» Tue Aug 30, 2011 4:58 am The packs to add shields to DLC areas and enemies are not completed yet. Please be patient while I finish these. Dead Money, Honest Hearts, and Old World Blues will be getting packs in that order, and I'll create a pack for Lonesome Road when released.
You've played tons of other games with recharging energy shields, and if you weren't at least curious about seeing them in New Vegas you wouldn't have clicked on this link. Maybe you want to give your character more resilience in combat, maybe you want a system that rewards use of cover, or maybe you just think it's freaking cool (it is). Well here you go. This mod adds new energy shields to the game, incorporating them fully into the whole world. They can be found in store inventories, as loot, and even from fallen enemies. Oh, you thought you were the only one getting this new power? Nope. Your enemies can now spawn with shields too. When equipped by others, shields carry the same effects as if you had equipped them, including any special properties, so watch out! You'll even see and (if close enough) hear their shields when you attack. Adding shields for both you and your enemies radically changes the game.
Shield units are equipped under your armor tab, and while equipped, they provide shield points to protect your health pool. Whenever you take health damage, the shield will buffer against it. As long as the shield holds, it also protects from limb damage and poison effects. Every time the shield is struck, there is a delay before it can start recharging again. Taking damage during this time resets the delay, so you need to break from combat to recharge. There is an extra penalty added to the delay each time the shield breaks (0 SP). You can't view current shield points, but the system provides visual and audio cues to signal how well the shield is doing. It has a sound when charging from a delay, another for charging from a break, a sound for when it reaches maximum, and a warning for when your SP reaches 0. The shield also changes in color based on the percentage of health left. It starts blue-green at high health and slowly turns red-orange as SP drops. In order to be useful without being annoying, the noises were specifically chosen to be loud enough without being too loud, and you'll only see your shield when you get hit. Several different shields with various properties exist, but only one can be equipped at any time.
Install
Stick everything into your data folder and activate the files using http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=36901, http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=35003, or the game's launcher. All of the ESP files will require the ESM, but don't require each other, so if you want shields added only to the base game and not DLC (or vice-versa), this is possible. All of the DLC patches will require their respective DLCs. Make sure to place the included textures and sound folders as well.
Uninstall
Just delete everything. There shouldn't be any issues with uninstalling this, so it won't hurt to just try this mod out.
Conflicts
The ESM will not conflict with anything; it just adds in new files. The ESPs necessarily edit game files. Because of this, I suggest you stick them all high in your load order. This way, if anything conflicts with my changes, that mod will take precedence over mine and whatever NPCs or creatures conflicted won't spawn with shields. If you want those shields to still spawn, you'll need to create a merged patch using http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=34703. If you don't want to do this, then just don't worry about it. It's not the end of the world if some things don't spawn with shields. As a final note, all shields use the Earring equipment slot because I couldn't find anything in the game that already did. If any other mod adds something in the Earring slot, you won't be able to equip that item at the same time as your shield.
Technical
Rank is the shield's general level of power. Each rank is appropriate for a level range. The ranks are Buffer (1-5), Brace (6-10), Field (11-15), Ward (16-20), Wall (21-25), and Aegis (26-30). Enemies can't spawn with non-playable shields at higher ranks than appropriate for their level, or playable shields at higher ranks than appropriate for your level.
Max SP is the highest amount of shield points the shield can charge to. This represents the shield's total health. It fully absorbs damage on a breaking strike, so it can always protect against at least one attack. However, if any attack does more total damage than you have health remaining, your shield will critically fail and you will still die regardless of remaining SP (See Answers "How does this work?" for an explanation).
Recharge is the number of SP recovered every second when charging. Getting behind cover is a great way to avoid attacks and recharge your shield. A higher recharge will let you more rapidly replenish shields so you spend less time in cover and more time fighting.
Delay is the number of seconds that must pass from you last taking damage before the shield begins to recharge again. You must stop taking damage or your shield can't ever recharge. Shields with a higher delay are weak against rapid attacks, which can quickly diminish your SP without leaving a chance for you to recover.
Break is the penalty in number of seconds that you must wait after hitting 0 SP before before shield points start recharging. Unlike Delay, which applies every time you take damage (including when at 0 SP), the Break penalty is only applied once each shield break. Shields with a higher Break are weak against strong single attacks, which can commonly break your shield and leave you vulnerable.
Shields
Shields come in either playable or non-playable variants. Playable shields can only be equipped by humans and non-feral ghouls, including the player. They can also be recovered from the bodies of fallen enemies. Non-playable shields can be equipped by anything and anyone but the player and cannot be recovered from enemies. Non-playable shields are significantly more common than playable shields and have 50% higher Max SP and Recharge than their playable counterparts. Making them stronger helps offset the added power you get from shields and their higher spawn rate lets me add shields without disrupting the game economy as much. Each shield belongs to a class, and within each class are ranks that progressively improve shield attributes.
Spoiler
Force has no special properties added, instead having higher overall attributes that are well-balanced. With no inherent strengths or weaknesses, this class is great for general use against any form of attack.
