Shield

Effect: Enhanced Dodge

Action: Free (active)

Range: Personal

Duration: Sustained

Saving Throw: None

Cost: 1 point per rank

You have a shield able to deflect the brunt of attacks. You gain a dodge bonus to Defense equal to your Shield rank. Since you have to be able to bring your shield to bear, you lose this bonus whenever you are denied your regular dodge bonus or are unable to take a free action. The dodge bonus from your Shield is subject to the normal power level limits.

Note that your Shield isn’t necessarily a Device, although it may be. It could also be an effect you can create out of nowhere, like a disk-shaped force field, or a floating disk that deflects incoming attacks.

ALTERNATE POWERS

• Damage: You can use your shield as a weapon as well, providing you with a Damage effect equal to your Shield rank. However, on a round when you use your

shield to inflict damage, you lose the dodge bonus it provides.

ASSOCIATED EFFECTS

• Deflect: You may also be able to use your shield to deflect incoming attacks, providing the Deflect power. It may be an Alternate Power, but since a useful Deflect costs more than Shield, and since it’s possible for a shield to provide both a dodge bonus and the Deflect power at once, it’s more effective as a separate effect of a shield.

• Force Field: Like Deflect, your Shield might be able to provide a bonus to Toughness saving throws with the same action and duration, essentially the same as the Force Field power. Again, Force Field might be an Alternate Power of Shield, but is equally likely to be an additional effect, usable at the same time.