Persona plasmasword

For the non-persona variant of this weapon, see Plasmasword.

The persona plasmasword is a melee weapon added by the Royalty DLC that does a decent amount of damage, has a relatively fast cooldown, and deals sharp damage with the bonus of very frequently setting the opponent on fire. It is the persona weapon variant of the plasmasword.

Acquisition

Persona plasmaswords cannot be crafted. Instead, they can be purchased from any combat supplier or war merchant, at Empire faction bases, or obtained as a quest reward.

They can also be found on the following raider kinds:

Raider Kind	Chance	Average Quality	Health
Imperial Citizen	?	?	100%
Stellic Warden	?	Excellent	100%
Knight/Dame	?	Excellent	100%
Praetor	?	Excellent	100%
Baron/Baroness	?	Excellent	100%
Count/Countess	?	Excellent	100%
Duke/Duchess	?	Excellent	100%
Consul	?	Excellent	100%
Stellarch	?	Excellent	100%

Summary

Persona mechanics

Main article: Persona weapon

Unbonded persona weapons form a psychic bond with the first pawn that wields them. The bonded weapon cannot then be wielded by any pawn except the one bonded to it, though it can still be hauled or carried in any pawns inventory. The exception to this bonding are persona weapons with the Freewielder trait, which do not bond at all. A bonded persona weapon must be destroyed for a wielder to bond to another persona weapon. The wielder must die for a bonded weapon to be wielded by another. The bond remains broken if the wielder is resurrected, though they can rebond with the weapon. When bonded, persona weapons have no value, both for trade and for the purposes of raid points.

Each individual persona weapon has a certain combination of traits, listed in persona traits. It also has a randomly generated custom name.

Persona weapons are also superior to their baseline versions in terms of combat.

Flame damage

Persona plasmaswords perform largely the same as any other melee weapon, with one primary difference. When performing the Cut and Stab attacks, a successful strike has a 70% chance to do an extra 10 Flame damage. As with all Flame damage, this damage has no AP and, if it successfully damages the target, there is a chance to set them on fire based on the target's flammability. For most non-mechanoid enemies, this chance is 100% assuming the attack successfully deals Flame damage.

Pyromaniac pawns receive a +2 Pyromaniac has incendiary weapon mood buff while equipped with a persona plasmasword. Note that they must be equipped, not merely carried. They also receive an additional +8 Used flame weapon mood for 0.333 days when used on an enemy.

Analysis

Persona plasmaswords are a strict upgrade to the base plasmasword, with a higher damage, decreased attack cooldown, and a 70% to ignite pawns on a blade hit (from 50%). Against enemies immune to fire, such as mechanoids, the persona plasmasword is slightly better than a plasteel longsword. The longsword is significantly easier to farm, however.

After considering Flame damage, a normal persona plasmasword even beats a normal persona monosword in pure DPS. But for most practical scenarios, the existence of fire-immune targets, the lack of AP on the flame attack, and the lower AP overall means that the monosword edges out. Additionally, as flame damage is unaffected by quality, the monosword is superior at high qualities even against flammable targets.

Enemies on fire will run around wildly and are unable to fight back. This makes either plasmasword dominant in a 1v1 fight against flammable targets, or in any melee fight out in the open. However, the fire can end up being a major drawback. Enemies on fire will ignore collision, meaning that they will run right past a melee block, go behind your colonists, and ruin your formation. The plasmasword also loses its advantage if an enemy deploys a firefoam pop pack.

Overall, a strong weapon in its niche - a weapon good against organic targets when not relying on a chokepoint. The other persona weapons are better for general use, especially due to how common mechanoid raids are.

