Aetherology question

[AnIndolentMango]

So, one of my players wants to have his character do something a little more out of the box. I gave them a tentative maybe since it made sense to me.

 

Is it possible for someone with enough knowledge in aetherology to make a sword or blade with a crystal core that stores the user's aether which can then be used to add a bit of extra oomph when it's filled enough? I know that crystals can be used as aetheric storage, but it it possible to automate the storage and then release? Now that I think about it, it's kind of like a gunblade, but recharges instead of reloads. Is that possible?

 

And speaking of gunblades, do we know exactly when the gunbreaker job quests take place? Just out of curiosity.

[Unnamed Mercenary]

Assuming this blade is gonna be made with something incredibly rare like white auracite or related materials, yes, it could probably hold an aetheric charge and be used. Other things in game have similar purposes but are usually somewhat more technical than purely a crystal.

 

Regarding the timeline, this is kept intentionally vague as FFXIV operates in a series of time bubbles. (We know the HW must take place after ARR, and SB after HW, etc, but there are no dates or times attached to -when- those took place.) There are occasionally some references to how long something takes like the ship from Limsa Lominsa to Kugane is about 3 moons, but the last time we had a hard date was the 7th Umbral Calamity. 

[AnIndolentMango]

Couldn't he use one of the crystal cores used in the machinists aetherotransformers? Or whatever the tubes on the Savant Attire sleeves are made of? Those are both mentioned to store aether and the former can't be too rare given that machinistry is supposed to mass arm the lower class.

 

Barring that, does the entire thing have to be made of white auracite? Or can it be a small part like a battery with a blade of aetherically conductive metal? I'm not against my players getting rare materials but an entire blade made of white auracite seems a little excessive and really fragile.

Edited April 1, 2020 by AnIndolentMango

[Unnamed Mercenary]

Just to reiterate in case it got missed.

7 hours ago, Unnamed Mercenary said:

Other things in game have similar purposes but are usually somewhat more technical than purely a crystal.

Which to me includes things like the MCH converter because it's still a refined method as opposed to a raw ingredient. We're given a handful of in-game uses and I'm personally one of the people who's generally cool with things as long as they sound plausible within the setting. Results may vary with other RPers. 

 

2 hours ago, AnIndolentMango said:

Barring that, does the entire thing have to be made of white auracite? Or can it be a small part like a battery with a blade of aesthetically conductive metal? I'm not against my players getting rare materials but an entire blade made of white auracite seems a little excessive and really fragile.

Not necessarily, but given our proximity to recent patches, I don't want to unintentionally spoil things going on in 5.2. Wouldn't this be more of a decision to be made by the player? (Or even their character?) I would make the assumption that any such weapon was probably researched or engineered by the Ironworks and/or Garlemald directly. Or similar science-background characters/organizations. Considerations may include just how powerful this battery is supposed to be, it's uses, and alternatives we see in the game like just having crystals or more refined sources of aether like ceruleum.

[AnIndolentMango]

Ah, ok then. I misunderstood what you mean when you said more that purely a crystal. Thanks for the input.