Energy shield

How to make an energy shield because sometimes spell shields are too complex to put up and you can always add to this shield. The most fundamental way of protecting oneself against the outside world is a shield. Just like psi balls, they can be programmed to do an unlimited number of tasks, ranging from simply stopping negative energy from entering your body, to interpreting different types energy and responding to each on an individual basis. The average psion doesn't have a dictionary of hundreds of shields in their head for different situations - we each have a small database of regularly practiced shields that can be "tweaked" slightly to fit a given scenario. I, myself, use roughly three different types of shields on a given day, but also have a few advanced shields in mind "just in case".



Bubble Shield
Bubble Shields are easy to make and can hold up against everyday annoyances. I primarily use them for blocking "normal" humans' empathetic projections. Regulating how solid the shield is dictates how much empathetic information I receive from my environment. I've personally had trouble using them for blocking telepathic information, but keep in mind, my telepathic experiences are very limited. Bubble Shields are also useful against humans who subconsciously leach energy from others. Basically, in those situations, your shield has to only be more powerful than the person's next to you. The "leach" will generally go for the easy target and not even bother with you.

I use two techniques to create Bubble Shields (though sometimes I do outlandish things just to spice it up little). The first is a simple visualization of a shell building from the ground to up, around your body, and finally meeting up over your head. Eggshells and plastic bubbles are typical visualizations.The second generates the shield from inside the abs, and expands it until it's around the entire body. This is useful for pushing energy off of you, while the first might trap it inside the shield.

Unfortunately, you can't just learn the Bubble Shield and be set for life. If you engage in any psychic combat, you'll find that your Bubble Shield doesn't amount to crap. A focused attack can go right through or shatter it, depending on the attackers skill and objective. Reconstructing and maintaining it during a fight isn't worth the effort. As mentioned above, the Bubble Shield is very basic. It's great for everyday problems, but for more serious events, it's wiser to make a better type of shield, than trying to hold together a small Bubble Shield.



Diffuse Shield
First I create a thick Bubble Shield (not necessarily strong, just thick). Then I push some parts out to form a spike, and some parts in to form a spike. When I'm finished, it's similar to a furry ball - the spikes becoming so thin they're like fibers. It's made very "loose" and the fibers flow around freely. (I apologize for the cheesy animation, it's much easier to visualize than it is to draw). I've yet to find another use for this shield other than the one stated. It'll fall apart in an hour or so (depending how you program it), and I can't think of any way it would be useful in a combat situation. Nonetheless, it's served its purpose: I've yet to be struck. If you find yourself in a situation similar to mine, give this shield a try.


Mirror Shield
To be completely honest, I have little experience with this type of shield. I've used it on occasion while "sparring" with people, but I usually like creating something more complex (mainly because the Mirror Shield is kinda boring, in my opinion ). Despite my lack of interest, it is a popular and useful shield.
Mirror Animation The technique is predictable given the name of the shield, but I'll go over it to be complete. Create it as you would any other shield, but program it to reflect incoming attacks. This can be accomplished by a nice "mirror" visualization or a slick silver color.

There are some pitfalls to this shield that can trick-up a newbie. The first is to make sure you create it so you can send energy out through the shield. It's no good if you go to attack and your attack bounces off the inside and nails yourself. Another is to make sure you make it's on the outside of all your other shields. The reason for this is that if you create it inside a Bubble Shield, for example, and the attacker breaks through part of the Bubble Shield, the energy will bounce off, and hit the Bubble Shield again on the way out. Two hits with one stone.


Marshmallow Shield
The Marshmallow Shield is a thick, gooey, and sticky type of shield. Its primary purpose is to absorb attacks and hold them there for later. It can be programmed to de-patternize the simple attack or just spit it back out. It's hard to break because of its nature, but at best it can slow down a skilled attack. One downfall (for me) is that it takes some time to construct properly. The visualization is simple, but it just requires a lot of energy. Basically, you want to picture a thick (probably at least one foot) wall of goo. Use semi-melted marshmallows for visualization. If you construct it in layers (which I do sometimes, to make it easier), you'll want to make sure the layers melt into each other completely - they can be a pain and separate on their own sometimes. You might want to put some Bubble Shields on the outside and inside of it if you're making it really gooey. It should hold its own shape for some time, but it might require some maintenance depending on how you make it. Marshmallow Animation


Force-Bubble Shield
The visualization is fairly simple but tedious. The one I use is to visualize a bunch of "psi-bricks" stacking up and forming a brick wall around myself. You'll also need some "psi-mortar" as well to stick it all together. Also, to incorporate the idea of force, I visualize a bunch of arrows pointing outwards on the bricks. In physics, force is usually shown by an arrow, so it works well for me (having a somewhat scientific mind). Think of something that means "force" to you and use it. The key isn't necessarily the visualization, but the practice. This shield takes a lot of skill to construct properly.


Cloaking Shield
To create it, you'll want to form a mental image of what you want to project onto others. You can project yourself as "invisible" or something static (for example, a hedge, box, etc...). Whatever you choose, you should have a clear understanding of what the objects energy is like. You'll want to create a shield that emits this same type of energy. The goal isn't to physically make yourself look like a hedge, but rather to get the attacker to glance over you. Broadcast something like "Nothing to see here, just a hedge".

Another form of this shield would be to emit a "normal" human's energy field. When the attacker sees you, they'll either underestimate your ability, or ignore you completely. Obviously, visualizations of whatever you want to become work well for forming this shield. Remember though, you're not just creating a shield, your clouding the mind of your opponent. This is where telepathy is useful. Incorporate telepathic suggestion and broadcasting into the shield. Visualize your opponent becoming confused.