Barrier / Force Field - Spell as Power

[OldSam]

How would you build a power creating a static magical barrier, say a kind of force field, at a given place in the air?

In Powers under "Kinetic Energy" I read the idea to use Damage Resistance with "Force Field" and "Limited, Physical -20%".
What does this Limited, Physical do? Does it mean that the armor is placed in the physical world independent from the body? Because that's what I want...


Then I could imagine something like that:

Magical Barrier 10 [40]
Damage Resistance (Force Field +20%; Limited Physical, -20%; Area Effect 4 yd +100%; Magical -10%; Spell Components -20%; Costs Fatigue: 5, -50%; Requires IQ Roll -10%; Takes Recharge: 1h, -30%)

Comments please! ;)

[munin]

See the Wall enhancement (p. B109). It turns an Innate Attack into a wall. The rigid version of a Wall has DR and HP and only does damage against those who crash into it.

You can also build such an effect on Damage Resistance, as you did. Combined with Area Effect and Affects Others (p. P107-108) it becomes a spherical barrier projected some distance from your body that can protect others as well as yourself, but you'd have to use Affliction to center it somewhere other than your body.

For "Limited, Physical", see Limited Defenses (p. B46). It just means your DR only protects against physical attacks ("from any material substance") and not electricity, fire, cold, sound, etc.

[vierasmarius]

Originally Posted by OldSam

How would you build a power creating a static magical barrier, say a kind of force field, at a given place in the air?

In Powers under "Kinetic Energy" I read the idea to use Damage Resistance with the Limitations "Force Field" and "Limited, Physical -20%".
What does this Limited, Physical do? Does it mean that the armor is placed in the physical world independent from the body? Because that's what I want...

What "Physical" does is it makes the DR only apply against Physical (ie, kinetic) damage sources, not magical spells, fire, electricity, freezing cold etc. To get the effect you're looking for, you need to apply the Wall enhancement to an Innate Attack (Crushing if you want a solid wall.)

[lexington]

Originally Posted by OldSam

Magical Barrier 10 [40]
Damage Resistance (Force Field +20%; Limited Physical, -20%; Area Effect 4 yd +100%; Magical -10%; Spell Components -20%; Costs Fatigue: 5, -50%; Requires IQ Roll -10%; Takes Recharge: 1h, -30%)

That isn't quite a valid build, it needs Affects Others +50% from power. Once you have that what it does is create a DR10 sphere centered on you, that blocks only physical attacks and lasts as long as you pay 5 FP per second and Roll IQ each time it takes damage.

You can defend yourself and others better by taking DR10 and just standing between them and an attack.

As others have said, you're looking for Wall.

[vitruvian]

Originally Posted by OldSam

How would you build a power creating a static magical barrier, say a kind of force field, at a given place in the air?

In Powers under "Kinetic Energy" I read the idea to use Damage Resistance with the Limitations "Force Field" and "Limited, Physical -20%".
What does this Limited, Physical do? Does it mean that the armor is placed in the physical world independent from the body? Because that's what I want...


Then I could imagine something like that:

Magical Barrier 10 [40]
Damage Resistance (Force Field +20%; Limited Physical, -20%; Area Effect 4 yd +100%; Magical -10%; Spell Components -20%; Costs Fatigue: 5, -50%; Requires IQ Roll -10%; Takes Recharge: 1h, -30%)

Comments please! ;)

Force Field is not a limitation.

[OldSam]

...hmm... Do you mean I need Innate Attack Crushing with Wall, Area Effect and Persistent to get my barrier?

After reading about Wall it seems that it's a very weak wall... For instance a level 4 Innate Attack with these modifiers would produce a wall with DR12 and only 2 HP, though it costs a lot of points already...

Actually I want a barrier that has at least very good protection against pure physical power or cannot be destroyed at all without using magic or something like that...

Any good builds available which can also provide that? (for a moderate cost)

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by OldSam

Magical Barrier 10 [40]
Damage Resistance (Force Field +20%; Limited Physical, -20%; Area Effect 4 yd +100%; Magical -10%; Spell Components -20%; Costs Fatigue: 5, -50%; Requires IQ Roll -10%; Takes Recharge: 1h, -30%)

Comments please! ;)

well "Requires material components" is only -10% what so special about these spell compents that its worth twise as much?

Originally Posted by Kromm

[...]Sure, you could give a spell "Requires material components," "Requires gestures," and "Requires magic words" for -10% apiece, but this assumes that you need obscure, freaky components that are hard to come by and that are consumed in the casting, gestures that require both hands and feet free for elaborate ritual movements, and words of power that tip off others about what you're doing.

[lexington]

Originally Posted by OldSam

...hmm... Do you mean I need Innate Attack Crushing with Wall, Area Effect and Persistent to get my barrier?

After reading about Wall it seems that it's a very weak wall... For instance a level 4 Innate Attack with these modifiers would produce a wall with DR12 and only 2 HP, though it costs a lot of points already...

It's actually a slightly better deal than buying DR straight up. A wall gets DR3 for [11] while DR requires you to spend [15] for the same thing. For the [40] you were willing to spend before and with all the same limitations you can make:

Wall 8d (Wall, +30%; Persistent, +40%; Area Effect, 2 yards +50%; Magical, -10%; 1 hr Recharge, -30%; Costs Fatigue, 5, -50%; Requires IQ Roll, -10%; Spell Components, -20%) [40]

Creates a six yard wide wall with DR24 and HP4, that's enough to protect you against assault rifle fire for as long as you can maintain the wall.

[OldSam]

Originally Posted by lexington

Wall 8d (Wall, +30%; Persistent, +40%; Area Effect, 2 yards +50%; Magical, -10%; 1 hr Recharge, -30%; Costs Fatigue, 5, -50%; Requires IQ Roll, -10%; Spell Components, -20%) [40]

You're right, that build looks good... Thanks!


by the way:
If I would like a barrier to be indestructible by mundane physical power, what would it need? Cosmic modifier...?

[mhd]

Originally Posted by OldSam

If I would like a barrier to be indestructible by mundane physical power, what would it need? Cosmic modifier...?

Enough DR to stop most mundane attacks is what Powers (P118) suggests. Which, of course, is probably lower in a semi-realistic fantasy campaign than in a four color superhero game. For saving points, buy the "ignored" DR with a limitation, probably something like "vs. physical attacks"; -20%.