partical effect that uses an image of the item itself.

like a sword, so use a pcx of the sword ( or mabey just the last 1/3 of the tip of the sword blade) . during an entity animation cycle of attack generate a partical of the image at the current sword modles pos. then fade them out after generated. so the first should fade out as following ones generate and as the sword moves should create a trail of these images through its range of motion