posting before reading entries so as not to bias myself, therefore forgive any repetition
Be fairly light and comfortable for a wielder of any vaguely reasonable size (self-adjusting) so a child can wield it as well as Conan
Grant the user some sword skill so that even a helpless damsel can grab it and defend herself. This power usually manifests as dragging your arm beyond your power to BLOCK incoming blows - not so much to deliver them.
Glow in the presence of (evil/magic/lies/poison)
Pass through the hearts/bodies of the pure without causing damage. Like the old unicorn horn test - if I stab you in the heart with this and you live, you're a good guy!
Purify those who are possessed by evil spirits but not evil in themselves - if I stab you in the heart with this and black smoke flies out of your mouth and you live, you're a good guy now!
Talk. This is usually a BAD THING in a magic sword, though, as just about any talking sword I've encountered was a bastard. Sometimes a useful one, but still annoying to have around.
Can't be removed from the scabbard or wielded by the wrong owner - it burns, it burns!
Can hide itself from unfriendly eyes, so when you get frisked for weapons before being thrown in jail, the guards just don't notice the magic sword
Cut through really really hard things without taking a scratch.
If it's an EVIL magic sword, it should be able to drink blood and gain power from it somehow or other. There's a fanfic where Faith gets a magic knife that's fueled by blood... the only powers I can remember it having were super-sharpness and FORCE SHIELD, which is a very useful thing when you showed up at a gun fight with a knife. Naturally, when you have a life-draining sword, you have to have a serious talk with it about which one of you is in charge, or it might just eat you.
Shield you from certain environmental damage, so that you can walk through a cloud of poison gas with your glowing sword and be okay. The sword is allowed to fail if you are actually dropped into a pit of lava, but a brief spray of fire (dragon's breath!) it should be able to protect you from
Some people do boomerang swords, but personally I think that's a little silly. Get a chakram, guys.
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Be fairly light and comfortable for a wielder of any vaguely reasonable size (self-adjusting) so a child can wield it as well as Conan
Grant the user some sword skill so that even a helpless damsel can grab it and defend herself. This power usually manifests as dragging your arm beyond your power to BLOCK incoming blows - not so much to deliver them.
Glow in the presence of (evil/magic/lies/poison)
Pass through the hearts/bodies of the pure without causing damage. Like the old unicorn horn test - if I stab you in the heart with this and you live, you're a good guy!
Purify those who are possessed by evil spirits but not evil in themselves - if I stab you in the heart with this and black smoke flies out of your mouth and you live, you're a good guy now!
Talk. This is usually a BAD THING in a magic sword, though, as just about any talking sword I've encountered was a bastard. Sometimes a useful one, but still annoying to have around.
Can't be removed from the scabbard or wielded by the wrong owner - it burns, it burns!
Can hide itself from unfriendly eyes, so when you get frisked for weapons before being thrown in jail, the guards just don't notice the magic sword
Cut through really really hard things without taking a scratch.
If it's an EVIL magic sword, it should be able to drink blood and gain power from it somehow or other. There's a fanfic where Faith gets a magic knife that's fueled by blood... the only powers I can remember it having were super-sharpness and FORCE SHIELD, which is a very useful thing when you showed up at a gun fight with a knife. Naturally, when you have a life-draining sword, you have to have a serious talk with it about which one of you is in charge, or it might just eat you.
Shield you from certain environmental damage, so that you can walk through a cloud of poison gas with your glowing sword and be okay. The sword is allowed to fail if you are actually dropped into a pit of lava, but a brief spray of fire (dragon's breath!) it should be able to protect you from
Some people do boomerang swords, but personally I think that's a little silly. Get a chakram, guys.