Barrier Powers (FiD)

Starfox's Blades in the Dark fan page

Barrier is the ability to create walls and circles of protection. A barrier is normally a wall up to your twice your tier meters in height and width or a globe with a diameter equal to your tier. Yes, that means that at tier zero, you cannot create a barrier. If you only know this power, the barriers you make are transparent and vaguely luminous. If you use another power together with barrier, you can imbue your barrier with that power at no additional cost, which can give additional effects, often damage to creatures that try to break through your barrier. A barrier can be one-way, hindering effects only one way.

Barriers are vulnerable to Light because they are made to be transparent. It is possible to create a barrier impervious to light, but that would be a black shell impenetrable to light, thus making those inside blind.

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 No minimum 3 Stress	Advanced Minimum 2 Dice 5 Stress	Master Minimum 4 Dice 7 Stress	Apex Minimum 6 Dice 13 Stress
Attune	Perceive Feel the presence of barriers. Identify what power a creature is linked to.	Ward Your barrier is selective about powers. Counter powers as they are used.	Sanctuary Your barrier is selective about powers mundane things.	Arena Create a large extradimensional barrier covering an entire scene.
Command	Message Ward Barriers as signs or impart a message.	Barrier Broadcast Send messages to faraway barriers.	Mental Wall Carrier commands creatures stay away.	Mental Well Barrier commands creatures to close.
Consort	Magic Mask Create clothes and accessories from barriers.	Body Mask Barrier hides your appearance, changes your sounds and scents.	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 Boss Control existing barriers.	Barrier Bout Cage yourself and select opponents.
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 You can move on and through Barriers.	Barrier Team Dark Barrier and Walk Barrier for your crew.	Bubble Burst Teleport your crew from inside one barrier into another.
Skirmish	Barrier Blade A close-range attack, similar to a melee weapon or pistol.	Fine Barrier Blade Skirmish Attack, except the weapon is fine and potent.	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 Barricade Breakdown a large area, Barricade Backstory some targets.
Survey	Detect Barriers Sense barriers and understand their general nature.	Barrier Eye Sense from a barrier.	Barrier Scry Choose a location or creature, gain a sensor at the nearest barrier.	Barrier Broadcast Perceive from all power barriers at once over a wide area.
Sway	Signpost Signs carry simple message across language barrier	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 Beginner Open existing barriers.	Barrier Novice Manipulate existing Barriers.	Barrier Master Permanent Barriers.	Barrier Factor Barrier Master on a huge scale.
Wreck	Jimmy Barrier Noisily Jimmy a Barrier or smash using a Barrier.	Smash Barrier Smash Barriers as if they were wood.	Aegisbreaker Smash Barrier, destroyed barriers silently disappear.	Aegisquake Smash Barrier over a large area.

Expanded Barrier Powers

Barrier powers differ a lot from a typical power set.

The basic effect of Barrier is to create walls. The basic wall is strong and impermeable, stopping anything from passing. These walls are then modified by the actions you use to create them.

The basic shape of a barrier is always round, either a ball or a round slightly concave surface. The size and strength of a barrier depends on the highest tier of effect you use in it.

• A basic barrier is a sphere 1 meter in radius or a circular wall 4 meters in radius. It can be broken with a standard effect from a weapon or wrecking tool.
• An advanced barrier is a sphere 2 meters in radius or a circular wall 8 meters in radius. It can be broken by great effect from a weapon or tool.
• A master barrier is a sphere 3 meters in radius or a flat circle 12 meters in radius. It can be broken by standard effect from a potent weapon or tool.
• An apex barrier is a sphere 6 meters in radius or a flat circle with a 24 meter radius. It can be broken by great effect from a potent weapon or tool.

As you advance in tier the maximum size of your barriers increase, add your tier to the maximum radius of a flat barrier or half of that to a sphere. You can always make a barrier smaller, so a globe can be turned into a half-sphere and a sphere or wall can have a smaller radius. You cannot otherwise play around with the shape of your barrier without using Tinker, see below.

Barriers are visible unless you use Hunt: Barrier Banner or other means to conceal them. The basic barrier is transparent with a blueish glow. If you know powers other than Barrier, you can use those powers to set the look of your barrier. Fire powers create glowing barriers edged in fire, Darkness barriers are sinister and shadowy, and so on. In addition any barrier may have sigils, text, series of numbers, geometrical patterns (hexagons are popular), or other details fitting your style and power playbook.

