So, can anyone tell me how difficult it would be to add a power field to a weapon and what it entails.

For instance, is it just a matter of attaching a power field generator or does the blade have to be laced with special circuitry or made of special materials/metals.

I ask, cuz I got my hands on a sanctified weapon, that I would like to enhance with a power field.

Ok, seriously guys. Is no one willing to offer up some answers or even ideas.

I would imagine you could leave it up tp the GM, but clearly there is a challenge there. depending on the weapon your looking to upgrade, the challenge would scale , however seeing as I rarely delve into altering equipmet in such a drastic manner I have very little other feedback

Well thanks for the input. At least you posted, no one else bothered.

From what I understand you cant just upgrade a weapon to be a power weapon. The weapon would have to traced with circuitry INSIDE of the weapon. You would need to hollow out the hilt for a power supply, which would cause the weapon to be reworked again. I think a weapon has to be designed from the beginning to be a power weapon.

Now, if one of my players had asked about this I would probably let them do it if they could make high enough rolls to find an artisan who could reforge the weapon, which would have 2 out comes, one, the weapon would no longer be sanctified or 2 it would be downgraded to poor quality. It just seems to me that there would be too much work involved in reworking the weapon to keep all of its properties and still add new ones that would cause that much drastic change.

Talk to your GM though, see what s/he is willing to do and run with it :-D

No one answered initially as there are no explicit rules for making a non-power weapon into a power weapon. As there are no standardized rules, it is by default an ask-your-GM endeavor.

The Inquisitor's Handbook has some guideline rules for the difficulty and length of time similarly-difficult weapon-upgrades might take. I suggest you take a look there for inspiration, if you are GM (or direct your GM there, if not).

Yea, I suppose it does end up as the GM's choice.

Inquisitor Eisenhorn wielded a Power Sword which was just the hilt of the sword which projected the power field.

And as it was started somewhere (iirc Core Rulebook) that the quality of the underlying blade doesnt effect the Power Sword once its activated i wouldnt see a problem in allowing to modify the hilt of an existing weapon to encompass a Power field projector

P.S.

The melee weapons with the need for intricate blade layout are the Force Weapons.

Yeah, I had thought something similar. It wouldn't be hard to argue that power-field projection cicuitry runs along the blade rather than through it. Of course following that argument, you could also argue that it could be applied to force weapons as well (with psychic circuitry running through the blade and power-field circuitry running without). The fact that all the nemesis force weapons in Daemon Hunter have power fields seems to support this. One thing I couldn't imagine is using the power-field in tandem with a force weapon, wouldn't the blade need to physically hit/connect for the "force" quality to take effect. I guess thats an argument for another day.

Remember that tech in 40k is an arcane science. Certainly nobody except a tech priest or a heretek would even be attempting to do this kind of thing, nor would have the slightest idea about where to even start.

Two problems here:

(1) The cost of the weapon is to low if you allow a sword to "powered" at a later point. Example a sword cost 40, a best quality sword would cost 400. So you could buy a best quality sword for 400, add the cost for a power sword 2500 after the buy, so you could get a best quality power sword for only 2900. If had to buy a best quality power sword from the list it would cost 25000 !

(2) There is already a power sword without the blade (like the one Gregor Eisenhorn used) in the Inquisitors Handbook: Aegis Sollex Energy Blade which differs in its combat values from the regular power sword.

Tharkas Moryn said:

Except it wouldn't be a best quality power sword - the actual blade does none of the cutting with a power sword, it's entirely the power field. Basically, what you would have there is a standard power weapon that, if you deactivated the power field, was a best quality normal sword.

It'd still require a best quality field generator to make it a best-quality power sword - so you'd still have to pay the proper 25,000 price for it.

I don't know.

The only thing you get out of a best quality melee weapon is a +10 to weapon skill when attacking with it. So that would seem to suggest a better designed blade (better balance or precision, whatever) rather than a more sophisticated power field. Although you could argue that the power field generator is cumbersome and the blade must be designed around it for the sake of being wielded effectively, so a better quality power-field means its less cumbersome and more accurate maybe.

Both arguements seems valid, but to be honest I could never see a best quality power sword equalling the cost of a refractor-field. The increase in effectiveness should at least match the cost.

I would imagine, since Power weapons are an entirely different set of weapons requiring an entirely new set of training, that a power field would have a similar "disconcerting" amounts of odd momentum/force issues that lightsabers have in Star Wars.

A "normal" quality power field would be manageable, but the balance of the blade would become somewhat moot. A "best" quality power field would have a better balanced field, or might even enhance the momentum of a swing?

