Defense

Resistances (and in in the case of cognitive and emotional attacks, shielding) are the nature of a character to avoid harm from a certain type of attack. This happens automatically without the need of a defensive action, but is only effective on the person themselves, no matter what degree of the skill is attained. Resistances require no use of mana.

In fact, the two points of resistance that each character has on their defenses to begin with is based on being non-proficient in all of these skills. As defensive dice are of the ultimate importance in this Dice Mob, becoming proficient in these skills becomes very important very fast to avoid taking automatic damage from especially proficient attackers.

Defenses are performed as defensive actions to defend the character themselves or their allies around them. They could be forcefield-like powers as seen in various superhero movies or some other manner of being invoked, such as martial arts. Like the majority of skills, these can be imbued on allies based on the rules discussed under the General Rules of Skills and Magic (i.e. touch at first degree, point to point at second degree, shields or walls at third degree, area of effect or three dimensional shields like domes or cubes at fourth degree). Defenses require the use of mana. The only resistance that doesn't have a corresponding defense is defense of self. There is no ability to protect an ally's person through one of these abilities. The character themselves must resist personal attacks themselves.

Defenses and resistances are primarily divided into four categories: force defense, elemental defense, mental defense, and personal defense. There isn't generally a reason this is required, but often subtypes of these defenses have similarities to them.