Melee Weapons

Vicious combatants rely on sharp blades to slice and gash their foes. They're also far easier to conceal than a firearm and just as deadly if the user is skilled in its use.

Knives are seen as the weapons of commoners, thieves, and assassins, so carrying one in plain sight may cause social stigma in polite company, or add to a rogue's presence in more wretched hives of scum and villainy.

The Tusken Raiders of Tatooine carry brutal staves made from desert tracti hardwood, krayt dragon horn or bone, or scavenged metal. One end of the gaffi stick is flanged with four protruding blades useful for cutting and gashing opponents. The other end curves outward and ends in a spike of some sort, with the opposite side serving as a dull club. While to some the gaffi stick seems crude, its genius is its versatility—being able to stab, cut, or club depending on how the user wields it. It has practical uses as well, from serving as a walking stick in the rough terrain of Tatooine to guiding the Tusken Raiders' massive banthas.

Gaffi sticks require two hands to wield.

Force pikes are one-meter long metallic staves topped with power-tips. One setting on the power-tip vibrates powerfully enough to shatter flesh, steel, and stone. The other setting provides an electric shock that can be set relatively low to prod or control, or high to cause excruciating pain or death. Either setting is designed for ease of use—it takes little skill to swing a stick and cause devastating injury with the vibro or electricity setting. In the hands of a skilled user, however, it's almost as powerful as a lightsaber.

When used with its Stun Setting, a Force Pike does not benefit from the Pierce 2 Quality. Force pikes require two hands to wield.

Models: SoroSuub Controller FP

Gamorreans, particularly those employed by the notorious Hutts, often carry meter-long axes fitted with vibration technology. Most are very heavy and suited only for beings of considerable strength, and usually with a low center of gravity (particularly tall or elegant beings have trouble swinging the heavy axes without throwing themselves off-balance).

The damage a vibro-ax causes is tremendous and messy. The impact area suffers massive and deep trauma from the blade and the vibration. Because of this, wounds caused by vibro-axes are particularly nasty— hence the high damage and Critical Hit chance.

A vibro-ax requires two hands to wield.

Models Include: SoroSuub BD-1 Cutter Vibro-Ax.

Truncheons may be made of metal, wood, bone or other materials, but all fulfill the same basic function—bruising flesh, breaking bones, and cracking skulls. Police forces around the galaxy use truncheons to intimidate and control protestors or petty thieves. Enlightened areas prefer this to lethal force.

A vibroknife is essentially a modded combat knife, but since they have proven so effective, they have become manufactured as such throughout the galaxy. The basic premise is simple—a small but powerful device within the knife's handle vibrates the blade at an incredibly high frequency so that it essentially acts as a miniature saw. Vibroknives aren't as powerful as lightsabers against most substances, but one need not be a Jedi to wield it effectively.

Models Include: Merr-Sonn Treppus-2 Vibroblade

Many galactic civilizations have long taken to improving the simple but effective blade with induced ultrasonic vibrations. The high frequency vibrations of the cutting edge greatly improve the sharpness of the weapon, allowing it to carve through most materials with ease.

There are many variations of vibroblade, but the vibrosword is fairly common amongst those who fancy themselves duelists.

Models Include: Merr-Sonn Damask-4 Duelist Sword