Amphistaff

"The amphistaff is not just a Vong's weapon, it is his most important ally. With an amphistaff in his arsenal, a Vong is never truly alone."

- Wedge Antilles

Amphistaffs were the primary anti-personnel weapons of the Yuuzhan Vong.

Like all Yuuzhan Vong biotechnology, the amphistaffs were fully organic beings native to the Yuuzhan Vong homeworld Yuuzhan'tar. Young amphistaffs grew in trios from leathery polyps, reaching out and snatching whatever prey could be found and redirecting it into the polyp's gaping maw, thus feeding all four entities simultaneously. Eventually the amphistaffs lengthened to around 2 or 3 meters, too large for their polyp to support them. They would break off, escaping into the wilderness and leaving the polyp to die.

Fully grown amphistaffs were durable and cunning predators. Power glands in the serpent's body could emit electrical impulses that reorganized the creature's semicrystalline cell structure. This field extended a millimeter from the amphistaff's body and created a razor-thin edges capable of slashing through prey. Only vonduun crabs rivaled the amphistaff in rigidity. After feeding vorasciously, amphistaffs morphed into polyps to continue their species' reproduction.

If a Warrior captured an amphistaff as it left its polyp, the two were bound together and the amphistaff would loyally serve its new master in battle. Hand motions from the warrior coaxed the amphistaff to either harden or become pliable, for each had its own purposes. Occasionally a Yuuzhan Vong would hurl the hardened amphistaff as a spear, further increasing its lethality. Amphistaffs were, quite possibly, one of the most durable thing known, as not even lightsabers could cut through them. When used as a heavy staff, the serpent would endure blow after blow from the Jedi weaponry and remain unfazed. The amphistaff's edge &mdash; measured in atoms &mdash; slashed through flesh with no resistance. In the blink of an eye, the amphistaff could soften and wind around the lightsaber's blade, its venomous jaws snapping and tearing at the unfortunate victim's face. Because of its organic nature, these creatures were capable of recovering from virtually any wounds. Nigh upon invincible, an amphistaff could only be killed by repeated blunt trauma to or removal of the head.

Psychological damage was rampant in Republic soldiers that entered ranged combat with amphistaff-armed Yuuzhan Vong. When directed, an amphistaff spat venom at a distance of 20 meters. This spray was aimed directly at the target's eyes and instantly blinded them. Poison seeped through the pores and entered the victim's bloodstream, interfering with circulation and choking off the oxygen supply. Excruciating pain accompanied twenty hours of suffering until the victim finally died. Jedi Master Mara Jade Skywalker eventually created a biotoxin drill that, if administered early enough, could disrupt the venom's lethal actions.

Certain types of specialized amphistaffs existed among the Yuuzhan Vong. Supreme Overlords such a Shimrra Jamaane possessed uniquely gigantic variations of the typical amphistaff called Scepter of Power. Warmasters such as Tsavong Lah and Nas Choka were granted "Batons of Rank" called tsaisi. Finally, the reptoid Chazrach slaves were armed with inferior, smaller versions of the amphistaff to compensate for their tiny stature and lower combat skills.

Behind the scenes
The origins of the amphistaff possibly date back as far as the Bantam/Dark Horse invasion storyline, where the (non-humanoid) invaders were to be armed with a bladed, anti-lightsaber weapon.

Appearances

 * New Jedi Order