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Old 08-05-2016, 05:30 PM   #8
WaterAndWindSpirit
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Default Re: Using overpenetration rules on shields?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Varyon View Post
From a realism standpoint, you've got two problems with using Block (instead of just using the shield as cover) against bullets. First, getting the shield into position in time is practically more a matter of luck than skill - you need to know where (within the error of your shield size) the foe is actually targeting, which isn't an easy thing to determine at range, and even if you do figure that out, the shooter is going to see you putting the shield in the way and may change where they are targeting. Secondly, Block typically involves angling your shield and/or pushing on the attacker's weapon to push it aside rather than simply absorbing the hit, and again human reaction times (and the sheer speeds you'd need to maneuver the shield at) don't allow for this. The second you can get around by ignoring the "within DB" clause (having overpenetration occur on any Block), but not so much for the former.
If you're talking superheroes or supersoldiers with Enhenced Time Sense (and some advanced piece of tech), both limitations in the quote above are a non issue. I should have been clearer that I was talking about superhumans than just an offhand reference to Captain America, my bad.

For character points, they are either spending a lot of them on an advanced technology they are the only ones to possess, or they have a deflective shield which eats battery power from a finite (but renewable) power source when it blocks something (in other words, Ablative DR). In either case, win some, lose some.
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