Pyrrha from RWBY
As I said on Monday, this is fairly niche. Still, there are some guidelines one can follow to make this work. Transforming weapons are fun, but it still pays to be careful and not let them cause a mess.
- The more transformations, the more complicated the weapon. This goes for how the character will use it, change it, and understand it. With this type of device, it might be best to keep it to 1-2 extra forms unless it changing is a major plot point. If the story revolves around figuring the weapon out then it’s fine to be complicated.
- Giving the weapon a base form can help with focus. This is the form that the character prefers to keep it in. That way, you can figure out the transformations revolving around this one. You also will never forget which form it is in unless you’re writing an action scene. Another benefit is the character can hide the fact that this weapon can transform.
- Range weapons still need ammunition!
- Each form needs a unique function and use. If everything is a sword then the transformation seems rather useless. Think of different situations and what kind of weapon would be useful. There’s range, edged, stabbing, blunt, long, and even defensive stuff. Consider your categories before you start the story.
- Age of the character should be considered as well. A youngster knowing how to transform the weapon perfectly might not be very believable. It’s assumed that it takes time to figure out all of the configurations and to use it safely. A teenager would have had to start really young, which has to fit their background. Having a character be in their 20’s gives the mastery more believability.
- No matter how quickly a weapon can transform, there is a lull between forms. This means there is always a point where the character is vulnerable. An experienced villain who has fought them before may be able to take advantage of this. A benefit of this issue is that it gives them a vulnerability, which they can’t really get rid of. At the very least, they will have to change their style to counter this issue.
- Maintenance has to be difficult. This isn’t a necessity, but it’s something to consider for realism. Even magical weapons can get worn down and need to be recharged to keep them balanced.
Legends of Windemere 
Good tips! Makes me want to experiment in the design of such a weapon and a story plot that could sustain it. This really requires some worldbuilding thought. But I am intrigued. A transforming weapon sure seems handier than carrying a ton of weapons like certain members of the fellowship in LoTR had! 😊 (I am not knocking their arsenal, however. I just recall a scene in The Two Towers movie adaptation where they had to leave their weapons behind in order to enter Edoras. 😊 They had a lot of weapons.) But the only drawback is if a transformation failed somehow.
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Transforming weapons do have sacrifices for versatility. You need time to change them and lots of training.
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Great tips. I liked the one about age. I can imagine learning how to transform a weapon takes a lot of time and practice.
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Yeah. The only way a youngster could do it is if they’re written as a savant. An anime I watched had a kid who was around 10 and he had a weapon like this. It was explained that he used it so well because he had a natural gift for puzzles. This worked, especially since they kept him acting like a kid even with this skill.
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With good rationale anything is possible.
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I am not sure about the age thing. Six year old kids seem to be able to operate some phone apps better than me, lol.
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True. Though I think they’d have trouble with a sniper rifle that can turn into a sword, battle axe, and nuclear-powered laser cannon. 😁
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I hadn’t really consider this, but it intrigues me. These are great tips to keep it from being all powerful.
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Thanks.
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I think your point about maintenance of such a special item is very good. An author could use that to create interesting obstacles for the characters.
This does remind me of a gaming character from long ago. He had a weapon that could be manipulated into different forms. I remember a staff that could be separated into nunchuks? The character also used a swing line, but I don’t remember if that was from the same weapon or something else.
Anyway, he had to buy the weapon using character points, and if he wanted to change it during combat he had to use action phases to do it.
One time it got taken away from him by an invisible foe, who didn’t know all its configurations. But the character could tell from the sounds what shape it was being put in.
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The staff sounds like an actual weapon called the three-section staff. Only that one doesn’t really connect and is more of a flail. It’s not confirmed to have been used in history too.
I like those rules for the weapon. I had a player who wanted a weapon that was half glaive and half club. He had to use all his skills and points to wield it without killing himself.
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Well, this was a superhero game, Champions, so he wasn’t trying to emulate anything real in history.
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