Is this right?
1) I buy a kabuto helmet.
2) The helmet has 4 capacity to put sensors in.
3) I throw the helmet away and get some goggles that have 6 capacity and a microphone that has capacity 6, because I actually want to see and hear some things.

The system is a bit simplified but it makes sense that an object squeezed into another object would be compact as possible and have no room for additional modifications inside of the modification. Something that has it's own case has room between its self and the case.

These aren't Mobius goggles. Capacity 6 goggles with 5 modifications and capacity 6 goggles inside them, with with 5 modifications and capacity 6 goggles inside them.

That makes little to no sense.
So if I want a broad range of sensor options, fullscale, top of the line military helmets are not the way to go?
Can I put on a military helmet and some goggles?

Think of it as the difference between a modular milspec equipment against specilised single use equipment. Standard milspec is better then the normal gear but it is not specialised where as if you spend the money you can get something custom and specialised which is better.

Well that and if you add electronics to a helmet they are just going to be wires and circuit boards, maybe no independent power source either. Think about those little spy cams made to fit hidden into other objects, they are just a circuit boards with a camera soldiered to it. The tech may change but I think that mechanic may stay steady.


I see what you are saying now. I guess it might make more sense for there to me more room in that helmet but, game balance issues and all...

I could see the helmet being warn with goggles. People do it all the time for helmets that do not cover the entire face.

Or you could just drop the optional rule from p. 44 Arsenal and put in whatever you like. Barring that, as a GM I wouldn't mind using part of the armor's capacity for the electronics. After all helmet and armor are supposed to be worn together.

Ah the good old helmet over glasses over contacts routine. While totally tricked out contacts were silly, this is only a bit less silly. BTW the MilSpec helmet must at least cover the eyes, otherwise optional vision enhancements would not make sense. The accompanying picture also shows a visored helmet.

There's no way you can wear goggles and a milspec (full face, sealed, armored, streamlined) helmet. Just get contacts.

..or just add Cybereyes and then wear helmet..

Psh, spend essence?

for a non-magical,non-technomancer..who cares about essence..

I would say you can use goggles (or a monacle/glasses etc) with the helmet, but the HUD from the helmet would not be compatible with the goggles on being worn.

So your upgrades should be amplified hearing or something if you want to put anything in the helmet, as the HUD from the helmet and the goggles wouldn't be compatible together.

You could also just throw away the helmet.

The capacity rules for outfits are certainly not the high point of SR rules. I suggest replacing them with a solid rule of thumb

Which would be an option if this weren't SRM.

AFAIK the Missions don't use any optional rules. The Capacity rules for armor are optional. Have they been explicitly included?

I thought they were explicit inclusions, specifically to stop people with a coat that was non-conductive, chemical resistant, fire resistant, had shock frills, and several other things. Basically making it more enhancement than armor.

I haven't found anything explicitly including the optional armor rules but the Shadowrun Missions: New York City Character Creation and Transfer Guide says the following:



So if there are doubts what is used in Missions, you should look into the Mission forum. Maybe this question has already been answered, otherwise ask it there.

[edit]Just found it, the question is already there.
So yes you can have warm clothing without trauma plates, even in Missions.[/edit]

But you have to remember, that Kabuto helmet comes with some enhancements already installed, and then it has 4 capacity above that. It comes with a camera, flare compensation, image link, and smartlink. It also has a built-in device rating 4 commlink.

If you put just the enhancements (obviously the commlink is special equipment) into rating 6 goggles, you'd have 2 capacity left instead of 4.

Actually it would have 3. "camera' isn't a vision enhancement, and is in fact a separate piece of equipment, which can take its own vision enhancements. So you get 1 free capacity slot over goggles, and an integrated commlink, and an integrated camera which can then accept even more vision enhancements (4 I think?)

Yeah, I know, it's just hard to reconcile pre-capacity equipment with Arsenal equipment in a straight comparison.

Another thing to consider is that the "capacity" for helmets is much more versatile than the "capacity" for goggles. Goggles, like Karoline pointed out, can't mount things like cameras and microphones where as a helmet *can* mount sensors like that and each of them can be enhanced as well.

If you have trodes, the goggles *are* cameras. But yes.

Are the Capacity rules for military armor? Milspec armor has the Capacity in the stat line, which the lighter armor doesn't, which leads me to believe the optional Capacity rules are for armor that doesn't come with a Capacity stat.

Nevermind. I see the optional Capacity rule only applies to armor suits. I'll check on the SRM forum, but this might mean milspec armor can use every enhancement.

Goggles can't mount a Camera Neutralizer sensor.

Advantage -> helmet.

I thought you needed a vehicle for that. Yeah, capacity 5, doesn't the helmet have 4?

Not that I know of only the milspec base amros not helms have RAW capcity all other can add what ever if you have the nuyen IIRC

Goggles cant carry wirecutter or medplant or inbuilt drink storage v. handy though mybe less in most SR game but having a ltr or 2 of water/rehydradtion energy-drink could be help full in more long term wearing of the helmet (though you'd have to house rule in the storage not that it's any more out there than other hemletmount items).

I think the capacity for the helmet refers to sensor package capacity, if you look at the 'sensors' table on p.334 of SR4A you'll see that a sensor package with a capacity of four is actually pretty decent (somewhere between handheld and mounted/small drone). This makes sense (to me at least). Individual sensors have their own rating (which is like capacity for sensor mods) but is different. This gives you the ability to have multiple cameras, each of which would have its own smaller capacity (yay nomenclature) or something larger like a UWB radar scanner or a directional microphone. A guy in my campaign has a special suit of military armor he wears for fights he's really worried about, the helmet looks like:

Kabuto Helmet (+2/+2)
- Camera (6) w/ Flare Comp, Low-Light, Smartlink, Vision Enhancement (3), Vision Magnification
- Camera (6) w/ Flare Comp, Low-Light, Smartlink, Vision Enhancement (3), Vision Magnification [this camera is rear facing]
- Olfactory Sensor (6)
- Microphone (4) w/ Audio Enhancement (3), Spatial Recognizer

What about helmet-mounted commlinks and things? :/ Hmm.

Well, military armor has its own commlink built in. Additional commlinks would probably take up capacity. If anyone is curious about what would use that 4 capacity up, check the table on p.44 of Arsenal. It has a pretty long list of stuff you can put in your armor.

Bah! You guys are forgettign some important rules!

Armor capacity is an OPTIONAL rule! (Annoying, but true - and useful to know if you're a missions character.)
So is the other one which limits what you can put on the armor.
By regular 4a rules, you can basically slap what you want on an armor without any limit besides common sense.

Also, unless I'm misunderstanding rules, there's nothing preventing you from placing sensor upgrades in other places on your armor, just as long as they feed into your imagelink PAN or whatever, its all good.

Yeah, The Grue Master, it was nice of them to be pretty exhaustive about the Capacity options.

Yeah... I didn't really check..

At least there's still room for UWB..

There's always room for UWB! Velcro it to your chest if necessary.

OK, then the more RAW solution: Get a sensor package and spray glue. There's no rule preventing you from gluing more sensors to your helmet