Approved Tech Bes'manda

[Mishka Larraq]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

Intent: To make a fancy new metal
Image Source: N/A
Restricted Missions: Raging Mother
Primary Source:

• Beskar > Mandalorian Steel
• Force Imbued Blade > Soul-Steel
• Kyber Crystal

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

Name: Bes'manda / Kyber Beskar / the Divine Metal
Manufacturer: House Larraq Plate and Blade
Homeworld: Mandalore
Production: Semi-Unique
Affiliation: Private Sales
Modularity: Can be mixed with other (non-restricted) metals, ores, and crystals during the forging process
Material: Force-infused Manda'yaim Beskar + Kyber Crystals

PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Classification: Metal
Weight: Heavy
Quality: 8-10
Color: Usually shades of Gold.

DESCRIPTION

In the wake of the disaster that claimed billions of Mandalorian lives and forever changed the world, desperate survivors sought out any resource that could be traded for another days worth of food and supplies. For those familiar with the forging of Soul-Steel and hopeful that the functions of geology would play out in their favor, a quest began to find fresh sources of Beskar among the areas hit hardest by natural disaster. Morbid as it may be, the Blacksmiths understood that intense emotions and incredible loss of life could sometimes taint a world in a spiritual way. A taint that could sometimes be harvested if one was both skilled and lucky.

Located deep within flowing lake, rivers, and oceans of lava at only the most active and intense volcanic sites, Bes'manda is found in a still-molten form. Bright like molten gold and faintly glowing from within, Bes'manda ore slowly churns in on itself until it eventually cools to a solid state from the outside in. If allowed to cool, the Bes'manda will be destroyed and will become normal Beskar, albeit infused with the residual Nexus energy from the Mandalorian Cataclysm.

What makes Bes'manda truly unique though, is not the Beskar ore or the mystical energy that infuses it, but the subtle impurities that exist within the ore while it remains in it's molten form. Freshly upheaved from deep within Manda'yaim, Bes'manda is heavily saturated with micro-Kyber Crystals, each no larger than the head of a pin. While these fragile crystals are quickly destroyed during the natural cooling phase of the ore, they can be saved and enhanced by a skilled Smith if immediate action is taken.

With careful meditation and precise manipulation by a highly skilled metalworker, a combination that demands both years of experience and an affinity with the Force (or Manda, as the Mando'ade know it), the crystal matrix of the Beskar ore can be adjusted to match that of the Kyber Crystals held within it. As the metal is forged, the properties of the crystals and the ore become one. The result is a material that is both crystal and metal.

Sometimes called Kyber Beskar, any object crafted of Bes'manda is, functionally, a single, massive Kyber Crystal that retains all the properties of Beskar and is naturally infused with energy from a Force Nexus.



Strengths:

• Crystal Matrix produces a superior cutting edge and thermal dissipating capability to traditional Beskar

Weaknesses:

• Loses "special features" properties while within a Force Nullification field
• All stored energy is violently released upon exposure to a Force Nullification field
• Only a force user can communicate with Bes'manda, guiding it on how and when to unleash it's stored energy

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Glows faintly
• Serves as a focusing medium for meditation and certain abilities
• Possesses a memory and emotion based consciousness that borders on sentience
• Capable of non-verbal communication with other pieces of Bes'manda and force sensitive beings
• Saturated with the collective memories and emotional impact of the Mandalorian Cataclysm
• Radiates memory and emotion as communication
• Will feel warm to the touch to those it likes
• Will feel cool to the touch for those it dislikes
• Will feel hot to the touch (near-burning) to those it hates (Sith and ultra-good Jedi)
• Enjoys music, songs, and stories
• Seems to enjoy violence against Aruetii, particularly against Dar'manda, Jetii, and Dar'jetii
• Highly damaging/resistant to Sithspawn, Dark Side Spirits, Light Side Spirits, Purified Force Golems, or any other force infused entity strongly tied to only one side of the force
• Absorbs, focuses, and amplifies any form of energy
• Can store large quantities of absorbed energy
• Can control when and how to release stored energy
• Core temperature increases with amount of stored energy, can get hot enough to melt Durasteel like a lightsaber
• Glow increases in intensity when nearing limit of energy storage capacity
• Overloaded Bes'manda must vent excess energy, typically as an explosive pulse (uncontrolled) or directed beam (controlled)

