Shields do, in fact, block most of a priwen burst, and phasing also blocks a major chunk of it. EMP reduction hullmods are a must against them, either way, and any ship that doesn't rely on shields needs auto repair unit. And yes, they do use it to dodge projectiles when prudent; this is intended behavior. Arondights are being nerfed quite a bit in the next update, and to be fair the Ravana is sort of OP, so I'm not sure that should be a concern either.
Templars are not designed for Nexerelin; compatibility with Nexerelin is more of a formality on my part than something I seriously pursue. You'll have to talk to Histidine if you want special treatment for them in Nexerelin. Outside of Nexerelin, their dynamic actually works as I want it to.