that works for me. The sword could also feel weightless to the user, who could wield it with uncanny speed and precision. My favorite mechanism is probably the sword having something like a mind of its own, magically twisting itself in the user's hands to improve edge alignment, nudging the strikes to aim true.

[@BaithNa]

I always thought that a +1 sword meant that it was just a higher quality sword. Like a regular sword was made or bronze while a +1 sword was made of iron.

[@quiett6191]

My favorite iteration of Excalibur is from Puss in Boots 2. Its used by one of the antagonists, as a bad guy he's obviously unworthy to weild it, but he doesn't care. So when he uses it, he uses it like a club. As he states, "I couldn't get this rock off of it, but its still pretty cool right?" And he's right, its freakin Excalibur, of course its cool.

[@SolarinDay]

I prefer the enchantment that makes it able to harm an otherwise invulnerable enemy.

[@Gaia_Gaistar]

Being able to cut ghosts is always cool.

[@absolstoryoffiction6615]

I just put every enchantment in my Sword that doesn't contradict with other effects. Although, I prefer using the Void Sword. It is a blade of pure nothingness and it's twin half is the Sword of Existence.

[@TheSilverShadow17]

​@@absolstoryoffiction6615A void sword with a void edge

[@absolstoryoffiction6615]

@@TheSilverShadow17 Pretty much... Nothingness manifested in its Crystal Blade is the same as Existence manifested in its Crystal Blade... Twin Swords, is it is. Both equal in power. Both unmatched in power. But only the Void Forge and the Omni Forge have the ability to create those kinds of swords. All others are either false replicas, from the Core of Origin, or forged with a Soul of Omnipotence. And the Core of Origin was lost long ago. Both the Omni Forge and the Void Forge are the few fragments of the Lost Origin. (Well... I did design it all... If it was real, then I wouldn't need to stay in the 3rd Dimension... Real life is temporary to me. It's not even real in ways that matter.)

[@MonkeyJedi99]

I am reminded of a Robot Chicken skit where Zeus was giving Perseus(?) "A sword that can cut through anything" and "A shield that can't be cut by anything." He then tells the hero to not get one too close to the other, because he doesn't know what will happen.

[@manythingslefttobuild]

I read your book and wanted to say: Great job on the world building and the tormented character.

[@jacknemo8021]

The enchantment makes a frictionless magical coating perhaps. The edge of the sword could get mono-molecular as you said. A few other ways, I suppose.

[@SeraphimVolker]

Magic sword < Giant Iron Slab (Dragon Slayer from Berserk)

[@patrickbateman3146]

GRRRIIIFFFFIIIIIIIIITTTTTHHH

[@hattoripool1533]

Isn’t the Dragonslayer a magic sword at this point with the whole existing on two planes of existence thanks to demon blood?

[@cappinjocj9316]

True, but you’d need to be built like Guts to wield the thing. It’d be like trying to fight with a girder.

[@alejandroseal3513]

That thing was too big to be called a sword. Too big, too thick, too heavy, and too rough, it was more like a large hunk of iron.

[@marcogenovesi8570]

yeah if you can throw literal train tracks around like they are noting it's probably going to hit like a truck

[@KamenIXA]

So THAT is how sunforged enchantments work on a technical level!

[@joshuapossin6910]

My interpretation of how magic weapons and metals work (or my version of the D&D ones) +1 - the rules state that magic items are resistant to all damage (take half the damage a regular object would). So a +1 item receives it’s bonus to attack from being able to be made lighter (due to the superior strength of the material) than it’s non magical counterpart. The damage bonus comes from it’s ability to stay razor sharp. +2 - a weapon with specific enchant to enhance it’s effectiveness. Such as being super light or causing destruction on contact. +3 - a masterfully crafted magic item. Often with (in addition to the abilities of earlier categories) properties that defy natural laws, such as having more mass to an opponent then the wielder or increasing the user’s speed. Mithril - star silver, can be forged into magical weapons, but has additional properties from the otherworldly metal. Super light, super strong, and immune to magic that would corrupt or weaken it. Admantine- spellforged steel. Steel that was created using the lost art of layering enchantments upon the molten ore. These enchantments make it immune to all nonmagical damage. The forging process leaves a Damascus-like pattern of shifting sub-surface light in the steel.

[@spinnirack3645]

My favorite concept for a magic blade is one that abuses the infinitely narrow edge of portals to make the blade sharper then mere physical objects could manage Add on the sword being heavier then normal to insure the force per square inch is extra insane and several layers of flickering portals to ablate layers of magic items And you get a fairly normal looking blade that cant be safely touched

[@LeonardAndHisBiscuit]

The 'atomic edge' might not do too much to thick armor by wedging the steel part of the sword, but even riveted chain would be like butter to something like that. Each individual link isn't thick enough to stop the blade, they'd separate and lose total effectiveness.

[@austinjones3383]

I once had an idea for "a sword that cuts through anything" in the form of (absorption and ejection). The "cutting" edge of the blade absorbs whatever material it comes in contact with and puts it in a magical storage space. The wielder can choose to either eject the material immediately from the tip or spine of the sword or eject the material later however they so choose. This mechanic would leave behind fairly smooth/polished cut surfaces, at least as smooth and polished as the sword itself. You can't get a stuck sword if the sword is actively removing anything that touches itself.

