Sith swords, or Sith warblades, were melee weapons used by the Sith in the days of the Sith Empire, from 6900 BBY to approximately 5000 BBY. Though similar to the bladed weapons utilized by the ancient Jedi, Sith swords were distinguished from Jedi katanas by their fundamental nature—both powered by and empowering the dark side of the Force.

Sith swords were constructed through various metallurgical and arcane means, transmuting base metals into an alchemical alloy possessing an unusual affinity for dark side energies. The rare metallic compounds used in its construction could result in blades varying in weight from 3 kilograms up to 6.5 kilograms, a blade far heavier than its 1.4 meter length would indicate. It often required great strength of body as well as in the Force to successfully wield the weapon and make it as dangerous as a lightsaber. In fact, the alchemical alterations allowed the Sith sword to block incoming lightsaber attacks, as well as deflect and redirect blaster bolts in much the same way a lightsaber did.

A user skilled in the dark side could alter the weapon’s molecular structure, making it stronger and sharper, and reverse its magnetic polarity, turning it into a high-temperature superconductor that could deflect blaster bolts and other particle weapons as if magnetically sealed. The rare ores used in its construction resisted lightsabers in much the same manner as cortosis and Phrik alloy, while its polished surface reflected laser beams and other coherent light weapons like a mirror. But perhaps most significantly, the weapon served as a focus for the dark energies of its wielder, amplifying their power and refining their control until they became a walking nexus of dark side power.

The weapon’s magnetic properties, combined with its attraction to the dark side of the Force, caused it to react unusually to discharges of Force lightning; The blade would attract and absorb the energy, storing it like an electric capacitor until the blade made contact with a substantial physical object, whereupon the amplified electrical energy was discharged— to an extremely devastating effect.