Armor
| Armor | Penalty | W / A | Type | Li / Hi / En |
Hide | Mass | Avail | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progress Level 0: Stone Age | ||||||||
| Hide armor | +1 | - / - | O | d6-3 / d4-3 / d6-4 | - | 10 | Any | 100 |
| Progress Level 1: Bronze/lron Age | ||||||||
| Leather armor | 0 | - / - | O | d6-2 / d6-4 / d6-4 | +2 | 7 | Any | 350 |
| Helm | +1 | - / - | O | +1 / 0 / 0 | - | 4 | Com | 200 |
| Shield, small | +1 | - / - | O | +1 / 0 / 0 | +1 |
4 | Any | 75 |
| Progress Level 2: Middle Ages | ||||||||
| Chain mail | +1 | - / - | O | d6-1 / d6-4 / d6-4 | +1 | 15 | Com | 750 |
| Plate, full | +3 | - / - | O | d6+1 / d6-4 / d6-4 | - | 25 | Con | 2000 |
| Plate, partial | +2 | - / - | O | d6 / d8-5 / d6-4 | +1 | 20 | Com | 1000 |
| Shield, medium | +2 | - / - | O | +2 / +1 / 0 | - | 7 | Any | 300 |
| Progress Level 3: Age of Reason | ||||||||
| Leather coat | 0 | - / - | O | d6-3 / d4-3 / d4-2 | +3 | 5 | Any | 500 |
| Progress Level 4: Industrial Age | ||||||||
| Flak jacket | +2 | - / - | O | d6-2 / d4-1 / d6-3 | - | 15 | Con | 800 |
| Progress Level 5: Information Age | ||||||||
| Assault gear | +3 | - / - | O | d6-1 / d6-1 / d6-1 | - | 10 | Con | 1500 |
| Battle vest | 0 | - / - | O | d6-3 / d6-2 / d4-2 | +2 | 5 | Con | 600 |
| Riot helmet | +1 | - / - | O | +1 / +1 / 0 | - | 2 | Con | 300 |
| Riot shield | +2 | - / - | O | +1 / +1 / +1 | - | 4 | Con | 500 |
| Progress Level 6: Fusion Age | ||||||||
| Assault gear, heavy | +2 | - / - | O | d6-1 / d6 / d6-1 | - | 12 | Mil | 2500 |
| Attack armor | +3 | - / - | O | d4+1 / d6+1 / d6-1 | - | 15 | Con | 3000 |
| Attack armor, powered | +5 | - / - | G |
d6+1 / d6+2 / d6 | - | 25 | Mil | 8000 |
| Battle jacket | +1 | - / - | O | d6-1 / d4+1 / d4-1 | +1 | 8 | Con | 1500 |
| CF long coat | 0 | - / - | O | d4 / d4 / d6-2 | +3 | 4 | Com | 1000 |
| CF short coat | 0 | - / - | O | d4-1 / d4-1 / d6-3 | +3 | 3 | Com | 750 |
| Progress Level 7: Gravity Age | ||||||||
| Body tank | +8 | - / 1 | G | 2d4+1 / 2d4+1 / 2d4 | - | 60 | Res | 25000 |
| Body tank, Recon | +7 | 2 / 1 | G | 2d4 / 2d4 / d6+2 | - | 45 | Mil | 30000 |
| Body tank, zero-G | +8 | - / 1 | G | 3d4 / 3d4 / 2d4 | - | 80 | Res | 50000 |
| Cerametal armor | +2 | - / - | O | d6+1 / d8+1 / d6 | - | 10 | Mil | 2000 |
| CF softsuit | 0 | - / - | O | d6 / d6 / d6-1 | +4 | 3 | Con | 2000 |
| Deflection harness | 0 | - / - | O | See description | +3 | 2 | Con | 2500 |
| Progress Level 8: Energy Age | ||||||||
| Ablative harness | 0 | - / - | O | See description | +3 | 2 | Mil | 5000 |
| Body tank, overland | +5 | 1 / 1 | G | 2d6+1 / 2d6+1 / 2d6 | - | 40 | Res | 70000 |
| Displacer softsuit | 0 | - / - | O | See description | +4 | 3 | Res | 7500 |
| Energy web | 0 | - / - | O | d6-1 / d6-1 /d6+2 | +3 | 2 | Mil | 4000 |
| Stealth softsuit | 0 | - / - | O | See description | +4 | 2 | Mil | 10000 |
PL O: Stone Age
Stone age armor makes use of readily available material (which is limited), and armor technology remains primitive for centuries.
