In my reading of the layering rules (SR3 p. 285), you count the main layer at full value and a second layer at half value. I see no indication that a third layer helps at all. In your example, I'd give the character a total armor of 7/4 with penalties for anyone less than Quickness 9.

By my reading of the rules, you can get to 7/5 as follows: Secure Jacket (5/3), FFBA (4/1), and Rapid Transit (CC p. 50) Heavy Jumpsuit (2/4). If you are Quickness 7 there are no penalties to this combination. To this you can add a skateboarding helmet (0/1 in my game, 35 nuyen) or Forearm Guards (0/1 against melee attacks) and get to 7/6 without penalties for a Quickness 7 character.

Well, it's true that there is no canon rules for layering more than 2 pieces of armor, so if it came up in my game, I'd just divide the third layer too. Same for any additional layers. But I guess nobody wants to wear more than 3 layers of armor, I mean he would need a hellishly big quickness score to avoid penalties.

That's fine, but you don't get a bonus for it.

Well actually you can, but only two ballistic values and 2 impact values can be applied to the equation.

IE: FFBA 3, Rapid Transit Heavy, Armor Vest W/ Plates
Armor values 4/1, 2/4. 4/3
Combined: 6/5 (Using emboldened values)

Nothing there talking about the third highest rating.

The problem: you combine the unmodified ballistic value to determine Quickness penalties.

So with three pieces of armor:
Secure Jacket 5
FFBA 4
Heavy jumpsuit 2

The total Ballistic rating = 11.

Which means the Quickness 7 character suffers a +4 penalty to Quickness related skills as well as working on a reduced move multiplier.

Additionally, since the total Ballistic Rating is 4 points over the character's Quickness of 7, he loses two points of Combat Pool.

All that for Secure Jacket 5 + FFBA (4/2) + Jumpsuit (2/2) = 8 Ballistic

(Note, I divide the lower piece of armor by half, defaulting to the largest value for a base)

Impact
Jumpsuit 4 + Secure jacket (3/2 = 1.5, round down) + FFBA (1/2 = minimum 1) = 6 Impact

However, because the total of the unmodified Impact rating ( exceeds the character's Quickness by 1, he loses another die of Combat pool.

So far: +4 penalty to Quickness tests, -3 points of Combat Pool. For an end result of 8 Ballistic/6 Impact.

-Siege

Yep. It's especially bad if, like me, you usually use a katana or other two-handed weapon. I'd imagine that you ought to be able to use a rapier without too much difficulty, but it does get in the way somethin' fierce when using both hands.
Ah well. Another few months and I might be strong enough to go one-handed...

~J

Cut the arms out of your long coat for a cool look and freedom with your arms.

Siege, the FFBA does not count toward Combat Pool Loss or penalties to Quickness Tests or penalties to Quickness-linked Skill tests. See Cannon Companion p. 51.

If you have an older printing, also include the Errata for Cannon Companion (search for "Page 51" or "Body Armor").

This is why the FFBA is sometimes called "Shadowrunner Underware".

Damn, I knew I was forgetting something.

Oops, my bad.

-Siege

Or more precisely, one that doesn't fit. High quality overcoats should be relatively fitted around the shoulders, just like a well-tailored suit or tux. Such clothing isn't designed for any type of athletic activity.

Read that again. The total mods are impact+ballistic, no one mod can surpass whichever of the two is higher.

Just to check, you're not talking about the armadillo of doom on page 33 of the Critters book are you?

Properly played, a 15 year old street kid can be just as lethal.

Amen.

Gotta love a nice pair of jugs...

-Siege

That wasn't a pun -- that was thinly veiled innuendo.

Please.

-Siege

Oh baby. Puns make me so hot.

Stop that! I can't outrun you and REM at the same time...

-Siege

Dude, I am not interested in a little prick...

*ducks*

-Siege

You've obviously not considered the potential capabilities of your basic rigger. I can, without much difficulty, build a custom drone that will bounce assault cannon rounds without even the formalities of damage resistance checks, and return fire with naval damage scale weaponry. Used to be I could even do it for a low enough price tag and Availability that a starting PC could get one. Or several. Rigger 3 Revised closed the Availability loophole, but the vehicles themselves are still perfectly legal... and since your military armor and PAC troll is obviously ignoring Availability restrictions....

If you want raw hurting people and breaking things capability, and ability to absorb same from others without ill effect, nothing a metahuman can tote around can hold a candle to what a properly equipped rigger can dish out.

You should have listed the full quote, you left out the most important part.

If they meant only two, they would have said two. They said more than one. To determine your armor you take the highest rated piece (minus FFBA) and then divide the rest of your armor in half.


*Emphasis mine.

No. You take the highest-rated piece, then divide the next-highest-rated piece in half. You can wear more layers beyond that, but the rules do not provide for them having any effect on your armor rating.

Just because the example only provides for two does not mean thats it. They don't say only two. They don't say you can't have more than two. The only thing they say is,

That is a direct quote, not something I made up. Explain to me please how that means only two?

No, I'm just talking about your basic 15 year old kid who lives in the sprawl.

Ah, now I see. You're taking the "least imagination possible" approach to giving PC's a hard time.

[edit]

The explanation given says that you take the highest piece, which means only one - the piece with the biggest number for that particular armor type (ie, ballistic or impact). It then says that you take half of the next highest piece. It ends there. That's how the rule text itself is written; the later example is merely a duplication of that specific bit of language.
[/edit]

You're correct that there is no restriction placed on the number of pieces of armor you can wear. However, per the quoted rule, only the highest-rated piece and the next highest-rated piece are considered in the calculation of the effective combined rating. Neither the third highest-rated piece nor any subsequent pieces are included in the calculation. It does not say "the next highest-rated piece and any pieces after that", or anything to that effect. Just the highest-rated piece and the next highest-rated piece. Two pieces.

You can wear as much as you want, as much as your carrying capacity and Quickness allow. But only the two highest-rated pieces have any effect on your armor rating.

edit: And note that the actual effect of that "more than one" that you keep harping on is to underscore that this rule, with the calculation that takes into account only the best two layers of armor, applies in any case where the character is wearing more than one layer of armor, not merely to cases where they're wearing only two layers.