........................................................Playable:.........................................................................................Non-playable:
Rank...........Buffer........Brace........Field........Ward........Wall.........Aegis..................Buffer........Brace........Field........Ward........Wall.........Aegis
Max SP...........30...........40............50...........60...........70............80.......................45.............60............75...........90...........105...........120
Recharge.........2............3.2...........4.4..........5.6..........6.8............8.........................3.............4.8............6.6.........8.4...........10.2...........12
Delay...............5............4.6...........4.2.........3.8..........3.4.............3.........................5.............4.6............4.2.........3.8...........3.4..............3
Break.............10............9.2...........8.4.........7.6..........6.8.............6........................10............9.2............8.4.........7.6...........6.8..............6
Iron has 10 DR whenever SP remains, but it won't apply to energy-based attacks. Try using quick energy weapons to bring down an Iron shield.
........................................................Playable:.........................................................................................Non-playable:
Rank...........Buffer........Brace........Field........Ward........Wall.........Aegis..................Buffer........Brace........Field........Ward........Wall.........Aegis
Max SP...........33...........44............55...........66...........77............88.......................50.............66............83...........99...........116...........132
Recharge.........2............3.2...........4.4..........5.6..........6.8............8.........................3.............4.8............6.6..........8.4..........10.2...........12
Delay.............4.8...........4.4............4............3.6.........3.2............2.9......................4.8............4.4............4...........3.6...........3.2.............2.9
Break.............16...........14.7.........13.4........12.2........10.9..........9.6......................16............14.7.........13.4........12.2.........10.9...........9.6
Insulated provides 20% resistance to all forms of energy damage while SP remains. Any weapon that causes fire, cold, electrical, EMP, or energy damage will not be very effective, so use literally anything else to attack.
........................................................Playable:.........................................................................................Non-playable:
Rank...........Buffer........Brace........Field........Ward........Wall.........Aegis..................Buffer........Brace........Field........Ward........Wall.........Aegis
Max SP...........30...........40............50...........60...........70............80.......................45.............60............75...........90...........105...........120
Recharge........2.2..........3.5...........4.8..........6.2..........7.5...........8.8......................3.3...........5.3............7.2.........9.3..........10.2...........13.2
Delay..............6............5.6.............5...........4.6...........4.1...........3.6.......................6.............5.6.............5...........4.6...........4.1............3.6
Break.............12............11...........10.1.........9.1..........8.1...........7.2......................12............11............10.1........9.1...........8.1............7.2
Reactive applies 50 DR while visible, which happens for half a second each time the user is attacked. This is worthless against slower attacks, but is extremely effective at reducing damage from automatic or other fast weapons. Note that after DT and DR are counted, normal game settings still set minimum damage at 20%. Carefully pace your shots or use strong, slow weapons against these shields.
........................................................Playable:.........................................................................................Non-playable:
Rank...........Buffer........Brace........Field........Ward........Wall.........Aegis..................Buffer........Brace........Field........Ward........Wall.........Aegis
Max SP...........27...........36.............45...........54...........63............72.......................41.............54............68...........81...........95...........108
Recharge.......1.4..........2.2............3.1.........3.9..........4.8............5.6......................2.1............3.3...........4.7..........5.9..........7.2...........8.4
Delay..............5............4.6...........4.2..........3.8..........3.4.............3.........................5.............4.6............4.2..........3.8..........3.4............3
Break..............9............8.3...........7.6..........6.8..........6.1............5.4.......................9.............8.3............7.6..........6.8..........6.1...........5.4
Ablative cannot take more than 1/4 Max SP in damage from a single attack. This class is very effective against strong, breaking attacks. Shred these shields with automatic weapons.
........................................................Playable:.........................................................................................Non-playable:
Rank...........Buffer........Brace........Field........Ward........Wall.........Aegis..................Buffer........Brace........Field........Ward........Wall.........Aegis
Max SP...........32...........42.............53...........63...........74............84.......................48.............63............80...........95...........111...........126
Recharge........2.2..........3.5...........4.8..........6.2..........7.5............8.8......................3.3...........5.3............7.2.........9.3..........10.2...........13.2
Delay...............8............7.4...........6.7.........6.1..........5.4.............4.8......................8.............7.4............6.7.........6.1...........5.4.............4.8
Break.............10............9.2...........8.4.........7.6..........6.8.............6........................10............9.2............8.4.........7.6...........6.8..............6
Unique
Bear's Endurance takes it name from the http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Bear%27s_endurance and as a reference to the bear symbol of the NCR. Similar to the Iron class. This shield has 10 DR versus all attacks while SP remains. Allies of the Republic will find this shield in the NCR safehouse.
Mercy Cross is a reference to the symbol of the Followers of the Apocalypse. Similar to the Insulated class. This shield provides 20% resistance to energy attacks and 1 health regeneration every five seconds while the shield has SP remaining. Helpers of the Followers will find this shield in the Followers of the Apocalypse Safehouse.
Taurus Imperialis is probably poor-grammar Latin for "Imperial Bull" (let me know how the translation is). Similar to the Reactive class. When struck, this shield will remain visible for 50% longer than normal, giving you a better opportunity to take advantage of your temporary 50 DR boost. Soldiers of the Legion will find this shield within the Caesar's Legion Safehouse.
