Barrier Powers (FiD)

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Barrier is the ability to create walls and globes of protection.

Barriers are transparent, which makes the vulnerable to Light. Adding additional Forms to a Barrier can make it opaque.

When used to attack, Barrier takes the form of darts or blades that cut or pierce.

No creatures are associated with the Barrier power.

Barrier Power Effects Table

Action	Basic	Advanced	Master	Apex
Dice	—	Minimum 2d	Minimum 4d	Minimum 6d
Stress	Avoid fumble (2+).	Succeed (4+).	Full success (6).	Critical (2 sixes).
Attune	Barrier Lens See Barriers, powers, and supernatural creatures.	Power Ward Selectively block powers.	Mundane Ward Your Barrier is selective about powers mundane things.	Arena Extradimensional Space covering an entire scene.
Command	Message Ward Barriers as signs or impart a message.	Barrier Beam Send messages to faraway Barriers.	Mental Wall Carrier commands creatures stay away.	Mental Well Barrier commands creatures to close.
Consort	Magic Mask Barrier obscures supernatural detection.	Body Mask Barrier hides your appearance.	Give Mask Barriers can change those who pass through them.	Conversion Cage Change creatures inside a Barrier you create.
Finesse	Barrier Buggy Create a windshield.	Barrier Blade Fine and potent close-range attack.	Barrier Barge Create a vehicle from Barriers.	Barrier Brim Encase a vehicle or mount.
Hunt	Barrier Bloodhound Track Barrier powers.	Barrier Brig Trap a target in a Barrier.	Barrier Banner Control Barrier appearance.	Barrier Bulwark Trap everyone in a small area.
Prowl	Dark Barrier Barrier prowling.	Walk Barrier Move on and through Barriers.	Barrier Team Dark Barrier and Walk Barrier for your crew.	Bubble Burst Teleport from one Barrier to another.
Skirmish	Barrier Block Block physical harm.	Fine Barrier Blade Fine and Potent melee attack.	Maze Barrier negate scale.	Barrier Shards Attack all enemies in the area.
Study	Barrier Blueprint Identify and basic analysis of a Barrier.	Barricade Breakdown Full analysis of any Barrier.	Barricade Backstory Read the past events near a Barrier.	Enclosure Echoes Scan barriers over a large area.
Survey	Detect Barriers Sense Barriers and understand their general nature.	Barrier Eye Sense from a Barrier.	Barrier Scry See target from the nearest Barrier.	Barrier Broadcast Perceive from all power Barriers at once over a wide area.
Sway	Signpost A Barrier carries a visual message	Echo Wall Barrier translates from one side to the other.	Insinuate Barrier implants suggestions.	Instill Change personality and motivations of creatures that move through a Barrier.
Tinker	Barrier Bump Move Barriers around.	Barrier Breach Open holes in Barriers.	Barrier Builder Barrier tools.	Barrier Blitz Shape Barriers.
Wreck	Shield Slam Crush or cushion a car or house.	Shield Stomp Crush or cushion an explosion, truck, or building.	Shield Sigh A silent Shield Stomp.	Shield Shockwave Shield Stomp over a large area.

Expanded Barrier Powers

Barrier powers differ significantly from most other power sets.

The basic effect of the Barrier Form is to create walls. A basic Barrier is strong and impermeable, stopping anything from passing. These walls are then modified by the Actions you use to create them — primarily Attune, Command, Sway, and Tinker but also certain effects of Consort, Hunt, and Prowl.

Actions affect Barriers in three distinct ways: they shape the Barrier itself, change what the Barrier does, or make the Barrier selective. Some Barrier effects do not involve protective walls at all; instead, they apply the principles of the Barrier Form to achieve other results. The rules and restrictions for static Barriers do not apply to these effects.

Barriers

A Barrier is always either a globe or a circular hourglass shape. The maximum area a Barrier can cover depends on your tier (p 220). You can always make a Barrier smaller — a globe may become a half-sphere, and any wall may have a reduced radius — but you cannot otherwise alter its shape. If a Barrier intersects with solid matter, it extends slightly into the material without damaging either the Barrier or the object. Changing a Barrier’s location or shape requires Tinker Barrier powers.

Barriers substitute for extensive preparation, advantageous positioning, or environmental leverage; they do not stack with them. If the fiction already provides superior protection, creating a Barrier offers no additional benefit.