DETAILED SPECIAL FEATURES AND THEIR USES

As the molten core of Mandalore destabilized and deep wells of molten rock were thrust up upon the surface of the world, rich pockets of metal ore, diamonds, gems, and crystals flowed forth as well. As these precious resources we're given birth to by Manda'yaim, billions of lives were being extinguished by fire and ash, causing a deep emotional scar upon the fabric of the force. A scar which seeped into and forever tainted the freshly birthed resources in the dark side of the force. Among these metals and gems, Darkside aligned Beskar ore could sometimes be found. Occasionally, this saturated Beskar ore would sometimes play host to an even more rare anomaly. This rare ore would come to be called Bes'manda, the Divine Metal. To aruetii though, it is known as Kyber Beskar.

A unique fusion of force infused metal with the properties of a rare and highly prized energy crystal, Bes'manda possesses all the properties of Beskar with additional mystical properties. Most unique of these properties is the capacity to absorb, amplify, and release huge quantities of energy, memory, and emotion. All of which were thanks to the rare Kyber Crystals birthed within the pure, molten ore itself.

While the residual energy from a Force Nexus event is typically Darksided in nature, due to the substantial loss of life required to create such an anomaly within the Force, the natural attunement of Kyber Crystals to the light side of the force shifts the attunement of Bes'manda and causes it to be strongly balanced within the Force and resistant to manipulation by individuals and effects that are strongly tied to either the dark or light side of the force.

Bes'manda is forged buy meditating upon the individual crystals and shaping the Beskar ore so that the metal adopts and expands upon these structures. Eventually becoming natural extensions of the powerful crystals, the metal slowly becomes more and more resistant to both heat and hammering as it adopts the properties of the Kyber Crystals. With each hour of forging, the metal becomes increasingly difficult to forge, requiring a steady increase in strength while maintaining a precise precision and force with each blow. Already hugely taxing upon the forging smith, Bes'manda comes with the added risk of exposure to Darkside energies.

While forging, the Smith is exposed to powerful memories and emotions from the Mandalorian Cataclysm and can easily get lost within the darkness that infuses the ore. However, the mind and attention of the Smith will also be drawn towards the more light-sided energy of the fledgling Kyber Crystals, upon which the Smith must focus to properly forge Bes'manda. By using these lighter-aligned Kyber Crystals as the base upon which the Bes'manda's crystal lattice is formed, the Smith is unintentionally shifting the alignment of the metal itself away from the dark side of the force and towards the light, creating an object of great balance that becomes neigh incorruptible to either side of the force.

During the forging process, smiths become facinated and fixated upon the crystalline metal and suffer addiction-like symptoms as they work with the metal, suffering from piercing headaches and insomnia as they feel drawn towards an imperceptible harmonic frequency said Smith will insist is coming from the metal.




Kyber Crystals, naturally light-sided, will resist attempts by both dark-sided and light-sided individuals to manipulate them and will feel hot to the touch for any individual to attempt such a feat. However, with great effort a Kyber Crystal can be dominated into submitting to the dark side. An act which causes the crystal to "bleed" and transition into a red coloration.

Kyber Beskar, on the other hand, is naturally and strongly tied to a balanced state known as a twilight axis and is highly resistant to manipulation towards either the dark or light side of the force, an act that would require a total crystal lattice shift for the entire object (an act that comes with the very real risk of accidentally shattering the object during some failed attempts). A feat made particularly difficult by the incredible strength of the metal which augments this crystal lattice. While nearly unheard of, the feat is possible and causes a dramatic shift in the appearance of the metal.