Attack table

Feature	Toggle
Attacks

Persona plasmasword			Handle (Blunt)					Point (Stab)					Edge (Cut)					Human: Left & right fist (Blunt)					HP	Value
Quality	DPS^[1]	AP^[1]	Dam.	Cool.	AP	DPS	Chance^[2]	Dam.	Cool.	AP	DPS	Chance^[2]	Dam.	Cool.	AP	DPS	Chance^[2]	Dam.	Cool.	AP	DPS	Chance^[2]	HP	Value
Awful	8.12	24.2%	9.6	1.6s	14.4%	6	8.33%	18.4	2s	28%	9.2	37.5%	18.4	2s	28%	9.2	37.5%	8.2	2s	12%	4.1	2× 8.33%	100	1500
Poor	9.05	26.98%	10.8	1.6s	16.2%	6.75	8.33%	20.7	2s	31.5%	10.35	37.5%	20.7	2s	31.5%	10.35	37.5%	8.2	2s	12%	4.1	2× 8.33%	100	2250
Normal	9.97	29.75%	12	1.6s	18%	7.5	8.33%	23	2s	35%	11.5	37.5%	23	2s	35%	11.5	37.5%	8.2	2s	12%	4.1	2× 8.33%	100	3000
Good	10.9	32.53%	13.2	1.6s	19.8%	8.25	8.33%	25.3	2s	38.5%	12.65	37.5%	25.3	2s	38.5%	12.65	37.5%	8.2	2s	12%	4.1	2× 8.33%	100	3500
Excellent	12.79	36.9%	14.4	1.6s	21.6%	9	25%	27.6	2s	42%	13.8	37.5%	27.6	2s	42%	13.8	37.5%	8.2	2s	12%	4.1	2× 0%	100	4000
Masterwork	15.45	44.59%	17.4	1.6s	26.1%	10.88	25%	33.35	2s	50.75%	16.68	37.5%	33.35	2s	50.75%	16.68	37.5%	8.2	2s	12%	4.1	2× 0%	100	5000
Legendary	17.59	50.74%	19.8	1.6s	29.7%	12.38	25%	37.95	2s	57.75%	18.98	37.5%	37.95	2s	57.75%	18.98	37.5%	8.2	2s	12%	4.1	2× 0%	100	6000

^{For the full effects of qualities, see Quality.}

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Note: This is the actual base average derived from the melee verb system updated in 1.1.2610, it may sometimes disagree with the listed value in the in-game infobox.
It may also change depending on the stats and the melee verbs available to the wielder if the weapon is wielded by some other than a baseline human.
↑ Chance for attack to be selected, assuming the weapon is wielded by a baseline human. It may change depending on the melee verbs available to the wielder

Note that DPS does not take the chance of Flame damage into account.

Persona traits

Persona weapons have individual traits to reflect their individual personalities. Each weapon will have one or two traits. Some traits are good, some are bad, some are just different. Traits affect the weapon's market value, so a weapon with a negative trait will be cheaper. The traits are:

