Gear: Armor

Armor Descriptions

  • Description: The name or description of the armor.
  • Protects: The hit locations covered by the armor piece, section, or suit.
  • Armor Score: The Row Shift to the 2d6 armor roll. There are separate armor scores for mechanical (Mech), burn, electric arc, and radiation damage (Rad). If the Rad Armor Score is not listed, the armor will provide negligible protection from radiation. A "c" for the Arc armor score indicates the armor is conductive, and will short out electric arcs and provide complete protection to the wearer.
  • Injury Susc.: The Injury Susceptibility for damage to the armor piece. Injury Score is score of [absorbed Pen] + Wound + Injury Susceptibility. Enough damage will degrade the armor, or even destroy it. Most kinds of armor are sufficiently tough that the effects of armor damage can be neglected, simply assuming that it gets repaired during down-time between fights. When the injury thresholds are not grayed out, the armor damage is likely to be significant and should be tracked.
  • Blunt: The Wound score for blunt trauma transmitted through the armor.
  • Pad: This represents padding. Subtract the Pad from the Pen absorbed by the armor when finding blunt trauma.
  • Mass: The mass of the armor in kg.
  • Price: The cost of the armor in Republic dollars ($).
  • Activation: Many pieces of armor do not or can not provide full coverage for one reason or another. Perhaps they are only designed to protect a small part of the hit location (like gloves), or it may be that there are certain spots that are very hard to protect (like armpits). If the armor roll is less than the Activation, the armor does not protect at all.

Armor for different sizes

The listed armors assume a Size +0 Human. Since not everyone is the same size, manufacturers make armor to fit different sized people. If your character is not Size +0, row shift Mass and Price by twice the character's Size, and subtract Size from Injury Susceptibility. Blunt cannot be more than Size+7. If Blunt is already maxed out, increase it to Size+7.

Armor can be made heavier or lighter than what is listed. For a +1 to every Armor Score, the suit or piece of armor has a +1 Row Shift to Pad, Mass and Price. Blunt will increase by +1 to a maximum of Size+7.

Pannovas can use the same stats for their armor, although Pannova armor will not fit a Human and vice versa.

Layering Armor

Characters may want to wear one kind of armor on top of another. This is reasonable - it was often done and many kinds of armor are specifically designed for this. A knight who wants to wear a coat of plates over a mail hauberk, or a hauberk over a padded gambeson, has plenty of historical precedent.

Layers of armor ⊕ together all their Armor scores and Blunt scores. The combined Pad is ([Pad of armor 1] - [Blunt of armor 1]) ⊕ ([Pad of armor 2] - [Blunt of armor 2]) + [Blunt of combined armor]. If either armor has a Pad of "–," the combined Pad is [Pad of the other layer] - [Blunt of the other layer] + [Blunt of combined armor]. Add the Mass and Price. If armors have different activations, only some layers may protect if the armor roll is greater than some activations but less than others. If there are a lot of activations to keep track of, it might be helpful to just write out a table on the character sheet showing how much protection the armor provides for each possible result on the 2d6 roll.

Carbon Armor

Three kinds of armor are in general use in the Verge.
  • Carboweave is fabric made from carbon nanotubes interlinked and bonded in a stress-distributing nanoscopic trusswork to fail gracefully and prevent the propagation of fractures. It provides excellent protection against piercing and cutting, but it is flexible so powerful attacks may still smash up the wearer even underneath the armor. Use the blunt trauma rules when wearing carboweave armors.
  • Carboplast is a general purpose rigid armor, made of nano-structured carbon and other light elements (largely nitrogen and boron). It is not only strong but durable, and can give reasonable if not complete protection against typical military small arms.
  • Carbolam, or laminated carboplast, is a sandwich of an elastic polymer between two carboplast plates. This provides the high protection of carboplast but with better protection against hypervelocity projectiles and explosive shaped-charge jets. These kinds of attack can not have any AP score more penetrating than -5. This limit on AP does not apply to any other kind of attack. In addition, carbolam gives another +1 to Pad score against the blast and contact damage of explosives..
  • Shatterplate is a rigid armor engineered to absorb energy from incoming projectiles by shattering. It gives superior one-stop protection from attacks compared to any other available armor material, but degrades quickly with repeated attacks. Use the damage to armor rules with shatterplate against mechanical attacks. Shatterplate is not particularly vulnerable to non-mechanical attacks. Against burning, radiation, or arc attacks, subtract 12 from the Injury Susceptibility if you feel you need to track damage against these damage types. For game purposes, you can assume that an attack which neither penetrates the armor nor at least cause an Injury Score +9 wound does not damage the armor – punching a shatterplate cuirass will likely have little effect beyond bruising your knuckles. Shatterplate armor has the same sandwich design as carbolam, so that projectiles and jets never have an AP score more penetrating than -5 and the armor has an additional effective +3 to to the Sharp of the blast and contact damage of explosions.