Hide armor: This armor utilizes the furs and skins of animals, which are stitched or fastened together to roughly fit the body of the individual wearing it. The protection it provides is minimal, and its use during the era is uncommon. This category also includes weaves of thick vegetation made into protective garments.
PL 1: Bronze/Iron Age
The first manufactured defensive armor appear during this early period in history.
Leather armor: This protection is easy to craft and maintain, and does a decent job of protecting the wearer from the weapons of the day.
Helm: The center of the sensory organs is treated to extra protection. A helm can’t be used with other armor if the armor contains an integral helmet or hood. The Gamemaster can determine that a helm’s protection isn’t significant in some situations, especially if it is the only armor being worn.
Shield, small: A small shield is usually round, about a half-meter in diameter, and worn on the forearm of the secondary hand.
PL 2: Middle Ages
This is the age of the knight, when armor goes beyond being a defensive device and also becomes a status symbol and a sign of rank.
Chain mail: Various types of laminated, scale, brigandine, splint, and banded armor fall under the broad category of chain mail. Formed by linking or sewing metal rings to a plain leather backing, chain mail provides excellent protection against slashing (low impact) attacks. The chain mail suit includes a coif to protect the head.
Plate armor, full: Full plate mail is made from shaped and fitted metal plates riveted and interlocked in such a way as to cover the entire body. Gauntlets, boots, and a visored helmet are included, as well as a layer of thick padding under the armor.
Plate armor, partial: This armor combines a metal breastplate with either chain or brigandine armor. A few metal plates protect vital parts of the body, but not as many are used as in full plate armor.
Shield, medium: A medium shield is heavier than a small shield, and is usually a meter or more in diameter. It can be round or square, though most looked like rounded triangles.
PL 3: Age of Reason
As firearms arrive on the scene, earlier forms of armor—largely ineffective against high impact damage disappear at this Progress Level.
Leather coat: The cuir bouilli (“boiled leather”) coat isn’t the best armor, but it’s better than nothing in battle. Leather coats have an advantage in being innately concealable; in many societies, the rugged coat is an item of style.
PL 4: Industrial Age
While the increasing power and accuracy of firearms limit the advance of armor, the first attempts to shield against the bullet are developed.
Flak jacket: While unable to fully absorb the blows of the weapons of the period, the flak jacket is the first armor to seriously inhibit the passage of high impact damage to its wearer. The armor’s bulk and mass are its disadvantages.
PL 5: Information Age
The era produces several new protective devices to ward off firearms, for both military and law enforcement personnel.
Assault gear: This is a suit of modern armor, made up of heavy padding, kevlar, and plastic plates. In later ages, kevlar is replaced by carbonate fiber.
Battle vest: This category includes all the varieties of bulletproof vests that come into use during the latter half of the 20th century. A normal battle vest can be worn under very bulky clothing, but generally it’s meant to be pulled over anything else a person might happen to be wearing. Light versions are designed with concealability and comfort in mind. The vest uses strong ceramic alloy plates sandwiched in a weave of kevlar or (at a higher PL) carbon ate fiber to protect the wearer’s torso.
Riot helmet: The riot helmet has a clear plastic visor, offering protection while preserving vision.
Riot shield: This is a high-tech, clear plastic, full-body shield, usually used in conjunction with riot gear.
PL 6: Fusion Age
As technology improves, new materials are invented for use in protective devices, including carbonate fiber and polymere. Carbonate fiber (CF), created by the application of atom laser technology (developed at PL 5 but not immediately put to practical use) is a weave of nanoengineered carbon chains that are deliberately arranged for strength and resistance.
Polymere is microengineered plastic.
Assault gear, heavy: This armor resembles PL 5 assault gear in general appearance, but bulletproof CF weave and polymere plates replace much of the padding. It includes a protective hood and attachments for an optional hip-worn respirator. Security forces and paramilitary groups often wear armor of this type.
