Oooh! you could even call the group "The Custodians" !!

I personally really didn't care for the black lightsaber, especially after it was revealed they only did it when someone said "wouldn't a lightsaber just cut through that vibrosword?", and even with all the examples of substances that aren't (phrik, cortosis, ultrachrome, Mandalorian Iron, the list of mcguffnium, malarkiaite, absurdium, and unnobtainium-analogues can go on), they weren't willing to take a moment to explain it; they just gave a Mandalorian a Jedi weapon he'd probably never use, because it's a JEDI weapon, although, I do appreciate them crapping on the belief that only Force-users can use lightsabers.

As for that, I choose to believe it's not true. Would a lightsaber be hard to use, as a novice? Certainly. Could you seriously hurt yourself in training? Even get killed? Yep. Ever seen a real dire flail? I have, and was glad it was just hanging on my friend's wall; among the most impractical weapons ever, but people CAN use them. I know that droids were trained to use them, as training aides for young Jedi, often from rich families trying to help their children, from afar. While they are machines, I'd argue that they would only be programmed to meet Human abilities, at least at first, and they can. Training sabers don't hack off limbs, so you could learn on a safe unit, first, and then use one. The Force would certainly help, I grant, if you can see the future a bit, or have preternatural agility/luck, as a result, but I believe it's hardly necessary.

Ok, so. The Darksaber: a one of a kind, legendary lightsaber that has been involved in quite a few major events, and has an extremely distinctive design. Beyond that, seems a fairly typical lightsaber. So far as F&D goes, I can see a few ways to stat it.

The first is, as other's have said, just make it a standard lightsaber. I will note though that for F&D, that's a fairly broad category. Personally, I'd likely grab either the Illum crystal or Kyrat Dragon Pearl as a baseline (the most 'standard' lightsaber crystals that are close to the movie) and then bump the crystal to fully modded, as is inline with most NPC unique weapons. I'd feel inclined to go with the Pearl myself: it is a major, quest driven item, and I know I'd feel a bit cheated if it was 'just' the same as every other NPC saber.

The second way would be to model it like the sabers in Nexus of Power: ei something semi-unique to that weapon. I think there is some room for this, but it would need to be fairly subtle and fit the general narrative of the weapon. Honestly, this one is probably best left to the GM and how they intend to use the weapon in the game.

The last (and honestly I'd probably apply this to the weapon no matter how I statted it) is give it a reputation, out of Keeping the Peace. This is a distinctive, fairly famous weapon: among the right groups (Mandalorians, the Hutts, Black Sun, and basically everyone in Maul's Shadow Collective) it should be giving social boost/setback. This is a weapon people notice , and that should be reflected.

The only real thing that sets the darksabre from the other ones we see on TCW is that it's black. That's it. Oh and it was stolen.

Plus the blade shape. In a show that - without fail - depicts all lightsaber blades identically (cylinder with rounded cone tip), no matter who created it, the darksaber had a substantially different blade shape . That's actually more notable than the color, frankly.

I'm obviously not saying that has to do something special , but it's definitely more than just the color (and the glow). The EU had lots of different blade shapes, but this brings the number of canonical blade shapes to a whopping 2 (3 if you count the shoto blade length).

Maybe it lets Mandalorians use the Melee skill instead of Lightsaber ...

Pre Viszla, the Mando we first see using it, does seem to be able to wield it much more effectively than any other non-sensitive we see using a lightsaber, except Grievous, so I could see that being possible.

Or he simply had enough time to practice. The vast majority of lightsaber style basics are not force enhanced, and given enough time, should be usable by anyone. It's just that 99.9999999999999999999999999999999 percent of the galaxy has never so much as seen a lightsaber, much less owned one.

I had the idea that the unique design of the darksaber is that it allows either the use of melee OR lightsaber skill for anyone who wields it.

To be honest, when it first appeared in the Clone Wars series I thought it was a collapsible Cortosis Vibro-Blade Sword.

The only real thing that sets the darksabre from the other ones we see on TCW is that it's black. That's it. Oh and it was stolen.

Plus the blade shape. In a show that - without fail - depicts all lightsaber blades identically (cylinder with rounded cone tip), no matter who created it, the darksaber had a substantially different blade shape . That's actually more notable than the color, frankly.

I'm obviously not saying that has to do something special , but it's definitely more than just the color (and the glow). The EU had lots of different blade shapes, but this brings the number of canonical blade shapes to a whopping 2 (3 if you count the shoto blade length).

