I'm trying to figure out a mage build,but i'm kinda lost on a certain point.
Wards offer damage protection,the way armour would,but they dont truly act like a shield would,at least as far as i know.
Is there any way for mages to truly 'block' incoming attacks from melee,and more importantly,ranged weapons?
Trying to go for a no -weapon build,so actual shields are a no-go.

Also,the elemental 'cloak' spells that cover the body,do they enhance hand-to-hand damage?
Logically they would damage the enemy if you're so close,but do they add aditional damage to the punches themselves?

Thanks ahead.

The Wards do act like shield they are just a shield of Magic, they are the closest magical thing you will get without enchanting an actual shield.

The next best thing is to conjure a familier to act as a shield while you pelt from afar

They do?
Never tried it out myself yet,but my archer always shot right trough any mage's ward.
That and from the description i figured they only block spells,and melee/arrow damage is only reduced by adding to armour rating when holding up the ward.
Didnt think they'd actually 'block' attacks.

As you start to play a mage with destruction and/or conjuration, you will be surprised how rare it is to ever get damaged. This is because all destruction damage is ranged, and with conjuration you are fighting indirectly. A mage does not block, a mage dodges and positions himself so that he cannot be hit. In the early game your main threats are strong and fast melee damage enemies (like bears, saber cats, and higher level bandits with two handed weapon) or magic users and dragons. You run away and reposition to deal with bears, and you hide behind things or use ward to deal with magic users. The problem with ward is that it's very magicka intensive. It's often better to plan on getting damaged while dealing damage, and retreat to recover health.

You are correct, wards give you some protection against physical damage by temporarily raising armor rating 40,60 or 80 points, but that is very little protection for physical damage. It is very good for blocking magical attacks, because it provides 100% protection unless your ward breaks.

I see.
So there isnt really a way to make a close range/point blank mage,capable of properly negating damage,aside from dodging,or using minions as a shield.
Thanks.
i'll see what a can do with this.
Any intel on the Flame etc. cloak spells?

Spells like Flamecloak do X amount of damage to any person, follower or enemy that's within X distance of you. Yet another thing that's wrong with Destruction. Elemental protection cloaks and area spells are just as dangerous to your followers as they are to the enemies, thereby rendering them unusable a majority of the time (if you have a follower. If not, then no worries).

There is a way to harden a Mage against physical attacks. But it comes from alteration tree. Investing in alteration may be a useful for some mages, if said mages were very concerned about physical damage. Master spell Dragonhide gives you 80% damage reduction for up to 99 seconds with stability perk and dual casting.