Broken Steel is a reference to the http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Broken_Steel. Similar to the Ablative class. It cannot take more than 1/6 Max SP in damage from a single attack, so there's no better shield to use against strong, breaking strikes. Friends of the Brotherhood will find this shield in the Brotherhood of Steel Safehouse.
Cloud Cover is available only from Dead Money. It costs 2000 Sierra Madre chips to buy and requires finding its note. This shield is junk for combat or outside of Dead Money, but that's not its point. It helps tremendously against the constant cloud damage when walking outside, and even gives you very short protection from the thicker poison clouds. The cost to acquire it is quite steep, but possessing this shield will let you wander around outside the Sierra Madre with less risk, and that's worth the cost.
....................................................Playable:
Rank.............Bear........Mercy........Taurus........Broken........Cloud
Max SP...........80............60.............70...............90..............30
Recharge........10.............5...............5.................9...............15
Delay..............3..............3..............2.5...............5................5
Break.............10.............4...............7.................8...............10
Boss is used by a few boss enemies. They are frighteningly powerful: their Max SP and Recharge scores are insanely high and they have a constant 50 DR while SP remains. Bosses are now truly monstrous enemies and should not be underestimated, but they're not impossible. Boss shields all have long Delay and Break scores, so once you get rid of the shield, they're just as vulnerable as they always were.
.....................................................Non-playable:
Rank...........Buffer........Brace........Field........Ward........Wall.........Aegis
Max SP.........150...........200...........250.........300.........350..........400
Recharge.......15.............20.............25...........30...........35............40
Delay..............5...............5..............5.............5.............5..............5
Break.............20............20............20............20...........20............20
........................................................Playable:.........................................................................................Non-playable:
Rank...........Buffer........Brace........Field........Ward........Wall.........Aegis..................Buffer........Brace........Field........Ward........Wall.........Aegis
Max SP...........30...........40............50...........60...........70............80.......................45.............60............75...........90...........105...........120
Recharge.........2............3.2...........4.4..........5.6..........6.8............8.........................3.............4.8............6.6.........8.4...........10.2...........12
Delay...............5............4.6...........4.2.........3.8..........3.4.............3.........................5.............4.6............4.2.........3.8...........3.4..............3
Break.............10............9.2...........8.4.........7.6..........6.8.............6........................10............9.2............8.4.........7.6...........6.8..............6
Iron has 10 DR whenever SP remains, but it won't apply to energy-based attacks. Try using quick energy weapons to bring down an Iron shield.
........................................................Playable:.........................................................................................Non-playable:
Rank...........Buffer........Brace........Field........Ward........Wall.........Aegis..................Buffer........Brace........Field........Ward........Wall.........Aegis
Max SP...........33...........44............55...........66...........77............88.......................50.............66............83...........99...........116...........132
Recharge.........2............3.2...........4.4..........5.6..........6.8............8.........................3.............4.8............6.6..........8.4..........10.2...........12
Delay.............4.8...........4.4............4............3.6.........3.2............2.9......................4.8............4.4............4...........3.6...........3.2.............2.9
Break.............16...........14.7.........13.4........12.2........10.9..........9.6......................16............14.7.........13.4........12.2.........10.9...........9.6
Insulated provides 20% resistance to all forms of energy damage while SP remains. Any weapon that causes fire, cold, electrical, EMP, or energy damage will not be very effective, so use literally anything else to attack.
........................................................Playable:.........................................................................................Non-playable:
Rank...........Buffer........Brace........Field........Ward........Wall.........Aegis..................Buffer........Brace........Field........Ward........Wall.........Aegis
Max SP...........30...........40............50...........60...........70............80.......................45.............60............75...........90...........105...........120
Recharge........2.2..........3.5...........4.8..........6.2..........7.5...........8.8......................3.3...........5.3............7.2.........9.3..........10.2...........13.2
Delay..............6............5.6.............5...........4.6...........4.1...........3.6.......................6.............5.6.............5...........4.6...........4.1............3.6
Break.............12............11...........10.1.........9.1..........8.1...........7.2......................12............11............10.1........9.1...........8.1............7.2
Reactive applies 50 DR while visible, which happens for half a second each time the user is attacked. This is worthless against slower attacks, but is extremely effective at reducing damage from automatic or other fast weapons. Note that after DT and DR are counted, normal game settings still set minimum damage at 20%. Carefully pace your shots or use strong, slow weapons against these shields.
........................................................Playable:.........................................................................................Non-playable:
Rank...........Buffer........Brace........Field........Ward........Wall.........Aegis..................Buffer........Brace........Field........Ward........Wall.........Aegis
Max SP...........27...........36.............45...........54...........63............72.......................41.............54............68...........81...........95...........108
Recharge.......1.4..........2.2............3.1.........3.9..........4.8............5.6......................2.1............3.3...........4.7..........5.9..........7.2...........8.4
Delay..............5............4.6...........4.2..........3.8..........3.4.............3.........................5.............4.6............4.2..........3.8..........3.4............3
Break..............9............8.3...........7.6..........6.8..........6.1............5.4.......................9.............8.3............7.6..........6.8..........6.1...........5.4
Ablative cannot take more than 1/4 Max SP in damage from a single attack. This class is very effective against strong, breaking attacks. Shred these shields with automatic weapons.
