Body Armor Mechanics

Body Armor Mechanics
Body armor possesses a number of different categories it effects, creating some categories, while penalizing others. Most body armor is relatively heavy, adding weight that the user must carry on top of their other equipment. All features except armor rating stack. So, if one form of armor applies a -2 to defense and another applies a -1, than the combined penalty to defense is -3. If two pieces of armor are worn and both possess a 1/1 armor rating, the highest, or 1/1 armor, is used. If a piece of armor has 2/2, and another has 1/1, than the second highest is used. Other bonus's, such as damage absorption, weight, or attack penalties do stack. This also includes penalties, such as to defense or speed. Relative to damaging the object, the armor rating more or less represents the armor's durability, and weight represents it's size. For practical gaming purposes, the armor cannot be damaged unless otherwise specified. This implies that it cannot be destroyed via ordinary means, and necessitates the use of specialized equipment. Out of combat however, armor can be destroyed like normal objects. It's size more or less correlates to it's weight divided by 10, or has a certain size based on it's weight. 




Weight
The weight of the body armor is perhaps the simplest factor; it's essentially the armor's weight, in pounds. Due to any effective form of armor, that covers much of the body, possessing mass, it will invariably weigh down the user and require a certain level of strength to carry. While this is not the same as it's strength requirement, in general characters must have enough spare weight available on their person to wear the body armor. The amount a character can carry on them without penalty is equal to their strength x 25; so for example, a character with 1 strength could carry 25 pounds, or a character with three strength could carry 75. A character is capable of carrying 1 strength, or 25 pounds more than their total maximum, however this occurs with a -1 penalty to all physical attribute or skilled based rolls, including attacks. It also reduces the users speed by 2. Thus, armor takes up a significant amount of the weight "economy" of the user, adding another factor the user has to consider.



Strength Requirement
The strength requirements reflects the flat ability a user needs in order to benefit from the armor. Some armor, no matter how strong the user, is simply hard to carry or use, and especially if used all the time, can be considerably taxing to the user. It can restrict mobility or use unless said strength requirement is met. The strength requirement is equal to the user's strength + stamina. This represents both the amount of strength and endurance the user possesses. So, to wear riot control gear without penalty, for example, the user would need some combination of strength and stamina, such as 4 stamina, or 4 strength, or strength 5 and stamina 3. If the user attempts to wear the armor without the appropriate strength level, it imposes a penalty to the user's mobility. A user can only wear armor with 2 less than the strength requirement, required. So, a character with a strength rating of 7 or 6 could wear armor with a strength rating of 8, with a penalty. All physical actions suffer a -1 penalty, by those of skills or attributes, including attacks, if the strength requirement is not met. The user simply is so physically taxed or has such trouble staying steady that their balance, agility, and even raw strength is hampered. 


Armor rating
Armor rating is perhaps the single most important part of armor, as it provides the greatest information for resistance the user has to certain attacks. The armor rating is directly in contract to a weapon's or attacks armor piercing ability, which represents how much armor can even be penetrated. A user with the same or higher armor rating than an attack converts that damage to one less, such as from aggravated to lethal, or lethal to bashing. This does not work on bashing damage, as it's reduced from bashing to bashing. This allows the user far greater durability, as instead of bleeding out quickly from certain forms of attacks, instead the user is capable of resisting penetration of the armor, merely absorbing kinetic energy instead. Some attacks are so severe that the kinetic energy itself can cause lethal damage, such as in a car accident, train wreck, or in scenarios where the forces are so great it could literally tear the user apart. Armor mitigates such secondary effects of injury, as well, unless the damage is so great it naturally exceeds the user's armor rating. Armor rating does not stack, it merely uses the highest rating present. So if one piece of armor has a rating of 1/1, and another has a rating of 2/2, the highest is used, or 2/2. If one piece of armor had for example 2/2, and another 2/1, than the combined armor value would be 2/2, rather than 1/2. The number before the hash mark represents all non-ranged attacks, such as those by hand to hand combat, knives or blunt force instruments, while the number after applies to ranged attacks (excluding thrown attacks), chiefly firearms and bows and arrows.



Damage Absorption
Perhaps the second most important aspect of body armor, the damage absorption rating flat out represents how many successes are subtracted from the enemy dice pool, or are absorbed. So, if the user has a damage absorption rating of 1, it subtracts one success from the results of the attacker's dice roll. So for example, if the opposing enemy has 10 dice, and rolls 3 successes, with a Damage absorption rating of 1, the armor would automatically cancel out 1 of these successes, reducing the total damage 2. A damage absorption rating of 2 would cancel out 2 success, or reduce it to 1 success. This applies to automatic successes as well, such as those commonly possessed by weapons. In some ways, damage absorption serves as a way to cancel out the damage modifier associated with weapons. 



Attack penalty
Attack penalty is the third feature of most armor, representing how much of a penalty the user faces to the dice roll. While this does not absorb damage per say, or reduce it in any way, it does subtract from the user's dice roll, reducing the chance of an attacking occurring at all. Storywise, this is usually represented as a decrease in accuracy, or the trouble of locating and aiming at the target in question. The most common application of this is camouflage, but other potential options exist. Unlike with stealth rolls or equipment which hides the user, this has no impact on the ability of the enemy to spot the target in general. It does however represent the penalty imposed to hit the target, as their physical shape or colors are harder for the human eye to track quickly. A somewhat risky endeavor, it's effect is far greater than damage absorption or armor rating in a sense, since it helps the user avoid an entire attack. On the flip side, if an attack succeeds, it provides no advantage in reducing the damage the user possesses. 


Defense
Some armor can provide bonus's or penalty to defense. Whether it's extremely bulky or simply stealthy, body armor can often impose a penalty to defense to the user, representing their reduced speed and agility. This is represented by a number, such as +1, or -2, which would add 1 to defense or subtract 2, respectively. The Defense penalty is designed as such to reduce the user's ability to dodge or move out of the way of an attack, as their excessive armor restricts their movement. Defense bonus's represent and increase in 




Speed
Speed penalties simply represent the reduced speed the user experiences. While not all armor slows a user down, in general armor is heavy or bulky, which impacts mobility. The speed penalty is simply a number subtracted from the total speed of the user. So, if the user had a speed of 12 and a speed penalty of -2, the user would instead possess a speed of 10, after the armor adjustment. Speed penalties stack, so if one piece of armor had a -1 penalty and another had a -2, the combined penalty would be -3. In addition, if another penalty is imposed, such as the leg wrack tilt, this stacks with the armor, so at a speed of 12, with a -2 penalty with the armor for a speed of 10, the speed would instead reduce to 8, including the penalty imposed by the condition or effect.