Force Barrier

[Shalken]

Technical Information​

Category
Alignment

Type(s)
Site Lore
Light Side of the Force
Dark Side of the Force
Energy Manipulation

Historical Information​

User(s)

Affiliation(s)
Force Users

Force Orders

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Force Barrier

Force Barrier — also known as Force Shield, Force Wall or Force Bubble — is a defensive technique that allows its user to block or deflect a multitude of energy-based attacks. Despite its simplicity, Force Barrier is also incredibly versatile, able to be used in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.

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Known Applications

While potentially seen as a Light-sided ability due to its defensive properties aligning with the philosophies of the Jedi, Force Barrier is in fact a neutral power, and can be used by any that have aptitude in wielding the Force. By shaping its energies, the user can create a semi-transparent defensive field centered around themself or another person or object. While the most common application of Force Barrier is a bubble, it can also be used to create a wall. However, utilizers of the ability can also alter the shape of the wall itself in order to fit unique spaces or fulfill the user’s needs.

Force Barrier has little distinguishable progression or diversity amongst more powerful Force users other than a simple increase in the strength of the barrier itself. The stronger the user, the more damage the shield can withstand. Barriers are known to be versatile not only because of the shape they can take, but also the wide variety of abilities they can defend against. All powers that would cause harm through physical form, including telekinetic bursts or pushes, are capable of being mitigated if not completely nullified by a Force Barrier.

Limitations and Drawbacks

The primary drawback with Force Barrier is that its strength to mitigate blows directly correlates with the user’s level. While an ability that can be manifested in a fraction of a second as an instinctual defense, it requires increasing amounts of concentration and energy to withstand continuous attacks.

If, for example, a Sith was attacking a Jedi of similar power with a burst of Lightning, the Jedi could completely negate this by summoning a Force Barrier. Continued usage of both abilities would simply exhaust the Sith and Jedi. However, if the Sith were to be a level higher than the Jedi, the attack would have a bleed-through effect — striking the Jedi, albeit much weaker. Continued usage of the Lightning would eventually break through the Barrier completely. Furthermore, individuals immensely more powerful in the Force than their opponents (two levels above) can in fact completely dissolve a weaker barrier utilized against them.

Although Force Barriers are capable of defending against a wide range of attacks, it does not give any protection against debilitating effects or powers directly affecting the user. Abilities that induce fear, disorientation, loss of senses, or formless telekinetic attacks such as a Force Choke or Stasis would not be stopped by a Barrier — it manifests as a wall or shield, not a bubble of immunity. In addition, the ability cannot deflect any form of blaster bolt, be it regular, pulse wave, stun, or sonic; nor can it block strikes from weapons such as clubs, vibroblades, or lightsabers.

Learning

Force Barrier is a very basic ability and common among most Force-centric organizations across the galaxy. Simple to learn, information on its application is readily available, and is often taught to practitioners of the Force at a very young age.

Intent

This ability, while a standard and well-known defensive tool for Force users, does not have a very clear writeup on Wookieepedia, with its canon description vague and its legends one lacking important details. On multiple occasions it has been utilized as an ‘I use Force Barrier - it’s super effective!’, instantly negating any and all attacks made against the user — which is clearly not balanced or in the spirit of fairness in PvP. In this writeup, I intend to lay down some conditions and limitations in order to make its use more strategic than a glorified sidestep.

 

[Sreeya]

I'm not sure how I feel about it blocking blaster and physical attacks. Mainly because most Jedi/Sith chars wear armor and this seems like it'd double up the armor effects.

 

[Shalken]

I'm not sure how I feel about it blocking blaster and physical attacks. Mainly because most Jedi/Sith chars wear armor and this seems like it'd double up the armor effects.

Makes sense, I didn’t think about that when I wrote it up. I don’t have access to a computer at the moment but I’ll make edits when I do.

 

[Shalken]

@Sreeya the changes have been made! Let me know if there's anything else that needs to be edited.

 

[Malon]

The problem with Sreeya's earlier statement is that there is plenty of source material that backs up the original wording that would allow Force barriers to block blaster bolts and the like. The simple fact is that they can.

But, I also think there is a bigger problem in creating a lore article for a generic Force power like this. Force barriers are pretty flexible and writing a definitive article on it would lock us into the text of the article. It'd be like writing an article for telekinesis. PvP admins use the lore articles (as we can see with the Force light incident) to interpret effects, and I just think it'd cause more problems then it solves to create a definitive article on this power.

For now, I'm going to archive it. If an issue comes up where we need an article like this, I'll un-archive it and we can revisit the issue.