A creatures that suffers consequences from trying to break down a barrier might harm the tools they are using or even take damage from the collision. If you used other powers to give flavor to your barrier, this colors the possible consequences, a fiery barrier can burn, an electric barrier can electrocute, and so on.

The position of barrier powers depend on what is happening around you. In your base or a quiet back alley the situation is usually controlled. In most street scenes the position is risky. In a melee or with a timer to death, the position is desperate. Wreck Barrier can be used to improve the position of many types of actions, see below.

Attune

Barrier powers are not linked to any kind of supernatural creature or plane. Instead, you learn how to create barriers that specifically protect against creatures with powers and later against mundane creatures.

Perceive Feel the presence of barriers. Identify what power a creature is linked to.

This can also identify any creature's connection to powers, which helps you to decide what kind of barrier to use against it.

Scanning a specific creature you can see only requires a limited effect. Scanning an area you can see, even maintaining a scan as you move around to inspect several areas, requires standard effect. Scanning an area you cannot see requires great effect.

The position usually starts controlled, with the usual consequence that you cannot try again in the same situation. A risky consequence could make your scrying noticeable to onlookers or give you faulty information. A desperate consequence could allow targets enough information to set up an ambush, or misidentify who the target is possibly leading you to attack the wrong creature.

Ward Your barrier is selective about powers. Counter powers as they are used

You can make a barrier that only hinders Fire creatures and powers, or a barrier that hinders all but Mind and Air creatures and powers. People are governed by the Mind power and most other mundane creatures by the Animal power. You don't need to know a power to select it this way. This increases the utility of the barrier as it can potentially be made to block enemies and not allies. At this level, you cannot selectively bar creatures or effects that lack powers.

You can make a barrier that is special against a power; you can either make the barrier block only that power or block everything except that power. This includes all effects of that power, as well as creatures linked to that power. Powers 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 only blocks Air won't block the air inside a creature, container, or vehicle that crosses the barrier.

You can counter any power as it is being activated, but you cannot negate a power that is already in operation. This is usually used as a setup 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 creates an opening that makes the supported action potent. Normal effect improves the position of the supported action. Great effect improves both position and effect of the supported power.

Sanctuary Your barrier is selective about powers mundane things.

This is the same as Barrier, above, except it is not restricted to just powers. You can select anything as long as it is reasonably objective. Examples include blocking males, tigers, swords, bullets, lead, the color red, and so on. Different settings and power books may allow differents set of things to block. You can also make a one-way barrier, that allows travel in only one direction. If the type of something is in doubt this usually works against you.

Arena Create a large extradimensional barrier covering an entire scene.

This essentially creates an arena without bystanders where you can interact with others without risking collateral damage. It moves you and selected creatures into an extradimensional space that is identical to the physical reality of the place where you used this ability, but only you and the selected creatures are there. Creatures you select as the primary targets can in turn make Attune tests to select other allied creatures in the area and bring them along as well, but such secondary targets have the option to refuse to come and can't invite more creatures.

The area is rather large, a city block or terrain feature like a grove, field, or lake. Large enough to hold an interesting encounter, small enough that its not very useful for travel. It lasts until all conscious creatures in the area agree to end the effect, or for a maximum of one day.

Anything picked up while in this extradimensional space works normally as long as they remain there, but disappears when creatures try to bring them out of the extradimensional space. This means that any doors, barriers, traps, fortifications, and similar features of the area are still present. Any changes in the extradimensional space do not carry over to physical reality when Arena ends.

Using this ability is pretty easy, if costly in stress. It is used to set up a situation to avoid collateral damage rather than to win a confrontation, so the only effect on targets is to bring them along and possibly to separate them from their allies.

Bringing people along that you can see is a controlled situation, bringing people you know well or if you have a body part or recently used item is a risky situation, and bringing creatures based on a description is a desperate position. Your primary targets that use Attune to bring allies along can only use the controlled option. A common consequence for you is that there might be faults in the extradimensional space where it differs from physical reality, usually to your opponent's advantage. The usual consequence for others bringing allies along is that they cannot try again.

A limited effect brings you and one other person. A standard effect brings you and a small group of allies (usually your crew) and a similar group of outsiders. Great effect can bring a large group of both allies and enemies, and might sometimes be required to bring a particularly tough opponent, such as a legendary creature.

Command

There are no Barrier creatures for you to Command. Instead you can turn barriers into signposts that transmit or even translate 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 your message as if it was spoken in their native language. They are not compelled to do anything.

Barrier Broadcast Send messages to faraway barriers.

