Can I get Softweave put on Form-Fitting Body Armor as well as on my normal armor? For that matter, can I get it put on SecureTech PPP System armor bits also?

If you can put it on Form-Fitting, do you halve encumberance first or subtract your Strength first?

SoftWeave is in War, the others in Arsenal.

Theorically, yes, you can apply this mod on every bit of armor as the rules says nothing about any limitation to the technology.

You may be able to toss in the optional "custom-fit" to push max armor to Bodyx3 instead of Bodyx2 for even more armor, but there is no clear explanation of how all those possibilities combine together.

I would rule it as that you add up the armor encumberance of all the Softweaved armor you wear normally, then substract Strength.

The only limitation seems to be that it doesn't negate encumbrance for both Ballistic and Impact ratings on the same armor:

"For purposes of armor allowance (see Armor and Encumbrance, p. 161, SR4A), reduce the highest armor rating of worn armor by the wearer’s Strength" (War!, p. 161).

So, for example, a Body 4, Strength 4 human would still take an encumbrance penalty for wearing 12/10 armor. In this case, Softweave would negate the penalty for the Ballistic armor (the highest rating) but the Impact rating still exceeds Body x 2.

As Dahrken said, I'd add up the total armor encumbrance for all Softweave armors, then subtract Strength from the higher total armor rating. If you're wearing some non-Softweave armor as well, that gets added in afterward.

Actually reading that line literally means it adds no benefit for having it on multiple pieces of armor, as it only reduces the highest single rating of worn armor, no matter how many different pieces of armor your wearing.

As I infer from what you're saying, Softweave on even a single piece of armor reduces the highest rating of the entire ensemble. So, for example, if I had PPP Shin Guards in Softweave, and non-SW in every other PPP piece, FFBA full suit, and armor jacket, the one piece of SW still affects the entire ensemble. You might be right about that as a literal reading...even if such a rule were blatantly unrealistic. (Why would Softweave shin guards make my armor jacket more comfortable, lighter, or otherwise less movement-hindering?)

From a physics standpoint, I could see it affecting the Ballistic rating much more easily than the Impact rating. (So something like "reduce the Ballistic armor rating" instead of "reduce the highest armor rating" for encumbrance.) For Ballistic armor, one could theoretically make more flexible nano-fiber weaves that could more effectively stop a bullet for a given armor weight (or keep protection constant and drop some weight, as SW suggests). For Impact armor, you really need those rigid plates or more mass to distribute blunt force over greater body area to protect from non-bullet attacks. A kevlar vest might stop a knife, but it's pretty much ineffective against a baseball bat unless you have the rigid plates in. A new weave isn't going to handle blunt force effectively, unless we're talking about a weave of myomeric-style fibers connected to a fast-responding sensor system to harden the soft armor at the time of impact (or unless we're talking about a hardened composite, which defeats the stated purpose of SW). A related question: Why would you wear a soft helmet?

It is more logically sane to interpret that sentence as per piece; IE: 6/4 armor has the Ballistic reduced for encumberance. So someone with a 5 strength treats a softweave armor vest as 1/4 armor for encumberance.

[edit] Nevermind, just re-read the rules, it's "compare BOTH ratings to body*2", not "compare highest".




-k

In case of a tie, like the 6/6 Urban Explorer Jumpsuit, does the player or GM make the call on which rating is effected?

Quick answer:
Does it even matter?

No. No it does not.

(6-4 is 2, regardless of which 6 you choose, and either that 2 is higher or lower than your Bod * 2)

That's the armor I like to use. Ultimately, everything is up to the GM, though the GM shouldn't be malicious about it. One can make the case for either rating for the Jumpsuit, so if I were GMing I'd leave it to the player. If it really comes down to a tie on SW armor components, I personally think it should affect the Ballistic rating, just out of my previous concerns. But I'd go on the preponderance of the SW components first, then add in everything else. For example, if the Jumpsuit is non-SW but worn over a SW FFBA half suit (4/1), I'd default to the Ballistic rating being affected.

My guess is here's an example of what you're looking for:

Softweave (SW) Urban Explorer Jumpsuit: 6/6
Non-SW FFBA Half-Body Suit: 4/1
Total protection: 10/7
Total encumbrance (without SW): 8/6
Total encumbrance (Str 3, Bod 3 human): 5/6 (OK) or 8/3 (over by 2 points, -1 to Agi/Rea)

Here, it matters. Incidentally, if the GM enforced the penalty in this example, it's like SW didn't exist. Should the GM really hose a character over that ambiguity? If so, just go to the SW Armor Jacket (8/6) and FFBA shirt (3/0), for a total armor of 11/6 and encumbrance 6/6 for that Str 3 human. There's a trade-off, but really I think there's room in the ambiguity for the GM to not hose the character.

No, obliviously its the highest rating among parts that are softweave.