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STAR WARS

Personal Armour in Star Wars

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Personal Armour: U

Made by Kevin Dole 1996

E-mail: dmerrill@PLAINFIELD.BYPASS.COM


PERSONAL ARMOUR

Ever since the first sentient found he could bust open his neighbor's
head with a rock, his neighbor's next of kin have searched for ways to
protect themselves from harm.  This first was a layer of uncured hide,
then a more rigid layer of tanned leather. Today, Bantha hide jackets
and lava lizard scale armour have been popularized by the media.
An alternative that was used early on was the use of several layers
of cloth, something that remains in use today for protection during
sparring and hand to hand and improvised weapons training.

Later, layers of rigid metal and metal rings were used to protect
warriors from their counterparts' swords and spears, with were supp-
lemented with layers of padding.  When chemical explosive-powered
slugthrowers took the prime position in military forces, armour
dropped off in popularity. Metal helmets entered into service to
protect individuals from shrapnel when hand grenades where perfected.
But other than these, personal armour suffered from a degree of
stagnation.

Later, vests of incredibly tough synthetic fibers and ceramic plates
became common.  Eventually, they became efficient enough to stop all
but the most powerful projectiles, but the kinetic energy could still
break a person's spine or stop their heart.

As energy weapons advanced, ablative armours were developed.  There
are two major line of design in this realm.  The first, and oldest,
is the use of energy absorbent fibers, which are used in layers, along
with ceramic plates and ballistic fibers, to produce blast vests.  The
other is the use of rigid, ablative materials that "evaporate" when
struck by energy weapons, such as the classified plastoids used to form
the various armours of the Stormtrooper Legions.

When powersuit technology and armour design became compact enough, it
seamed natural to mate the two.  Unfortunately, the powered systems
are bulky and relatively delicate.  This has stopped this system from
become accepted by any major military force, with the exception of
Spacetroopers, but not in the shadow world.  Bounty hunters, pirates
and mercenaries have all enjoyed the added protection and power of
powered armour, and have been willing to take the time needed to use
the armour as easily as their own bodies.  It has also been used by
combat engineers and various disaster relief teams for the same reasons.

Armour suits do not stop with the passive protection and added strength.
Armour users all find it "necessary" to add extra sensors, weapons,
jetpacks and other gizmos to their suits, making a booming market for
those armoursmiths who can rebuild a suit around a new system.


ARMOUR CLASSES

There are the two traditional, basic forms of armour protection,
physical and energy.  But there are other forms of armour for special-
ized protection, or those that are commonly ignored.  The most common
of these are non-penetrating physical, flame and acid.  They way that
modern armour works depends on what one is trying to do.

For basic physical protection, layers of ballistic cloth are sandwiched
together, while non-penetrating protection can consist of almost any
kind of padding.  Or various kinds of plastoid, metallic and composite
rigid armours may be used.  Acid protection is achieved much the same
way, but the fibers or plates are either chemically treated or composed
of especially acid resistant material.

Most protection from energy weapons is achieved from using several
layers of ablative material, which burn away with each hit.  The
typical blast vest is composed of several, interwoven layers of
ablative/ballistic cloth.  But the protection needed for working in
areas of great conflagrations calls for non-combustive, insulative
and/or reflective material.  For the most part, this consists of
several layers of nonflammable fibers, but those units designed for
the hottest fires includes cooling systems.

types:
* physical
        non-penetrating physical (batons, clubs, unarmed combat)
        (if not listed, use the basic physical measure)
        acid  (if not listed, use the basic physical measure)
* energy
        fire  (if not listed, use the basic energy measure)



THE ARMOUR

Bantha Hide Jacket

Popular with swoop riders, pilots and those who trying to look good,
the Bantha hide jacket (and similar garments) are suprisingly good
armour.  They do very little to protect against energy weapons, or
even primitive clubs, they are nearly impossible to cut through.
This makes them popular on worlds where the most common weapon used
in an attack is a knife or sword. They are also incredibly difficult
to burn through, and those that have insulated linings are sometimes
used by gangers and guerrillas with improvised flamethrowers.  They
come in a wide variety of colors and styles, and often have the symbols
of various groups painted on them, especially those worn by pilots.

        type: Leather Jacket
        availability: 1
        cost: 60
        protection:  +1D Physical, +1 Non-penetrating Physical, +1 Fire


Sparring Armour

This is simply layers of impact-absorbant padding.  The most common
locations for it are the torso and the head.  It used by martial
artists and others during unarmed combat sparring and staff training.
It provides some protection against cutting and thrusting weapons, but
very little.

        type: sparring armour
        availability:  1
        cost: 30
        prodection:  +1 Physical, +1D Non-penatrating Physical. Covers
                     head and torso.


