Weird Science Personal Shields; ideas and consequences

[DemiBenson]

Originally Posted by copeab

I have a vaguely similar device in my WWII campaign, although the PCs may have the only working model. It consists of a thick leather belt, a motorcycle battery and a "black box" with a switch and indicator lights.

Quite simply, it uses the wearer's Kirlian energy to create an ablative force field; for every eight points of damage it stops, the user loses one point of fatigue. The shield only recharges when the wearer regains fatigue. It does not have to be calibrated for it's wearer. It does not stop very slow attacks.

I like this idea, too. I forgot to mention Kirlian energy as a techno-babble for why it protects with a force-field effect and why it takes time to mesh with the user.

But I definitely like the FP damage instead of toxic damage.

[DemiBenson]

Originally Posted by ectropy

All your options are too complicated. Make it simple:

• Unarmed attacks ignore the shield entirely.
• Melee weapons treat the shield as ablative. Only unpowered melee weapons - vibroblades and bang-sticks have a non-bio-energy power source (electricity or gunpowder, respectively).
• Ranged weapons treat the shield as DR (Force-Field).
• Explosions treat the shield the same as ranged weapons, but also double (or triple, or whatever) the shield's DR.

Only the bio-energy of a living being can negate the shield's defenses, which is why unarmed attacks ignore the shield. A melee weapon is powered by a living being, so it (just barely) has better performance than ranged weapons.

I came up with a different idea this morning: instead of DR, the shield gives IT:Damage Reduction and is hardened against armor divisors. Unarmed still ignores, melee halves the reduction, and missile has the full penalty.

If you want to add some complexity:

• Melee weapons only get their shield-effect bonus if they are no longer than the wielder's reach. e.g. a greatsword is treated as a ranged weapon, but a smallsword is a melee weapon. This prevents pikes from being such killer weapons.
• Explosions also get regular DR, if the user was aware of the source. e.g. you see a grenade bounce into your bunker, you get full DR and IT:DR (and hardening) against its effects; you know that your area is under artillery fire, you get ablative DR plus IT:DR and hardening against explosions; a car-bomb suddenly goes off near you, you get no DR because you didn't expect it but still get full IT:DR and hardening. This moves the variability of effect away from the intent of the attacker (after all, we're talking about how a bio-energy shield works, you should ignore the attacker) and makes the defender more effective with better Perception.

That way, it doesn't give the "armor-plated eggshells" problem, and all forms of attack are still potentially deadly, but more survivable when in limited application (like a single gunshot or grenade). Armor will still have its place, but the shields can make the difference between "dead" and "dying, so get to a hospital quickly".

Pick a Damage Reduction scheme like "10 for Light, 20 for Medium, 50 for Heavy" (and Armor Hardening steps of 1, 2, 3), and multiply by whatever factor of BL and shield weight you want to fit the setting.

Also, since the shields are bio-energy-based, you should have bio-energy weapons that ignore the shield. Some ideas:

• Organic crystal knives (Dune's crysknives)
• Organic matter that is kept in contact with the wielder's energy (a bone knife you keep with you at all times)

And someone will come up with a way to use orgone-based ranged weapons, like:

• A "shield breaker" shotgun-like or grenade-like device that projects orgone energy designed to overload a shield and cause that toxic backlash effect. Has no effect on unshielded people.
• At high enough TL, someone will develop an orgone laser, which should have both shield-breaking effect, and do toxic damage once it's penetrated the shield.

Now I'm thinking of including this bio-energy shield in my Robotech/War Against the Chtorr/Reign of Steel/Supers game.

[vicky_molokh]

I think the existence of orgone-based ranged weapons would fully break all the effects the introduction of such shields would make.

Also, a consideration:

It is a big difference whether the already-ablated shield resists highly impersonal attacks with the full or reduced amount of DR.

[vicky_molokh]

I'm still pondering the idea, and I figured I could try to simplify the calculations somewhat, in accordance with advice given. Here's how I might do it now:

Simplified shield statistics:

• A Light Shield has a rated MinST of the wearer; it will simply not work for someone of weaker complexion. It provides Rated ST × 5 special DR, and weights exactly 1 BL for that Rated ST. It's possible to wear a lighter shield than your ST allows. (I'm not sure whether I should allow Medium/Heavy shields at all.)
• A shield recharges at a rate of Rated ST/10sec points, but it must not have blocked any attack for a whole minute to start recharging (taking damage stops the recharge). A stored shield is always uncharged - it must be charged anew when donned.
• One HP of damage is taken for every ST points of shield ablated from biofeedback (as in the OP). Notice that recharging a shield has no effect on HP.

