Shields are omnipresent in the
Star Wars galaxy and fulfill many roles, from allowing starships to safely
travel through space, to personal and large scale protection, to providing
atmosphere and gravity in space. Trying to translate all of these effects into game
terms in a comprehensive fashion serves little purpose for most gaming groups.
Vehicles and installations provide all of the ‘unseen’ shielding effects at no
additional cost. Players and gamemasters will primarily be concerned with ‘extra’
shielding as characters will more regularly interact with these sorts of
effects. Starship deflector screens are probably the most important of these. The
other common types of shielding included are not terribly likely to be added to
a character sheet, or even most vehicle templates, but are included in the
event that the player characters may find a reason to interact with such an
effect in some way.
In general, “shields” can be
used to conceptualize and justify all sorts of Deflection, Enhanced
defenses, Immunity, or Protection effects.
Common Shield Descriptors: Deflector
shield, energy, force, gear, gravity, kinetic, magnetic, vehicle
Magnetic Field
◊Descriptors
– Energy, force, gravity, magnetic
◊Effect – Environmental
Immunity • 8 points
Magnetic Field (Immunity)
◊Modifiers
– activation: -1 flat point, quirk: -2 flat points
◊Action – move
action
◊Range – personal
◊Duration
– permanent
◊Results –
immune to environmental effects
Description
A magnetic field contains atmosphere and generates gravity within a space.
A Magnetic
Field provides Immunity to all environmental effects and generates local
gravity as well as a breathable atmosphere (usually of any one type desired).
Magnetic fields generated by starships may also provide partial Immunity
to radiation Damage effects (halving the effect’s rank [rounding
down] before determining its resistance check DC) which costs an additional 2
character points.
Activating
a Magnetic Field requires a move action but then remains in effect until
powered down.
Unlike true
life support, a Magnetic Field does not provide nourishment or eliminate the
need to sleep.
A Magnetic
Field may be subject to power loss when not properly maintained or when
absorbing a large amount of energy over a short period of time. Reactivating a
shield may require repairs or a Technology (or appropriate Expertise skill such
as Spacer) check (a DC 18 restores the effect), subject to the gamemaster’s
discretion.
Note: Space vehicles and
stations normally provide immunity to all of the hazards of space for all
occupants at no cost.
Particle Shield
◊Descriptors
– Deflector shield, energy, force, kinetic
◊Effect – Limited
Toughness Immunity • 39 points
Particle Shield (limited Immunity
to effects resisted by toughness)
◊Modifiers
– activation: -1 flat point, limited: -1/rank
◊Action – move
action
◊Range – personal
◊Duration
– permanent
◊Results –
immune to effects resisted by Toughness
Description
Particle shields deflect physical projectiles and space debris in
addition to generating a semi-solid invisible barrier.
A Particle
Shield creates a barrier which harmlessly deflects any physical matter moving
at high velocity including asteroids, high-speed ballistic weapons and
vehicles.
Activating
a Particle Shield requires a move action but then remains in effect until
powered down.
Note: Characters and objects
moving at slow speed can ‘push’ through a Particle Shield (usually requiring DC
10 or 15 Strength check).
Ray Shield
◊Descriptors
– Deflector shield, energy, force
◊Effect – Radiation
Immunity and Linked Blaster Damage Immunity and Linked Laser Damage Immunity
• 16 points
Ray Shield (sustained linked
Immunities)
◊Modifiers
– activation: -1 flat point, removable: -3 flat points, sustained: +0/rank
◊Action – move
action
◊Range – personal
◊Duration
– sustained
◊Results –
immune to effects with the radiation descriptor and Damage effects with the laser or blaster descriptors
Description
A specialized type of deflector shield which absorbs blasters, lasers and
radiation.
Any
creature or object protected by a Ray Shield is immune to all effects with the radiation
descriptor as well as to Damage effects with the laser or blaster descriptors.
Activating
a Ray Shield requires a move action and the shield operator must use a free
action to maintain the effect each round.
A Ray
Shield can be deactivated by specifically targeting the shield generator (a
vehicle must have no pilot or be defenseless) and can be physically removed or
sabotaged. In addition, a Ray Shield may be subject to power loss when
not properly maintained or when absorbing a large amount of energy over a short
period of time. Reactivating a shield may require repairs or a Technology (or
appropriate Expertise skill such as Space Transport Operation) check (a DC 30
restores all Immunity effects), subject to the gamemaster’s discretion.
Starship Deflector Screen
◊Descriptors
– Deflector shield, energy, force, kinetic, vehicle
◊Effect – Enhanced
Traits • 3 points per rank -4
Starship Deflector Screen
(sustained Enhanced Traits)
◊Modifiers
– activation: -1 flat point, removable: -3 flat points, sustained: +0/rank
◊Action – move
action
◊Range – personal
◊Duration
–sustained
◊Results –
+1 to defense and Impervious Toughness +1
Description
Many military vessels, as well as restricted or illegal civilian vessels,
have shield generators designed to absorb attacks or all kinds.
Each rank
in Starship Deflector Screen provides the vehicle with the following effects:
•Enhanced Defense +1
•Enhanced Toughness +1
•Enhanced Impervious Protection 1
To gain
any of these effects requires that the shield operator use a move action to
activate the shield and a free action to maintain the effect each round.
A Starship
Deflector Screen can be deactivated by specifically targeting the shield
generator (a vehicle must have no pilot or be defenseless) and can be
physically removed or sabotaged. In addition, a Starship Deflector Screen may
be subject to power loss when not properly maintained or when absorbing
a large amount of energy over a short period of time. Reactivating the shield
may require repairs or a Technology (or appropriate Expertise skill such as Starfighter
Operation) check. The shield operator’s check result determines how many ranks
of the effect are restored (up to the total Starship Deflector Screen rank).
Note: Starship shield
generators can vary significantly in design and may require a standard action
to activate (with an additional -1 flat point to the overall cost). In
addition, each of the three individual effects provided can be separated into
their component effects and added to a vehicle a la carte, as long as the final
cost of the power is 1 character point or more.
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