[AdamSelene235]

For less than $1000 in parts you can build a NdYAG delivering ten's of watts, the 1064 nm beam is not visible at all. A KTP crystal can inexpensively frequency double that to a lime greem 532 nm.

Right. The green would be very dazzling as well as destructive. However the 1064 is also a good propagator as well as very dangerous to the eyes.

A good quality collimating lens or beam expander would keep the beam focused over many miles. You won't ablate metal, but you could cause serious eye damage.

Yep. Mode quality takes some work but is not too hard.

[Darth Hillary]

I've never seen the color of 1064. I have some fiber coupled 808's that have a dim pink color.