Type: Riot shield
Scale: Character
Skill: Melee parry
Cost: 500
Availability: 2 or 3, R
Difficulty: Easy
Body Strength: 6D
Game Notes: If the character makes a successful skill check they may block incoming attacks on one facing. Using the firing notch gives the character and those behind it and within 1 meter 3/4 cover in the facing arc. If used as a melee weapon, it causes STR+2 damage.
Background: A riot shield was a type of physical shield or personal deflector shield that was carried by hand. It was primarily used by security forces, law enforcement and the military. The primary use of the riot shield was to protect the user from lightly armed aggression in crowd-control by law enforcement, however they were also used in battle.
One such example of a riot shield being used in a military situation was at the Citadel prison during the Clone Wars, when the droid commandos that guarded the prison carried riot shields at the Battle of Lola Sayu. The clone trooper CT-1409 attempted to use a riot shield to prevent the droid commandos from destroying the Republic squad’s escape transport during the battle, but the riot shield was ineffective against the laser turret and he was nearly killed in the explosion that followed.