Box O Truth evaluates triple layered armor, Are the SR Layering Armor rules good? Options

[Wounded Ronin]

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot24.htm

Well, what do you know? The BOT has tested various cartridges versus layered armor. Are the SR armor layering rules realistic?

I'm no expert but it looks like from the test that layering trauma plates is more effective than layering soft vests. Three vests without the trauma plates was still punched through by a 5.56 round but on the other hand a 7.62 round striking the plates was actually stopped.

[Butterblume]

I always thought the armor layer rules were more tailored to not totally destroy the game balance than any realism. Of course, I never used form fitting body armor.

[Crakkerjakk]

Not to mention how much just one set of body armor hinders your motion. Wearing another set on top of that would make it damn near impossible to move, if we're just talking armor jackets or something similar.

[Austere Emancipa...]

I think it's pretty logical assume that each new layer of armor worn is going to increase protection about the same amount over the same area. There's nothing particularly realistic about halving the bonuses from a second layer, and certainly not about limiting it to two.

But, as Crakkerjakk said, several layers of body armor would, IRL, hugely hinder your movement, to the point that the additional protection would often not be worth the trouble. And as the BOT test shows, it's very easy to get enough protection with one layer of soft body armor to defeat the majority of handgun shots, but nearly impossible to defeat common rifle threats no matter how much kevlar you wear.

In SR3, some characters can wear obscene amounts of armor (armored underwear, armored vest, armored coat, armored overalls, forearm protectors, etc. etc.) without there being huge penalties for it, plus thin layers of soft body armor indeed can defeat nearly any kind of non-AP rifle (or even HMG) threat, so maintaining balance more or less required making layered armor less effective.

The halving thing could perhaps be excused by the Power ratings, and thus Armor ratings, not being to any sort of scale. For example, if a weapon doing 14S actually penetrates armor much more than twice as well as a weapon doing 7S, then a suit of body armor providing 14 points of Armor should be much more than twice as effective as a suit providing 7 points. That sort of thinking gets you into trouble with Barrier Ratings, explosive Damage Ratings, etc., but it has to hold true on some level in a world where a Light Pistol does 6L and a mid-caliber automatic cannon does 20D.

[Thain]

SR armor technology is also highly advanced, with the average off-the-rack business suit being capable of defeating most handgun rounds. This "super-kevlar" is as light, flexible, and useful as typical poly-cotton today.

Assuming some of the same technology is used for heavy armors, and a flak jacket becomes a lot lighter and better protected. If every bit of webbing, stiching, and fabric on your LBE offers protection agianst handguns, then the plates put over your vitals can probably be a bit lighter.

But, yeah, ultimatly, looking for realism is SR armor is about as futile as looking for it in D&D.

[mfb]

[ShadowDragon8685]

I smell a house-rule.

"If your (applicable and ajusted) armor value is more than twice the power of the attack, the armor is considered Hardened."

[Herald of Verjig...]

That would make a 9M pistol a better armor piercer than a 7S rifle. Try to include the damage level in the math somehow.

Unless you mean for SR4, in which case I don't know what flaws it would bring.

[ShadowDragon8685]

The 7S rifle would have an AP value of something like -4 or -5 before adding APDS or Ex-Ex, though, whereas the 9M would have something like -0 before APDS or Ex-Ex.

Remember, "Ajusted".

[Kagetenshi]

Without being justed, whatever that is?

~J