When you create a Barrier, you must define it from scratch, incorporating all Actions you intend to use. Except for Tinker effects that move or reshape a Barrier, its properties remain fixed for as long as it exists. To change a Barrier’s function, you must dismantle it and create a new one.

Attune can create selective Barriers of great utility. They allow you to block hostile forces while permitting your to affect the other side of the Barrier.

Two Barriers cannot occupy the same space. They may touch but remain distinct. Only Tinker can shape Barriers so they connect, and even then their effects do not combine.

Barriers are visible unless concealed by another Power. A basic Barrier is transparent with a bluish glow. If you know other Powers, you may use them to determine a Barrier’s appearance. Fire Barriers burn at the edges, Darkness Barriers writhe with shadow, and so on. Any Barrier may also display sigils, text, numbers, or geometric patterns appropriate to your style and playbook.

Violently destroying a Barrier requires a Potent damage effect greater than the Barrier’s own. Without Potency, one additional degree of effect is required.

Barriers can cause Harm through consequences. A creature that suffers consequences while trying to break a Barrier may damage its tools or suffer Harm from the collision. This is usually cutting or bludgeoning damage, but may involve mana burn, radiation, or similar effects depending on how the Barrier is framed. If other Powers shape the Barrier’s appearance, they allow additional consequences.

The Position of Barrier actions depends on the surrounding situation. In a secure base or quiet back alley, the position is often controlled or may not require a roll. In busy street scenes, the position is risky. In a melee or under time pressure, the position is desperate.

Attune

Attune is usually concerned with interacting with a limited domain of beings or forces; Barrier Attune instead defines abstract rules governing what interactions may occur across a Barrier you create.

You create Barriers that recognize powers or natures, allowing some effects to pass while excluding others. This recognition is fixed when the Barrier is created and does not adapt to new circumstances. To change it, you must dismantle the Barrier and create a new one to replace it.

Selective barriers are central to Attune, allowing you to shut out hostile influences without isolating yourself or your allies.

Barrier Lens

See Barriers, powers, and supernatural creatures.

This does not create or alter any Barrier. Instead you can sense any kind of Barrier and identify any creature's connection to any Form, which helps you to decide what kind of Barrier to use. This is usually done to spot a spirit or a disguised creature. It can also help identify a creature's connection to powers, providing valuable insights into their nature. If you know several different powers, you can scan for all of them at the same time. Limited outcome suffices against a nearby creature you can clearly see. You need greater outcome against against a creature that is hidden or far away (standard outcome) or behind a wall (great outcome). The position usually starts controlled, with the usual consequence that you missed the opportunity and cannot try again until the situation changes.

Power Ward

Selectively block powers.

Your Barrier is selective about Forms.

You can make a Barrier that only hinders some Forms, such as one that blocks Fire Powers and creatures associated with Fire, or a Barrier that blocks all but Air and Mind Powers and their associated creatures. You don't need to know a Form to select it this way.

You either make the Barrier block only that Form or block every Form except that Form. This includes all effects of that Form, as well as creatures linked to that Form. Creatures of Form that are not affected still see the Barrier, but can otherwise act as if it was not there.

If a Barrier blocks something that is only a minor part of something crossing a Barrier, it has no effect. For example, a Barrier that blocks Air won't block the air inside a creature, container, or vehicle that crosses that Barrier.

Alternatively, rather than creating a Barrier, you can do what other Advanced Attune effects do: counter any Power as it is being activated, but you cannot negate a Power that is already in operation. This is often used as a Set Up action to help another character in a situation when the opposition is using Powers. The position is controlled, possibly risky if there are a lot of other dangers around.

• Limited effect improves position unless the opposing Power is potent.
• Normal effect always improves position.
• Great effect improves position makes the incoming effect lose any potency it might have.

Mundane Ward

Your Barrier is selective about mundane things.

You impose a defining metaphysical rule on a Barrier, allowing it to block mundane forces as long as they fall under a single, clearly stated principle. This may be used together with Power Ward as part of the same Barrier.

Examples include males, tigers, swords, bullets, lead, the color red, or similar concrete distinctions. What categories are meaningful depends on the setting and power traditions involved: an astrologer may distinguish by star signs, a sorcerer by bloodlines, a cleric by devotion, and so on — as long as each is a single concept.

