So I was thinking, now that we have the first two new hilt types to compare with the basic ones in the book, how the lightwhip might be. So I came up with something like this:

Lightwhip hilt: Lightsaber, damage 0, critical -, range [short], encumbrance 1, 3 hard points, 400 credits, rarity 7, Unwieldy 4. Reduce the damage of a crystal installed into a lightwhip by 1. A lightwhip can make attacks at short range, with the attack difficulty remaining average.

But other than the better range, it doesn't have a 'beneficial' attribute. Would it work with Reflect and Parry? Would it reduce the Breach to higher levels of Pierce?

I'd say being able to attack at short range with Breach 1 and Sunder is benefit enough, even with the -1 to damage. It would still be a Lightsaber, so Parry and Reflect are on the table. Not sure if Lumiya (best known user of a lightwhip) ever deflected blaster fire though.

I'd also suggest upping the hilt cost to 600 credits. A lightwhip is a much complicated device to construct than a standard lightsaber hilt, so the hilt price should reflect that.

what books have the new lightsaber hilts in them

Keeping the Peace, the guardian sourcebook. It introduces the guard shoto (similar to a tonfa) and a Temple Guard Lightsaber Pike, which is basically a double bladed lightsaber pike.

I think we will eventually see a lightwhip, not sure in what career book though, and thats assuming we don't get more lightsaber hilt styles in the other F&D books.

The only one I've statted up is a Protosaber and that was due to storyline reasons.

I had a post awhile back with different lightsaber types in it I was creating. The lightwhip was one of them, though through more experience in the rules and play now I would change my stats around a lot.

I would look to the whips already made for guidance. I would up the encumbrance value to at least 2. Increase cost to 1000cr and rarity to 10 (they were very rare). Unwieldy 3-4 is probably good. I also had a reduced damage mod, one seems fine. In the wiki lightwhips were weaker in breaching armor so I would give it something like pierce 4-5 instead of breach 1 to simulate this. Maybe up hardpoints to 4? Allowing 2 more after a crystal. 3 seems low for the hilt size. The benefit would be attacking from short range with a lightsaber as they are very powerful. I also see no reason why a lightwhip would not work with reflect or parry. Just treat it like a lightsaber in all other respects.

I actually compared the cryogen whip in Keeping the Peace. It has encumbrance 1. I also used the shoto as basis, not the basic 'saber.

Our GM statted one up for a player in our F&D game, it's identical to a base saber in every way except he gave it Short range, Pierce 5 (i.e. no Breach). Seems OP to me, would like to see Shoto damage on it as well, but he's my ally so I'm not too worried about it. He was gonna put Unwieldly 3 on it but then realized the player didn't have the AGI to use it, so he cut it, but I think it was appropriate.

We didn't have to buy/construct our hilts though, and I don't have the book, so I don't have much input on cost.

I would be tempted to have it retain breach at short range, but also upgrade the difficulty of the attack roll. Whips are pretty dangerous to use, a whip which can sever your entire body even more so.

Here's what I put together for Lightwhip stats:

Lightwhip Hilt / Lightwhip

Skill: Lightsaber

Damage: 0 / 6

Crit: - / 2

Range: Engaged

Encumbrance: 1

Hard Points: 4

Price: 600 / ® 9600

Rarity: 7 / 10

Special: Deflection 1, Unwieldy 3 / Breach 1, Deflection 1, Sunder, Unwieldy 3

The short version: It's mostly a Lightsaber pike, but with Unwieldy 3 and Deflection 1 instead of Cumbersome 3 and Defensive 1, with the Encumbrance of a lightsaber, and Hard Points between the Lightsaber and the Shoto.

As a side note:

Has anybody else noticed that the empty hilts all have the same number of Hard Points as the versions with the crystals installed, but all of the Crystals, including the 'training emitter', use 2 Hard Points?

I figure one or the other of the sets of numbers are wrong, but which one?

I don't know why they do it that way, but the lightsabers with crytals should have 2 hard points less.

I don't know why they do it that way, but the lightsabers with crytals should have 2 hard points less.

It's because it's showing the max/total HP, not the current available HP; it actually specifically states in the descriptions as well for each lightsaber which crystal is in the saber and that it's taking 2 HP. It's done the same with certain ships in adventures where it'll have the max HP and it'll have attachments that note whether or not it takes up the ship's HP.