And the Rebels lightsabres look closer to fencing blades. I don't really take artistic liberties that the shows employ as being an important canon defining feature.

So the question is, what happened to the Darksaber after Sideous handed Maul his arse?

Either he dropped it where he died, or it's probably still in the Temple, on Malachor. The wiki says he went back to get info on how to defeat the Emperor, and Vader, but I assume he got little info, since the entire point of the Sith Order was to crush the Jedi, and rule the galaxy, which Emps was doing. How they might feel about him possibly reneging on a few things, now that he was in power, or just being evil, sadistic monsters, they might've helped him, or they killed him, to keep their success, and it's on Malachor; don't know, and I'd say it could be seen as conveniently vague enough to let you decide, based on your hopes/needs.

The dark sabre I'd say is a special 'relic' item.

The blade colour itself isn't important but I'd certainly give the Crystal a few damage mods (making it 9 or 10), and vicious 2 in addition to Sunder and Breach..

The blade shape is more interesting, perhaps a one off emitters that creates the thinner blade, making it harder to parry and therefore Accuracy 1.

To be honest, when it first appeared in the Clone Wars series I thought it was a collapsible Cortosis Vibro-Blade Sword.

Apparently that was the original idea, borrowed from the KOTOR games. However Lucas nixed that idea as he didn't feel that having a "regular sword" being able to block a lightsaber fit the setting mythos. That and it would have required exposition to explain why a rather ordinary-looking sword could block a lightsaber, which had generally been shown on screen to be able to cleave through pretty much anything except another lightsaber.

Thus, the idea was changed from a cortosis-weave sword to the Darksaber we saw in TCW.

The only real thing that sets the darksabre from the other ones we see on TCW is that it's black. That's it. Oh and it was stolen.

Plus the blade shape. In a show that - without fail - depicts all lightsaber blades identically (cylinder with rounded cone tip), no matter who created it, the darksaber had a substantially different blade shape . That's actually more notable than the color, frankly.

I'm obviously not saying that has to do something special , but it's definitely more than just the color (and the glow). The EU had lots of different blade shapes, but this brings the number of canonical blade shapes to a whopping 2 (3 if you count the shoto blade length).

And the Rebels lightsabres look closer to fencing blades. I don't really take artistic liberties that the shows employ as being an important canon defining feature.

Neither do I, that's exactly my point. All Rebels blades look like fencing blades, and all TCW blades look like ultrasabers: that's artistic liberties. Singling out the look of a single, named weapon? That's a story decision right there. (Or, as previously noted, a story decision from a external brand discussion.)

That said, Star Wars is pretty much the poster child for letting artistic liberties define canon.

Besides the form would indeed allow it to use it like an actual sabre instead of a round blade. Makes parry and cutting different. If you add maybe the property to the blade that cuts are more effective with the edge of the darksaber and you build yourself a perfect valid weapon which can be used with Melee instead of light sabers. And if you are some of those who needs stats for everything than give the thing +1 defense and a setback dice on attacks, a broader blade allows for more options in a bind and parry, while controlling blade alignment makes attacking slightly more difficulty.

Personally I would say this is a **** cool light saber with a reputation, 1000 years or so of history and decently maintained and modded over the years. Though does Maul not still have the Darksaber as secondary weapon anyway? He prefers own designed weapons anyway, but he seemed to have alway kept the darksaber as side weapon for dual wielding.

Or did Maul lost the weapon in his fight with Mother Talsin, Doku, Palpatine and Grieves?

Maybe it lets Mandalorians use the Melee skill instead of Lightsaber ...

Pre Viszla, the Mando we first see using it, does seem to be able to wield it much more effectively than any other non-sensitive we see using a lightsaber, except Grievous, so I could see that being possible.

Or he simply had enough time to practice. The vast majority of lightsaber style basics are not force enhanced, and given enough time, should be usable by anyone. It's just that 99.9999999999999999999999999999999 percent of the galaxy has never so much as seen a lightsaber, much less owned one.

I had the idea that the unique design of the darksaber is that it allows either the use of melee OR lightsaber skill for anyone who wields it.

I'm ok with that, since I'm of the thinking that you'd only need special training to block blaster fire with a lightsaber. Stabbing some knuckleheads with one shouldn't be that difficult.

Unless it's a two bladed saber. Force and training for that big bag of crazy.

The only real thing that sets the darksabre from the other ones we see on TCW is that it's black. That's it. Oh and it was stolen.

