07.02 Rd6 Gear: Armor
Combining Protective Gear
A character cannot wear two suits of the same Type, though he could combine some types. The listing below tells what armor may be worn with what other armor and the kind of bonus it can provide. Of course, layering armor assumes that the two pieces fit together – a character couldn’t wear two helmets, even if they were made of different materials. For protective gear not listed here, use the type in this chart that the armor in question most closely resembles to determine what it can be combined with.
Each additional layer of armor causes a penalty to Reflexes-based of -1D or more, depending on the joint flexibility of the pieces.
Except armor providing less than a full die of protection, any allowed combination offers the character the complete armor bonus for both layers, up to any maximums dictated by the game.
Light Cloth, Primitive
May be worn over any other type of armor. May not be worn under anything. Adds a maximum of +1 to the Armor Value of the total combination.
Medium Cloth, Primitive
May be worn over any other type of armor. May not be worn under anything. Adds a maximum of +2 to the Armor Value of the total combination.
Light Cloth
May be worn over or under any other type of armor. Adds a maximum of +1 to the Armor Value of the total combination.
Medium Cloth
May be worn under any type of armor or over other Medium Cloth to stack their values. (Two of the same type do not stack). Chain Mail may be worn over or under any other type of armor.
Light, Medium and Heavy Plate
May not be worn under anything. May be worn over Light and Medium Cloth.
Shields
May be combined with any armor, but only offer protection if held between the attacker and the user. May not be combined with other shields unless stacked in a stationary position.
Encumbrance Option
Wearing a lot of protective gear can make performing certain actions challenging. For every full die in the Armor Value, the character gets a -1 penalty to all Agility-based Tests.
Maximum Damage Resistance Total
Option
Some characters carry around their own protection, so it doesn’t make much sense to add more to it. The maximum damage resistance roll a character can have before adding any negative modifiers, Character Points, or Fate Points but including Physique, protective gear and abilities, and other modifiers is 6D. Ignore any Armor Value above this. GM may adjust this depending on how effective they want protective gear to be.
Fantasy (TL 2-4)
| Armor | Type | Protection | PD | Min TL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hides/furs, fur cloak | Light Cloth, Primitive | +2 | 2 | 1 |
| Soft leather, heavy fabric | Light Cloth | +2 | 2 | 2 |
| Quilted silk | Light Cloth | +2 | 2 | 2 |
| Bone and hide | Medium Cloth, Primitive | +1D | 2 | 1 |
| Padded leather | Medium Cloth | +1D | 2 | 2 |
| Hard leather | Heavy Cloth | +1D | 2 | 2 |
| Ring mail | Medium Cloth | +1D+2 | 2 | 2 |
| Chain mail | Medium Cloth* | +2D | 2 | 3 |
| Bronze Plate | Light Plate | +2D | 2 | 2 |
| Plate Mail | Medium Plate | +3D | 3 | 2 |
| Plate | Heavy Plate | +4D | 4 | 3 |
Shields (TL 2-4)
| Shield | Type | Protection | PD | Min TL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buckler | Light, One-Handed | +2 | 1 | 2 |
| Small shield | Medium, One-Handed | +2D | 1 | 2 |
| Medium shield | Large, One-handed | +2D+1 | 2 | 2 |
| Large Shield | Large, One-handed | +2D+2 | 2 | 2 |
Modern/Pulp (TL 5-7)
All Fantasy Armors are PD-1 at a minimum of 0.
| Armor | Type | Protection | PD | Min TL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woven metal fabric (light)* | Light Cloth | +1 | 1 | 5 |
| Canvas, heavy khaki | Light Cloth | +2 | 1 | 5 |
| Flight jacket | Medium Cloth | +1D | 1 | 5 |
| Bulletproof Vest | Heavy Cloth | +3D | 2 | 5 |
| Flak jacket | Light Plate | +3D+1 | 2 | 6 |
| Light Kevlar | Light Plate | +2D+1 | 3 | 6 |
| Heavy Kevlar | Medium Plate | +3D | 3 | 6 |
| Ceramic armor | Heavy Plate | +3D+1 | 4 | 7 |
Sci-Fi (TL 7+)
| Armor | Type | Protection | PD | Min TL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syntheleather | Light Cloth | +2 | 1 | 7 |
| Padded Syntheleather | Medium Cloth | +1D | 1 | 7 |
| Syntheleather Mesh | Medium Cloth | +1D+1 | 2 | 7 |
| Plastovex | Heavy Cloth | +1D+2 | 2 | 8 |
| Plastosteel | Medium Plate | +2D | 2 | 9 |
| Heavy Plastosteel | Heavy Plate | +3D | 3 | 9 |
| Kelvex Mk I | Heavy Plate | +3D+1 | 3 | 9 |
| Kelvex Mk V | Heavy Plate | +3D+2 | 4 | 9 |
Sci-Fi (TL 7+) Armor Descriptions
Syntheleather
Jackets or bodysuits made of synthetic leather, this is better than cloth or flesh at protecting a character, but not by much.
Padded Syntheleather
Two layers of Syntheleather cloth with cushioned material in between, this is better at absorbing shocks than basic syntheleather. It is commonly worn as an under-suit for power armor.
Syntheleather Mesh
Synthetic leather fiber interwoven with metal mesh to form a light armor similar to chainmail.
Plastovex
Plastovex is a combination of polymer and Kevlar. Thin and light, yet still good protection against attack, plastovex is favored by those who wish an unobtrusive armor to wear under their clothing.
Plastosteel
Combining the strength of metallic armor with the relatively light weight of polymer, plastosteel is among the best non-powered armor available. However, it does come with a price: if wearing a breastplate and either arm or leg greaves (or both), the wearer suffers a -2 to the Penalty of all Agility-based actions.
Kevlex
Kevlex armor is an advanced ceramic/polymer blend interweaved fibers to for thick plates of tough armor. It’s Light way but still a little bulky. The wearer suffers a -3 to the Penalty of all Agility-based actions.