........................................................Playable:.........................................................................................Non-playable:
Rank...........Buffer........Brace........Field........Ward........Wall.........Aegis..................Buffer........Brace........Field........Ward........Wall.........Aegis
Max SP...........32...........42.............53...........63...........74............84.......................48.............63............80...........95...........111...........126
Recharge........2.2..........3.5...........4.8..........6.2..........7.5............8.8......................3.3...........5.3............7.2.........9.3..........10.2...........13.2
Delay...............8............7.4...........6.7.........6.1..........5.4.............4.8......................8.............7.4............6.7.........6.1...........5.4.............4.8
Break.............10............9.2...........8.4.........7.6..........6.8.............6........................10............9.2............8.4.........7.6...........6.8..............6
Unique
Bear's Endurance takes it name from the http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Bear%27s_endurance and as a reference to the bear symbol of the NCR. Similar to the Iron class. This shield has 10 DR versus all attacks while SP remains. Allies of the Republic will find this shield in the NCR safehouse.
Mercy Cross is a reference to the symbol of the Followers of the Apocalypse. Similar to the Insulated class. This shield provides 20% resistance to energy attacks and 1 health regeneration every five seconds while the shield has SP remaining. Helpers of the Followers will find this shield in the Followers of the Apocalypse Safehouse.
Taurus Imperialis is probably poor-grammar Latin for "Imperial Bull" (let me know how the translation is). Similar to the Reactive class. When struck, this shield will remain visible for 50% longer than normal, giving you a better opportunity to take advantage of your temporary 50 DR boost. Soldiers of the Legion will find this shield within the Caesar's Legion Safehouse.
Broken Steel is a reference to the http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Broken_Steel. Similar to the Ablative class. It cannot take more than 1/6 Max SP in damage from a single attack, so there's no better shield to use against strong, breaking strikes. Friends of the Brotherhood will find this shield in the Brotherhood of Steel Safehouse.
Cloud Cover is available only from Dead Money. It costs 2000 Sierra Madre chips to buy and requires finding its note. This shield is junk for combat or outside of Dead Money, but that's not its point. It helps tremendously against the constant cloud damage when walking outside, and even gives you very short protection from the thicker poison clouds. The cost to acquire it is quite steep, but possessing this shield will let you wander around outside the Sierra Madre with less risk, and that's worth the cost.
....................................................Playable:
Rank.............Bear........Mercy........Taurus........Broken........Cloud
Max SP...........80............60.............70...............90..............30
Recharge........10.............5...............5.................9...............15
Delay..............3..............3..............2.5...............5................5
Break.............10.............4...............7.................8...............10
Boss is used by a few boss enemies. They are frighteningly powerful: their Max SP and Recharge scores are insanely high and they have a constant 50 DR while SP remains. Bosses are now truly monstrous enemies and should not be underestimated, but they're not impossible. Boss shields all have long Delay and Break scores, so once you get rid of the shield, they're just as vulnerable as they always were.
.....................................................Non-playable:
Rank...........Buffer........Brace........Field........Ward........Wall.........Aegis
Max SP.........150...........200...........250.........300.........350..........400
Recharge.......15.............20.............25...........30...........35............40
Delay..............5...............5..............5.............5.............5..............5
Break.............20............20............20............20...........20............20
It's boss time!
With Boss shields being so powerful, wouldn't it be nice to know what I consider to be a boss? You can if you take Wild Wasteland. With the trait, you'll hear http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul5kidJguso&t=21s the first time you begin combat against each enemy boss. No, I am really not kidding. Some of you are going to think this is hilarious, but some of you won't want this because it's silly. If you want to avoid this, either don't take the Wild Wasteland trait or delete the included sound file BossTime.WAV.
Factions
Every faction can use Force shields, but they also have other classes they like to use. This helps you know what you'll be facing, so you can plan ahead when attacking a faction. Faction members have chances of spawning with shields that are based on the wealth of the faction and are explained below.
Spoiler
New Vegas
Boomers [Ablative/Iron] These masters of maintenance have managed to scavenge and repair plenty of technology (85%).
Brotherhood of Steel [Ablative] The Brotherhood prides itself with gathering stockpiles of technology (100%).
Caesar's Legion [Reactive] Caesar allows shield technology only for the loyal. New recruits gain awards based on merit (55%). Longer service in the Legion offers greater chances to prove worth (75% to 100%). Slaves are not given rights (0%).
Chairmen [Insulated/Reactive] Running a swanky pad like the Tops comes with all kinds of scratch (100%), you dig?
Feral Ghouls [Ablative/Iron] With what little mind they have left, feral ghouls can't always operate technology even when they find something (55%). Ghoulified NCR soldiers can subconsciously retain their training along with their possessions (70% to 85%), as can Vault 34 guards (70%).
Fiends [Insulated/Reactive] Taking over a Vault and raiding the area has led to great access to technology for these addicts (75%).
Followers of the Apocalypse [Insulated] The doctors don't get into combat and have few resources to begin with (15%), but their mercenaries are necessarily well-funded (100%).
Freeside [Insulated/Reactive] Thugs sometimes "acquire" things (20%), but most residents wouldn't be living in Freeside if they had money (0%).
Goodsprings [Insulated/Reactive] Although they aren't wealthy, repeated attacks on the town have made some expenses necessary (50%).