While twilight oriented Bes'manda is gold in color and radiates a golden light, Darkside dominated Bes'manda is black in color and radiates a red light and Lightside dominated (purified of the negative memories and emotions, each being replaced by a lifetime's worth of light-sided memories and emotions) Bes'manda is silver in color and radiates a blue light.

Technology Modifications:

• Changed typo from Non resident to Non restricted - Cira 7/21/2017

 

[Mishka Larraq]

[member="Cira"], [member="Raziel"],

Ready to be moved to Technology Factory.

 

[Haytham Kaze]

Hello, I'll be the factory judge reviewing your submission. If you have questions, please feel free to respond to this thread once we are underway.

 

[Haytham Kaze]

Resistant to shatterpoint (due to being slightly different than Beskar, which is already resistant to shatterpoint due to unfamiliarity)

I'm not sure this is right.

Saturated with the collective memories and emotional impact of the Mandalorian Cataclysm

So if it were to come into contact with a force nullification field would it permanently lose the memories, or be incapable of calling back to them while void of the Force?

Can control when and how to release stored energy

I think it'd make more sense for this to say a user / force sensitive in place of the metal doing it on its own?

[member="Mishka Larraq"]

 

[Mishka Larraq]

Beskar is notoriously hard to effect with shatterpoint because the construction method is a tightly guarded secret. Meaning that, typically, only someone that knows how to forge Beskar can shatterpoint beskar. Or...That was my understanding of it. I defer to Jon on such issues usually.


The metal retains all properties, but cannot initiate it's effects while being dampened. So, as soon as it comes back out of the field, it's back to normal. Same as any other crystal or alchemical object when interacting with a Nullification field.



Nope. The metal does it's own thing. Per the wookieepedia article on Kyber Crystals, these things can control how they react/interact with things and people. Choosing to react one way or another to a person. Finding a way to "escape" a person the crystal doesn't like.

Kyber Crystals are like near-sentient versions of shards and other smarty-pants crystals. That independent property is carried over to this metal, making each plate, blade, exc... Quite nearly have a mind of its own.

[member="Haytham Kaze"]

 

[Haytham Kaze]

[member="Mishka Larraq"]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Jacen Solo / Darth Caedus utilized Shatterpoint on a Mandalorian's Beskar'gam and it was described as falling apart entirely. Additionally, as future reference, a shatterpoint user wouldn't necessarily need to have prior knowledge of what they're using the ability on since the ability itself isn't just 'shattering' the armour, it is seeing said weakpoints that allow it to fall apart.[/SIZE]

I'd like that to be dropped from the rest of the submission.

I assume this metal can't be corrupted the same way Kyber crystals can be by the Dark Side?

 

[Mishka Larraq]

Kyber Beskar, on the other hand, is naturally and strongly tied to a balanced state known as a twilight axis and is highly resistant to manipulation towards either the dark or light side of the force, an act that would require a total crystal lattice shift for the entire object (an act that comes with the very real risk of accidentally shattering the object during some failed attempts). A feat made particularly difficult by the incredible strength of the metal which augments this crystal lattice. While nearly unheard of, the feat is possible and causes a dramatic shift in the appearance of the metal.

While twilight oriented Bes'manda is gold in color and radiates a golden light, Darkside dominated Bes'manda is black in color and radiates a red light and Lightside dominated (purified of the negative memories and emotions, each being replaced by a lifetime's worth of light-sided memories and emotions) Bes'manda is silver in color and radiates a blue light.

It can be changed to light side or dark sided, but it is very hard, takes a good while of concentrated effort, and could shatter the metal during the attempt.

 

[Mishka Larraq]

[member="Haytham Kaze"]

Edits made

 

[Haytham Kaze]

Thank you, [member="Mishka Larraq"]

 

[Haytham Kaze]

Awesome. Pending Admin Approval. Thanks! [member="Cira"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Hi [member="Mishka Larraq"]!

Production: Near-Unique

• Please either use Unique or Semi-Unique. Near-Unique is a bit of a gray area and this field needs to be accurate.

