My group hasn't run into veils all that much in previous games, but in the one we're starting, one player will be using them extensively, so like PirateJack, I want to make sure I'm adjudicating them properly.
Most blocks only block against a specified action. So a block against movement (like wrapping someone up in vines) only blocks movement, and it would seem weird to say that attacks don't work because the vines get in the way (although it would make for a good declaration). And just because an attack hit, it wouldn't break the block against movement.
You're thinking of it the wrong way. The way blocks are described in the book, they either block a single target from doing multiple things, or they block a bunch of targets from doing something specific. Wrapping a single target up in vines would restrict them from more than one specific action. A veil would block several people from doing one specific action (perceiving you), just as a shield-type block stops several people from taking the specific action of harming you.
For me, The same goes for veils. I don't like saying, "sorry, you can't even try to attack the guy you can't perceive".
Well...too bad? I mean, that's pretty much just how things work: You
can't directly attack something you can't find. If you can't see someone, how are you going to attack them? It's like going, "I don't like saying, 'Sorry, you can't even try to hit someone with a sword when they're 30 feet away.'"
Only Awareness breaks the veil (the enemy must perceive you). A person, if they somehow know someone is protected by a veil can choose to target the person. They have to guess which zone the target is in. If they choose the right zone, they can make an attack and if they beat the Block, they can do damage (minus the block to represent that you got a lucky, glancing hit). This does not break the veil - although, it might prompt new Awareness checks (maybe to see blood dripping etc).
I'd say this is the wrong way to do it--it makes it so veils are just like regular blocks, in which case why are you bothering with the veil? And the first bit means veils are only useful at all if you're in multiple-zone combat, which isn't as common as some might think.
This feels like you're trying to nerf how veils work, and I don't see a reason why.
Put it this way: Say you're Molly. You don't have a lot of power to work with, but you can veil like nobody's business. You're up against something with a huge advantage in attacking skill and power (say, they hit with Fists at Great, and they've got Supernatural Strength). Your main defense is simply not being targetable--you throw up a 4-shift veil, which the target has a hard time piercing with its only Average Alertness score. Ergo, Molly is safe because the guy can't target her.
But with your method, Molly is screwed--her specialization in veils is no advantage at all, because you're treating it like a shield block.
That's the purpose of veils--forcing your opponent to go through a (probably) lower skill to attack you instead of trying to overcome what's probably an apex attack skill. Using your method, there's no way that Molly could survive combat for more than a round or two.