[Thundarr Thursday] Ancient Armory: The Sun Sword

Weapon: The Sun Sword
Damage: Toon version – Special, see description; Mutant Future version – 1d10+16
Attacks: 1
Range: N/A
Weight: 5 lbs.
Battery: Toon version – N/A; Mutant Future version – Minifusion cell
Charges: Toon version – N/A; Mutant Future version – Cell depleted after 30 minutes of use

The Sun Sword is the iconic flaming sword wielded by Thundarr the Barbarian and has been referred in the show as "the most powerful weapon on the planet." When inactive, the Sun Sword appears to be a simple bladeless sword hilt that magnetically attaches to Thundarr’s wrist gauntlet. When grasped by Thundarr, a blazing flame-like beam of energy springs to life.

On the show, the Sun Sword’s blade can effortlessly cut through nearly anything without problems. It can also deflect energy bolts, standard projectiles, and magical spells (which exist in the Thundarr future). The Sun Sword has been used to cut a passage through concrete walls; melt open a steel doorway; and actually cut through bedrock to allow escape from a cave. There seems to be very little that the Sun Sword cannot cut through. However, even though the Sun Sword could apparently cut through flesh as if it were butter, the cartoon never showed Thundarr cleaving an opponent in two. Instead he’d trap them or block their passage by using the Sun Sword to bring down their surroundings (cutting down a tree so it would fall on a villain, for example).

In the Thundarr universe, magic co-exists with future technology. The Sun Sword is a magical weapon rather than a technological one. Although the Sun Sword has nearly limitless energy, it needs to be recharged in a magical Pool of Power only when it is seriously damaged or drained (such as when it is struck by scarlet lightning in “Master of the Stolen Sun Sword”). Only the person who recharges it can activate the blade, as the Sun Sword will “imprint” upon the wielder during the recharge.

OK, that’s enough background about the original version as presented in the show. As you can surmise, a flaming sword with limitless energy that can cut through anything is just too powerful an artifact to be introduced into a Mutant Future game. (Also, the Sun Sword is a wholly unique device usable only by Thundarr, so the original wouldn’t be of any use even if it WERE available.) So try this version:

A Sun Sword is a technological weapon similar in design and construction as a warp-field sword (MF rulebook, pg. 112). The activated blade, however, is a thin column of blazing plasma that does 1d10+16 hit points of damage. It also attacks as if the target has an AC 1 level worse due to the searing heat produced by the blade. The Sun Sword runs on a minifusion cell that will be depleted after 30 minutes of use.

NOTE: This weapon is inspired by the classic Ruby Spears post-apocalyptic cartoon “Thundarr the Barbarian,” primarily the episode “Master of the Stolen Sun Sword.” Stay tuned each week for “Thundarr Thursday”!