I Hate Form-Fitting Body Armor, My armor houserules. Options

[HappyDaze]

Like the title says, I've come to hate FFBA. It's not because it allows for higher armor values - I know how deadly SR4 can be and I'm all for increased survivability. What I hate is that per RAW, it's the only worn armor that stacks with other worn armor. Somehow it's just that special and thus it becomes a must-have item for everyone. I hate the idea of a must-have item.

Now there are pleanty of other armors that should be able to be worn together. The Armor Vest says it can be worn under clothing (which should include Armor Clothing), while Armor Clothing could surely be worn under a Lined Coat or Armor Jacket. So logically there's no problem with stacking armor.

So, what does FFBA do mechanically that we can use and how can we adjust the armor system overall?

Features of FFBA:
#1 It's armor value stacks with other worn armor.
#2 It's armor value only counts as half for determining armor encumbrance.

In my games I decided to extend #1 to all worn armor. Now #2 is the sole special feature of FFBA - that it's less encumbering to wear layered under other armor, but with the restriction that only one piece of FFBA can be worn. This has increased the variety of armor types employed by our PCs (and the NPCs) which was the goal.

As a second rule, I adjust armor encumbrance up to (Ballistic + Impact) rather than just the higher of the two. A character can wear (Body + Strength) x 2 points before taking penalties to Agility and Reaction. Each 2 points (round up) past that provides -1 penalties to Agility and Reaction.