Psi-Shielded Ships

[Easterner9504]

If a ship is shielded but a Psion boards the ship does his powers work or does the external block shielding work inboard. It would seem natural it should block, but an awful lot of adventures imply otherwise (or ignore the idea). What's the consensus?

 

[aramis]

IMO, the psionic shield is a barrier, a shell, not a large field. It creates very localized turbulence in the "ether" that psionics uses, and powers don't cross, but can be used inside of the barrier. I'd say that the shell is at least 10cm, probably 20cm, from the generating mesh.

 

[rancke]

IMO, the psionic shield is a barrier, a shell, not a large field.

I agree. I can add that IMTU, all diplomatic and military installations are psi shielded. And many commercial and some private buildings too.


Hans

 

[shield]

Yes, there is stuff in striker saying the 31 routinely psi shields in important building, ships and battledress. It seems to be a barrier. It stops telepathy and clairvoyance type senses across the barrier. Not sure if it stops teleportation but without a visual idea of the teleport site that could be very dangerous.

 

[sayatmenace]

It sounds like I'm out of compliance with canon, but IMTU psi-shields are shields for brains, not for spaces. They have a very short-ranged effect of blocking telepathic access to the wearer's mind... but that's all. That's actually how I understood the rules way back in the early '80s.

I've seen a lot of house rules and (IIRC) newer canon that creates a lot of anti-psionic technology, like the shielding of ships and buildings, and psi-suppressant drugs, and so forth... which I kind of dislike for gaming/narrative reasons; they tend to defang the threat of psionics for players.

 

[Hyphen]

Dear Folks -

(Hi Kenji!) Ever since a rule (TNE, I think) that standing near to an intense electrical field can disrupt psionics, I've had a house rule that sending a trickle charge through your ship's jump field mesh creates a psi-shield for your ship. It doesn't stop psionics _inside_ the ship, just a barrier on the surfsce.

To balance this ability, I added a couple of drawbacks. First, the engineers job becomes harder - they have to roll to maintain the field. Second, you have to drop it to use your_own_ psionics. Finally, it gradually degrades the lanthanum grid, increasing the cost of annual maintenance. (It probably wouldn't, really, but I have found that the hip-pocket nerve is a good stick to use with players. "Do we really have to fire - you do know how much that missile costs?!!"

 

[McPerth]

Not sure if it stops teleportation but without a visual idea of the teleport site that could be very dangerous.

Anyway, I don't believe teleport could be a good way to board an enemy ship.

CT Bk3 page 44 (similar rules are on other versions)

Teleportation involves serious restrictions on movement in order to assure the conservation of energy and momentum

So, the boarding ship would have to exactly match the speed and vector of the boarded ship, and that assuming it's not rolling or otherwise spinning, or your teleport troops would be making quite a dangerous thing. At the speeds those ships are moving, any speed or direction change (or wrong matching) could be fatal for the teleported.

I guess this could only be achieved on a crippled (dead in space) ship, that mantains constant vector and speed, and this could be as easily done by conventional means, not needing your precious teleport troops to be dedicated to it.

EDIT: Of course, the fact that if psionically shielding a facility may avoid teleporting inside/outside, may still have sense for other kind of non-mobile facilities, what I said only applies to ships.

 

[sayatmenace]

David, I like your idea! Large-scale shields as providing "perimeter" rather than "volume" psi-nullification... that could be the best of both worlds, in terms of making things difficult but not too easy If I get to run another Trav game with any hint of psionics in it, I will seriously consider using this model.

 

[Hyphen]

David, I like your idea! Large-scale shields as providing "perimeter" rather than "volume" psi-nullification...

(To be fair, I think that's exactly what Will & Hans were suggesting earlier. )