Hey there,
I've been working on something and wondering if I can get some insight before approaching my GM.
Basically, I'm playing a melee-focused character that specializes in blades (see if you can guess what organization they're a part of!), but who has no interest into branching into power weapons - from a personal perspective, both IC and OOC, they simply don't fit the character's style (way too much lightning). Another player recently joined the group however, a psyker, and they've chosen to take up the role of the Templar; which, given they now have a force weapon (which they were basically handed with very little trouble in locating/building) effectively makes my character obsolete - the psyker can out-sword me, out-sneak me, out-shine me in pretty much every way, AND he's a powerful psyker to boot.
I want to at least stay vaguely competitive (ie, I want to stay useful as something more than a throw-away within the party), but I don't want to betray my character's style by taking up a power weapon (IC concern) for the sake of not falling into the role of meat-shield/burden-to-team (OOC concern).
As an alternative, I've been considering pitching a vibro-cell - that is, some sort of trinket/device (hopefully one which can be moved from weapon to weapon; possibly requiring some sort of ritualistic preparatory treatment/technical alteration to accommodate), viewed as a mystical heirloom from ages past, which causes a weapon's bladed edge to vibrate rapidly (a technology which is present in the 40k Universe, although not detailed in any in-game material that I could find). This vibration in turn results in the blade emitting a faint metallic humming sound, an increase in damage (+2), an increase in penetration (+3), and the application of the Razor Sharp trait (Pen x2 when Weapon Skill attack roll gets 2+ DoS).
Effectively, combined with the Lathe-blade Upgrade (from IH: Forge Worlds), this would bring a normal sword to 1d10+4 damage (slightly less than a power sword) and Pen 6 (equal to a power sword); as well as gaining the Razor Sharp trait (but not the Power Field trait).
My questions:
1. What would be a viable price for something like this?
Given that a base-line Power Sword is 2,500 thrones and the Lathe-upgrade is also 2,500 thrones, I was thinking somewhere between 1,500 - 3,000 thrones for the vibro-cell itself.
2. What are some negative traits that I could associate with this item's use?
A normal power sword draws a lot of attention, requires a Proficiency talent to use properly, and can cause an enemy's weapon to be destroyed (good or bad, depending on the circumstances).
For the vibro-cell, I was considering requiring an Exotic Weapon talent to use properly, the application of a -10 to Parry while activated and/or some sort of Perception-based penalty (say, if the crackling lightning of a power sword offers a +20 to Perception-based tests, then a +10 due to the hum caused by this item's activation). Also for consideration, some sort of mechanic similar to a weapons jam - say, on a roll of 96-100, the item cannot be used until repaired (requiring a Tech-Use or Weapon Skill test of some sort).
3. Am I totally out of line in asking for such a thing from my GM?
I have a lot of issues with anxiety, and I feel kind of weird approaching my GM with an issue like this; but the fact that my character - who used to be the go-to guy for melee combat in the party - has very little use now, outside of being 'that guy we send into a room we're pretty sure is trapped/filled with tyranids', really irks me. It irks me even more that the GM is treating the psyker getting easy access to a force weapon (not to mention the Templar organization) with so little concern, yet is very strict with other members of the group in terms of what they can access.
I'm going to try to explain this to my GM, as well as the fact that the item I'd like to pitch - while certainly not alleviating all of my concerns - would greatly alleviate my sense of 'being bloody useless', while simultaneously providing a bit of flavor to my character. I'd like to know what others think though, as outside perspective is always nice to have when you're thinking about something like this.
Any suggestions/input would be appreciated. Thanks!