[@kameronfairchild8299]

Amazing topic of choice. i would love to hear more, but with more people to bounce this idea around

[@stonecoldscubasteveo4827]

The 1-molecule edge reminds me of Larry Niven's variable sword. Essentially a 1-molecule thick wire that spools out and is held stiff by a force field generated in the handle. You can adjust the length as you like (hence variable) up to many meters, it's nearly massless thus super-quick, and can slice through damn-near anything without resistance. A lightsaber has nothing on a variable sword. It's just the thing you want when an enraged Kzin is leaping at you.

[@jeremymills5384]

Just what I thought of… Monofilament held in a slaver stasis field…

[@Tobias5036]

The magic and weapons in your novel are really well thought out. I highly enjoyed Shadows of the Conqueror and eagerly anticipate a sequel.

[@zerberus_ms]

1:03 patting himself on the back there.😂

[@enderskunk7515]

Souldn't the rings of chain mail have more than enough space to mave apart?

[@hraefn1821]

I really love the few examples in anime that show a sort of magical "force field" just around the surface of the blade, where you see the material start to cut and spread before the sword edge even contacts it. It suggests that needed extra force to part the material for the blade.

[@Resomius]

The "don´t accidently touch your leg with the ultra sharp sword" thing got a little bit explored in the Eragon Books (Paolini did so much things good) Where the MC get´s lend a crystalin blade for some time and wants to make a testcut with it, swings at a stone altar and thw sword pulls through the stone and almost cuts into his foot.

[@daniel.s.stefanov]

I sweat profusely just looking at you with that gambeson on mid-summer.

[@scottm.603]

Larry Niven had a sci-fi version of this called a 'variable sword'. It was a monomolecular filament suspended in a handwavium stasis field to keep it straight. The end of the filament had a ball so the wielder could tell where the blade ended. The filament unreeled from the handle and could be any length, hence the name.

[@AFT3RDAY5]

I just started to read „Shadow of the Conqueror“ and I absolutely love it. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 The story is right up my alley and it is amazingly well written. I am very excited to see what is to come 🤩👍🏻

[@alexanderwolf3739]

if in some cases its an aura around the blade that imperceptibly oscillates that could be why it cuts better. in the case of blunt weapons such as hammers and maces it could function as a force multiplier.

[@TeKett]

Well the shape of a edged object does more. The cut itself creates a shape that forces the material away from the object, essentially a V. If its too thin then the material might get stuck on the sides of the object. Like when cutting potato's and it gets stuck on the side of the knife. If you would make a sword that is 1 molecule thick, you have no room to move before the side hits what you are cutting, which would create immense friction. Like a saw getting wedged.

[@lloydfromfar]

Just the topic I was music about in my current campaign building exercise! :)

[@umbaupause]

I wonder if it would be viable to have some sort of "hardened air" layer around the blade itself, perhaps bound by infused mana of some sort. So that the blade wouldn't use its own edge per se, but instead the air locked onto its structure. Now since it's probably a fragile bond, it might need re-infusing frequently though.

[@darcraven01]

1:53 well one way would be its enchantment allows it to be super thin without dulling/chipping/breaking so it'd have a better cutting angle. another way is that it literally repells atoms away from the enchantment so it'd push through objects like its going through air... super fast microvibrations may also help in basically striking an object thousands of times in a second thus "digging" into the object.. and thats just to name a few. it all depends on the kind of enchantment (and as for better able to hit.. it could slightly repel objects thus making parrying or blocking harder to achieve.. and to counter that, shields/armor could attract objects to them to certain non-vital parts to deflect arrows or throw off melee blows) 11:40 both the atomic repulsion and the rapid microvibration would solvevthe issues you've mentiones. the atomic repulsion would simply push away anything that attempts to prevent it from moving while the rapid microvibration would be as if you're constantly moving the weapon around preventing it from staying in place long enough to get stuck. in terms of dnd, i'd probably say the rapid microvibration could be a +2 while the atomic repulsion would be a +3 (and probably vorpal).. also, enchantments would have to be able to be turned off when stored or set down so you dont accidently cut something. probably also have protective enchantments to stop the blade from cutting the user incase you're parried in a way that it would strike yourself..

[@nunyabidness5375]

Ideal magic sword: : made of Nth Metal, unbreakable and eternally sharp, enhances the abilities of those who use it, plus it can even effect the spirit world/disrupt magic. Close second: something like He-Man's sword, unbreakable/sharp plus absorbs and deflects energy. (Not that shape though.) Honorable mention goes to the sword in Xanth that's enormously heavy to that which it is wielded against but super light to the wielder. Combine that property with the Nth Metal and woo hoo!!

[@nevogolan6505]

An extremely long and thin blade you can roll out like tin foil. Put it inside a heavy club and roll out a new cutting edge between encounters

[@ASpaceOstrich]

The +1 sword that is used in combat against another +1 sword presents an interesting conundrum. Do you need to carry around a +1 whetstone for the rare occasion that it gets damaged? DnD for example has magic being common enough that a +1 weapon would realistically take some damage. Either against other magical weapons, or creatures with inherent magic to them.