You can have a message delivered to a barrier over any distance. If you send to a creature, they will realize a Barrier Broadcast is coming and if they can activate a barrier they can receive it. The barrier makes the speakers appear to each other and hear each other speak. It does not translate unless other effects are added.

Machines that create a barrier specifically to receive Barrier Broadcasts are common in some settings.

Mental Wall Carrier commands creatures stay away.

You can make your barrier to repel certain types of creatures. Type is defined by the powers they are related to, so 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, but if you do you increase your effect.

This is a mental compulsion that is not dependent on language or even sound. 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, from a few meters to out of sight. 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 pushing. Exceptional NPCs may be able to do something similar.

Mental Well Barrier commands creatures to close.

This is the same 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, making them vulnerable to area attacks, and potentially trapping them physically. Using Attune Barrier: Sanctuary 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.

Magic Mask Create clothes and accessories from barriers.

You do not physically change yourself, you change your accessorize and outfit. This can just be glowing accessories or hide your appearance entirely, but always maintains your basic shape and is obviously extraordinary. These barriers offer no protection.

Body Mask Barrier hides your appearance, changes your sounds and scents.

You can change your apparent body shape and size, making yourself appear somewhat smaller, much larger, and add or remove 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. Still offers no protection.

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 avoid moving through. 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 use of this ability is realized.

Give Mask can work as a set-up action for a number of other actions but may penalize other things, as appropriate to your new form.

Limited effect allows transformations to creatures that are mundane and similar in rough size and ability to the original. Standard effect allows a change in size and forms, and give some simple powers related to the prowl action. With great effect transformed creatures can use the basic and advanced powers of they power that relates to their form. Using Air to turn them into a bird allows them to fly, turning them into a fire elemental allows them to use the Tinker powers of flame, and so on.

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.

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. If the barrier has no other effect, it can be much larger than normal, to cover even a large vehicle. The barrier protects from wind, dust, and spray. It can create an airtight barrier for travel underwater, in space, and other hostile environments. It controls the environment inside the shield, making it comfortable and long as the outside is not too extreme.

Barrier Blade Fine and potent close-range attack.

Create a rapier or smallsword from barriers. This weapon is fine and potent.

Barrier Boss Control existing barriers.

You can control barriers. This allows you to move barriers, open them or turn their effects off for a short while. This creates all kinds of tactical opportunities, but is also useful to carry great weights or prisoners inside a barrier.

Controlling a barrier you made yourself needs only Limited effect. Controlling a barrier made by an ally or that the owner gave you permission to use requires standard effect. Controlling another's barrier requires great effect.

Barrier Bout Cage yourself and select opponents.

Create a barrier around yourself and a single melee opponent, creating a small ring, usually for a duel but possibly for other reasons. Since the bubble is normally transparent, this creates a kind of stage. Negates any scale advantage. You also gain a Barrier Blade and can fight as a part of using this power.

Hunt

Barrier Bloodhound Track Barrier powers.

A barrier leaves a trail that you can follow using Barrier Bloodhound. Situationally useful depending on how common barriers are in the setting. Consequences here are mainly to lose the trail, but depending on the environment and targets, it might lead you to get lost, into traps, or even into an ambush.

Barrier Brig Cage a target in a Barrier.

Create a barrier that cages a creature or object of up to man size, imprisoning it and protecting it form all damage. This is mainly used to neutralize a foe, but can be used to protect allies and mcguffins. This works like a normal ranged attack, except the result is imprisonment rather than harm. Consequences are the same as any fight. Limited effect lasts for a few minutes, standard effect takes out the target for the rest of the score and great effect lasts for some time, but it protects those caught from lack of air and water.

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 you normally could. You can even use a barrier as a screen to display a scene, which can be a convincing illusion from a creature facing it head-on. Create a barrier screen to show images on. The images appear lifelike from one direction.

Barrier Bulwark Cage everyone in a small area.

Barrier Brig, except the cage is much larger, and can capture a number of foes in a big barrier - and possibly friends too if used in a mixed melee.

Prowl

Barrier is not the most versatile Prowl ability, it mainly gives you the ability to pass barriers used by others. Important when it happens, but it happens rarely.

Dark Barrier Barrier prowling.

Suppresses the light of your barriers, allowing you to sneak even when you have barrier effects on you. You are no better at sneaking than anyone else.

Walk Barrier You can move on and through Barriers.

Barriers are normally either 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, 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 still use their own Prowl action.