All stored energy is violently released upon exposure to a Force Nullification field

• Initially I was okay with this until I read through the special features and discovered the following which essentially nullify this weakness entirely and instead provide it with what appears to be a strength:

1. Can control when and how to release stored energy
2. Overloaded Bes'manda must vent excess energy, typically as an explosive pulse (uncontrolled) or directed beam (controlled)

Absorbs, focuses, and amplifies any form of energy

• This is simply too overarching. It implies that it can absorb anything from the tiniest holdout blaster to a turbolaser. Please clarify and limit this.

 

[Mishka Larraq]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Entering a force Nullification field would cause an uncontrolled venting of energy (aka, pulse/explosion). A controlled venting of excess energy would occur if the Bes'manda (or a force sensitive wielder) knew that it was reaching it's limit and chose to vent the energy in a single direction while it could still be controlled.


Also, I meant Semi-Unique. I guess. I could have sworn I always called it near-unique... But I'll edit that one in a sec.


Any form of energy means... Like... Types of energy, not levels of intensity. Thermal, kinetic, electrical, maybe some radiation or electromagnetic pulses... It's kind of a "as appropriate for the story" sort of thing.


In terms of what scale of attack it can withstand/absorbed... That's kind of a common sense / appropriate for the story sort of thing. Like... Taking a hit from a tank or starfighter's laser cannon(s). When the laser hits an object made of bes'manda, the energy bolt explodes. The Bes'manda doesn't just suck up all that energy before it explodes or anything, it just retains the energy that impacts it and stores it for later. The person attached to the Bes'manda would probably go flying and take a good bit of damage from such an attack. The overall effect wouldn't be much different than a FU using Force Shield to protect him/herself from such an attack.

Let's say... Something like a sword would be able to suck up hand-held blaster bolts about as well as a lightsaber could deflect them. A hand-held shield of Bes'manda could probably suck up a great deal more, about as much as a powerful personal shield could withstand or about as much as someone using Force Shield could withstand.

90% of this metal's physical abilities are on-par with what you would expect from Beskar. So, it can take a beating well beyond what it can absorb from each attack that hits it. It just steadily gains some of the energy that impacts it, glowing brighter and brighter until that energy is released.

 

[Mishka Larraq]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Notice me Sempi!

 

[Jamie Pyne]

[member="Mishka Larraq"]

The Codex & Factory Standardized Rules​

Do not bump your submissions.​

​

I will review your comments. I am not available on weekends. Please be patient.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

[member="Mishka Larraq"]

Restricted Missions: Raging Mother

• Drop the production level to UNIQUE or increase the development thread. One or the other. Only submissions labeled unique are exempt from development.

Modularity: Can be mixed with other metals, ores, and crystals during the forging process

• This cannot be mixed with other restricted materials at any point in time. Notate this.

Quality: 8-10

• Submissions utilizing this material that are rated at quality 9 or 10 must be labeled unique, if you choose to maintain the semi-unique production limit. Notate/Edit this if necessary.

amplifies any form of energy

• Remove that statement. I'm not okay with amplification of energy. What you get in is what you get out. That's as far as I am willing to go.

Highly damaging/resistant to Sithspawn, Dark Side Spirits, Light Side Spirits, Purified Force Golems, or any other force infused entity strongly tied to only one side of the force Absorbs, focuses, energy Can store large quantities of absorbed energy Can control when and how to release stored energy

• Add these statements in their edited form to the strengths list for visibility.

Core temperature increases with amount of stored energy, can get hot enough to melt Durasteel like a lightsaber

• Add this to the weaknesses. If the temperature increases, and this is worn as armor, it should be a danger to the wearer.

Overloaded Bes'manda must vent excess energy, typically as an explosive pulse (uncontrolled) or directed beam (controlled)

• I would be much more enthusiastic about passing this submission as a whole if the directed beam was either reworded to something less potentially devastating or removed. Or, clearly defined that it cannot become an explosion larger than say, a thermal detonator for small objects. I'm open to discussing this, but it needs to be reworded somehow.

