Sunblades and power attacks?

[Voidstar01]

Sun Blades "Deal damage as a bastard sword...the wielder reacts as if it was a shortsword, Bastardsword Can benefit from power attacks, short swords cannot, Can sun blades?

[Ryton]

RAW, it seems tricky as to whether the Sun Blade is a martial weapon (short sword proficiency), an exotic weapon (bastard sword proficiency), or whichever is most beneficial if you are proficient with both (which is where I'd rule, but I'd need other people's input as to whether it works RAW).
If you can treat it as exotic, Exotic Weapon Master's Uncanny Blow can help you.

If [the EWM] has the Power Attack feat, he treats the weapon as twohanded for purposes of determining his bonus on damage rolls.
Again, that would require the Sun Blade to qualify as an exotic weapon though, which is unclear.

[Eladrinblade]

Any individual able to use either a bastard sword or a short sword with proficiency is proficient in the use of a sun blade. Likewise, Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization in short sword and bastard sword apply equally, but the benefits of those feats do not stack.

It's both weapons.

Personally I'd rule that if you're not using it with weapon finesse you can power attack with it.

[Ryton]

It's both weapons.

Personally I'd rule that if you're not using it with weapon finesse you can power attack with it.

It is generally both, but it's still hard to get a definitive ruling for.


(In other words, the weapon appears to all viewers to be a bastard sword, and deals bastard sword damage, but the wielder feels and reacts as if the weapon were a short sword.)
So does it deal power attack damage like a bastard sword, or does it react to power attack like a short sword? It's really unclear.