Bubble Burst Teleport your crew from inside one barrier into another.

These need to be globular barriers, and can can be ones you just created for the purpose. This takes you to places you are familiar with. Both effect and position is worse unless you know where you are going, which means it is great for escapes but less so for intrusion into an enemy's territory that you are likely to be much less familiar with.

Skirmish

Barrier Blade A close-range attack, similar to a melee weapon or pistol.

Fine Barrier Blade Skirmish Attack, except the weapon is fine and potent.

Maze Barrier negate scale.

You create a maze of barriers to separate and confuse opponents. This negates scale.

Barrier Shards Attack all enemies in the area.

Turns you into a one-man army. Not only do you negate the advantage your enemy may get from numbers, you also spread your effect to hurt all your enemies in the skirmish.

Study

Barrier Blueprint Identify and basic analysis of a Barrier.

You identify the grade of a barrier (basic, advanced, master, apex) and what actions have been used on it.

Barricade Breakdown Full analysis of any Barrier.

Learn the exact powers and effects, and when any by whom it was created.

Barricade Backstory Read the 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 its later history. The power zooms in on events of interest to you.

Enclosure Echoes Barricade Breakdown a large area, Barricade Backstory some targets.

Provides a detailed view of events involving barriers as far as you can see, pinpointing locations of interest like 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 effect you need depends on the target's concealment. Limited effect finds targets in concealment. Standard effect finds those hiding behind cover and in far places you can only barely see. Great effect can look behind walls and into hard cover.

Detect Barriers Sense barriers and understand their general nature.

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

Barrier Eye Sense from a barrier.

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

Barrier Scry Choose a location or creature, gain a sensor at the nearest barrier.

Similar to Barrier Eye but allows you to focus on a specific creature or position. Automatically directs towards the best vantage point provided by a suitable barrier, typically close enough to observe the target. Fails if no suitable barrier is available.

Barrier Broadcast Perceive from all power 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 the area, revealing numerous details simultaneously. It's challenging for targets to hide unless they are aware of the need to conceal themselves. Somewhat situational, depending on setting barriers may be rare.

Sway

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

Signpost Signs carry simple message across language barrier.

You can create signs or imbue barriers that impart a simple non-verbal message across language barriers to creatures nearby.

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 don't know.

Insinuate Barrier implants suggestions.

You can imbue a barrier with the ability to insinuate an action in the mind of a creatures very near the barrier.

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

Instill Change personality and motivations of creatures that move through a barrier.

This power is permanent but blatant. The barrier vibrates with power, and those coming close get a vague sense of the personality it confers. You can opt to make this barrier so that anything can cross it. It changes all who pass through the barrier on a pattern you decide when creating the barrier. This change is on a deep level, altering their priorities and loyalties. Target remember their past but considers it unimportant compared to their new motivations. There are limits to this power, especially for creatures linked to a power—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. Altering a barrier you made yourself needs only Limited effect. Altering a barrier made by an ally or that the owner gave you permission to use requires standard effect. Controlling another's barrier requires great effect.

Barrier Beginner Open holes in barriers.

You modify an existing barrier or a barrier you are creating to create circular holes in it. This can be large enough to move through or small enough to just allow weapons to fire out of the barrier.

Barrier Novice Shape Barriers.

You modify an existing barrier or a barrier you are creating to change its shape. This allows you to make barriers that are not circles or globes. This will often make it easier to then move the barrier.

Barrier Master Barriers as Tools.

You can shape barriers with precision enough to make devices.

This allows you to shape a conventional barrier in any way you want.

Barrier Factor Barrier Master on a huge scale.

Pretty self-explanatory, this is Barrier Master on a larger scale. Rather than having to repeatedly use Barrier Master you can use Barrier Factor once to create a large amount of items. This is useful for equipping a large band or building something large out of nothing.

Wreck

Jimmy Barrier Noisily Jimmy a Barrier or smash using a Barrier.

Just as crude as it sounds. You destroy barriers as if they were made of hard wood and strike with the force of a sledgehammer in combat.

Smash Barrier Smash Barriers as if they were wood.

A step up from Jimmy Barrier, it does the same things, only better.

Aegisbreaker Smash Barrier, destroyed barriers silently disappear.

The real difference here is that wrecking barriers is now silent. Hides the traces of barriers you break, making it hard to see they were ever there.

Aegisquake Smash Barrier over a large area.

Smash Barrier over a large area, this scales things up even further, destroying the barriers of a huge installation or a mass of small ones. It is not silent.