All carbon armors have a Temperature Resistance Score of +8 (it takes a Temperature Score of at least +8 to damage the armor, even though it can still conduct heat to the wearer without being damaged).

Like many other products of the Verge, armors produced and sold in the Verge Republic usually come with a fair amount of automation. Hard armor will fold apart and open up to allow it to be easily donned or doffed. The length and girth of armor parts will be adjustable over a moderate range to accommodate wearers of different builds. All varieties of armor come with embedded sensors that monitor structural integrity.

DescriptionProtectsArmor ScoreInjury
Susc.
BluntPadMassPriceActivation
MechBurnArcRad
Concealable Vest4-5+6+6-1½-12 -4 +2½-21.5304
Body Armor Vest4-6+7+7-11 -5½ +3½+03604
Carbolam Cuirass4-5+9+9+4½-9 -6 +7+341504
Shatterplate Cuirass4-5+11+9+4½-9+4+7+34304
Body Armor Suit4-5
2-3,6-10
+7
+6
+7
+6

-1½
-11
-12
-5
-6
+3½
+3
+0
-1
8150
Combat Hard Suit4-5
2-3,6-10
+9
+8
+9
+8
+4½
+3½
-9
-10
-6½
-7
+7
+7
+3
+3
15500
Shatterplate Hard Suit4-5
2-3,6-10
+11
+10
+9
+8
+4½
+3½
-9
-10
+4
+3
+7
+7
+3
+3
15120
Battle Helmet1+9+9+4½-9 -5 +7+3280

  • Concealable Vest: A lightweight, flexible carboweave vest covering the chest and abdomen, designed to be worn underneath clothing.
  • Body Armor Vest: A flexible carboweave vest covering the chest, abdomen, hips, and groin, designed to protect against sidearms.
  • Carbolam Cuirass: A rigid plate armor for torso protection. It is often worn over flexible armor to provide improved resistance against blunt trauma and increased protection against longarms.
  • Shatterplate Cuirass: A rigid plate armor for torso protection, designed to provide superior one-shot protection at the cost of long-term durability.
  • Body Armor Suit: A flexible carboweave suit, for protection against sidearms. It is commonly worn with a cuirass to protect against longarms. When the gloves are worn, the wearer has the Thick Fingered 2 Limitation. The suit is sealed and water-tight; with a battle helmet, it will provide protection against most hostile atmospheres, biohazards, and particulate contamination.
  • Combat Hard Suit: A suit made from rigid carbolam sections. When the gloves are worn, the wearer has the Thick Fingered 2 Limitation, but gets +½ RS to punching Penetration. The suit is sealed and water-tight; with a battle helmet, it will provide protection against most hostile atmospheres, biohazards, and particulate contamination.
  • Shatterplate Hard Suit: A suit made from rigid shatterplate sections, sacrificing durability for single-hit protection. When the gloves are worn, the wearer has the Thick Fingered 2 Limitation, but gets +½ RS to punching Penetration. The suit is sealed and water-tight; with a battle helmet, it will provide protection against most hostile atmospheres, biohazards, and particulate contamination.
  • Battle Helmet: A rigid carbolam helmet providing full head protection, with an armored transparent carbolam visor to protect the face. This helmet comes with an integral phone and sensor visor (treat as sensor glasses). The helmet is sealed, and can accept air filters or SCBA feeds.

Affector-Energized Armor

Armor can be reinforced by affector fields, which permeate, support, and bind it together. This gives a hybrid between conventional armor and deflector screens. Like deflector screens, energized armor negates all of the Armor Piercing score of disruptor weapons. Unlike deflector screens, it protects with its full Armor Score against lasers, because the screen interferes with vaporized and melted ejecta jetting out of the hole the laser is drilling, clogging the hole and interfering with the beam. The affector permeating the armor can be collapsed in the same fashion as a deflector screen as it absorbs damage from blows. Energized armor requires power to function, without power it protects only with the underlying carboplast. Listed energized armor suits and pieces store enough energy internally to last for 180 kiloseconds (2 days).