Or maybe I'm full of ****...

As Unusualsuspect mentioned there are crafting rules in one of the the last chapter of the Inquisitors Handbook. My groups Tech Priest has Trade (Armourer) +20 as well as Trade (Smith) and he already built a Force Weapon out of the Good Quality Bastard Sword the groups Psyker purchased on Iocathos (those wielded by the Harrowguard). It took a few months to perform, a few rather difficult tests as well as some exotic material and rare metals. He made some very good rolls and failed only a single crafting roll slightly (thus increasing the threshold from 6 to 14 for using it channeling psy power through it).

To cut a long story short, I would allow it, but with hefty modifiers for the crafting/skill test and at least weeks for the duration as well as with the need of appropriate materials and some sort of workshop (e.g. machine temple) at hand.

And as others said, a best quality sword would not become a best quality power sword just by applying a power-field generator. Its like putting the engine of a Golf into a Porsche and expecting to win races...

Still having trouble buying it.

I would expect a best-quality power field generator to either increase damage or penetration (or both), but not increasing accuracy in the weapon. For that, I look to the balance and "ease of use" of the weapon itself, I leave the powerfield to do the rest. And I still cannot accept a best quality power sword costs more than a set of sororitas power armor or as much as a rosarius.

Hell, If Im paying 25,000 thrones for a power sword, that dam thing better come with some weapon traits like "Felling" or "Razor Sharp".

Quartermus said:

Best Quality represents an item that is a work of art, and more than likely very old. Exotic and expensive inlaid materials and over the top decoration is what you are getting as a part of best quality.

When a best quality weapon is being carried or is drawn and doesn't have a noticeable silence attached to it when others first notice it, the GM's not thinking clearly. Any Best Quality item is being bought as much for a status symbol as for functionality. These items are what nobles strive to own, just to wear as a fashion accessory and to show off their wealth. Don't forget that 25,000 thrones is more than what a few dozen guardsmen will make in a year.

The above post is exactly correct. You also have to remember that while there is technology present in the game world, it is little understood and not terribly common. Military branches will be more likely to have their hands on it, but outside of that a good many items will be extremely limited, and the ability to craft the weapons is a highly guarded secret. The tech priests have a strangle hold on technology.

BAAH, I SAY!

I'm willing to concede that a best-quality power sword is ridiculously expensive simply for the sake of in-game fluff rather than any commensurate increase in effectiveness or ability as long as there are plenty of in-game fluff ways of getting your hands on such devices without resorting to actually paying for it, which I suppose there are.

On the specific matter of upgrading a sanctified blade, I would say that both materials are being lost from the original blade (the field generator has to go somewhere) and that even if the edge remains blessed (debatable) it will no longer be touching the flesh of enemies (the power field does that). The only power swords/blades I can recall also having the sanctified quality are unique relics (one from a DH adventure and one from the Deathwatch core book).

The player of a Tanith storm trooper has the idea of upgrading his straight silver to a power blade. The Magos of the group is willing to do this. I've stated that effectively building a power weapon will take either forge world or techmarine forge level facilities - both of which the group will be able to access after their current exploits. I'll use the crafting rules from the back of the Inquisitor's Handbook with suitable levels of difficulty (it will be a power weapon after all, rare and arcane technology).

I didn't see it mentioned but best quality melee weapons have a +1 bonus to damage along with the +10% to hit, along with being visually impressive pieces of gear.

IMO Very Hard (-30) test for Trade (Armorer) and a span of time measured in a week of game-time per test (complex modifications to a basic item) with maybe a bit off the top as the test assumes making it from base components to finished product (as you already have a finished sword). For best quality you'd need 15 or more accumulated successes overall.

This could also be broken-down into a 3-step process in 1) Making the field generator, 2) circuit-etching the blade itself to conduct the field rather than be disrupted by it, and 3) integrating the field generator into the hilt and conducting the field through the blade.

Loss of resources through failure/setbacks could be through poor assembly or poorly fabricated materials at stage 1, mistakes in the circuit-etching or imperfections showing in the blade from the stresses of micro-etching at stage 2, and stage 3 could be inferred as improper field conduction that served to disrupt areas of the hilt or blade depending on where the error(s) arise from.

All steps can be completed with a high-grade armorer's facility with a circuit-etching array. High-grade would probably be Mechanicus facilities on either forge worlds, imperial worlds, hive worlds, battleship armories, ship-based manufactorums, or somewhere your GM will think up.