Guild Wars 2

I’ve always like the idea of a skilled one-handed swordsman or pistoleer that doesn’t use an off-hand item. I realize that you’d just be gimping yourself without anything there, but it might work pretty well with an invisible shield. Anything I can use?

Well if you are a guardian a focus might fit the bill.

Sword + ______
Ranger and Warrior: War Horn seems like something that wouldn’t bother while you fight.
Mesmer and Guardian: Focus is usually small, and some even looks like a vanity item that you are holding just as a memento or something.
Thief: umm … maybe a pistol and you can be both at same time? haha

Pistol + ______
Mesmer: See the mesmer answer above or the thief answer below.
Thief: ehhh … moar pistol!
engineer: you have kits anyway haha.

Yeah, your best bet for pulling that off is a focus-wielding class. Some of the really small ones in particular like the Bloodseeker, or maybe The Anomaly which looks pretty good on mesmer and looks more like you’re gathering power in your hand and less like an actual held item.

That said, It’d be cool if some classes had single-wield skills. Kinda like how the thief has dual wield skills as their#3, which becomes a different skill based on their weapon combo including if there IS no offhand weapon.

So for example, a class that has a main hand sword skill #4 and #5 that are used while only having a main hand sword, (Like with a 2 hand weapon) but those skills get overwritten when you use an offhand.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Ambrosia

Stay thirsty, friend.

Some other suggestions…
Focuses
Golden wing, seraph, Flux matrix (barely visable)

I agree with the focus idea.

Small foci:
Bloodseeker
Glint’s Scale
Squeedily Spooch
Foulbear Lucky Feathers
Mojo
Malice

All of these are pretty tiny- paired with the right gloves/dye they can be barely visible at all.

Aura-like foci:
Flux Matrix
The Anomaly
Chimeric Prism (HoM Skin)

I use the Chimeric Prism Focus