Shields and Defense Bonus

If you have a ready shield, add its
Defense Bonus (DB) to any Dodge,
Parry, or Block roll against an attack
that came from in front of you or from
your shield side.
Defense Bonus is 1 for a small
shield, light cloak, and most impro-
vised shields; 2 for a medium shield or
heavy cloak; and 3 for a large shield or
force shield. The Shield spell (p. 252)
gives a DB of 1-4.
High-RoF weapons (those with
RoF 5+) can also spread fire among
multiple targets (see Spraying Fire,
p. 409) or fire lots of shots to “sup-
press” an area (see Suppression Fire,
p. 409). Other special rules apply to
rapid fire with certain weapons – see
Special Rules for Rapid Fire (p. 408).
A shield’s DB adds to active defense
rolls against melee attacks, thrown
weapons, and muscle-powered missile
weapons – not
against firearms
(unless the GM wishes to use the
optional Damage to Shields rules,
p. 484).