Great Khans [Ablative/Iron] These hardy survivors have lost much, but recent smuggling has earned them some prosperity (65%).
Gun Runners [Iron/Reactive] Aggressive competition from rivals has forced the Gun Runners to fund better protection for their members (100%).
Jackals [Ablative/Iron/Reactive] Although once dangerous, these raiders now only use whatever they can scavenge or steal (45%).
Kings [Insulated/Reactive] Running Freeside isn't prestigeous, but it does bring in some money (75%).
Mojave [Ablative/Reactive] Settlers in the desert don't tend to have much excess wealth (20%). Merchants have money, but often don't want to cut into profits by using their own products (35%). Mercenaries tend to find some way to afford added protection (90%).
NCR [Iron] The Bear's citizens tend to be wealthier than other settlers (35%), and their military receives good funding (85% to 100%).
Omertas [Insulated/Iron] If the Omertas ever had a problem with money, that problem would disappear along with whoever caused it (100%). [censored]s aren't paid well, though (0%).
Powder Gangers [Ablative/Iron] The NCRCF didn't have much of an armory, but stealing from merchants has gotten these criminals enough supplies for most members (65%).
Robots [Ablative/Iron] The various robotic entities in the wasteland have several features built into every model (100%).
Scorpions [Insulated/Reactive] These typical raiders only have access to whatever they can steal (40%).
Super Mutant [Ablative/Insulated] During their extended lives, super mutants are usually able to muscle their way into getting whatever they need (80%).
Van Graffs [Insulated/Iron] These cutthroat merchants spare no expense in defending their stores and trade routes (100%).
Vipers [Ablative/Insulated/Iron] Having been almost entirely wiped, these raiders now use anything they can find (50%).
White Gloves [Ablative/Reactive] The finest members of society have no issues with wealth like peasants do (100%).
Dead Money
Ghost People [Ablative/Reactive] I just wanted to mess with you, so ghost people use two opposing shield classes and will always spawn with shields (100%). Have fun with that.
Boomers [Ablative/Iron] These masters of maintenance have managed to scavenge and repair plenty of technology (85%).
Brotherhood of Steel [Ablative] The Brotherhood prides itself with gathering stockpiles of technology (100%).
Caesar's Legion [Reactive] Caesar allows shield technology only for the loyal. New recruits gain awards based on merit (55%). Longer service in the Legion offers greater chances to prove worth (75% to 100%). Slaves are not given rights (0%).
Chairmen [Insulated/Reactive] Running a swanky pad like the Tops comes with all kinds of scratch (100%), you dig?
Feral Ghouls [Ablative/Iron] With what little mind they have left, feral ghouls can't always operate technology even when they find something (55%). Ghoulified NCR soldiers can subconsciously retain their training along with their possessions (70% to 85%), as can Vault 34 guards (70%).
Fiends [Insulated/Reactive] Taking over a Vault and raiding the area has led to great access to technology for these addicts (75%).
Followers of the Apocalypse [Insulated] The doctors don't get into combat and have few resources to begin with (15%), but their mercenaries are necessarily well-funded (100%).
Freeside [Insulated/Reactive] Thugs sometimes "acquire" things (20%), but most residents wouldn't be living in Freeside if they had money (0%).
Goodsprings [Insulated/Reactive] Although they aren't wealthy, repeated attacks on the town have made some expenses necessary (50%).
Great Khans [Ablative/Iron] These hardy survivors have lost much, but recent smuggling has earned them some prosperity (65%).
Gun Runners [Iron/Reactive] Aggressive competition from rivals has forced the Gun Runners to fund better protection for their members (100%).
Jackals [Ablative/Iron/Reactive] Although once dangerous, these raiders now only use whatever they can scavenge or steal (45%).
Kings [Insulated/Reactive] Running Freeside isn't prestigeous, but it does bring in some money (75%).
Mojave [Ablative/Reactive] Settlers in the desert don't tend to have much excess wealth (20%). Merchants have money, but often don't want to cut into profits by using their own products (35%). Mercenaries tend to find some way to afford added protection (90%).
NCR [Iron] The Bear's citizens tend to be wealthier than other settlers (35%), and their military receives good funding (85% to 100%).
Omertas [Insulated/Iron] If the Omertas ever had a problem with money, that problem would disappear along with whoever caused it (100%). [censored]s aren't paid well, though (0%).
Powder Gangers [Ablative/Iron] The NCRCF didn't have much of an armory, but stealing from merchants has gotten these criminals enough supplies for most members (65%).
Robots [Ablative/Iron] The various robotic entities in the wasteland have several features built into every model (100%).
Scorpions [Insulated/Reactive] These typical raiders only have access to whatever they can steal (40%).
Super Mutant [Ablative/Insulated] During their extended lives, super mutants are usually able to muscle their way into getting whatever they need (80%).
Van Graffs [Insulated/Iron] These cutthroat merchants spare no expense in defending their stores and trade routes (100%).
Vipers [Ablative/Insulated/Iron] Having been almost entirely wiped, these raiders now use anything they can find (50%).
White Gloves [Ablative/Reactive] The finest members of society have no issues with wealth like peasants do (100%).