Alternatively, you may create a one-way Barrier that allows creatures and effects to pass in only one direction.

Arena

Extradimensional Space covering an entire scene.

Arena uses the principles of the Barrier Form but is not a Barrier for the purposes of interaction, detection, or modification. Instead, you move yourself and selected creatures into an extradimensional arena without bystanders, allowing you to act without risking collateral damage. The arena is either empty or a close reflection of the original location, but only the selected creatures are present.

The arena is large enough for an interesting encounter (such as a city block, grove, or field), but too small to be useful for travel. It lasts until all conscious participants agree to end it, or for up to one day.

Things function normally while inside the arena, but nothing created or altered there persists outside it. When the effect ends, the arena disappears without affecting physical reality.

This ability is used to change the situation, not to win a fight. Its only direct effect is relocating the participants and possibly separating them from allies.

• Limited effect: you and one other creature.
• Standard effect: you, your crew, and a similar number of outsiders.
• Great effect: a large group, or a particularly powerful opponent.

All creatures must be within the area. Bringing visible creatures is controlled; bringing known creatures or those linked by tokens is risky; bringing creatures by description alone is desperate. Primary targets may each select allied creatures in the area to accompany them; those allies may refuse, but cannot bring others.

A common consequence is that the arena is imperfect, with flaws or distortions that work against you.

Command

There are no Barrier creatures for you to Command. Instead you can turn Barriers into signposts that transmit messages. At the highest levels, you can mentally call or repel creatures from a Barrier.

Message Ward

Barriers as signs or impart a message.

This is basically a mental signpost. Creatures approaching the Barrier hear a message of your choice spoken in their own language. They are not compelled to do anything, but you can use your Command action through this recording.

Barrier Beam

Send messages to faraway Barriers.

You can send a message to a Barrier over any distance. At the receiving Barrier, the message manifests as a visible and audible projection of you, clearly artificial and recognizably supernatural.

If you address a specific creature, they become aware that a Barrier Beam is incoming. If they can establish or activate a Barrier of their own, they may answer, allowing projections to appear at both Barriers so the participants can see and hear one another.

The projection carries sight and sound only. It does not translate languages unless other effects are added, and it cannot interact physically with its surroundings.

In some settings, Barriers are deliberately maintained as points of communication, allowing messages to be exchanged across great distances.

Mental Wall

Barrier commands creatures stay away.

You can make your Barrier mentally repel certain types of creatures. Type is defined by the powers they are related to — people are Mind, animals are Animal, and monsters are whatever power they use. You don't need to know a power to affect creatures of that type.

This is a mental compulsion that is not dependent on physical senses. The command is to stay away from the Barrier and not try to break the Barrier down. You can set the distance they have to stay at, up to a distance dependent on your tier (p 220). The effect requires an open path to the Barrier. Targets have to move away to stay at this distance and cannot directly attack the Barrier. A player character can move closer or try to break the Barrier by using Insight to resist. Exceptional NPCs may be able to do something similar.

Mental Well

Barrier commands creatures to close.

As Mental Wall, but it attracts instead of repels, making creatures move towards your Barrier and stay there. The rules are the same as Mental Wall, but the effect is more absolute; instead of dispersing targets you concentrate them at one spot, clearing the area more effectively and making them vulnerable. Using Mundane Ward you can make the Barrier such that they can enter but not leave, trapping them physically as well as mentally.

Consort

Use Barriers to change your appearance, and later create Barriers that change those who pass through. These Barriers are not solid and offer no protection.

Magic Mask

Barrier obscures supernatural detection.

You cloak yourself in an invisible, intangible Barrier that interferes with powers used to detect, analyze, or identify you. Powers such as Attune, Survey, or similar effects return misleading, incomplete, or overly generic information about you.

This reduces the Effect of scry, detect, and analysis abilities by two steps. Great effect is reduced to Limited; Standard and Limited effect produce no useful information. If a detection power is used while directly observing you, it registers you as a common person and any details appear mundane and unremarkable.

This effect only interferes with supernatural or power-based detection. Mundane observation is unaffected.

You can apply this to your crew as an Advanced effect.

Body Mask

Barrier hides your appearance.

