Editing Blue Shield Particle Field Damper

[[File:Blue Shield Particle Field Damper.jpg|190px|right|thumb|Blue Shield Particle Field Damper System]]

== Description ==
In [[3051]]<ref name="SB:WBp57+">''Starterbook: Wolf and Blake'', pp. 57-58</ref>, the [[Federated Commonwealth]] started development of the '''Blue Shield Particle Field Damper (PFD)''', a defensive system that would reduce damage from [[PPC]]s.<ref name="UBp72">''Unbound'', p. 72, "Blue Shield Project"</ref> The [[New Avalon Institute of Science]] produced its prototype in [[3053]]. While the field damper did shield the equipped unit from PPC fire, it was also notoriously unreliable in ground units. After roughly a minute of operation, the dust and other miscellaneous debris it sucked in began to adversely affect the operation of the damper, eventually resulting in shutdown of the system.<ref name="TOp296">''Tactical Operations'', p. 296, "Blue Shield Particle Field Damper"</ref> To delay this problem, MechWarriors are known to shut down the Blue Shield if there are no enemy units wielding PPCs, reactivating it if a PPC-equipped foe arrives.

== Models ==
The Blue Shield Particle Field Damper is manufactured on the following planets:

===Kallon Nimbus===
{|class="wikitable" style="background: #gray; text-align:center; border: 2px solid black;"
|'''Manufactured on'''  
|'''Manufactured by'''
|'''Typically used in'''
|'''References'''
|----
| [[Kendall]]
| [[Kali Yama]]/[[Alphard Trading Company]]
| [[Quasimodo|QSM-3D ''Quasimodo'']]
| <ref name="TRO:3145FWLp30+">''Technical Readout: 3145 Free Worlds League'', pp. 30-31, "QSM-3D ''Quasimodo''"</ref>
|}

== Rules ==
<div class="gamerules">
===Game Rules===
In game terms, the Blue Shield occupies one critical slot in each location (excluding the head in [[BattleMech]]s), and weighs three tons. All standard-scale PPC damage (including [[Support PPC]] fire) is reduced by half (rounded down) to a minimum of one point.<ref name="SB:WBp57+"/><ref name="TOp296"/>

When mounted on a ground unit, the Blue Shield can only operate without error for a total of six turns of play. After that, there is a chance that the system will fail. On turn 7+, the controlling player must roll 2D6. If the roll is less than (2 + # of turns past 6) the system fails. For example, on turn 10, the Shield Damper will fail on a roll of 6 ( 2 + (10-6=4)) or less.  The Blue Shield can be activated or deactivated in the End Phase of any turn. If a Particle Field Damper runs for three turns and is then deactivated, note that the system only has three turns of error-free operation left -- deactivating the system doesn't restart the BSPFD's error-free state at 0.

If an active Blue Shield suffers a critical hit, the system immediately fails, and inflicts five points of damage on the area that was hit; this damage is treated the same way as an ammunition explosion. [[CASE]] will affect this explosion normally. Inactive Blue Shield critical slots that are damaged are destroyed, with no explosion.<ref name="SB:WBp57+"/><ref name="TOp296"/>
</div>

== References ==
<references/>

== Bibliography ==
* ''[[Starterbook: Wolf and Blake]]''
* ''[[Tactical Operations]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3145 Free Worlds League]]''
* ''[[Unbound]]''

[[Category: Technology]]
[[Category: Experimental Technology]]
[[Category: Defensive System]]