A really good sword

[DanHoward]

What exactly would a really sharp sword do in a fight that a regular sword wouldn't do?

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by DanHoward

What exactly would a really sharp sword do in a fight that a regular sword wouldn't do?

Have slivers crack off the edge?

Of course that's useful. All kinds of people who manufacture exotic bullet shapes enthuse about stuff like that. They wouldn't lie to their customers, right?

If the super sharp edges allow for cool theater in the sales pitch, that's what really matters.

[Anders]

Originally Posted by DanHoward

What exactly would a really sharp sword do in a fight that a regular sword wouldn't do?

Cut through armor?

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by zoncxs

The reason this does not work is because of 2 things.

The reason it doesn't work out really boils down to one thing: GURPS is not a reality simulator. Something being continuously pressed against a sharp surface is outside of the sorts of situations it generally handles.

[Stormcrow]

Originally Posted by Rupert

The trick is getting steel that will hold the edge.

Yes. The thing about these legendary and mythical tests of the incredible sharpness of swords is that they don't mention, but do assume, that the sword will be able to keep this edge during and after combat. This is why they should be considered cinematic or supernatural.

Originally Posted by Anders

Cut through armor?

Hence my suggestion of the Penetrating Weapon enchantment.

Originally Posted by Varyon

GURPS is not a reality simulator. Something being continuously pressed against a sharp surface is outside of the sorts of situations it generally handles.

Bingo!

[Daigoro]

Is it actually a thing that's really possible to do? Surely you could test it in your bath tub with a freshly sharpened knife.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Anders

Cut through armor?

Depends on the armour. A very sharp blade will work well on unarmoured flesh, and probably on low-DR cloth and leather armour. But it will go blunt very fast on any kind of metal armour, and quite likely on tough leather.

As so often, the best all-round edge for a sword is probably a compromise.

For knives, it depends on how you're going to use them. If the objective is intimidation, possibly followed by slashing without killing, as an armed robber, you don't want them too sharp. But if your objective is to stab by surprise and kill, you're unlikely to do that many times between chances to sharpen the point, so you want it as sharp as will stand up to a few thrusts.

[Michele]

Originally Posted by Rupert

One of my father's things was to put incredible edges on old butter knives (which, tending to have thin blades, are often quite easy to sharpen) at knife shows. They'd lose their edge pretty fast though, being cheap mild steel at best.

On the other hand he's got a knife he made of O1 tool steel that was hardened but never tempered and it's never needed re-sharpening. It's also got no spring in the blade at all, and we assume that if dropped onto a hard floor it'll snap, if not shatter.

A blade that cuts better than the average blade, but doesn't hold the edge and breaks easily? GURPS has it, I think - it's the Obsidian blade, p. B275.

[Polkageist]

I did a quick search on youtube to see if anyone had tried out that bit of myth. Sadly, I didn't find anything. It's certainly evocative, a wonderful bit of flavor to put into a game to describe the introduction of an important weapon.

Seriously though, that's something that I'd expect mythbusters or one of their many youtubers inspired by them to test out. It's certainly plausible, but I'm quite curious as to how deep down the sharpening rabbit hole you'd need to go.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Anders

Cut through armor?

Broadly speaking, cutting is only relevant when your blade is a much harder material than the material you're hitting. As such, a sharp blade is better at cutting through flesh and soft armors such as cloth or leather, but it will just immediately blunt itself against metal armor.