When I compare the Telekine Shield and Telekine Dome powers, it seems as though Telekine Dome is vastly better in almost every situation. The difference is so pronounced that I believe there was an oversight somewhere in the printing process.
Let's look at Telekine Shield:
- +20 Willpower test to manifest
- Self cast only
- Provides PR/2 points of COVER to the caster
It's a relatively easy to cast power that doesn't provide much in the way of defense. Two or three points of cover will hardly prevent any damage, as cover degrades by one point every time incoming damage exceeds its protection value. This is explicitly stated in the description of the power, so it is very clear that this is the intended functionality of the power.
Then let's look at Telekine Dome:
- +0 Willpower test to manifest
- 5 m*PR range
- Provides PR points of ARMOR to all people inside a (PR) m radius around a point in space
Yes, this power is farther up the discipline tree, so we should expect it to increase in strength, but the difference is so massive it's not even funny. At any given psy rating, the Dome will provide twice the protective value of Telekine Shield to everyone within a small radius, and most importantly this damage reduction will not be degraded with incoming damage.
The only downsides to the Dome are that the shield doesn't move and that the protection doesn't apply to attacks originating within the bubble. These can certainly be an issue, but clever shield placement should ensure that it is very difficult for enemies to negate the protection without seriously endangering themselves.
At the end of the day, Telekine Shield is marginally useful at best, while Telekine Dome is a vital protective spell that can keep an entire Acolyte cell alive through enormous amounts of fire. Am I missing something here, or do you agree with my assessment?