Attack armor: The earliest forms of true attack armor are improvements of typical assault gear. A breastplate and helmet of lightweight polymere guards the user’s vital areas, while flexible CF weaves cover his limbs.
Attack armor, powered: Powered attack armor includes a small but powerful computer to manage a simple sensor and communication suite.
Built-in extra devices include:
- Targeting system: Binoculars reduce long range penalties by 1 step.
- Image enhancement system: Night-vision and infrared goggles reduce penalties due to poor lighting or visual conditions by 1 step.
- Communication suite: Signal laser and comm gear allow communication over long distances and supervision of remote sensor devices.
- Trauma pack type I: Two trauma packs are attached al the thigh pocket and in the small of the back.
Battle jacket: A more complete version of the battle vest, this garment includes panels for the thighs and arms, as well as an open-faced hood.
It offers significantly more coverage than the vest, but is correspondingly heavier and more awkward. Most battle jackets feature face-seals and attachments for respirators or heating elements.
CF long and short coat: In situations when it isn’t wise to display heavy armor, a bulletproof coat can be a lifesaver. Designed to resemble a well-made duster or jacket, the CFcoat uses extensive weaves of resistant carbonate fibers to defeat slashing weapons and projectiles.
The long coat almost touches the ground, and it can pass for a duster or overcoat of some kind. The shortcoat comes down to the waist and can be worn as part of a suit, or as a simple jacket.
PL 7: Gravity Age
As energy weapons begin to replace projectile weapons, the first serious attempts at countering them appear.
The new science of gravitonics, combined with preexisting atom laser technology, provides the means.
Using the intense, controlled gravitational fields made possible by the gravity inducer, tungsten metal is compressed at the atomic level. A mesh of disassociated neutrons is then pressed into the metal. The alloy, known as neutronite, has a density several times that of depleted uranium. Not only is neutronite extremely hard to pierce, it tends to rapidly dissipate energy. Naturally, neutronite armor is extremely heavy, so a personal suit requires numerous power-assist servos and pistons in order to allow movement.
Body tank: The invention of sturdy, small, and powerful servos makes the powered “body tank” armor possible. Most of the armor consists of neutronite alloy plate, with only a few awkward joints made of flexible carbonate fiber. A body tank is just that—a heavy, full suit of armor that turns the soldier wearing it into a mobile fortress.
Systems included in a body tank are:
- Targeting system: Binoculars reduce long range penalties by 1 step.
- Image enhancement system: Night-vision and infrared goggles reduce penalties due to poor lighting or visual conditions by 1 step.
- Communication suite: Signal laser and comm gear allow communication over long distances and supervision of remote sensor devices.
- Trauma pack type II: One of two trauma packs activates when the suit’s occupant suffers damage; the other one is a spare. Mortal wounds are automatically staunched; the wearer doesn’t need to make a Stamina-endurance check.
- Threat receiver: An electromagnetic/infrared sensor detects active fire control and rangefinding systems directed at the wearer, who gains a -2 bonus to Awareness checks to detect such threats.
- Smart display: Geomapping system provides a view of the surrounding area, granting the user a -1 bonus to Tactics checks.
- Laser designator: Helmet-mounted device allows the soldier to instantly relay requests for fire support or air strikes through his data uplink.
- Bantam launcher: A built-in bantam launcher contains a magazine of four loads. The loads can be of any type, or multiples of one type, but once the launcher is loaded the order of launch can’t be changed without manually reloading the rockets.
Body tank, recon: The recon body tank is lighter and more expensive than the regular version, but somewhat more common. The recon body tank features the same onboard systems as the standard body tank.
Body tank, zero-g: The heaviest armor available at PL 7 is equipped with all the features of the standard body tank in a suit slightly larger than the normal body tank. It also includes the following features:
Air/space radar: A small but powerful radar system allows a soldier to keep an eye on enemy aircraft or spacecraft movements. Consider this a vehicular radar system.
Instead of a bantam launcher, the purchaser of a zero-g body tank can include any one of the following:
- Grenade launcher: Two magazines hold six grenades each. The magazines feed into the launcher in dependently, so the user can choose which magazine to load and fire.
- Direct fire heavy weapon: Choice of heavy charge machine gun, arc gun, rail cannon, or plasma gun.
- Close-combat weapon: Choice of chainsword, gravmace, mass pistol, or autoflechette shotgun.
