Deflector Shields vs. Energy Shields

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NukeHavoc
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Deflector Shields vs. Energy Shields

Post by NukeHavoc »

There was a question about this last week -- the core rule book says shields protect the user from damage, and don't type the damage. The KOTOR rule book says that the personal energy shield protects the user from energy damage. What's up with this?

The answer lies in the kind of shield. I believe the droid, vehicle and starship shields in the Saga Edition core rule book are deflector shields, even though I don't think they're explicitly called out as such. These are the kinds of shields we see on the Falcon in Empire Strikes Back, and can take kinetic hits (from asteroids) and blaster hits (say from a Star Destroyer's turbolaser).

The integrated armor shield in Scum and Villainy identifies them as deflector shields, which protects from both kinds of damage. The energy shield, on the other hand, is a personal shield that only works against energy attacks.

So the question for Cory is -- what do our Mandos have? Personal energy shields or deflector shields?
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EvilGenius
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Re: Deflector Shields vs. Energy Shields

Post by EvilGenius »

Well, in the Knights of the Old Republic vid games, you could get Energy Shields and/or physical shields, which were called Mandalorian Shields. :)

From Wookipedia:

Mandalorian Melee Shield
History:
Developed and utilized by the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders, these shields saw widespread use within their ranks during the Mandalorian Wars During that time they served to augment the already formidable protection offered by their assault armor.

Mandalorian Power Shields:
The Mandalorian power shield was developed by the Mandalorians as an upgraded version of their basic forearm shield. This device was said to have proved decisive for the Mandalorians in several battles with the Republic during the Mandalorian Wars and was still in widespread use during the Dark Wars.

It had a long resistance to small arms fire and even grenades. Many republic heroes such as Revan and the Jedi Exile used them.
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Hardcorhobbs
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Re: Deflector Shields vs. Energy Shields

Post by Hardcorhobbs »

I was always under the impression that personal shields were energy shields, and that you needed something larger to have a full deflector shield. IMHO thats why destroyer droids were so powerful, a jedi couldn't just throw something at them through their shield because it's more powerful.

From a GM standpoint I'd rather they were energy shields. Some of the characters already have DR, so giving them SR is essentially doubling up. Don't even get me started with all the ways a jedi can add to the top of that. What I'm saying is characters are already hard enough to challenge without an "out" such as bypassing their shields once in a while. As this will have consequences on the entire campaign I don't want to make the sole decision on it. However my opinion is that ALL personal shields are energy shields with no deflector shields available that small.

One thing I don't want to see a mix of the two. That will get confusing. So whatever we decide there shouldn't be "personal energy shields" and "personal deflector shields". One or the other.
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erilar
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Re: Deflector Shields vs. Energy Shields

Post by erilar »

IMO, let's just say that characters can have either, but not both? That way, there's a trade-off?

Per last week's session, the shields seriously factored into the survivability of the characters. I think my char probably would have died without his, for instance. We should consider this rule carefully, a la grenades.
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EvilGenius
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Re: Deflector Shields vs. Energy Shields

Post by EvilGenius »

I'm okay with keeping it simple and saying Energy Shields only. Everything else is normal. I think it gives another reason to use, say, a vibroblade over a blaster.
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Jonkga
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Re: Deflector Shields vs. Energy Shields

Post by Jonkga »

I'd say if the rulebooks allow for it, then it works in game. If the KOTOR book has an energy shield and the Scum and Villainy book has a personal deflector shield, well then both are available. As the deflector shield works against energy and physical attacks, they don't stack, so there's no worry about being too protected.

And, as they are available for both heroes and villains, then its really a wash if both our characters and the enemies they face are so protected. And, if the enemies don't have them, but outnumber us, then were on pretty much equal footing as well.

Really, at our level we are not seeing super strong shields in use anyway (only about SR10 on average), and most characters don't have the talents/feats to recharge them quickly, so I don't see them as being overbalanced either way. Yes, the extra protection is nice, but it really amounts to one or two extra hits, which isn't always deadly. (Says the only guy whose character did actually die.)

Anyway, if Cory says only energy, I'm ok with that, but I'd also be ok with allowing both types. I'm also ok with Cory saying we started with energy shields, and can be awarded the others as upgrades later on. I'll probably stick to energy shields, as that is the book I have, and I don't have the write-up for the other.

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