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SITE LORE
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Force Forging
Force Forging
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Before the invention and widespread use of the lightsaber, militaristic or warrior-type Force users wielded weapons imbued with the Force against one another. These weapons were known to carry remarkable and unusual properties in battle that were as personal to the wielder as the lightsaber a Jedi built for themselves.
Force Forging a weapon required specialised knowledge and a powerful command of the Force. Usually the owner of the weapon would assist a specialised Forgesmith, who would craft and shape the weapon, while the eventual owner of the weapon would assist them, all the while pouring the Force into the material as they worked - while it was most common for swords forged of some kind of metal to be used in the process, more mundane materials, such as wood, could also be infused. The process was exhausting and could take hours or even days, and so it was rare for anyone, except for the Forgesmith themselves, to craft more than one or two such weapons in their entire lifetime. For this reason as well was armor almost never created, as it was to much of a toll on the Forgesmith to create such items - a single piece of Forgesmithed armor might be the magnum opus of their career before retirement, and so they were exceptionally rare and priceless in value to collectors.
In the hands of one not sensitive to the Force, a Force Forged weapon was completely inert, and behaved as if it had no special properties whatsoever. A Force forged staff, if improperly stored, would fade and warp and even rot, or a metal blade would dull, chip or rust, and could break as easily as any mundane sword. So too would a weapon remain inert if it was held by a Force user of opposing alignment - that is, a user of the Dark Side would not be able to awaken a weapon that was Force Forged by the Light, and vice versa, and an extensive reforging ritual was required to corrupt or purify such a weapon.
In the hands of an appropriately aligned Force user, however, these weapons would come to life. So long as the weapon remained intact, warped or aged wood could miraculously restore itself. Rust would flake off to reveal gleaming metal beneath. Blades would become razor sharp even after years of neglect, and the weapon would become as pristine as the day it was created.
A Jedi or Sith with such prior knowledge might assess that a Force-Forged weapon felt remarkably connected to them in a way that a lightsaber would. The latent Force energies flowing between wielder and weapon would create a synergy that resulted in the weapon feeling lighter and more nimble than a mundane weapon. The weapon itself would also be far stronger than a standard weapon and resistant to damage - for example, a blade would retain its sharpened edge throughout even the most gruelling of melees, or a wooden staff would not be chipped or damaged by even the heaviest of blows from a Gamorrean axe. Even a lightsaber would not be able to damage such a weapon, so long as it remained in the hand of a properly aligned wielder.
Certain, particularly rare Force Forged weapons could also have additional qualities, though these were also exceedingly rare and particularly difficult to create. Known examples include the sword of the warlord Shiir Nakesh, that would burst into flame in combat, or the scepter of the sage healer Artem Orous, which glowed with an inner light in the presence of the Dark Side.
However, as the practice of Force Forging fell out of use many millenia ago, finding a weapon that has survived so much time is rare, and most Force Forged weapons have been crafted more recently, either by more eccentric Force users, sects with limited access to kyber crystals or the knowledge of how to build a lightsaber, or local shamans and spirit guides keeping alive ancient traditions.
Force Forging a weapon required specialised knowledge and a powerful command of the Force. Usually the owner of the weapon would assist a specialised Forgesmith, who would craft and shape the weapon, while the eventual owner of the weapon would assist them, all the while pouring the Force into the material as they worked - while it was most common for swords forged of some kind of metal to be used in the process, more mundane materials, such as wood, could also be infused. The process was exhausting and could take hours or even days, and so it was rare for anyone, except for the Forgesmith themselves, to craft more than one or two such weapons in their entire lifetime. For this reason as well was armor almost never created, as it was to much of a toll on the Forgesmith to create such items - a single piece of Forgesmithed armor might be the magnum opus of their career before retirement, and so they were exceptionally rare and priceless in value to collectors.
In the hands of one not sensitive to the Force, a Force Forged weapon was completely inert, and behaved as if it had no special properties whatsoever. A Force forged staff, if improperly stored, would fade and warp and even rot, or a metal blade would dull, chip or rust, and could break as easily as any mundane sword. So too would a weapon remain inert if it was held by a Force user of opposing alignment - that is, a user of the Dark Side would not be able to awaken a weapon that was Force Forged by the Light, and vice versa, and an extensive reforging ritual was required to corrupt or purify such a weapon.
In the hands of an appropriately aligned Force user, however, these weapons would come to life. So long as the weapon remained intact, warped or aged wood could miraculously restore itself. Rust would flake off to reveal gleaming metal beneath. Blades would become razor sharp even after years of neglect, and the weapon would become as pristine as the day it was created.
A Jedi or Sith with such prior knowledge might assess that a Force-Forged weapon felt remarkably connected to them in a way that a lightsaber would. The latent Force energies flowing between wielder and weapon would create a synergy that resulted in the weapon feeling lighter and more nimble than a mundane weapon. The weapon itself would also be far stronger than a standard weapon and resistant to damage - for example, a blade would retain its sharpened edge throughout even the most gruelling of melees, or a wooden staff would not be chipped or damaged by even the heaviest of blows from a Gamorrean axe. Even a lightsaber would not be able to damage such a weapon, so long as it remained in the hand of a properly aligned wielder.
Certain, particularly rare Force Forged weapons could also have additional qualities, though these were also exceedingly rare and particularly difficult to create. Known examples include the sword of the warlord Shiir Nakesh, that would burst into flame in combat, or the scepter of the sage healer Artem Orous, which glowed with an inner light in the presence of the Dark Side.
However, as the practice of Force Forging fell out of use many millenia ago, finding a weapon that has survived so much time is rare, and most Force Forged weapons have been crafted more recently, either by more eccentric Force users, sects with limited access to kyber crystals or the knowledge of how to build a lightsaber, or local shamans and spirit guides keeping alive ancient traditions.
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Intent
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Intent
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Force Forging is basically just intended as a more mystical take on creating a lightsaber resistant melee weapon for flavour purposes. It borrows from the article on Sith Swords and expands on it a little while trying to keep the same sort of theme, vein and idea, while also being more explicitly Force neutral, since the article on Sith Swords mentions Force Forging and implies it can be used by Jedi.
Anything with any of those higher enchantments mentioned would most likely be a tech or artifact write-up that would require separate approval.
As the article says, there are heavy restrictions on the likelihood of ever finding even a single piece of armor - I wanted to leave open the door for the possibility in case anyone decides to get creative with a good enough idea, but also make it clear that it's the exception and this is primarily just a mystical way of making a lightsaber-proof weapon along the lines of the 'magic or enchanted sword' style of fantasy trope.
Anything with any of those higher enchantments mentioned would most likely be a tech or artifact write-up that would require separate approval.
As the article says, there are heavy restrictions on the likelihood of ever finding even a single piece of armor - I wanted to leave open the door for the possibility in case anyone decides to get creative with a good enough idea, but also make it clear that it's the exception and this is primarily just a mystical way of making a lightsaber-proof weapon along the lines of the 'magic or enchanted sword' style of fantasy trope.