Cerametal armor: This is one of the last developments of heavy, unpowered armor. Cerametal technology combines lightweight ceramic weaves with more standard armor materials. The cerametal plates cover most of the body, including the head. The protection is fantastic by previous standards, but can’t match that of a body tank.
CF softsuit: The CF softsuit represents the highest level of carbonate fiber advancement. It can be woven into lightweight clothing styles, providing protection that doesn’t look like protection at all.
Deflection harness: The deflection harness creates a powerful nondirectional graviton field around the wearer. Physical objects are deflected away from the protected character. and even energy-based attacks may be bent enough to miss the user.
The deflection harness is built in several different styles, including a pair of bracelets or wristbands, medallions, or belts. It’s not possible to combine a harness with other armor.
The deflection harness improves the user’s applicable resistance modifier (either Strength or Dexterity) by +2 steps. A character using a deflection harness suffers from a +2 penalty when he tries to attack someone outside the field due to the same deflection effect.
The harness consumes a lot of power, and a charge pack lasts for only 10 rounds of use. The wearer must use an action to turn the harness on or off, but can take another action in the same phase with a +1 penalty.
PL 8: Energy Age
As practical, personal energy weapons become common in this age of wonder, defensive technology undergoes great advancement.
Ablative harness: The discovery of controlled mass-energy transformation leads to the invention of effective force fields. The ablative harness makes use of a field of quantum particles that respond to force or energy by spontaneously transforming into semitangible virtual matter. The device consists of a sturdy belt with an attached hip-carried power supply. Small power leads run along the users limbs and torso and fasten to concealable cuffs at wrist and ankle. The ablative harness provides 50 points of protective energy when fully charged. Every point of mortal damage reduces the field by 3 points; every point of wound damage reduces the field by 2 points; and every point of stun damage reduces the field by 1 point. When the harness’s energy is reduced to 0 points, the protective field collapses. Ablative harnesses can be recharged via any standard power source, but the recharging process requires 1 hour per 10 points of field energy.
Since the field produced by the harness hugs the body, it doesn’t affect the user’s ability to use weapons the way the deflection harness does.
Also, it is possible to wear other protection along with an ablative harness, as a safeguard against the possibility that the harness’s energy could be exhausted. The only types of armor that can’t be combined with an ablative harness are the various body tanks, powered attack armor, the deflection harness, and any other PL 8 armor.
Body tank, overland: This device represents the highest achievement in heavy powered armor. The overland body tank has all the features of a zero-g body tank with even higher protection values, but retains a light and streamlined look reminiscent of the recon body tank.
The overland body tank adds a final touch—a flight-capable, gravity-based engine, allowing its user to soar meters over the ground at up to 100 kilometers per hour for as long as 8 hours.
Displacer softsuit: This is a CF softsuit with gravitonic circuitry that makes the image of the user appear to blur and shift. This provides protection from weapons that require a direct target, but doesn’t provide any protection against weapons with a blast radius. The displacer softsuit can’t be used with other armor, because the softsuit must be near the body and exposed to operate. By phasing the wearer and projecting his image about a meter away from where he really is, the displacer softsuit provides a +3 step increase to the wearer’s Strength and Dexterity resistance modifiers.
After 10 rounds, the displacer softsuit’s charge cell must be replaced.
Extra cells cost $100.
Energy web: The energy web is a CF softsuit with an interwoven energy dispersement web. While largely ineffective against physical attacks, it provides excellent protection from energy weapons by dispersing the energy and directing it harmlessly away. The energy web doesn’t require a power source, because it works like a lightning rod to ground and disperse the energy. The energy web can’t be used with other armor.
Stealth softsuit: The combination of a CF softsuit with energy technology, the stealth softsuit renders its wearer almost invisible. The stealth softsuit can’t be used with other armor, since the suit must be near the body and exposed to operate.
The primary benefit is to the user’s Stealth skill (or the user’s untrained Dexterity feat check, if he or she does not possess the skill): a +3 penalty to all observers attempting to spot the user. If an observer notices the wearer. the wearer still receives a +1 resistance modifier increase on attacks directed against him or her.
The stealth softsuit has a limited power supply. After 2 hours of use, its charge cell must be replaced.
Extra cells cost $100.