Force defense skills involve avoiding or resisting harmful physical contact with the character by an opponent, either by themselves slapping, kicking, or punching the character or by the opponent employing some sort of physical weapon.

If an opponent is simply attempting to touch a character without force causing damage from this touch, this is assumed to happen automatically and to fail to touch if the result does no damage or the skill fails or succeeds in touching if the skill succeeds or damage is taken. There doesn't have to be a roll versus any of the force defenses first if no damage is being caused by the touch. For example, if an opponent is trying to cause an electrifying touch on a character, only a roll versus electricity is required, not one against bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing.

As a special effect, all three force defenses can be cast in tandem as one defensive action to emulate a forcefield as long as all defenses are of a sufficient skill degree to affect the individuals. This is done at the mana of only one of the defenses. (Picture Violet from the Incredibles or Susan Storm of the Fantastic Four.)

This is a defense against bludgeoning attacks that can employed using a defensive action and it adds to any other defenses the character already has, including bludgeoning resistance, armor, and shields. The actual method for performing this defense is left purposefully vague to be filled in by the player in any way they feel appropriate for their character from martial arts to magical, supernatural, or superhuman force shields.

The defense against this bludgeoning is increased by “two for trying” and two per skill degree with no mana cost and is the basis for a races initial two points of bludgeoning defense. This resistance happens automatically without requiring a defensive action. If a player so chooses, they can justify the reason behind higher degrees of this resistance (e.g. tougher skin) or they can just leave it nebulous.

See Tactics - Defensive Maneuvering

Parrying involves using a melee weapon like a sword or a staff against an attack by another weapon. It can also be used by a character with a proficiency in unarmed combat.

At lower degrees, this is used to parry other melee weapons or fists. At higher levels, the melee weapons or forearms can also parry ranged weapons and even spells. The maximum number of attacks that can be parried is determined by the skill degree.

• First: One attack; melee only; one direction
• Second: Two attacks; disarm possible (see below)
• Third: Three attacks; can parry ranged attacks
• Fourth: Four attacks; from at most two directions
• Fifth: Five attacks; not limited by direction
• Sixth: Six attacks or can parry at most one physical projectile spell (though some damage might be done to the weapon)

Disarming can only be performed on melee weapons that have already been successfully parried with a skill check. If a character chooses to also disarm the opponent, a win-loss vs self is rolled, but both the attacker and defender can add any dice from hand-eye coordination, brute strength, and, in the case of the defender, their own parry skill to aid in preventing themselves from being disarmed.

This is a defense against piercing attacks that can employed using a defensive action and it adds to any other defenses the character already has, including piercing resistance, armor, and shields. The actual method for performing this defense is left purposefully vague to be filled in by the player in any way they feel appropriate for their character from martial arts to magical, supernatural, or superhuman force shields.

The defense against this piercing is increased by “two for trying” and two per skill degree with no mana cost and is the basis for a races initial two points of piercing defense. This resistance happens automatically without requiring a defensive action. If a player so chooses, they can justify the reason behind higher degrees of this resistance (e.g. tougher skin) or they can just leave it nebulous.

For more information on retaliation see Retaliation under Force Offense.

This is a defense against slashing attacks that can employed using a defensive action and it adds to any other defenses the character already has, including slashing resistance, armor, and shields. The actual method for performing this defense is left purposefully vague to be filled in by the player in any way they feel appropriate for their character from martial arts to magical, supernatural, or superhuman force shields.

The defense against this slashing is increased by “two for trying” and two per skill degree with no mana cost and is the basis for a races initial two points of slashing defense. This resistance happens automatically without requiring a defensive action. If a player so chooses, they can justify the reason behind higher degrees of this resistance (e.g. tougher skin) or they can just leave it nebulous.