Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Wiki
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The Complete Psionics Handbook[]

The inertial barrier is a defense. The psionicist creates a barrier of "elastic" air around himself and anyone else within 3 yards. Like an unpoppable, semipermeable bubble, this barrier helps soften missile blows and can shield those inside from many forms of damage.

Specifically, the barrier helps protect against the following, by absorbing some (or with luck all) of the potential damage:

  • Any nonmagical missile weapon.
  • Any physical missile which was created with magic.
  • Any missile with magical pluses.
  • Flames.
  • Some breath weapon attacks, depending on the nature of the breath. * Acid. The barrier stops or slows the attack. This doesn't matter much if the acid comes from above, because it just drips on the characters.
  • Gas. The barrier turns it aside, at least partially (depending on the defender's die roll), but after a turn it will eventually work its way inside and take full effect.
  • Falling. A psionicist with an inertial barrier in place suffers only one-half damage from a fall; the barrier absorbs a lot of the impact, but the character still gets banged around inside.

The inertial barrier has no effect against the following :

  • Missiles conjured from pure magic.
  • Raw heat or cold.
  • Pure energy or light
  • Gaze weapons.

Furthermore, the barrier cannot keep enemies out, but it does slow them a bit. Anyone trying to cross the barrier must stop moving when he hits it. He can then cross inside (or outside) in the next round.

Handling Missile Attacks; The inertial barrier saps energy from missile weapons by tightening around them as they pass through. If a missile strikes its target inside the barrier, the attacker rolls damage normally. The defender then rolls the same type of die (as the attacker just did) to see how much damage the barrier absorbed. The defender does not include any magical pluses the weapon may have.

The defender then subtracts the result of his die roll from the attacker's damage. If anything is left over, the defender loses that many hit points. If the defender's roll equals or exceeds the total damage, the weapon falls harmlessly to the ground. If the missile is explosive, the barrier does prevent damage, but not the explosion.

The barrier does not differentiate the direction of travel. If a weapon is fired from the inside, the penalties above still apply.

Power Score - The barrier blocks an additional point per die.

20 - The psionicist creates a bizarre wind pocket that knocks him to the ground.

Player's Option: Skills & Powers[]

This power is used as a defense, creating a barrier of psionic energy around the user and anyone within three yards of him. This barrier softens missile blows, shielding the user from damage by slowing and absorbing some or all of the potential damage caused by incoming attacks. However, the barrier also slows outgoing missile attacks—a drawback the user should consider.

The power protects against damage from these forms of attack: any nonmagical missile weapon; any physical missile created by magic; any missile with magical bonuses; flames; some breath weapon attacks (depending on the nature of the breath); acid; gas; all forms of disintegration; and falling (damage is halved). Inertial barrier cannot stop missiles conjured from pure magic or protect against raw heat or cold, pure energy or light, or gaze weapons. An inertial barrier cannot keep enemies out, but it does slow them. Anyone trying to cross a barrier must stop moving when contact is made. In the next round, the barrier can be crossed (either entering or exiting).

Missile weapons, whether passing into or out of the barrier, inflict damage in a modified fashion because the power saps energy from the missile. If a missile strikes its target after passing through the barrier (in either direction), the attacker rolls for damage as normal. However, the defender then rolls the same die to see how much damage the barrier absorbed. (Note: The defender doesn't include any magical bonuses the weapon may have.) The defender subtracts his die roll from the attacker's damage total. If anything remains, the defender loses that many hit points. If the defender's roll equals or exceeds the total damage, the weapon falls harmlessly to the ground. If the missile is explosive, the barrier prevents weapon damage but not explosive damage.

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