Z-3 "Judgement" Energy Blade

The  is a member of the Hammerforge Industries Z-series Energy Blades, a set of close-combat weapons designed with customization and individuality in mind.

Design
As a portion of the Hammerforge Industries Project Zeta, a project designed to start the production of melee weaponry for both Elemental Warriors and Powered Armored soldiers, and one that was shared by all the Technomage-run weapons organizations, Ronan the Fox requested a number of designers to create hilts for energy blades. It was envisioned by all the surviving Technomages that these weapons, simple enough in construction, would be self-sufficient in power and fully-customizable, encouraging the owner to experiment with the hilt they purchased, as well as other portions of the weapon including the crystalline basis and the more advanced parts. Each company focused on these, although most also investigated a secondary area, the development of specialized armors and weapons capable of countering the blades.

One of the designers came back with a rather plain gray hilt made of steel, with a split-guard around the emitter, and a rounded weight on the other end, in order to balance out the blade. Nothing truly outstanding about the mechanics was noted, mostly because the designer had stuck to his orders, and only designed the hilt, not started customizing the blade itself. Ronan and some of the other head designers, most with respectable skill with bladed weapons, tried the hilt against the Z-1 "Avenger"-type of hilt, the first production hilt. At first, the extra weight was a surprise, and the hilt was almost discarded. Then, in the sparring match, Ronan discovered the extra weight in the hilt lent itself brilliantly to a more balanced fighting style than the Z-1's aggressive, fast-moving and fast-striking combat form. As such, it was the third hilt accepted by Hammerforge, marketed as the Z-3 "Judgement".

Attributes
As with all energy blades, the hilt is roughly thirty centimeters, the right length for two hands on the hilt, as with a standardized sword. However, the light weight of the handgrip also lends itself well to a single-handed grasp, allowing for light, fast strikes. The blade itself is typically one meter in length, although through modifications to the focusing crystals and the emitters, the blade can be coaxed to much greater lengths. The "Judgement"-type hilt, however, is not designed for the variable-length type of blade, and as such is not recommended for such an upgrade.

In use, the "Judgement"-type energy blade hilt is a balanced, easy to use hilt, with a typically golden blade, provided by a topaz. However, many "Judgement" hilts have been seen modified with other blade colors, including some using Elemental Gems.

Customized Examples
pending

Known Users
pending