Monofilament "cyberpunk" whip rules

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

A monomolecular whip just never made sense to me.

Neither did faster-than-light travel to me I think monomolecular is just a trade name. And, of course, there would be a little ball or something on the end that doesn't have the handle to provide mass.

I would make it an Exotic weapon that does 1d6 or 1d8 damage that ignores at least some hardness, armor and natural armor.

 

[Kirin'Tor]

What you're looking for already officially exists; it's on page 59 of the d20M Menace Manual. It's presented as a bio-organic weapon of the Kroath, but that part is easily ignored

Filament Chain
2d6 19x2 Slashing
Small Weapon (or Light, 3.5 Style)
2lb, pDC 26

A filament chain is a short whip made of monofilament wire that can slice through most materials. The filament chain ignores the hardness of objects and the equipment bonus of armor. It has hardness 3 and 2 hp, and it breaks down into chemical goo if destroyed. The filament chain must be recharged every 1d4 days if separated from a
kroath’s bioorganic armor. If it is not recharged after the required time, it melts down as described above.

 

[Kelleris]

I would recommend deciding whether you want this to be a simple (if deadly) weapon, or some kind of special attack. If the former, I would use the previous poster's Menace Manual stats and make sure the NPCs in question are as well-fitted to use the weapon as possible. Just don't ever give the weapon to a mook and you'll be good, really.

If you want something more like a special ability, here's something I wrote up for a book to be published later on this year that's somewhat similar:

Duodimensional Lash
Technology (greater)
Activation Time: 1 standard action
Range: 15 feet
Target: One creature or object
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Reflex negates, then Fortitude partial; see text
Activation Cost: 45 points
Weight: 1 lb.

A duodimensional lash uses a thin filament charged with kinetic energy to easily slice through most kinds of matter. When used on an object it quickly reduces that object to pieces; when used on a creature it quickly dices your enemies into large, meaty chunks. The lash appears as a sudden brilliantly-colored arc that whips around the subject, instantly slicing it apart.

You make a melee touch attack with a range of 15 feet against a single target. If you succeed, the subject must make a Reflex saving throw to attempt to avoid the duodimensional lash entirely; if this saving throw fails it must make a Fortitude saving throw or be affected by the lash. Creatures are instantly slain, carved into a half-dozen large pieces. If the target is an unattended object with a hardness of less than 20, it takes 2d6 damage per activation level. Magical items automatically receive saves, and attended objects may use their wielder’s saving throw bonus. Even if the Fortitude save is successful, the subject (creature or object) takes 3d6 points of damage.

Objects with a hardness of 20 or greater are unaffected by the duodimensional lash, and creatures with adamantine-based damage reduction receive their DR rating as a bonus to their Fortitude saves against this device. Creatures with regeneration by the lash are not typically slain on a failed Fortitude saving throw; they instead take nonlethal damage equal to their current hit point total unless the duodimensional lash can deal lethal damage to that creature.

This is nice because it actually requires three separate rolls, but has a (slim) chance of instant death. So your players will be constantly on edge around someone using this weapon, but you probably won't kill any of them. That's the ideal state to have when you're trying to present an uber-weapon like this, I think.

 

[Morgenstern]

On a natural attack roll of 1-2, make a second attack roll against the original DC.
Hit = Wielder take 1d4 damage from whip.
Miss = Wielder suffers critical hit from whip.

Weapon focus (monowhip) causes this check to be required only on a natural 1.

After that, you'll think twice no matter how good it is on offense .