Coolest Energy Weapons in fiction?

[Drax1981]

I'll go with Leelu from The Fifth Element.

[mailedbypostman1]

That would honestly strike me as the most bs, contrived piece of author wank if it didnt sound so awesome
At the same time. Where is it from?

The Wheel of Time series. It's more like a spell than an energy weapon. Usually manifests as a bar of light.

If you're a master spellcaster you can make it rain balefire.

[Wavemaninawe]

The Wheel of Time series. It's more like a spell than an energy weapon. Usually manifests as a bar of light.

If you're a master spellcaster you can make it rain balefire.

I assume there is some equally broken flavor of spell to maintain the terror balance?

[mailedbypostman1]

I assume there is some equally broken flavor of spell to maintain the terror balance?

[Wavemaninawe]

Sounds like a regrettable choice of writing.

[mailedbypostman1]

Sounds like a regrettable choice of writing.

Well it kinda unbalances the fabric of creation and could lead to total universal unraveling so most sensible people avoid using it as much as they can.

[Sharpandpointies]

Which is a nice reason for 'The author will use it when he feels like it, and use this excuse to not use it when he doesn't.'

[Omegalith]

Well it kinda unbalances the fabric of creation and could lead to total universal unraveling so most sensible people avoid using it as much as they can.

Really, there's only so long you can last before someone would unravel the universe deliberately.

[mailedbypostman1]

Really, there's only so long you can last before someone would unravel the universe deliberately.

To paraphrase somebody, most people in the series don't want that. They keep their stuff there.

[Omegalith]

To paraphrase somebody, most people in the series don't want that. They keep their stuff there.

Yeah, but writing widely available anti-universe weapons into a setting places a rather large elephant in the room.

For instance: Say a scientist invents a small device that can open a wormhole to the heart of a star, providing a source of essentially unlimited free energy. As such, the setting is a utopian setting where pretty much anything is possible.

...How long before someone modifies their jetpack's power supply to leave the portal wide open and tear a hole in a continent?

[Guy Smiley]

Basically, it's outlawed knowledge, and anybody who isn't in the upper echelons of the World Government Ageless Magic-Users' Society and Knitting Circle (Motto: "No Boys Allowed!") who shows knowledge of it gets hunted down by their agents and gelded. Of course this doesn't apply to the main character (who has a Destiny, and can therefore get away with telling them to step off) or the antagonists. (who eat the agents for lunch or are secretly behind their deployment in the first place)

[mailedbypostman1]

Basically, it's outlawed knowledge, and anybody who isn't in the upper echelons of the World Government Ageless Magic-Users' Society and Knitting Circle (Motto: "No Boys Allowed!") who shows knowledge of it gets hunted down by their agents and gelded. Of course this doesn't apply to the main character (who has a Destiny, and can therefore get away with telling them to step off) or the antagonists. (who eat the agents for lunch or are secretly behind their deployment in the first place)

Plus the fact that Author Fiat means that we never actually see just how much the spell actually unravels the universe, so yeah, it's not a threat...yet.

[Sharpandpointies]

Basically, it's an excuse for PIS. "I gave them an overpowered power, and throw a limitation on it that really isn't a limit at all, because I'll just have them use it whenever I feel like it anyway and not other times."

I've never actually liked that kind of thing, though it would be salvagable if there were instances in the books where it DID cause serious problems later on that they had to fix without using the same thing again (ie, 'real power has actual consequences that come with it, rather than hinted doom that never comes to pass').

[mailedbypostman1]

Basically, it's an excuse for PIS. "I gave them an overpowered power, and throw a limitation on it that really isn't a limit at all, because I'll just have them use it whenever I feel like it anyway and not other times."

I've never actually liked that kind of thing, though it would be salvagable if there were instances in the books where it DID cause serious problems later on that they had to fix without using the same thing again (ie, 'real power has actual consequences that come with it, rather than hinted doom that never comes to pass').

I'm assuming that Sanderson will either bring that out later or create an instance where they can't use it.

The way it was emphasized to not overuse the instant disintegrator spell which kills everything in the last book suggests it to me at least.

[Sharpandpointies]

They've been using Balefire for quite some time to solve all kinds of problems and even bring people back to life, and we're into...what, the last book?