Shields are the first line of defence against attack and subsequent damage. Much has been written on the subject of shields, and most practitioners are aware of such things as mirror shields. There are, in fact, many forms of shields that can be employed in various defensive capacities. Each has its use, its advantages and disadvantages, and it is quite common for people to have preferred forms that they return to again and again. Indeed, it is quite common for some people to only use one form of shield, and if they are unlikely to enter a situation where that form will be less than wholly effective, there is no need for them to perfect the use of other forms. Tools who end up in the fighting Groups are recommended to become comfortable with a wide range of shielding methods, to the point where the right method for the situation is chosen and employed without hesitation or thought.
The lists below are by no means exhaustive, and new methods are continually being developed. Tools are well-advised to become proficient at quickly deconstructing unfamiliar shields being used by others for later personal use, and at designing and implementing new shielding methods.
Boundary shields are the most commonly used form of shields. Anyone can use boundary shields. Keen empathic senses are not required, they are comparatively low on power and concentration requirements, and do not put undue stress on the energetic structure. The rigid nature of boundary shields do make them more prone to penetration, but the more power spent on maintaining them and the more attention paid to their integrity, the less likely a penetration attempt is to succeed.
The mirror shield, mentioned before, is perhaps the most commonly used, and is worth describing for the sake of completion, although it is discussed in so many sources that a full, detailed description is unnecessary. It is, literally, to create a reflective boundary around oneself, so that any incoming energies are bounced back out without impinging on one's energetic structure. Variations on this theme include using a one-way mirror, so that energies may be sent out, although it may be necessary to configure the energies so that they may not re-enter, especially if one is protecting oneself from someone who is also using a mirror shield. It is also possible to form the mirror into a filter, so that desired energies are allowed entry. This can generally be accomplished by colouring the mirror in the correct way. Disadvantages of this form of shield include the possibility of concentration of reflected energies between two mirror shields, which will have to be dealt with one way or another afterwards. A mirror shield is also fairly easily penetrated by skilful practitioners, and it is very obvious when one is being used. It is, however, very useful in non-conflict situations, where shielding is needed only for keeping prying minds out or general emotional input from becoming overwhelming. Mirror shields have fairly low energy requirements, and are good as a basic defence.
An even more basic type of shield is the simple boundary. This can be envisioned as a bag or egg of energy surrounding oneself, the colour of which is best determined by emotional attachments to particular hues. Most novice practitioners are recommended to start with purple, golden or white boundaries, but the colour is not in fact important. The intent is the most important part of any working, and the colour of the boundary may be black, red, or even multicoloured, if these fit in with the desired intent. This form of shield blocks incoming energies without reflecting them back on the sender. This is a very versatile form of shield, and all other forms of boundary shielding, including the mirror shield, stem from this basic technique. This basic shield has an extremely low power requirement and it is possible to use this form of shield even when near collapse. It is, however, one of the easiest shields to penetrate, and should not really be used as the sole primary shielding method. It makes an excellent detection system, however, and a permanent basic boundary is invaluable when linked to a more robust shield that is configured to come into play as soon as the basic shield detects impingement.
A more complex form of boundary shield is the warp shield. This is a variation on the filter mirror shield, and is useful in situations where there are multiple incoming signals and few or no other mirror shields being employed. Incoming signals are altered by a filter, which can be visualised as an extreme form of carnival mirror, and are reflected out in random directions. A variation on this is to have a dynamic warp shield, where the facets and irregularities in the mirror are constantly changing, creating a truly confusing effect. This shield is higher on the power requirement scale, and attempting to set one up as a permanent defence is not recommended. It is, however, difficult to penetrate, especially when used in the even-more energy intensive dynamic form, as the random signal reflection makes weaknesses harder to spot.
The firewall is probably the most energy intensive boundary shields, particularly when done well. This is best envisioned as a corona of blinding white light which destroys incoming energies rather like small meteorites are burned up on entry to the Earth's atmosphere. It requires detection and awareness of the incoming energies and power expenditure on destroying the hostile ones. It is excellent as a short-term show of force and ability, to demonstrate capability, but will quickly drain resources and is definitely not a good choice for extended conflict situations.
