The rules presented in the Alchemical Book regarding Beam Weapons seems to be directly lifted from the First Edition Rulebook, therefore it needs to be adopted to 2nd Edition Rules.
Here are the rules regarding Beam-klaves in my game
- All Slash and Piercing Artifact Melee/Martial Arts weapons have beam-klave equivalents – and the have identical stats except for the modifications below
- Beam-klaves have artifact ratings 2 dots higher than their standard counter part.
- Beam-klaves have a minimum repair rating of 2 for small to medium weapons. Larger weapons will have repair rating of 3, Warstrider size weapons will have repair rating that are much higher.
- Commitment Cost is 1/2 their counter part, to a min of 3 Motes
- Commitment Cost of Warstrider Versions are 1 more than standard cost, but cost no motes to activate.
- When inactive Beam-klaves consist only of the “Handle”. Attune user can reflexively activate the weapon by expending 5 motes (not committed). An beam blade of appropriate color shape and size instantly springs into being. This blade will last for the rest of the scene or when dispelled by its attuned user. (See Manual of Exalted Powers: Alchemicals Pg. 213 for Beam Color based on Material Descriptions).
- When Active it Ignites Flammable Objects by Touch
- Beam-klaves have the same Magical Material Bonus as any other Artifact Weapon.
- Beam-klaves half the parry DV if the defender blocks with non-magical material. Unless defense is appropriately stunted the defending weapon is assume to be destroyed should the attack succeed. This includes natural weapons as well – though in the case of vastly supernatural beings Storyteller would have to use common sense.
- Beam-klaves have the “Pierce” trait. Should the standard weapon already have Piercing then the Armor Soak is reduced to 1/3rd as oppose to half. Adamant Beam-klaves reduces opponent Armor Soak by 1/3rd before applying the –4 Armor Soak material bonus.
- Beam-klaves loses its special traits and is treated as standard artifact weapon against things that are highly resistant/immune to heat.
BEAM WEAPONS (ARTIFACT ••• TO •••••)
Original Text (Manual of Exalted Powers – Alchemicals pg 211)
Repair: 2
The signature weapons of the Alchemical Exalted, these intricate cylinders are constructed from magical materials encased in a foot-long shell of reinforced alloys and tipped with a concave crystal disc. Variations on the straight cylinder do exist, but are uncommon and do not affect their function. Slightly curved versions are the most popular variation. Attuning to a beam weapon requires a commitment of three motes, whereupon these devices become light, nimble and easy to wield. Thereafter, when the Exalt pays five motes into his attuned beam weapon, the weapon extrudes a blade of glowing Essence that averages three feet in length. (It lasts for an entire scene.) These blades combine tremendous heat and pure force and are able to set flammable objects alight with but a touch. The color of the blade depends on the magical material used in the artifact’s construction. Orichalcum blades emanate golden-white light that pulses as the blade moves, while moonsilver blades flicker with a pale, silver-blue radiance. Jade blades glow softly in the color of their jade-type, although black jade generates a midnight blue brilliance. Starmetal beam weapons are crimson-hued at rest, and smoothly arc through the spectrum to deep violet as they slash through the air. Soulsteel beam weapons are the deep red-black of dried blood and leave behind curtains of ash in their wake. Adamant beam weapons are the most spectacular. They are barely visible at rest as pale-blue prisms of energy that refract and scatter all other light. But as they cut through the air, they flash intermittently like bolts of lightning and trail azure sparks behind them.
Active beam weapons carry the same traits as their magical material counterparts, and artifact melee and martial arts weapons have beam weapon equivalents. Slayer khatars, fate rings, baneclaws and razor claws always come in pairs, and all beam weapons have an Artifact rating two dots higher than their normal counterparts, including warstrider-sized beam weapons—which cost an extra mote to attune.
In addition to their normal traits, all beam weapons destroy non-magical weapons with which they come into contact, provided there are any successes on a parry on Step Ten of attack events, even if the successes are not sufficient to deflect the attack. Furthermore, all parry successes against beam weapons are halved (rounded down). If natural weapons are used to parry a beam weapon, the character using them suffers two lethal levels of damage and extras have those fists, claws or feet amputated. Also, if a beam weapon successfully strikes a being wearing non-magical armor, the raw damage of the attack is permanently subtracted from both the armor’s bashing and lethal soak values, to a minimum of zero. If both soak values are reduced to zero, the armor is destroyed and provides no further protection. Inanimate targets of roughly the user’s size or smaller also suffer a permanent soak reduction from attacks made against them. If an object’s soak is reduced to zero, it is left appropriately scorched and fractured, but is otherwise damaged normally. Larger objects, such as walls, apply the soak reduction to only the small area that is being attacked rather than to the entire structure. Magical weapons suffer no damage from contact with a beam weapon and may parry them without penalty.
While the most common form of beam weapon is the beamklave, other weapon models are referred to by the same prefaces as beamklaves, so reaper beamklave, reaver beamklave, grand beamcleavers, beamlances, et cetera.