You can change your apparent body shape and size, making yourself appear somewhat smaller, much larger, and add body parts. This is obviously a Barrier, but can be covered with clothing, concealment, or further powers. If you cover your face, you can also change your voice. If you cover most of your body, you can prevent any scent from getting through.

Give Mask

Barriers can change those who pass through them.

A Barrier set up for this purpose is flat and lets anything through unless altered by other actions.

Anyone who moves through the Barrier changes into a form you decide when you make the Barrier. This is a true physical transmutation. Creatures feel this transformation coming on, and can back off to avoid the effect. Transformed creatures become themselves molded into this new form, they remain recognizable.

The form you transform creatures into is that given by Body Mask, but if you know others powers besides Barriers, you can transform them into creatures governed by any power you know. This is how the true power of Give Mask is realized.

The transformation lasts as long as the Barrier, or until they move through the Barrier in the opposite direction.

Conversion Cage

Change creatures inside a Barrier you create.

This is a normal solid Barrier globe, that transforms anyone inside the bubble when it forms as Give Mask. Unless you change the Barrier, they are also captured within. You can also change the environment inside the globe to match the power used, creating aviaries, aquariums, and other environments suited to your captives' new form. In addition to the duration of Give Mask, this transformation lasts at least until the end of the score.

Finesse

Barrier Buggy

Create a windshield. Creates a Barrier that protects from travel hazards. You can make this a personal shield, but more commonly it is used to protect a mount or vehicle. Barrier Buggy has no other effect than protecting from wind, dust, and spray; this allows it to be four times larger than normal, to cover a large vehicle. It can be an airtight Barrier for travel underwater, in space, and other hostile environments. It controls the environment inside the shield, making it comfortable as long as the outside is not extreme enough to inflict direct Harm.

Barrier Blade

Fine and potent close-range attack. Wield a rapier or smallsword from Barriers. This weapon is fine and potent.

Barrier Barge

Create a vehicle from Barriers. You create a Barrier as a flattened sphere and maneuver it directly as if it were a personal vehicle. It hovers but cannot fly. It functions much like other vehicles in the setting and can be varied accordingly; smaller versions are faster and more agile.

Barrier Brim

Encase a vehicle or mount. Create a set of Barriers to protect you and your crew as you travel, providing both physical and environmental protection. These Barriers move with your ride and do not inconvenience travel.

Hunt

Barrier Bloodhound

Track Barrier powers. A Barrier leaves a trail that you can follow using Barrier Bloodhound. This is situationally useful depending on how common Barriers are in the setting. Consequences usually involve losing the trail, but depending on circumstances may lead you into hazards, traps, or ambushes.

Barrier Brig

Cage a target in a Barrier. Create a Barrier that cages a creature or object of up to human size, imprisoning it and protecting it from all damage, including yours. This is mainly used to neutralize a foe, but can also be used to protect allies or valuable objects. This works like a normal ranged attack, except the outcome is imprisonment rather than harm. Consequences are those of a fight.

Limited effect cages the target for a few minutes. Standard effect removes the target for the rest of the score. Great effect lasts longer and protects those caught from lack of air and water.

Additional outcome can be used to capture larger creatures, with each extra level of effect doubling the maximum length of creature that can be contained.

Barrier Banner

Control Barrier appearance. You change the appearance of a Barrier. You can make it invisible or create more complex images and patterns than normal. You can also use a Barrier as a screen to display a scene, which may function as a convincing illusion when viewed head-on.

Barrier Bulwark

Cage everyone in a small area. As Barrier Brig, except the cage is much larger and can capture multiple creatures at once. This may include allies if used in a mixed melee.

Prowl

Barrier is not the most versatile Prowl ability; it mainly gives you the ability to pass Barriers. Situational, but useful when it happens.

Dark Barrier

Barrier prowling.

Suppresses the light of your Barriers, allowing you to sneak even when you have Barrier effects on you. This does not otherwise improve your stealth.

Walk Barrier

You can move on and through Barriers.

Barriers are normally slick or indistinct, offering poor support for climbing. They are possible to climb, but progress is slow and precarious. You can climb Barriers as if they were regular walls, and you can even wriggle through Barriers. This is a slow process and not very useful in combat unless someone is buying time for you.

Play this as regular climbing and contortions maneuvers; squeezing through a Barrier is comparable to squeezing through a tight window.

Barrier Team

Dark Barrier and Walk Barrier for your crew.