Dead Money
Ghost People [Ablative/Reactive] I just wanted to mess with you, so ghost people use two opposing shield classes and will always spawn with shields (100%). Have fun with that.
Shops
Spoiler
Several shops now have a chance to stock shields. Shields purchased from shops will never be of a rank higher than appropriate for your current level, but they still can be lower. Some shops also won't stock shields above a certain rank. Each shop that stocks shields can carry the Force line, but they also have other options depending on the shop. Remember that these are still based on chance, and no shop is ever guaranteed to have a shield in stock.
Alexander* and Vendortron* can stock [all classes] and ranks, but prefer to carry [Iron/Reactive].
Bardon can stock [Iron] up to Wall rank.
Blake stocks [Ablative/Reactive] in all ranks.
Chet carries [Insulated/Reactive], but only up to Ward rank.
Cliff Briscoe can carry [Ablative/Reactive] up to Ward rank.
Contreras can carry [Iron] up to Field rank. His improved inventory* can stock [all classes] in all ranks.
Gloria Van Graff stocks [Insulated/Iron] classes at all ranks.
Great Khan Armorer can have [Ablative/Iron] up to Wall rank.
Knight Torres can carry [any class] in any rank, but prefers to carry [Ablative].
Old Lady Gibson can carry [any class], but only up to Ward rank.
*Alexander, Contreras's special stock, and Vendortron will need one respawn period (3 days) before they can stock shields.
Alexander* and Vendortron* can stock [all classes] and ranks, but prefer to carry [Iron/Reactive].
Bardon can stock [Iron] up to Wall rank.
Blake stocks [Ablative/Reactive] in all ranks.
Chet carries [Insulated/Reactive], but only up to Ward rank.
Cliff Briscoe can carry [Ablative/Reactive] up to Ward rank.
Contreras can carry [Iron] up to Field rank. His improved inventory* can stock [all classes] in all ranks.
Gloria Van Graff stocks [Insulated/Iron] classes at all ranks.
Great Khan Armorer can have [Ablative/Iron] up to Wall rank.
Knight Torres can carry [any class] in any rank, but prefers to carry [Ablative].
Old Lady Gibson can carry [any class], but only up to Ward rank.
*Alexander, Contreras's special stock, and Vendortron will need one respawn period (3 days) before they can stock shields.
Loot
Shields have been added to the loot lists for toolboxes, valuable household clutter, and valuable military clutter. This covers a rather large number of different container types, so I've made the chances extremely low. The sheer number of containers means you will occasionally find shields in loot, but it won't be a common event. Shields found from loot will never be of a rank higher than appropriate for your current level, but they still can be lower.
Answers
Spoiler
Q: Do I have to start a new game?
A: No. Because shields change the game so much, I recommend you start a new game to get the full experience, but it's not necessary. In existing games, some enemies will not get shields as they are supposed to, but this isn't extremely prevalent, and randomized targets will have a chance for a shield when they next respawn.
Q: Does this require NVSE?
A: No part of this requires NVSE. You'll get full function with or without it.
Q: Can companions use these?
A: Of course. NPC companions will not have any shields and will equip whatever you give them. Because Rex and ED-E are creatures though, they can't use playable shields. Instead, they both have their own built-in shields, which will improve in rank as they level up. Their shields share the same attributes as playable Force shields.
Q: Why isn't my shield recharging as soon as it's equipped?
A: To prevent abuse, Break and Delay timers only run while a shield is equipped by something. If your shield isn't immediately recharging, it's because one of those timers is still running. Remember that a shield won't forget about the Break and Delay you caused while killing its former owner. When you or a companion equips that shield, you'll still have to wait for the Break or Delay before recharging.
Q: Couldn't I just carry several shields and switch among them in battle so I don't have to worry about Break?
A: They weigh 5 pounds a piece, but go ahead. Remember that, as mentioned above, you'll still eventually have to wait out the Break score for the shield to charge again, so if you do this, you'll need to cycle through shields when out of battle so they can all time out their Break scores. That would be annoying and weigh a lot for very little benefit, but if that's your cup of tea, feel free to drink it. I closed any other loopholes I could think of, so I don't think there are any other ways to abuse the system.
Q: Why do two shields of the same type stack oddly in inventory?
A: This is an issue with the game engine that happens with some items. I'm aware of it, but I can't do anything to fix it.
Q: Aren't you worried about game canon?
A: Major groups like the Enclave, NCR, and Brotherhood have large-scale force field technology. It's not unreasonable that this could be miniaturized and made portable. I realize it's not within canon to add these to the game, but it's really not as far a stretch as you might think. Most non-humanoids do not have shields, with only rare exceptions (mostly bosses). My explanation for that is that their shields are psychically generated... or something. Look, it's not without http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Psyker, and it makes for better boss fights. Just go with it.
Q: Will this slow down my game?
A: I'd be surprised if it did. The scripts aren't terribly complex, and they're written in such a way that this shouldn't affect game performance. My testing has been done over many weeks and has used various areas with multiple shielded opponents. I have never seen this system cause a drop in frame rate.
Q: Does this protect my equipment from taking damage?
A: No. I know that would make sense, but I simply felt this was too powerful, so I did not include it in the final version. Your equipment will still take damage from taking hits or using weapons. Likewise, you may still damage your enemy's weapon, which can be useful considering your enemy's limbs are protected while shielded. Disarming is now a great tactic.
