Light Sabres and Blasters

[Pbartender]

Is there any limit to the size/intensity of blaster bolt a jedi can deflect?

I don't recall exactly what the rulebook says (I haven't got it with me), but just off the top of my head...

In Return of the Jedi, Luke can be seen deflecting blaster bolts from both a heavy turret on Jabba's sail barge and a Scout Trooper's speeder bike.

Common sense-wise, it's be a little bit ludicrous for a Jedi do deflect a blaster bolt from a weapon mounted on anything much larger than a starfighter...

Rebel Fighter Pilot: "Okay... we're going to put the Jedi into a spacesuit, and tie him down on the outside of the X-wing. He'll just use his light saber to deflect any turbolaser bolts from that Star Destroyer right back at its command bridge!"

Jedi: "Say what?"

 

[ragboy]

Though, granted, there's a certain point where it would strain credibility.

This isn't a personal attack, just struck me as funny.

When you think about what we're actually talking about here, how could credibility be strained any further? You're using a mystical energy field that surrounds us and penetrates us and a laser sword to deflect an explosive bolt of energy fired from a high-powered weapon.

 

[Turanil]

"Okay, so you're going to stand on Alderaan and bounce the Death Star Superlaser back at it?"

Yes... but with an ultra colossal sized lightsaber (going to wield it with the Force though... )

 

[Faraer]

The rules do allow vehicle-mounted weapons to be deflected: see Jedi Counseling. Mace Windu also does it in Shatterpoint.

 

[Gabrial]

A lightsaber is just a continuous beam of energy that goes out to a specific length then colapses in on itself where the unused engergy is reclaimed. As blaster energy has no kinetic potential, why wouldn't a blade of energy be able to deflect a bolt of energy reguardless of the size of the bolt? I would almost think that any energy comming in contact with a lightsaber would be either absorbed or repelled (eg another lightsaber).

Perhaps the same encapsulation that slows the blaster boltd down below the speed of light (otherwise you would never see them) also has some small kinetic value to them... <shrug>

I would like to point out that Luke in the Dark Jedi series deflects Walker bolts back on the Walkers destroying them. That is the "largest" bolt deflected/returned that I have read about personally.

My 2 creds

 

[Liquidsabre]

The weapons mounted on many of the smaller vehicles are in fact mounted heavy weapons, which are still personal weaponry, and so can be deflected. Anything larger scale (larger than personal weaponry) cannot be deflected by a lightsbaer. Yea, they could have been clearer with that in the book heh.

 

[Storyteller01]

Because with those snooty jedi calling your weapons 'clumsy and random,' you may as well go all out and get the biggest, ugliest sapient-portable cannon in the galaxy.

You could just deflect the blaster shot back at them AGAIN with your own blaster (different game setting, but still funny...). Not so clumsy or random anymore...

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

This isn't a personal attack, just struck me as funny.

Heh. No prob.

When you think about what we're actually talking about here, how could credibility be strained any further? You're using a mystical energy field that surrounds us and penetrates us and a laser sword to deflect an explosive bolt of energy fired from a high-powered weapon.

I'm thinking more in a sense of verisimiltude. After all, we're accepting that people can use magic to move things around, mess with peoples minds, etc., *but* there have to be things to make it believable; basically, if things get too out there, no one will believe it.

So, at some point, once you start to get past where you can have it make sense

That's funny, seeing as the blaster bolts from a starship are wider the lightsaber attempting to deflect it. Perhaps a small portion of the bolt could be deflected, but the rest...

IIRC, "blasters" are referred to as being bolts of charged particles and, more than likely, significantly slower than light. Perhaps, by careful interposing of the lightsaber, you can deflect a big huge one enough that it goes past you instead of coring you like an apple?

However, I'd disallow using a lightsaber on anything with the word "laser" in it, since I'd think those would go too fast to intercept. (I could wave my hands and gesture about how the Force transmits information instantaneously, but that would be wasting everybody's time and bandwidth.)

Brad

 

[Sejs]

Because with those snooty jedi calling your weapons 'clumsy and random,' you may as well go all out and get the biggest, ugliest sapient-portable cannon in the galaxy.

Flamethrowers tend to ruin a jedi's day. Blaster bolts can be lobbed back at you, slugs can be parried, but a cloud of flame... not quite as simple. Plus, jedi on fire is a funny mental image - all calm and centered one moment, running around like a muppet the next.

A lightsaber is just a continuous beam of energy that goes out to a specific length then colapses in on itself where the unused engergy is reclaimed. As blaster energy has no kinetic potential, why wouldn't a blade of energy be able to deflect a bolt of energy reguardless of the size of the bolt? I would almost think that any energy comming in contact with a lightsaber would be either absorbed or repelled (eg another lightsaber).

Keep that logic stuff the heck out of my Star Wars, mister. Jedi can deflect blaster bolts because it's cool, and its answers the old Bringing A Knife To A Gunfight issue. That's all - end of justification. Science doesn't enter into it.

Though, granted, there's a certain point where it would strain credibility. "Okay, so you're going to stand on Alderaan and bounce the Death Star Superlaser back at it? Okay, make your roll..."

Heh, no worries - the death star isn't shooting at YOU, Mister Jedi. It's shooting at the planet. And you don't get a deflection roll unless you are the target. Sorry.

 

[Incenjucar]

"I aim the Death Star ray at the Jedi"

"Hah, I can roll now!"