A less power hungry shield is the absorbance shield. Unlike the firewall, this accepts incoming energies and changes them into a compatible form that can be absorbed, thus, in effect, powering itself. A certain power output is required to construct the shield, but it should take in enough to fuel itself thereafter. This is, however, only true if there is a fairly high volume of incoming signals to provide the energy. The concentration required for this shield is possibly even higher than that required for the firewall, and a high focusing capability should be developed before adding this shield to one's usual repertoire. Incoming signals need to be detected and separated into hostile/unwanted and benign/desired. Unwanted/hostile and benign energies may be dropped into the shield, but desired energies should be allowed through. This can be configured into a subconscious routine, but will still result in a drop in the level of concentration available for other tasks. A high level of skill is necessary for this shield, as there is a substantial amount of stress associated with having to detect and identify the high volume of incoming signals required to power it. It's low power requirement does mean that it is good as a long-term defence solution if concentration for other tasks is not a high priority.
Buffer shields differ from boundary shields in that they form a layer around the practitioner that is designed to be penetrated to some degree by the incoming energies. The principle of buffer shielding depends on the unavoidable back signal created in any penetration attempt, and all these shields are designed to exploit that feedback. They are not in common usage, and can be difficult to identify if unfamiliar. They are a more proactive form of defence, and are most effective when used in combination with a boundary shield, or when used to disguise one's presence. They are extremely effective in non-combat situations. All require a certain degree of skill and experience, and should not be used by the novice or intermediate level practitioner as a primary defence. While they are not going to provide an impenetrable defence against a determined attacker, they are fairly conservative in power requirements, making them extremely valuable.
The straight buffer shield requires a certain amount of empathic ability, although it is very effective when done properly. Rather than reflecting, blocking or destroying incoming signals, it diverts them and sends them straight back out again. In this sense, it acts rather like a warp shield, however it requires rather less energy. A good comparison is the difference in force required when practising Aikido as opposed to karate, or the difference between bouncing off something and going around it. An ability to shapeshift is necessary for successful use of this shield, as the outer energetic structure must be configured to allow the diversion to take place. The other advantage is that the energies can be given a twist or spin to disguise their initial origin and even their nature, thus overcoming the problem of an attacker's mirror shield being configured to keep out his own aggressive energies. The original energy template will remain, allowing penetration, but the detailed pattern identifying them as aggressive hostile will be altered, preventing filtering. Practice will enable this shield to be employed with little effort, and concentration can be focused on secondary or primary shielding, or on counter-attack.
The morph shield constantly changes the outer layers of the energetic flux pattern, making penetration and information retrieval very difficult, impossible if done well. The effects of trying to penetrate a well-formed morph shield include headache, confusion and visual disturbance, much like trying to watch a badly tuned television. As alterations in the outer energetic layers occur naturally much of the time anyway, this is a fairly low power buffer shield, requiring only that those natural changes be accentuated and increased in frequency. Awareness of one's own natural energy pattern is an absolute necessity, as is a degree of skill in manipulating those energies. Once proficient, this shield requires a surprisingly low level of concentration, but, like all buffer shields, will provide little defence against an attacker using brute force.
The confusion shield can be thought of as a combination of straight buffer and morph shields. This is most definitely a pro-active defence, designed to reduce an attacker's concentration ability to a level where he is effectively neutralised. As well as accepting and diverting incoming energies, constant change in the outer energetic structure is used, to create a truly overwhelming output of signals while conserving one's own power. The shield can be pepped up, if one is capable, by dumping all extraneous random thoughts from the upper mental levels in amongst the signals. The effects of this shield are mental confusion, headache, emotional stress, energetic stress and occasionally involuntary retreat on the part of the attacker if the confusion effect is intense.
The most effective shielding of all is that created by combining two or more shielding methods into an integrated defence system. Lamination of shields, using perhaps a plain boundary for outer detection, with a mirror shield as primary defence and a secondary morph or buffer shield to divert any successful penetration attempts will provide the most effective protection against unwanted energies, particularly in a combat situation. It is very important to be comfortable with the shields used in a laminated defence system, as the mo re comfortable and practised one is, the less concentration is required. Care is needed when choosing the shields to be laminated. While an outer simple boundary in combination with a mirror shield is good, putting a confusion shield on the inside of a firewall is asking for trouble. A little common sense goes a long way in effective shield design.