Q: Why am I able to cripple shielded enemies?
A: If you cause enough damage to cripple a limb in a single hit, you'll see the alert that it was crippled and your enemy may react, but the limb will still be restored immediately. Limb protection for everyone but you had to be implemented this way due to engine limitations.
Q: Why do all the shields look like a Stealth Boy when I drop them?
A: I don't do modeling, so I'm not able to give them a unique appearance. Stealth Boys make a great stand-in for "general high-tech item." The shield units have no visual appearance when equipped, so you'd only ever see them by dropping them anyway. If someone wants to design a custom model and texture for them to use when dropped, I'd be happy to include it, but it's not a priority.
Q: Are you planning on adding a shield bar for the HUD?
A: I haven't done much with XML in several years, so creating a HUD element hasn't been in my ability since around high school. Instead, the shield has several different audio cues and changes color based on its health, so you still have a great indication of how it's doing in combat. However, I've already created two global variables for your current and max SP that are only updated when the shield is equipped by the player, so it should be possible to create a HUD element if someone wanted to do that. I personally can't, but at least I've made sure those who know how have the option.
Q: Why you'd make the enemies so much harder?
A: Enemies needed powerful shields to balance the fact that you can use shields. The addition of shields has a huge effect on gameplay, but I've spent weeks getting the values to be what I felt was fair. Remember that shield classes have special properties. If an enemy seems too hard, try a different method of attack. If keeping damage on them to prevent shield regeneration is too hard, try using damage-over-time effects like flame weapons or the http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Holorifle.
Q: Are shields weak to EMP attacks?
A: No. Insulated shields will improve your resistance to EMP attacks, but no shields lower it.
Q: Will there be patches to add shields to enemies from other mods?
A: I'd love to see this, but I'm going to leave that up to the makers of those mods (see Permissions below).
Q: Will this see expansions in the future?
A: There are tons of ideas that went through testing and were rejected for one reason or another, plus I may come up with other things. I currently have no plans for future additions, but it's always possible I'll add something.
Q: How does this work?
A: This gets somewhat technical to explain. The system uses a new attribute called shield points. However, it's impossible to take damage to shield points directly. If NVSE ever gets event handlers like OBSE had, this may become possible (but FOSE never got them). I had to approximate this as closely as I could. When equipped, a shield constantly monitors the health of its user from frame to frame. If health ever drops, shield points drop and health goes back up a single frame after the damage was taken. There are checks to make sure it isn't free healing and checks to make sure it doesn't interfere with any healing you're doing. This is very similar to taking damage to SP, but it's not identical. Because the damage has still applied for one frame, a single attack powerful enough to kill the user will still do exactly that. Because HP damage is actually occurring first, all damage threshold and resistance effects apply as normal, so better armor makes a better shield. I would have liked to be able to negate the damage entirely so it doesn't even apply first, but again, this is simply not possible. What I've created is the best approximation available, and I'm quite happy with how it ended up. In the end, having shields "critically fail" against attacks higher than your current health isn't much of a problem, and you can even use it tactically when fighting shielded opponents.
Q: These have no DT. How do you know NPCs will equip them?
A: Every shield actually has 0.01 DT per rank. You won't see this in-game and it won't have any effect on damage taken (fractions are ignored entirely by DT), but it's still used by the AI when equipping items. The higher DT per rank ensures they always equip the best shield available (in case you give a companion multiple shields - nothing should spawn with more than one). Creatures can't equip armors, so the non-playable shields will always activate just from being in a creature's inventory.
A: No. Because shields change the game so much, I recommend you start a new game to get the full experience, but it's not necessary. In existing games, some enemies will not get shields as they are supposed to, but this isn't extremely prevalent, and randomized targets will have a chance for a shield when they next respawn.
Q: Does this require NVSE?
A: No part of this requires NVSE. You'll get full function with or without it.
Q: Can companions use these?
A: Of course. NPC companions will not have any shields and will equip whatever you give them. Because Rex and ED-E are creatures though, they can't use playable shields. Instead, they both have their own built-in shields, which will improve in rank as they level up. Their shields share the same attributes as playable Force shields.
Q: Why isn't my shield recharging as soon as it's equipped?
A: To prevent abuse, Break and Delay timers only run while a shield is equipped by something. If your shield isn't immediately recharging, it's because one of those timers is still running. Remember that a shield won't forget about the Break and Delay you caused while killing its former owner. When you or a companion equips that shield, you'll still have to wait for the Break or Delay before recharging.
Q: Couldn't I just carry several shields and switch among them in battle so I don't have to worry about Break?
A: They weigh 5 pounds a piece, but go ahead. Remember that, as mentioned above, you'll still eventually have to wait out the Break score for the shield to charge again, so if you do this, you'll need to cycle through shields when out of battle so they can all time out their Break scores. That would be annoying and weigh a lot for very little benefit, but if that's your cup of tea, feel free to drink it. I closed any other loopholes I could think of, so I don't think there are any other ways to abuse the system.
Q: Why do two shields of the same type stack oddly in inventory?
A: This is an issue with the game engine that happens with some items. I'm aware of it, but I can't do anything to fix it.