All your allies can move as you do using these abilities. They use their own Prowl.

Bubble Burst

Teleport from one Barrier to another.

These must be globular Barriers; they can be ones you create specifically for this purpose. This takes you to places you are familiar with. Both position and effect are worse if you do not know where you are going, making this ideal for escapes but unreliable for intrusion into unfamiliar territory.

Skirmish

Barrier Block

Resist physical Harm.

Absorb Harm from physical melee weapons, firearms, and projectiles. You increase the effect of Skirmish rolls for endurance in such environments. Roll Skirmish to resist such Harm. 1-3: No reduction. 4-6: Reduce Harm by 1 level. Critical: Reduce Harm by 2 levels. As a Master power, you can protect an ally for a score; as an Apex Power, you can protect your crew. Allies roll their own Skirmish dice.

Fine Barrier Blade

Fine and potent melee attack.

Barrier attacks take the form of darts or blades that cut or pierce.

Maze

Negate enemy scale.

You create a maze of Barriers to separate and confuse opponents, preventing them from bringing their numbers to bear. This negates scale by breaking up the fight, not by overpowering the enemy.

Barrier Shards

Attack all enemies in the skirmish.

You project shards or blades of force from your Barriers, striking all enemies currently engaged in the skirmish. You can ignore scale and attack multiple opponents at once. Negates scale and allows you to harm most or all enemies in a mass melee. Otherwise as Shadow Strike.

Study

Barrier Blueprint

Identify and basic analysis of a Barrier.

You identify the grade of a Barrier (basic, advanced, master, apex) and which Actions have been used on it.

Barricade Breakdown

Full analysis of a Barrier.

Learn the exact Power effects of a Barrier, and when and by whom it was created.

Barricade Backstory

Read past events near a Barrier.

You can read the past events near a Barrier. This allows you to see the creator as they create the Barrier and important events in the history of the Barrier and its surroundings. The power zooms in on events of interest to you.

Enclosure Echoes

Scan Barriers over a large area.

Provides a detailed view of events involving Barriers as far as you can see, pinpointing locations of interest such as bases and power nodes. You can then use Barricade Backstory to learn the history of up to three such locations.

Survey

Perceive and locate Barriers.

The outcome you need depends on the target's concealment. Limited outcome finds those hiding behind cover and in far places you can only barely see. Standard outcome can look behind walls and into hard cover. Great outcome can look into far-away places and spots you had no idea existed.

Detect Barriers

Sense Barriers and understand their general nature.

This is a basic spotting power, selectively sensing Barriers. You can exclude Barriers you already know of.

Barrier Eye

Sense from a Barrier.

Choose a Barrier that you know of; perceive as if you were at that spot. You still sense things at your actual location, but only dimly.

Barrier Scry

See a target from the nearest Barrier.

Similar to Barrier Eye, but allows you to focus on a specific creature or position. Your perception is automatically directed to the best vantage point provided by a suitable Barrier that is plausibly close to the target. This can be a Barrier the target is using or has created. Fails if no suitable Barrier is available.

Barrier Broadcast

Perceive from all Barriers at once over a wide area.

Enhances your senses impossibly, akin to being multiple individuals spread across the scene. Creates a comprehensive mental image of all Barriers in the area, revealing numerous details simultaneously. It is difficult for targets to hide unless they know how to conceal themselves from such perception. This is situational; in some settings Barriers may be rare.

Sway

Barriers have no creatures to sway. Instead, you imbue your Barriers with messages or suggestions.

Signpost

Signs carry a simple message across language barriers.

You can impart a simple visual message into a Barrier, visible to those viewing the Barrier. This can be a short repetitive and obviously artificial animation to show more complex messages.

Echo Wall

Barrier translates from one side to the other.

You can create a Barrier that translates what is said from one side to the other. This will translate any language, even those you do not know.

Insinuate

Barrier implants suggestions.

You can imbue a Barrier with the ability to insinuate an action in the mind of a creature very near the Barrier. This is often combined with Echo Wall to lure targets into the short range.

Limited effect works if the suggestion follows the target's existing impulses, merely overcoming fragile self-restraint. Standard effect can convince a target with no particular stake in the matter. Great effect can convince a reluctant target, but not a passionate one. Suggestions cannot be absurd to the target.