Simplified depletion and penetration rules ('attack classes'):

• Class A. DR ignored completely.
• Class B. DR is ablated.
• Class C. DR is not ablated by this attack.
• Class D. DR is not ablated, and also treated as Hardened at Cosmic levels (disregards ADs).
• Class E. As D, but the Shield is also treated as fully charged.

Attacks come in classes and with modifiers.

• The most personal of attacks - mêlée attacks with no follow-up or ST-boost (no boomsticks and no rocket-boosted weapons!) - Class A.
• Direct ranged attacks, mêlée attacks with a follow-up or ST-boost etc. - Class B.
• Attack has an area effect, fragmentation, bombardment, overhead, or other indirect damage component - Class D.
• Attack is not Aimed at the character (this includes bullets after the first in a burst) - worsen by one class.
• Attacker does not personally sense the target (controlling turret with a camera, firing by coordinates, bombardment etc.) - worsen by 2 classes.

Does that look better?

Are there any unforeseen consequences of allowing Medium/Heavy shields (which would grant roughly 100/150 DR, assuming ST about 10)?

Also, a thing I haven't thought about much before is that such shields will not only make the artillery's life harder, but also nerf antipersonnel mines.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Ze'Manel Cunha

As for the melee thing, the general answer to that is when something is moving slow enough it bypasses the shield.

Or when two shields come into contact with each other they cancel out, limiting effective confrontation to point-blank range.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Or when two shields come into contact with each other they cancel out, limiting effective confrontation to point-blank range.

At which point people are better off stabbing the target using Spear (Bayonet) and pulling the trigger. Which is why I went the other way, with those esoteric attack class differences.

[Luke Bunyip]

A fascinating thread. And timely for me. I was planning on springing something similar on my players.

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

... but also nerf antipersonnel mines.

Is nerf used in this context as a verb or a noun?

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Luke Bunyip

A fascinating thread. And timely for me. I was planning on springing something similar on my players.

Not sure about timely - it's been a while. But if you're planning to use something similar, please share your ideas, and you opinions on the various peculiarities of my shields (in regards to your campaign, but also in general).

Originally Posted by Luke Bunyip

Is nerf used in this context as a verb or a noun?

Verb, meaning 'reduce effectiveness of'. While the term usually refers to something becoming less effective due to a change of game mechanics (e.g. between editions/patches), in this case it just means de facto becoming less useful due to outside circumstances.

[Luke Bunyip]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

Not sure about timely - it's been a while.

I missed the thread when you started it, but it bobbed back into view just as I was considering something similar.

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

But if you're planning to use something similar, please share your ideas, and you opinions on the various peculiarities of my shields.

I was going to use the vanilla Barrier Screens (UT pg191) but decreasing the DR/weight so they were appropriate for personal protection*.

I really like your nominal use of FP as a power source. For my setting, given that these things will be forgotten tech from the fall of Sumer, having batteries 'that still hold their charge' just does not make that much sense. I know that it is a bit silly having a suspension of disbelif for a GM, but knowing my players, it will somehow come in to question.

As well, it be nice to be able to slowly drain their FP. Each combat I try to get them to expend some FP to go the extra mile in combat, but they just do it nice and slow. So they are never in danger of draining their FP. However, I suspect that this session will be a bit different.

<Long drawn out discussion of what I am planning to do to my players edited in the names of brevity and irrelevance>

Still in two minds about the variable DR dependent upon only ST. I might make it the average of ST and HT.

And I am still thinking about the implications of being only protected from attacks that you are aware of. Not sure if this works for me. I might just go with 360 degree defence.

*I like the spherical effect, not to mention the lack of adjustment. Tis a faux Personal Force Screen, but hey...

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Luke Bunyip

And I am still thinking about the implications of being only protected from attacks that you are aware of. Not sure if this works for me. I might just go with 360 degree defence.

Um, I wouldn't make them only protect against attacks wearers are aware of. The intent was to make protection weaker against deliberate/very personal attacks, regardless of the defender's awareness.