DescriptionProtectsArmor ScoreInjury
Susc.
BluntPadPowerMassPriceActivation
MechBurnArcRad
Energized Cuirass4-5+10+10+9½+9+6½+7+38 W2604
    powered down4-5+6+6+1½-12 -3 +7+3    4
Energized Hard Suit4-5
2-3,6-10
+10
+9
+10
+9
+9½
+8½
+9
+8
+6½
+5½
+7
+7
+3
+3
30 W8300
    powered down4-5
2-3,6-10
+6
+5
+6
+5
+1½
+1
-12
-13
-3½
-4
+7
+7
+3
+3
   
Energized Helmet1+10+10+9½+9+7½+7+34 W1.240
    powered down1+6+6+1½-12 -2 +7+3    4

  • Energized Cuirass: Rigid carboplast torso protection that can be powered up to resist most small arms fire.
  • Energized Hard Suit: A full suit of energized carboplast armor for battlefield use. When the gloves are worn, the wearer has the Thick Fingered 2 Limitation, but gets +½ RS to punching Penetration. The suit is sealed and water-tight; with a battle helmet, it will provide protection against most hostile atmospheres, biohazards, and particulate contamination.
  • Energized Helmet: An energized carboplast helmet, with an armored transparent carboplast visor to protect the face. This helmet comes with an integral phone and sensor visor (treat as sensor glasses). The helmet is sealed, and can accept air filters or SCBA feeds.

Legacy Earth Armor

The technology of old Earth allowed the production of a material called adamant. A form of diamond-like carbon, it exhibits the strength of shatterplate and the toughness and durability of carbolam. Like the armors of the current Verge, it has a Temperature Resistance Score of +8. Few examples are left, and those which are known can go for astronomical prices. If damaged, there is no way to repair them.

Cost is not listed for these armors. Assume it starts at $10 k for pieces in bad condition and goes up from there. A mint-condition full body suit might fetch upwards of $10 M at an auction. Many companies are eager to study examples in an attempt to reverse-engineer the recipie for adamant, but must compete with private collectors looking for an authentic piece of old Earth for their showcase.

DescriptionProtectsArmor ScoreInjury
Susc.
BluntPadMassActivation
MechBurnArcRad
Concealable Scale Vest4-5+8+6+1½-12 -6 +3-11.54
Scale Armor Vest4-6+9+7+2½-11 -7½ +3½34
Adamant Cuirass4-5+11+9+4½-9 -9 +7+344
Adamant Fauld6+11+9+4½-9 -7½ +7+324
Scale Limbs and Collar1-3,7-10+8+6+1½-12 -8 +3-154
Adamant Hard Suit4-5
2-3,6-10
+11
+10
+9
+8
+4½
+3½
-9
-10
-9
-10
+7
+7
+3
+3
15
Adamant Helmet1+11+9+4½-9 -8 +7+32

  • Concealable Scale Vest: A lightweight vest of flexible adamant scales, designed to be worn under clothing.
  • Scale Armor Vest: An adamant scale vest covering the chest, abdomen, hips, and groin.
  • Adamant Cuirass: Torso protection made of two rigid sections - a breastplate and a back plate, hinged on one side and latched on the other.
  • Adamant Fauld: Sculpted rigid armor for the hips. While not quite the same as the medieval armored apron called a fauld, it protects the same location.
  • Scale Limbs and Collar: Sleeves and leggings of flexible adamant scales, commonly worn with a scale vest or rigid cuirass and fauld. If worn as a set of complete body armor, there is no activation.
  • Adamant Hard Suit: A suit made of sculpted adamant plates. When the gloves are worn, the wearer has the Thick Fingered 2 Limitation, but gets +½ RS to punching Penetration. The suit is sealed and water-tight; with a battle helmet, it will provide protection against most hostile atmospheres, biohazards, and particulate contamination.
  • Adamant Helmet: A rigid adamant helmet providing full head protection, with a transparent adamant visor to protect the face. While this helmet comes with an integral phone and sensor visor, their protocols are not compatable with those of the Verge and thus they are mostly useless. The helmet is sealed, and can accept Earth legacy air filters or SCBA feeds, but needs special adapters to work with Verge filters or SCBA.

Advanced Primitive Armors

Anyone with a fac, access to carbon feedstock, and a bit of time can print out some armor that looks like something from the
middle ages or age of sail but protects much better. To make a carboplast facsimile of steel armor, either increase the Mech Armor score by +6 (for Pre-Industrial armor) or +5 (for Age of Sail armor), decrease the weight by -2 RS, and increase the price by +2 RS (this keeps the thickness the same); or make the armor thicker to keep the same weight but give +7 (for Age of Sail) or +8 (for Pre-Industrial) to Mech Armor Score and +4 RS to price. Steel plates can be made as carbolam for the same cost and effect as basic carboplast, but mail cannot. A carboweave version of linen armor (such as a gambeson or padded jack) increases Mech Armor Score by +9½ and price by +9 RS. Burn Armor Score is +1 over the Mech Armor Score, Arc Armor score is -4 under, and Rad Armor Score is -17 under; a thin metal layer will make the Arc Armor Score 'c' and also give the surface a convincing metallic shine.

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