 

[Mishka Larraq]

Drop the production level to UNIQUE or increase the development thread. One or the other. Only submissions labeled unique are exempt from development.

How long would you like the dev thread to be? I was planning on getting it to 10-12 posts (got distracted).

This cannot be mixed with other restricted materials at any point in time. Notate this.

I kinda figured that was a given. I can work that in though.

Submissions utilizing this material that are rated at quality 9 or 10 must be labeled unique, if you choose to maintain the semi-unique production limit. Notate/Edit this if necessary.

Kinda confused by this request. Any sub made from this would still be subject to review and balance on it's own. So... Even if the metal is semi-unique, any armor made from with that wants to achieve armor 10 rating would need to be unique anyway. So... I'm just kinda confused as to why that needs to be touched on in my sub, if it's already explained in the list of Factory Rules.

Also, from an IC viewpoint, standard plates would be class 8. Double the thickness for class 9. Triple the thickness for class 10. Make thinner plates for class whatever. Or, that's how I see it anyway. Honestly, just listing a quality rating for a metal seems silly, since people make quality 10 armor out of Durasteel fairly regularly. Maybe later on that could be touched up on as... Quality rating per X thickness or X weight or something.

Anyway, rambling aside, could you explain to me a bit about what exactly you're looking for in this area and why? It's just not clicking for me.

Remove that statement. I'm not okay with amplification of energy. What you get in is what you get out. That's as far as I am willing to go.

That line is a pretty direct quote from the wookieepedia page on Kyber Crystals, so I'm confused as to why you are asking for it's removal.

"We know little about kyber crystals, because the Jedi Order worked to keep knowledge of them secret. But to put it simply, they focus energy and amplify its intensity. That once made them ideal for use in Jedi lightsabers; now it makes them ideal for use in laser weapons."

"The crystals concentrated energy in a unique manner through the Force, resonating with it."

"The crystals were noted for their unmatched ability to channel energy and generate enormous returns. "

- http://.wikia.com/wiki/Kyber_crystal


With the canon source material in mind, I'm confused by your request for this aspect of a Kyber-based product to be removed entirely. Could you please elaborate on your reasoning behind this request, because I think you and I are having two very different perceptions of what this stuff does.

Add these statements in their edited form to the strengths list for visibility.

I can do that. I had them listed where they are so there would be no confusion about what effects get turned off and on by force Nullification fields. If you want me to make edits to the strength/weaknesses section, do you have any recommendations/input on how I deal with the S/W and Special Features lists? Because I'll have to reorganize the entire thing in order to comply with your requests, make it easy to understand at a glance, and keep the information in the sub organized. As it is, I'm worried that mixing the innate features with the "special" features will clutter the submission and make it hard to understand.

Add this to the weaknesses. If the temperature increases, and this is worn as armor, it should be a danger to the wearer.

I can... But I'm confused as to why. Wouldn't that be an issue for any unique/semi-unique armor submission made using this metal, not an issue for the metal itself?

Also... It slipped my mind that someone would even need that spelled out for them. XD

It's not an issue to add that in, it doesn't really effect the overall properties of the metal at all... I just wanna be sure that you're sure you want it in there, since, to me, it doesn't really feel like something that has anything to do with this sub (but would instead be a point to be addressed in future subs that ARE body armor).

I would be much more enthusiastic about passing this submission as a whole if the directed beam was either reworded to something less potentially devastating or removed. Or, clearly defined that it cannot become an explosion larger than say, a thermal detonator for small objects. I'm open to discussing this, but it needs to be reworded somehow.

So... Let me take a moment to try and explain how I see this. Because I'm usually bad at that and I think we might have different viewpoints on what this stuff is capable of.


Like. By and large, the exact parameters should be fuzzy so that individual writers can feel free to do what feels right to them for their story, scaling up and down the damage output for the sake of a good, fair roleplay.

