Modern Day Armor

[Manic Typist]

What kinds of armor can you think of, or have seen used in campaigns? What sort of stats would you assign these various kinds of armor, whether it be everyday, unusual, advanced, exotic, or just plain bizzarre?

 

I admit I am woefully ignorant of the various kinds of modern day armor out there.

 

Also, what DEF value would you assign a cup? You know, the one that covers hit location 13?

[Vassoom]

Re: Modern Day Armor

 

What kinds of armor can you think of, or have seen used in campaigns? What sort of stats would you assign these various kinds of armor, whether it be everyday, unusual, advanced, exotic, or just plain bizzarre?

 

I admit I am woefully ignorant of the various kinds of modern day armor out there.

You should get a copy of the HERO System Equipment Guide. Awesome sourcebook for armor and weapons and such. It also covers related issues such as weight, encumbrance, DEX Penalties, Active/Real points and how to build them, etc.

 

Straight from the Equipment Guide we find:

 

[b][u]"FANTASY" GENRE ARMORS:[/u][/b]
4 Various Cloth and Hide Armors:   DEF 1-3
3 Various Leather Armors:          DEF 1-3
12 Various Reinforced Leathers:     DEF 1-5
3 Various Scale Mails:             DEF 4-6
3 Various Chain Mails:             DEF 6-7
4 Various Plate Armors:            DEF 7-8

A complete breakdown of Historical Sectional armors 
 (e.g., Helms, Coifs, Greaves, etc.)

[u][b] MARTIAL ARTS ARMORS:[/b][/u]
11 Pieces of Karate Armors:         DEF 2r/6N
5 Pieces of Kendo Armors:          DEF 1-6
  Leather Hand Wrappings:          DEF 4r/0N
7 Pieces of Samurai Armors:        DEF 4-6

[u][b] MODERN BODY ARMORS:[/b][/u]
[b]SOFT [/b](Broken into Levels I, II-A, II, and III-A)
 Kevlar (aramid fibers)            DEF 3-8
 Enhanced Kevlar (aramid+other):   DEF 4-9
 Spectra (ultradense plastic):     DEF 4-9
 Vectran (newer artificial fiber): DEF 4-9
 BioSteel (synthetic spider silk): DEF 5-10
 "NanoArmor" (carbon nanotubes):   DEF 5-10

[b]HARD [/b](Broken into Levels III and IV, Typically inserted
      into special pockets in soft armor)
 Ceramic plates:                   DEF +3
 Polyethylene plates:              DEF +3
 Metal plates:                     DEF +2

That's a quick summary of some of what's in the Equipment Guide.

 

When deciding on the stats for armor in your campaign, one of the things that *I* recommend you do first is to decide on the baseline power for your standard attacks. For example, are people running around with .38 caliber revolvers, .45 caliber semi-automatics, 9mm SMGs, 5.56mm Assault Rifles, 12 gauge shotguns, phased plasma rifles in a 40 watt range, etc. And will Armor Piercing rounds be rare, or quite common? That sort of thing. Then, once you know the full gamut of attacks your characters are likely to encounter, I recommend that you then "tweak" the armor DEF ranges to best fit your campaign's lethality goals. If you want your players to be able to soak up more attacks with less risk or downtime, then bump up the armor types until you are comfortable. If you want a grittier game with more dangerous wounds as a real possibility, make body armor only nominally effective, rather than allowing it to bounce any and all attacks from small arms fire.

 

Just a suggestion.

 

Also' date=' what DEF value would you assign a cup? You know, the one that covers hit location 13?[/quote']

Well, those things are a pretty solid plastic, but they're not really designed to be bulletproof, and they don't really absorb impact so much as simply deflect it around the "naughty bits". So I would probably give a sports cup maybe 2 resistant and 5N defense? [Edit: I was pretty close. Just found the "Athletic Cup" in with the Karate armors. Steve officially gives it 2r/6N.]

 

- Vassoom

[Manic Typist]

Re: Modern Day Armor

 

I SHOULD order it.

 

No wonder no one was posting.

 

Thanks.

[Dog Soldier]

Re: Modern Day Armor

 

Read the list and wondered what 11 pieces of Karate Armor consisted of since I don't have the book. Looked in my training bag and started counting piece:

 

2 forearm guards

 

2 shin guards

 

2 gloves

 

2 footgear

 

1 groin cup

 

1 chest protector

 

1 helmet

 

 

Yep, 11 pieces

[RDU Neil]

Re: Modern Day Armor

 

Read the list and wondered what 11 pieces of Karate Armor consisted of since I don't have the book. Looked in my training bag and started counting piece:

 

2 forearm guards

 

2 shin guards

 

2 gloves

 

2 footgear

 

1 groin cup

 

1 chest protector

 

1 helmet

 

 

Yep, 11 pieces

 

 

11 pieces of armor?

 

Why in my day we sparred NEKKID! Nothin' but fists wrapped in blood soaked canvas straps dipped in broken glass!

 

And we were glad to have 'em!

 

 

 

 

11 pieces of armor...SHEESH! Kids these days.

[Vassoom]

Re: Modern Day Armor

 

Why in my day we sparred NEKKID! Nothin' but fists wrapped in blood soaked canvas straps dipped in broken glass!

 

Blood soaked canvas straps dipped in broken glass? You were LUCKY to have canvas straps!

 

We had to use bits of our own intestines, and tie them off with ligaments ripped from our own joints! *snort* Canvas straps!

 

- Vassoom

[NightStick]

Re: Modern Day Armor

 

Sparring?

 

Who had time for that?

 

[Dog Soldier]

Re: Modern Day Armor

 

Oddly enough, or maybe not, this thread has inspired me to look around for equivalent gear to "Karate Armor" that might be wearable outside the ring. Pretty silly but fun. If I find anything I'll post links. The gloves for mixed martial arts are obvious, looking like rather heavy fingerless gloves and the cup is (hopefully) never seen.

[Manic Typist]

Re: Modern Day Armor

 

The gloves for mixed martial arts are obvious' date=' looking like rather heavy fingerless gloves and the cup is (hopefully) never seen. [/quote']

 

I dunno.

 

I can think of a few situations where I hope the cup might get seen.