Q: Aren't you worried about game canon?
A: Major groups like the Enclave, NCR, and Brotherhood have large-scale force field technology. It's not unreasonable that this could be miniaturized and made portable. I realize it's not within canon to add these to the game, but it's really not as far a stretch as you might think. Most non-humanoids do not have shields, with only rare exceptions (mostly bosses). My explanation for that is that their shields are psychically generated... or something. Look, it's not without http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Psyker, and it makes for better boss fights. Just go with it.
Q: Will this slow down my game?
A: I'd be surprised if it did. The scripts aren't terribly complex, and they're written in such a way that this shouldn't affect game performance. My testing has been done over many weeks and has used various areas with multiple shielded opponents. I have never seen this system cause a drop in frame rate.
Q: Does this protect my equipment from taking damage?
A: No. I know that would make sense, but I simply felt this was too powerful, so I did not include it in the final version. Your equipment will still take damage from taking hits or using weapons. Likewise, you may still damage your enemy's weapon, which can be useful considering your enemy's limbs are protected while shielded. Disarming is now a great tactic.
Q: Why am I able to cripple shielded enemies?
A: If you cause enough damage to cripple a limb in a single hit, you'll see the alert that it was crippled and your enemy may react, but the limb will still be restored immediately. Limb protection for everyone but you had to be implemented this way due to engine limitations.
Q: Why do all the shields look like a Stealth Boy when I drop them?
A: I don't do modeling, so I'm not able to give them a unique appearance. Stealth Boys make a great stand-in for "general high-tech item." The shield units have no visual appearance when equipped, so you'd only ever see them by dropping them anyway. If someone wants to design a custom model and texture for them to use when dropped, I'd be happy to include it, but it's not a priority.
Q: Are you planning on adding a shield bar for the HUD?
A: I haven't done much with XML in several years, so creating a HUD element hasn't been in my ability since around high school. Instead, the shield has several different audio cues and changes color based on its health, so you still have a great indication of how it's doing in combat. However, I've already created two global variables for your current and max SP that are only updated when the shield is equipped by the player, so it should be possible to create a HUD element if someone wanted to do that. I personally can't, but at least I've made sure those who know how have the option.
Q: Why you'd make the enemies so much harder?
A: Enemies needed powerful shields to balance the fact that you can use shields. The addition of shields has a huge effect on gameplay, but I've spent weeks getting the values to be what I felt was fair. Remember that shield classes have special properties. If an enemy seems too hard, try a different method of attack. If keeping damage on them to prevent shield regeneration is too hard, try using damage-over-time effects like flame weapons or the http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Holorifle.
Q: Are shields weak to EMP attacks?
A: No. Insulated shields will improve your resistance to EMP attacks, but no shields lower it.
Q: Will there be patches to add shields to enemies from other mods?
A: I'd love to see this, but I'm going to leave that up to the makers of those mods (see Permissions below).
Q: Will this see expansions in the future?
A: There are tons of ideas that went through testing and were rejected for one reason or another, plus I may come up with other things. I currently have no plans for future additions, but it's always possible I'll add something.
Q: How does this work?
A: This gets somewhat technical to explain. The system uses a new attribute called shield points. However, it's impossible to take damage to shield points directly. If NVSE ever gets event handlers like OBSE had, this may become possible (but FOSE never got them). I had to approximate this as closely as I could. When equipped, a shield constantly monitors the health of its user from frame to frame. If health ever drops, shield points drop and health goes back up a single frame after the damage was taken. There are checks to make sure it isn't free healing and checks to make sure it doesn't interfere with any healing you're doing. This is very similar to taking damage to SP, but it's not identical. Because the damage has still applied for one frame, a single attack powerful enough to kill the user will still do exactly that. Because HP damage is actually occurring first, all damage threshold and resistance effects apply as normal, so better armor makes a better shield. I would have liked to be able to negate the damage entirely so it doesn't even apply first, but again, this is simply not possible. What I've created is the best approximation available, and I'm quite happy with how it ended up. In the end, having shields "critically fail" against attacks higher than your current health isn't much of a problem, and you can even use it tactically when fighting shielded opponents.
Q: These have no DT. How do you know NPCs will equip them?
A: Every shield actually has 0.01 DT per rank. You won't see this in-game and it won't have any effect on damage taken (fractions are ignored entirely by DT), but it's still used by the AI when equipping items. The higher DT per rank ensures they always equip the best shield available (in case you give a companion multiple shields - nothing should spawn with more than one). Creatures can't equip armors, so the non-playable shields will always activate just from being in a creature's inventory.
Permissions
I didn't just design the shield system for myself. The ESM was specifically split off so that it could be used as a resource by other modders. If you've got a mod that adds new creatures or NPCs, I'd love to see you create a patch that adds shields to them. It's very easy to add shields to new NPCs and creatures, or even to create new available shields. I put a lot of time into getting this working, bug-free (probably), and balanced within the game. I'd love to see just how far it can go.
I only ask that I receive credit with a link back to this page and that I be told about it so I can see what you've made (I'm just curious). As with all of my mods, anything new in the GECK can be found by filtering for my initials, KJK. This three-letter code isn't found on anything else, so it's a quick way to access just the new material.[/font]
On my list on to-download 