At face value, I really see this metal being used for swords, spears, bucklers, and maybe tower shields. Personal stuff that a person holds. I wouldn't want to wear this stuff as armor... But who knows. I might get a request to make that for someone some day. Also, this stuff is hand crafted almost exclusively by Mishka. So... No tank or starship plating made out of this stuff.

On the high end of average situations, I don't see any "energy beam" getting shot out of a sword, spear, or shield being any stronger than a heavy blaster or laser cannon (which are within the realm of possibility for someone to create via mechanical means anyway). For the explosion/uncontrolled energy release/overload... Yeah. A thermal Detonator sounds about right.

How fast it can build up that level of charge... Boils down to what feels appropriate for an individual roleplay. I've seen characters spawn a star in a single post and I've seen characters do five posts of "powering up" before going nuclear. The intent here is to create a mystical, interesting toy that allows a character to compete with mechanical weaponry and force powers via the semi-mystical properties of "magic metals" (worked into a star wars setting).

The intent isn't to say "you shoot me with a blaster, but I block it with my sword and reflect it back at you at heavy laser cannon strength."

The intent is more along the lines of "You've been smacking me and my sword with your lightsaber for 10 posts and I've also been taking a lot of hits from Force Lightning and some other crazy powers you've thrown at me. This whole time my sword has been absorbing some of that energy and growing stronger (or, I've been pumping my own energy into it instead of using Force attacks). Now I will try to unleash all that energy with a single attack! (And hope like kark that you take the hit.)"



Sooo.... With the above in mind and hopefully us having a better understanding of where we are each coming from (assuming you answered my above questions and explained things a bit more), what are your current thoughts on the beam/explosion thing?

Are my views about what your views are, or was your mind somewhere else? What sort of changes would you like to see that keep people from going crazy with this stuff, but still let's it be interesting from time to time?

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

 

[Jamie Pyne]

[member="Mishka Larraq"]

How long would you like the dev thread to be? I was planning on getting it to 10-12 posts (got distracted).

• That would be fine.

I kinda figured that was a given. I can work that in though.

• This is more for visibility than my fear of you abusing it down the line.

Any sub made from this would still be subject to review and balance on it's own. So... Even if the metal is semi-unique, any armor made from with that wants to achieve armor 10 rating would need to be unique anyway. So... I'm just kinda confused as to why that needs to be touched on in my sub, if it's already explained in the list of Factory Rules.

• That's fair. Disregard this request.

That line is a pretty direct quote from the wookieepedia page on Kyber Crystals, so I'm confused as to why you are asking for it's removal.

• The reason was more in theory of it translating this energy into something else. However your explanation further down is sufficient enough to disregard this as well.

I can do that. I had them listed where they are so there would be no confusion about what effects get turned off and on by force Nullification fields. If you want me to make edits to the strength/weaknesses section, do you have any recommendations/input on how I deal with the S/W and Special Features lists? Because I'll have to reorganize the entire thing in order to comply with your requests, make it easy to understand at a glance, and keep the information in the sub organized. As it is, I'm worried that mixing the innate features with the "special" features will clutter the submission and make it hard to understand.

Loses "special features" properties while within a Force Nullification field

• I believe I may have missed the implied meaning here in the weaknesses section. Apologies. The strengths/weaknesses may remain as they are.

So... No tank or starship plating made out of this stuff.

On the high end of average situations, I don't see any "energy beam" getting shot out of a sword, spear, or shield being any stronger than a heavy blaster or laser cannon (which are within the realm of possibility for someone to create via mechanical means anyway). For the explosion/uncontrolled energy release/overload... Yeah. A thermal Detonator sounds about right.

The intent isn't to say "you shoot me with a blaster, but I block it with my sword and reflect it back at you at heavy laser cannon strength."

• My reservations here are satisfied in this case.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

[member="Mishka Larraq"]

Any update on this?

 

[Mishka Larraq]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

All the edits should be there. Just trying for force myself to finish these next few posts and finish up the dev thread. I'll try to have it done in a few hours. Just need to get some coffee in me and I'll hop on it.

 

[Mishka Larraq]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]


Done with the thread. 11 posts.