The suggested action must be obvious and fairly direct. "Attack the next human you see" works; "seek out and attack the king" is too complex.

Instill

Change the personality and motivations of creatures that move through a Barrier.

This power is permanent but blatant. The Barrier vibrates with power, and those approaching it sense the personality it confers. You can choose to make the Barrier allow anything to cross it.

It changes all who pass through the Barrier according to a pattern you decide when creating it. This change operates on a deep level, altering priorities and loyalties. Targets remember their past, but consider it unimportant compared to their new motivations.

There are limits to this power, especially for creatures strongly linked to a Form. You cannot make a fire creature love the sea or an angel perform deeds of darkness. Exceptional creatures and circumstances can break this change.

Tinker

You can modify the shape of Barriers. The effect normally lasts through the immediate situation.

• Altering a Barrier you made yourself requires only Limited Outcome.
• Altering a Barrier made by an ally, or one you have permission to use, requires Standard Outcome.
• Altering another creature’s Barrier requires Great Outcome.
• Making a Barrier last for an entire score requires higher Outcome.

Barrier Bump

Move Barriers around.

You can move a Barrier, but not into other things. A moving Barrier cannot seal a passage completely; there must always be at least a tiny gap between the Barrier and surrounding objects. To move a Barrier, you must keep it clear of everything else, meaning that in tight spaces it can only move at a crawl. In open areas, you can move the Barrier much faster, up to running speed in air or walking speed in water.

Barrier Breach

Open holes in Barriers.

You modify an existing Barrier, or one you are creating, to create circular holes in it. These can be large enough to move through or small enough to allow weapons to fire out, turning the Barrier into a fortification.

Barrier Builder

Barrier tools.

You can shape Barriers with enough precision to create devices. This includes weapons, tools, and machines with moving parts. They can flex to form bows or clocks. Objects made from Barriers are extremely durable and imbued with energy, making them Fine and Potent.

Barrier Blitz

Shape Barriers.

You modify a Barrier to change its shape. This allows you to create Barriers that are not circles or globes. You can also move the Barrier, and this precise control of shape allows movement at walking speed even in constricted spaces, or at vehicle speed in open air or water.

This also allows you to use long-term projects to create permanent Barriers. For each effect you want to incorporate into a permanent Barrier, complete a long-term project with a number of ticks based on the power level involved: Basic: 2, Advanced: 4, Master: 8, Apex: 16. You can continue to improve an existing permanent Barrier, which may include key-codes or other controls required to manipulate it.

Wreck

Barriers wreck by creating rams of force to push things over. The area of impact is large; this is not a good power for piercing armor. Things that resist strongly but are brittle are easy to demolish. Things that flex or can move are hard to damage and are more likely to be bent or pushed aside.

Limited effect can crack brick walls or thin construction and move low-density objects such as boxes and cars. Standard effect can crack wooden walls, raze precast concrete, and push solid objects like stone blocks and armored vehicles. Great effect can crack stone walls and push even heavy, solid things like blocks of concrete or metal. Bedrock, heavy steel, or concrete cast in place are too strong for Barrier to affect.

Perhaps the greatest effect of this power is that Wreck Barriers can be used defensively against the same kinds of forces they can demolish. Falling rocks, collapsing buildings, or vehicles skidding out of control can all be pushed aside, protecting both the moving object and whatever it was about to collide with.

Shield Slam

Crush or cushion a car or house.

You can affect objects up to the scale of flipping or cushioning a car, or overturning or cushioning a small building. In combat, you can strike with the force of a sledgehammer. This is slow, noisy, and imprecise, but the applied movement is broad and forceful rather than sharp.

Shield Stomp

Crush or cushion an explosion, truck, or building.

You can smash or cushion forces up to the size of a building, bus, or yacht. You can encapsulate explosions, greatly reducing the effect of bombs and explosives. In combat, this strikes like a fine, potent sledgehammer. Barrier attacks take the form of massive blades or slabs that cut or smash.

Shield Sigh

Silent Shield Stomp.

As Shield Stomp, but the effect is gentler and mostly silent. Things that break are reduced to blowing dust rather than debris.

Shield Shockwave

Shield Stomp over a large area.

As Shield Stomp, but affecting a much larger area. You can crush or cushion a block of buildings or a skyscraper. You can cushion massive explosions, even on the scale of a fission bomb.