[quote=thewizardguy] Ah, you seem to be confusing Excalibur with a pure ceramic weapon. An understandable mistake.Making a weapon from a ceramic material such as glass or clay is stupid, due to the fact that the material is very hard, but doesn't bend. It would take the full force of any impact, and shatter. However, with modern techniques, we can create nanotube materials. This means that within the material tiny tubes of air, smaller than the eye can see, are made. The round shape allows it to bend slightly, and acts as a shock absorber, while also making the material lighter and retaining the hardness. As such you get a weapon that's at least as durable as steel, light as cardboard, and sharper than a doctor's scalpel. It's ridiculously expensive, though.I put real thought into my weapons and their practical application, but if you see any errors in them, such as the stupidity of making a sword from non-nanotube ceramics, please point them out. I pride myself on realism and retention of the laws of physics. [/quote] I did not know that was possible. I the only ceramic blades I knew of were no larger than kitchen knives and needed to be handled with care. That would make no sense. I figured "Well he's an extremely experienced combatant so he can compensate for it's brittleness by being carefull with it." But this explanation is much better. That reminds me. How does the stake work anyways? does it matter that the stake never makes contact with the heart of the vamp your staking with it? What makes a stake effective anyways? why wouldn't a regular lead pipe work when lodged into the heart?