Vibroweapon Impact: What Happens?

[hismaimai8888]

Something came up in our game recently and it got me to thinking before it becomes a major issue:  Is there any canon information on what happens when one vibroweapon parries another activated vibroweapon?

Do they explode?

[guardiandashi]

Something came up in our game recently and it got me to thinking before it becomes a major issue:  Is there any canon information on what happens when one vibroweapon parries another activated vibroweapon?

Do they explode?

no reason they would.

its not exactly the same but if you have ever seen the old electric carving knives (like https://www.homedepot.com/p/Oster-12-in-Stainless-Steel-Electric-Knife-Slicer-and-Carving-Fork-Set-with-Storage-Case-FPSTEK2803B/302956999?cm_mmc=Shopping%7CG%7CBase%7CDD%7C29-28_SMALL+ELECTRICS%7CNA%7CPLA%7c71700000032305472%7c58700003835491544%7c92700030689929201%7cpla-432107139727-51166493982&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwM_6sazO3gIVg9dkCh1bxQJoEAYYASABEgK5FPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds )

that's sort of how the vibro knives work (but different) they vibro knife is essentially a higher tech version of that concept,

[Elmoth]

AFAIK it is not stated. Several ways you can do this.

1. Both weapons lock and burn through their charges very fast depleting them. Both lose their vibro ability.

2. On impact the weapons glance from each other when the vibrations in both blades interact. It can be dangerous to everybody sinc ethe glance is less controlled!

3. Lightsaber Effect. They fight like regular swords and to hell with physics.

I would apply number 3 in my game.

[AlphaMirage]

I am thinking it would be more a mutually destructive effect as both of them cut through one another but that's my 2 cents.

[mbear]

You know that horrible screeching sound you get as you drag your fingernails across a chalkboard? Or GalaxyQuest when they leave spacedock? That sound occurs, and everyone drops their vibroweapons to cover their ears.

[JadeHellbringer]

My best guess (and it's nothing more than that, I admit) is that not much happens beyond what normally would happen when swords collide (which is still a pretty amazing mental image when you consider Mech-scale swords!). A vibroblade hitting armor cuts through it thanks to velocity, mass, and the vibration of the blade, but the blade itself is made of much tougher stuff than normal armor would be- so they'd likely cancel out, the same way a normal sword does against its opposite number. Unless one blade has prior damage, or a major flaw, I wouldn't think one would cut through the other, at least not on the first few hits.

Then again, as I said, that's a guess, I'm not a physicist, and Battlemechs remain solidly in the realm of fiction.  xp

[grimlock1]

Engagement geometry would be fairly important.  I presume you are using TO's melee blocking/defense rules?

In the case of a flat-to-flat parry, nothing spectacular.

If your edge strikes square on the other fellow's flat, I expect sparks.  Your  unobtanium blade, buzzing at eleventy-seven thousand hertz just hit the housing of his weapon.  I could see that disabling his vibro mechanism.

For edge on edge, there are physics to support mutual annihilation or a whole lot of nothing.  If the vibratory phases of the  two blades just right, they will be moving in the same direction at the same time, essentially canceling out their vib damage.  If they are 180⁰ out of phase from that, they will deal double damage to each other.

Think about driving down the road at 30 mph getting rear-ended by a car going 30.2 mph.  Okay, now think about going down the road at 30 and getting in a head-on with somebody doing 30.2 mph. 

As to the question of unpredictable reactions, I'm not too worried.  The relatively low mass of the vibrating edge, combined with its high frequency and low amplitude mean it's not likely to bounce out of control.  Think about a um... personal massager, versus a shake weight.

[mbear]

I just realized what the OP might be asking: In tabletop combat when two vibroweapons hit each other, nothing unique happens. They inflict their damage and that's it. No critical hits or shorting out the equipment.

[phoenixalpha]

I think this happens :)

[grimlock1]

I just realized what the OP might be asking: In tabletop combat when two vibroweapons hit each other, nothing unique happens. They inflict their damage and that's it. No critical hits or shorting out the equipment.

Double checking in TO, the only provision for weapon-on-weapon contact is Blocking a Physical Attack with a Physical Weapon, (TO 88-89).  If the parry is successful, no damage is dealt.