Different Uses for Shield

[Koningkrush]

In GURPS, I want to make using a Shield be more useful and interesting in ways other than just being an Easy defensive skill to replace Parry and Dodge.

First off, I would make Shield an Average skill just for balance reasons due to the following:

Would it work to have the option to default Shield to Perception rather than Dexterity to place the shield in between you and an attack, rather than deflect it (turning your shield into cover DR rather than avoiding the attack)?

The reason for this would be that it would allow someone to use their Shield (Perception) to block bullets, arrows, missile attacks, beam weapons, etc. To balance this, the Size and Speed/Range penalty that the ranged opponent suffers also applies to the defender's Block roll.

I was also thinking of allowing a Strength based block roll to absorb a melee blow with cover DR rather than deflecting the attack.

Some modifiers that I wouldn't be sure about would be for the size of the shield and the weight of the weapon for Perception blocking and Strength blocking respectively.
If the shield was large enough, such as a riot shield, it would pretty much be mobile cover without a defense roll required, and if it was a Buckler there would be a sizable penalty.
For Strength blocking, the size and weight of a weapon would probably best be represented by the already high damage rather than a modifier to the Block, but I was thinking of adding a +1 to +2 bonus to DR if the Shield skill is known at high enough level (similar to increased damage from Karate).

All of this allows for a much more versatile combatant with a shield, allowing him to trade off-hand offense for the option to parry and deflect with his shield against heavy attacks, block and absorb lighter attacks, and use his shield as cover against ranged attacks.