How to make a legendary weapon unique?

Discussion in 'Author Discussions' started by Lazriser, Jun 26, 2019.

  1. Lazriser

    Lazriser Well-Known Member

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    My main motivation in writing fractured universes are the weapons mentioned or shown in them. Rather than the plot or characters, its the weapons that makeup the best of the fight. Of course, the characters that use them must also intrigue and gain popularity or a connection from the audience to make the weapon shine even brighter during the clash of mettle. But, what makes a legendary weapon unique or worth anticipating more than the character that wields it? There is balance, but should balance tip towards my bias, how should a weapon be written and make a wonderful entrance to the story?
     
  2. Tilgarial

    Tilgarial [Chaos Tiger] [Paradox] [ded][Houseplant]

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    Hmm... i would start the conceptualization with a weakness. Like a knife that cannot cut through cheese.
    Then fit that somehow into the universe, give it powers that counerbalance tje weakness to make it legendary, in the aforementioned case a bland 'cut throigh everything else' and go!
     
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  3. Westeller

    Westeller Smokin' Sexy Style!! Staff Member

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    I'd say... Anything with its own ability(s). Something that expands the wielder's repertoire. It doesn't have to be overpowering or anything -- it just has to be an important variable that people stress over in fights. "I've never seen that weapon before, what kind of ability does it have..." That kinda thing.
     
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  4. suncust

    suncust I love all fluffy things! ~

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    Use an unconventional item! Don't have to an actual weapon!

    You can draw inspiration from upgrade specialist in another world whereby one of the main weapons the mc uses is a brick that has gone through a couple of upgrades and it's ultimate form is fo it to expand to a few km wide lol...
     
  5. 0000000

    0000000 I B SMILING!

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    Space warping whip that breaks a rib of the user everytime it is used. Can be use to create rupture in defense or ripples/distortions in space to attack opponents?

    I recall a show about a weird room, with everyday items imbued with special and deadly effects. Like a glasses that kills whoever the user is staring while wearing it.

    Worth the candle even has a sword that eats ones memories to increase attack strength.

    Gun of friendship, loses a year with every shot fired, but those who get hit by you will like you, variations dependant of victims. Repeated shots for one victim is allowed.

    Something a human emperor 人皇, heavenly emperor 天帝 uses. A proxy that increases the user's every attributes proportionate to the amount of supporters the user have. Additional benefit is that the supporters also gain some power up too. Drawback is that the user can hear and know every supporter's desires and wishes.
     
    Last edited: Jun 26, 2019
  6. RizYun

    RizYun #Kaffee4Laifu

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    weapon that need price to pay when the user want to use em, like one's blood or soul, or something absurb like one's virginity, lust, karma, wrath, etc..
     
  7. Adieu

    Adieu Active Member

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    There are several schools of thought

    Western 1: it must be extremely big and shiny
    Western 2: it must be a (somewhat) sentient lunatic
    Japanese: embellish the hell out of it and make it transform and fly around and shit
    Chinese: give it a flowery name to strike fear (?) into the hearts of your enemies
    Korean: strike a dashing pose and present a brief essay-length chuuni speech about how your big shiney somewhat sentient flowery transforming sword will....
     
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  8. false

    false Today is always the best day ever~

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    Give the weapons history and lore. Say the weapon used to be wielded by a legendary figure to do something historically significant.

    Make a setting that convey how significant weapons are in the world. Like, say, the top figures of the world's story would change their name into the name of their signature weapons.
     
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  9. ru5ty

    ru5ty Citizen of MILF Kingdom

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    make it only mc can use it, or it could be part of the mc soul/body
     
  10. lucjanssens

    lucjanssens a very ¨rabbit¨ bunny

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    i thought that the Japanese school was that it could transform in a loli
     
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  11. Anon Ymous

    Anon Ymous Well-Known Member

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    throwing tons of features,
    self heal, mana regen and so
    refer to korean or cn novels for those
     
  12. lucjanssens

    lucjanssens a very ¨rabbit¨ bunny

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    MAKE IT TRANSFORM IN A SHOTA
    that's unique because most wapens turn into loli's
     
  13. GDLiZy

    GDLiZy Wise Deepsea Mermaid

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    Make it Unique aka truly unprecedented. Let it have the power that none other than it would have.
     
  14. CyberCypher

    CyberCypher Air Breather

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    Give it a poem or rhyme to accompany it like the rings of LoTR
    Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
    Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
    Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
    One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne,
    In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie,
    One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them,
    One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
    In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

    That verse gives me goosebumps
    or like king arthur's excalibur
    Whoso pulleth out this sword from this stone, is right wise King born of all England.”
     
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  15. Deleted member 155674

    Deleted member 155674 Guest

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    Maybe, make some people/characters talk about it or its components in awe as an introduction , something like this (I am tired and I am making random things here so don't judge, I am just trying to explain my point:blobsweat:):
    "The core of the universal phoenix, strong and everlasting , the hilt from the eternal dragon, firm and unbreakable, the blade from the chaotic lands of the sunflare planet, smiting the evil and enemy for demons and deities alike, all together and coated in the blood of legions of immortal beings, and harnessed for thousands of years in the harshness of voids, one of a kind (you can go on) a weapon even the thunder god (lol) will be deemed unworthy of wielding, many will sacrifice their lives and the lives of their cherished ones to get a glimpse of it let alone hold it, but none is worthy as only the chosen deserve to bask in the glory of the one and only weapon of it's kind (name it)".
     
  16. Simon

    Simon [The Pure One's Chief Steward][Demon Beast]

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    The only way to make a weapon unique is its backstory and how its retold by the population.

    The simple brass sheild used by peresus to defeat the Medusa.
     
  17. Adieu

    Adieu Active Member

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    Just call it the GLORIOUS DIVINE BLADE OF FACEPALM and be done with it, then...
     
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  18. Wujigege

    Wujigege *Christian*SIMP*Comedian

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    • Scenario 1 : Weapon breaks after one use and has to be fixed. This is actually great for OP weapons
    • Scenario 2: Weapon requires the sacrifice of the life of someone or their soul or their loved one to work
    I seriously recommend Chinese xianxia stories like Chinese Paladin and Xuan Yuan Sword for research on weapons.
     
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  19. Yukkuri Oniisan

    Yukkuri Oniisan 『Procrastinator Archwizard Translator and Writer』

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    The sword have an important backstory. In The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, the weapons themselves not only treasured for their physical abilities but also the history and the secret that they represent. So make your weapon to be something that has important backstory or importance or something. So the Adamantium Weapon the character held might be the Sword of the Yellow Emperor or the Sword can only be wielded by the Moon Goddess-descended Maiden or something...

    You're the author. There are 2 way to approach it: The auteur path and the reader path. In the auteur path, you write what you want to write, reader be damned. In the reader path, you read in a way that is demanded by your reader, your intention be damned.
     
  20. blazingblack

    blazingblack Well-Known Member

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    make them a growing weapon or something that grows along the protagonist, with the plots and other new elements in the story can be fit together. And don't always discuss about that legendary weapon so that you can change or alter its stats whenever there is a new plots or elements you want to add in your story :)