 November 21, 2015 - 1:55pm | One needs an account to view the article. Any chance of posting this here instead? |
 November 21, 2015 - 4:33pm | One needs an account to view the article. Any chance of posting this here instead? If I can figure out how...I thought anyone could read the link if given...sorry. I'll see what I can do. |
November 21, 2015 - 4:58pm | SInce I can't link, I'll have to Cut n Paste:Combat ArmorTop:Star Frontiersman main page | Up: Star Frontiersman Issue 5 main index | Up: Equipment main index by Madin Jackson with additions by Greg Price. Original Editor’s Note: This armor is handled quite differently than the Polyplate Armor found in the back of the Alpha Dawn Digitally Remastered book, and generally you should choose which of the two rules you’d like to use in your game. On the other hand, since they are quite different yet fairly equally balanced against one another, it could simply be an additional technology available to your characters in the Frontier. The Polyplate armor is an extrapolation of skeinsuits and albedo suits, while this armor is more an extrapolation of Knight Hawks Space Suits. Both are equally suited for Star Frontiers gaming. Combat Armor was designed as additional protection for soldiers in wartime. It has since been adopted by mercenaries and corporate security for its decrease in potential casualties. Most Frontier worlds require special permits for Combat Armor, for private use. The armor is created by using several strands of plasteel mynomers, woven together which are then electromagnetically charged to thicken the mynomers and tighten the woven material. The mesh is then coated with a plastic polymer, giving it a hard, plastic shell. The interior is lined with padded material, allowing the armor to be worn for extended periods of time in the field, while still making the wearer comfortable. Combat Armor comes in four types: Light, Medium, Heavy, and Assault.
ProtectionCombat Armor will protect a character to some degree from most weapons. The Weapon vs. Armor charts display the effect of armor on various weapons. While Combat armor is effective, it is nowhere near that of space suit armor and cannot be used in hazardous environments, where harmful gasses are present. When Combat Armor has a percentage chance to protect the wearer, the Character being hit must roll a d100. If the number rolled is less than or equal to the suit’s protection percentage, the weapon does not penetrate the armor (nothing gets hurt, the wearer or the armor). If the roll is unsuccessful, the weapon has punctured the armor, but only causes half of its normal damage to the wearer. WEAPONS VS. LIGHT ARMOR
Original Editor’s note: If the above tables seem cumbersome in actual play, you can use the following rules instead:
Light Armor: 30%
Protection.
Versus Needlers: x2 Protection
rating. Greg's Note: Add the following to the “streamlined” rules above for Assault armor: Assault Combat Armor: 80% Protection plus protects against Shock and Stun MaintenanceCombat Armor must be continually maintained, or it will lose its protection, due to combat wear and tear. After any combat where the armor was worn, all effective protection values derived from the tables above will be reduced 5% unless a Technician character successfully makes a Repair Machinery roll (only one attempt is possible). At the end of a mission/adventure, if situations allow, a weapon shop can repair all damage remaining on the suit at a cost of 25Cr and one hour per damage percent. Thus if your suit is damaged to -20%, it will cost (25Cr x 20 =) 500Cr and take 20 hours. Triple the cost and double the time for repairing Assault armor. Obviously, there is a point at which you should consider scrapping the armor and purchasing a new set. For example: a character has had five combats during his
adventure. He successfully rolled his Repair Machinery skill directly
after three of those combats, so he has -10% worth of damage. If he
were to get into another combat, his armor would have all of its
protection percentages reduced by 10. At the end of the mission, his
-10% can be repaired for (25CRx10=) 250Cr, and it will be in their
hands for 10 hours. If the armor was Assault armor, it would cost
750Cr, and take 20 hours. Greg's Note: I like these variant rules very much and set out to use them in a game I'm planning. While I was researching visual references, it struck me that there could be an additional level of armor that sort of fell between simple body armor and a full-up “mini-mech” PA. So I stated one. It hasn't been playtested at this point, but I don't foresee any problems as I didn't make it too overpowered, I think. If anyone uses my additions, feel free to drop me a line at price.greg1@gmail.com and tell me how it went. All rights to the images above copyright by their original rights holders. Original text copyright Star Frontiersman magazine and/or the original author.
Image upload seems to hate me. I do have an image I made of the armor types. |
November 25, 2015 - 6:40am | Looks good, the streamlined tables are pretty close to what I incorporated for combat/power armor in my game. |
November 25, 2015 - 9:13am | All I did was add the "assault" class armor to the pre-existing table. That's why it's in a separate box under my name instead of with the other classes. Realisitcally, a PC should never get their hands on a set of this, at least not to keep. This is supposed to simulate Spartan/Zero-G Stormtrooper/MI personal armor level protection, for when the UPF or the Clarion Royal Marines or whoever feel the need to "bring the serious pain". It's strictly gov't use only stuff. In fact, you'll note I suggest that ALL "combat armor" is restricted material. That's deliberate to keep skeinsuits/etc from being crowded out.  Finally figured out image insertion (I hope). |
 November 25, 2015 - 9:51am | Here's a good link to the original SFMan article if anyone is interested: http://starfrontiers.info/wiki/index.php/Combat_Armor Ad Astra Per Ardua! My blog - Expanding Frontier Webmaster - The Star Frontiers Network & this site Founding Editor - The Frontier Explorer Magazine Managing Editor - The Star Frontiersman Magazine |
November 25, 2015 - 9:58am | I thought I had left that in...thanks for catching that, Teri! :) |
November 25, 2015 - 6:38pm | Combat armor in my game is available but not readily. I have flak jacks and reflec vests that are far more available/affordable for added protection, giving the "low" armor suits more round-about protection. After all, who wnts to flip a screen on and off all the time? ;) |
 November 25, 2015 - 11:07pm | I made my own powered armor rules on the SFWiki. |
November 26, 2015 - 9:42pm | Combat armor in my game is available but not readily. I have flak jacks and reflec vests that are far more available/affordable for added protection, giving the "low" armor suits more round-about protection. After all, who wnts to flip a screen on and off all the time? ;) Fair point. I thhink that's one of the appeals of combat armor is their universal defense w/o having to track SEU usage, etc. I included the bit about being licensed/restricted to keep the other forms of defence at least somewhat in game. |
 December 13, 2015 - 6:41am | All I did was add the "assault" class armor to the pre-existing table. That's why it's in a separate box under my name instead of with the other classes.
Realisitcally, a PC should never get their hands on a set of this, at least not to keep. This is supposed to simulate Spartan/Zero-G Stormtrooper/MI personal armor level protection, for when the UPF or the Clarion Royal Marines or whoever feel the need to "bring the serious pain". It's strictly gov't use only stuff. In fact, you'll note I suggest that ALL "combat armor" is restricted material. That's deliberate to keep skeinsuits/etc from being crowded out. Finally figured out image insertion (I hope). Hey, isn't that heavy armor from MAG (Massive Action Game)? I really miss playing that game.....  Actually when I think of armor now I think to the drop suits in Dust 514, and they only come in light, medium and heavy. Which the heavy also doubles for assault.  In every age, in every place, the deeds of men remain the same. |
December 13, 2015 - 10:46am | Don't know how that got posted twice. In every age, in every place, the deeds of men remain the same. |
)