Lava Lizard Scale Armour

This is one of the rarest and most exotic armours available.  It is
composed of the scale of  a lizard-like creature that lives in the
molten mantel of Paragok VI.  The armour is then cut with heavy
industrial lasers, and molecularly welded to form a back-and-breast,
greeves and vambraces.  It is highly reflective of energy weapons,
but noticeably less effective against impacts and cutting.  It has a
vibrant red-orange color, and is somewhat heavy compared to the modern
plastoids.  Two of the largest scales are more than enough to form a
suit of this armour, allowing a single lava lizard to make several
score of suits.  However, lava lizards are seen maybe once a year,
and hunting them is a very dangerous activity.  Despite this, hundred
of hunters flock to the planet every year, to be part of the team to
take the first lizard since before the Clone Wars.  A small number of
similar suits have appeared on the market, leading some to believe
that a similar species has been found elsewhere.

        type:  energy reflectant, animal hide armour
        availability:  4 X
        cost:  1,000,000  (the last price paid at an auction of the Most
               Honorable Guild of Armourers)
        basic suit:  +2D Physical, +6D Energy and Acid, -2D DEX. Covers
                     torso, arms and legs.
        note: Raise all repair difficulties by three levels, cost 10x
              the normal amount.  Protection can not be increased
              (except non-penetrating physical).


Corellian FireSuit

A modified version of the popular Corellian PowerSuit, the FireSuit
is increasingly seeing use by fire fighting forces, especially those
in industry and forest protection services.  It is even said that the
teams assigned to the Imperial Palace on Coruscant use the FireSuit
(the truth is classified).  It has foam guns, thermal imagers, life
form detectors and a self-contained atmosphere installed, and has a
high degree of protection from heat.  It is claimed that a human can
stand in a fire hot enough to melt transparisteel, and feel no permanent
effects.  The Empire has actually been willing to classify this a
Restricted item, available to municipalities and corporations. Usually,
this kind of suit would be a Banned, military only item.

        type:  Firefighter's powersuit
        skill:  Powersuit Operation: Corellian PowerSuit
        availability:  3 R
        cost:  3,300
        basic suit:  +2D Phys, +1D Energy, +3D Fire, -1D DEX.  Covers
                     all areas.
        servo systems:  +1D STR skills, brawling and melee damage
        sensor pod:  +1D Search within 50m
        envirofilter:  Filters out harmful molecules in atmosphere.
                       May seal and run off one hour of internal air.
        thermal imaging system:  Allows vision in all conditions, so
                                 long as there is temperature variations.
                                 May be used to see through walls
                                 (PERC vs. cover STR+2D) if there is
                                 thermal variations on the other side.
        foam guns:  uses Armour Weapons skill.  1-2/4/7, mounted on
                    forearms.  If an Incapacitated damage level is
                    reached, fire does -1D damage for the next 2D
                    rounds.  When the damage reaches 0D, the fire is
                    out.  10 shots per gun, area of effect 1m.
        comlink:  uses standard civilian frequencies, specially designed
                  to cut through ionization associated with large fires.
                  Also has public address mode, with amplifier.


MilTech Tactical Helmet

MilTech is a small, but growing, provider of armour and combat elec-
tronics. Their designs are highly customizable, effective and reason-
ably priced. Their helmet is one of the best on the market today.
An atmospheric recycler, comlink and macrobinoculars are considered
standard equipment on the Tac Helmet.  As they value their customers'
opinions, one has the choice between a passive light enhancement system
or a thermal imaging system. Targeted towards the bounty hunters and
mercenaries, this design is easily modifiable, being constructed of a
series of microplates.  This also means that it is easily repaired.
It has linkups for their tactical armour, allowing the helmet display
system to also be used to interface with various other systems (see
below), but it may also me adapted to other armours.

        type: combat helmet
        availability: 2 R,X
        cost: 950
        basic helmet:  +1D Energy/Physical.  Head only.
        comlink:  VOX comlink
        atmosphere recycler:  Recycles Type I atmosphere for up to 10
                              hours between recharges (25cr)
        macrobinoculars:  +2D  Search past 50m.
                choose one:
        passive light enhancement:  +2D in lo-lit conditions, fitted
                                    with anti-flash filter.
        thermal imaging system:  Allows vision in all conditions, so
                                 long as there is temperature variations.
                                 May be used to see through walls
                                 (PERC vs. cover STR+3D) if there is
                                 thermal variations on the other side.