Plus the blade shape. In a show that - without fail - depicts all lightsaber blades identically (cylinder with rounded cone tip), no matter who created it, the darksaber had a substantially different blade shape . That's actually more notable than the color, frankly.

I'm obviously not saying that has to do something special , but it's definitely more than just the color (and the glow). The EU had lots of different blade shapes, but this brings the number of canonical blade shapes to a whopping 2 (3 if you count the shoto blade length).

And the Rebels lightsabres look closer to fencing blades. I don't really take artistic liberties that the shows employ as being an important canon defining feature.

Neither do I, that's exactly my point. All Rebels blades look like fencing blades, and all TCW blades look like ultrasabers: that's artistic liberties. Singling out the look of a single, named weapon? That's a story decision right there. (Or, as previously noted, a story decision from a external brand discussion.)

That said, Star Wars is pretty much the poster child for letting artistic liberties define canon.

Except the only reason the darksabre looks different is for artistic reasons. Like I said the blade shape, especially when done because they want a weapon to just visually stand out on a show, isn't one of those things that I look at and go "Woooow now it's canon that lightsabre's do that now." If you want to say that it matters for your games ..... more power to you. But in the long run .... it's a minor detail to a minor weapon .... that was meant to make a villain stand out in his duel against Obi Wan. I find it unlikely that it was some kind of big major canon revelation on lightsabre blade design.

Nothing more.

Isn't painful to look at the darksaber for too long? I feel like if you statted the darksaber, it should start to hand out a penalty after a few rounds to those who are not used to it.

I like the silver lightsabers of the imperial knighrs in legacy even though it doesn't exist anymore since the great erasing of the galaxy as we knew it

Other then a certain former Apprentice who quit the order and walked away uses two of them in Rebels.

Ahsokas sabers were apparently white , which is the true color of the lightsaber , with the color being "chosen or altered" by it's wielder at the time it's aligned (or whatever they are calling it nowadays, personally I preferred the old reasoning behind color, because the new method doesn't explain why temple guards lightsabers are all the same co!or)

To be honest, when it first appeared in the Clone Wars series I thought it was a collapsible Cortosis Vibro-Blade Sword.

Apparently that was the original idea, borrowed from the KOTOR games. However Lucas nixed that idea as he didn't feel that having a "regular sword" being able to block a lightsaber fit the setting mythos. That and it would have required exposition to explain why a rather ordinary-looking sword could block a lightsaber, which had generally been shown on screen to be able to cleave through pretty much anything except another lightsaber.

Thus, the idea was changed from a cortosis-weave sword to the Darksaber we saw in TCW.

We'll you mean other than electrostaffs, e!ectrostaffs blocked sabers and it wouldn't take much to alter the concept to work with a sword. Was darksaber ever used to block blaster fire.

We'll you mean other than electrostaffs, e!ectrostaffs blocked sabers and it wouldn't take much to alter the concept to work with a sword. Was darksaber ever used to block blaster fire.

And now, without George at the helm, we have other melee weapons capable of blocking lightsabers, like the electro-tonfa used by FN-2199 (a.k.a.TR8R) in The Force Awakens .

We'll you mean other than electrostaffs, e!ectrostaffs blocked sabers and it wouldn't take much to alter the concept to work with a sword. Was darksaber ever used to block blaster fire.

And now, without George at the helm, we have other melee weapons capable of blocking lightsabers, like the electro-tonfa used by FN-2199 (a.k.a.TR8R) in The Force Awakens .

In the case of the electrostaffs from RotS and the electro-tonfa from TFA, both of those have energy fields.

Also with the electrostaffs, they were being used by Grievious' "elite" droid bodyguards, and as such wouldn't convey the impression of being common weapons.

Without a bunch of exposition behind it, a cortosis-weave sword looks no different than any other sword, and given how most TV show producers consider the average cartoon viewer to not be all that bright or mature (fitting given target audiences hover in the 8 to 12 year old range), it'd probably go over their heads anyway. Thus, the darksaber is introduced, needing very little exposition as to why it can parry a lightsaber and gives Pre Visla an added "cool" factor on top of being a Mando in full combat armor. And for a male child between the ages of 8 and 12, "cool" factor is a major factor, and as they're the primary target audience...

If you are wandering around in the dark carrying a glowing green or red death stick, it probably adds one or two black dice to your Stealth check, because you are carrying a glowing stick.

If you are wandering around in the dark carrying a glowing black death stick it probably doesn't add a black die to your Stealth roll, because discerning glowing black darkness vs non-glowing black darkness will be difficult.