Trait name	Description	Effects	Value	Exclusivity	Commonality
Psychic hypersensitizer	This weapon amplifies the wielder's psychic sensitivity by 40%. This only applies while the weapon is held.	+40% Psychic Sensitivity	0	Other Psychic Sensitivity Modifiers	0.75
Psychic sensitizer	This weapon amplifies the wielder's psychic sensitivity by 20%. This only applies while the weapon is held.	+20% Psychic Sensitivity	0	Other Psychic Sensitivity Modifiers	0.75
Psychic quiet	This weapon suppresses the wielder's psychic sensitivity by 15%. This only applies while the weapon is held.	−15% Psychic Sensitivity	0	Other Psychic Sensitivity Modifiers	0.75
Psychic fog	This weapon suppresses the wielder's psychic sensitivity by 30%. This only applies while the weapon is held.	−30% Psychic Sensitivity	0	Other Psychic Sensitivity Modifiers	0.75
Kind thoughts	This weapon's persona is kind and supportive. It whispers kind thoughts to whoever it is bonded with, increasing their mood.	+6 <NAME>'s kind thoughts mood^{[When equipped?]}	+500	Other Bonded Thought Traits Freewielder	1
Calm thoughts	This weapon's persona is relaxed and steady. It whispers calming thoughts to whoever it is bonded with, increasing their mood.	+3 <NAME>'s calm thoughts mood^{[When equipped?]}	+300	Other Bonded Thought Traits Freewielder	1
Mad muttering	This weapon's persona is neurotic and unstable. It mutters mad thoughts to whoever it is bonded with, reducing their mood.	−3 <NAME>'s muttering mood^{[When equipped?]}	-500	Other Bonded Thought Traits Freewielder	1
Mad wailing	This weapon's persona is highly disturbed and won't shut up about it. It wails mad notions to whoever it is bonded with, suppressing their mood.	−6 <NAME>'s wailing mood^{[When equipped?]}	-1000	Other Bonded Thought Traits Freewielder	1
Kill-focused	This weapon's persona focuses on deaths. If the weapon kills someone, the wielder will instantly gain 20% psyfocus.	Instantly gain +20% psyfocus on killing another pawn, including humans, animals, and mechanoids.	+500	Kill Thought Traits	1
Kill-happy	This weapon's persona loves to kill. If this weapon kills someone, its joy will transmit psychically to the wielder, making them happier for a few days.	+6 <NAME>'s kill happiness mood for 3 days after killing a pawn.^[Details]	+500	Other Kill Thought Traits	1
Kill-sorrow	This weapon's persona hates killing. If this weapon kills someone, its sorrow will transmit psychically to the wielder, reducing their mood for a few days.	−3 <NAME>'s kill sorrow mood for 3 days after killing a pawn.^[Details]	-500	Other Kill Thought Traits	1
Kill thirst	This weapon's persona find purpose in bloodshed. If it does not kill for 20 days, it will become angry and psychically complain to whoever is bonded to it.	−3 <NAME>'s kill thirst mood after 20 days without killing a pawn.^[Details]	-700	Kill Thought Traits Traits Freewielder	1
Psy-meditative	This weapon's persona is naturally meditative and helps its wielder focus in psychic meditation. The wielder gains an extra 10% psyfocus per day of meditation, as long as the weapon is held.	+10% psyfocus gain rate	+500	None	1
Painless	This weapon's persona has some method of psychically disabling pain. The one holding the weapon will feel no pain of any kind.	Psychic Painlessness: Pain is disabled by the psychic influence of a wielded weapon. 0x Pain multiplier	+400	None	1
Fast mover	This weapon's persona has a sense of motion. It confers this onto the wielder, making them move 15% faster as long as the weapon is held.	Psychic Speed: Movement is sped up by the psychic influence of a wielded weapon. +15% Moving	+600	None	1
Hunger pangs	This weapon's persona loves food, and transmits that onto whoever bonds with it. The bonded person's hunger rate will be 50% higher.	Psychic Hunger: Hunger is increased by the psychic influence of a bonded weapon. +50% Hunger Rate Factor	-600	None	1
Neural cooling	This weapon's persona has the ability to help dissipate the wielder's neural heat. The wielder's neural heat dissipation is improved by 0.15 per second.	Assisted neural cooling: Neural heat dissipation is improved by the psychic influence of a bonded weapon. +0.15/s Neural Heat Recovery Rate	+500	None	1
Freewielder	This weapon's persona does not form bonds in the normal way. Anyone can pick it up and use it.	Does not bond	0		1
Jealous	This weapon's persona becomes angry when the bonded individual uses another weapon, thus reducing their mood.	−15 <NAME>'s jealousy mood when a weapon other than the bonded weapon is equipped.	-600	Freewielder	1

Version history

Royalty DLC Release - Added as linked plasmasword.
1.1.2570 - Can now be detected as intended.
1.1.2647 - Renamed from linked plasmaswords to persona plasmasword. No longer damages relations with the Empire without the necessary titles. Previously, a title of Knight or Dame was required.
1.2.2719 - Persona plasmasword damage increased from 20 to 22. Persona plasmasword extra flame damage chance increased from 50% to 70%.
1.4.3523 - Now provides pyromaniacs a mood buff, like other incendiary weapons.