Using Shields (the physical kind, not magic kinds)

[Sanctaphrax]

Armour is always better.

But weapons are not. They use different skills, and so there is a legitimate reason to go unarmed.

Speed powers are better than no Speed powers, but they cost Refresh. Which might be better spent elsewhere. So there's a solid reason not to take them.

And driving definitely isn't better than walking. It requires a skill investment and it's only useful in certain situations.

And Thaumaturgy has its benefits and its drawbacks, like other powers.

The only part of that post which holds up is the armour part.

[Mr. Death]

Also, armor isn't always practical. Anything that's better than Armor:1 and not made of magic is going to be bulky and obvious, and thus unusable in a situation where wearing bulky and obvious armor is going to draw unwanted attention.

[TheMouse]

Also, armor isn't always practical. Anything that's better than Armor:1 and not made of magic is going to be bulky and obvious, and thus unusable in a situation where wearing bulky and obvious armor is going to draw unwanted attention.

In many of the situations in which armour isn't practical, a shield also isn't practical. They weigh less than really hefty armour, but that weight is distributed far less well around your body. Shields are likely to draw attention from people such as law enforcement; they're also weapons in addition to being armour, so good luck carrying it around most places without getting into trouble.

Although now -- for some reason -- I have this mental image of someone wearing 15th century harness waiting in line at the metal detector, trying to get into a court building.

[Mr. Death]

Yeah, that's what I meant. I was only pointing out that Armor does have a drawback, not saying that a shield is better. "You can't take it everywhere" is a limiting factor of pretty much anything Armor:/Weapon:2 or above.

[Sanctaphrax]

That isn't really a drawback, it's just a restriction. A guy who owns armour isn't any worse off than a guy who does not when he can't wear his armour.