MilTech Tactical Back-and-Breast

This is, without argument, one of the best torso armours on the market
today.  It has very little bulk, yet it is quite protective.  It has
an integral shoulder holster that may be adjusted to fit over 85% of
the blaster pistols, slug throwers, dart guns, stun guns, heavy blasters,
sporting blasters and similar weapons on the market today.  It also
features a highly effective motion detector, a climbing/rappelling
harness and a combat harness, containing variously sized pouches for
carrying the assorted tools, weapons, explosives and survival devices
that are the stock in trade of the MilTech's intended market.  Using
the same microplate construction as the Tac Helm, it can be readily
modified to accept a wide variety of MilTech armour accessories, such
as computer modules, directional transponders, biometric transmitters
and assorted sensors.  To use these modules, one must have a Tac Helm
to form a display.

        type: torso combat armour
        availability:  2 R,X
        cost: 1050
        basic armour:  +1D En/Phys, covers Torso only.
        universal shoulder holster:  Adjustable to fit most handguns
                                     (except BlasTech DH-16 and DH-43).
                                     Can not fit carbines. (a second
                                     may be added for an additional
                                     40cr)
        motion sensor:  +1D Search against moving targets under 50m.
                        May be programmed to sound audible alarm (with
                        helmet or headset comlink).
        rappelling/climbing harness:  +1D (A) Mountaineering under
                                      appropriate conditions.
        combat harness:  covered with various sized of pouches


MilTech Tactical Greeves

This leg armour is designed to interface directly with the company's
Back-and-Breast, but may be worn alone.  They are fitted with the (for
MilTech) usual assortment of pouches, holsters, sheaths and gizmos.
        type: modular leg armour
        availability: 2 R,X
        cost:  800 (base cost)
        basic armour: +2 phys/energy
                pick one of the following, or two from the second group
                (or several pouches) for the thigh piece:
        universal carbine holster:  Can be adjusted to fit most stock-
                                    less (or folding stock) carbines
                                    and some of the smaller folding
                                    stock rifles (ie: the E11) on the
                                    market, along with nearly all of
                                    the full sized handguns.
        personal distress beacon:  Has power for 10 days, 60km signal
                                   range. (+20cr to cost of armour)
                Pick one of these, or several pouches, for the calf a
                rmour:
        universal pistol holster:  Adjustable to fit most handguns
                                   (except BlasTech DH-16 and DH-43).
                                   Can not fit carbines.
        automatic medpac:  Functions as three medpacs, activated when
                           user is Incapacitated or may be manually
                           triggered.  Has skill of 5D to apply medpac.
                           Costs 350cr to refill. (+50cr to cost of
                           armour)
        universal sheath:  May be adjusted to fit most knives and
                           vibro-edges up to 27cm blade length.  May
                           be adjusted to fit popular shock batons and
                           other devices.


MilTech Tactical Vambraces

This is the upper body counterpart of the Tac Greeves.  These are
relatively light, but they provide as efficient protection as the
Imperial Scout Armour.  They contain wrist mounted glowrods as
standard equipment, and have the normal selection of equipment options
found in MilTech products.

        type: modular arm armour
        availability: 2 R,X
        cost:  700 (base armour)
        basic protection:  +2 En/Phys, no DEX penalties.
        glowrods:  one glowrod mounted on each wrist.
                Pick one of these or several small pouches for the upper
                arm:
        automatic medpac:  Functions as three medpacs, activated when
                           user is Incapacitated or may be manually
                           triggered.  Has skill of 5D to apply medpac.
                           Costs 350cr to refill.  (+50cr to cost of
                           armour)
        personal distress beacon:  Has power for 10 days, 60km signal
                                   range. (+20cr to cost of armour)
                Pick one of these for each forearm:
        universal miniholster:  adjusts to fit most popular holdout
                                sized handguns universal minisheath:
                                adjusts to fit most bladed weapons w/
                                blades between 5 and 13cm long.
        mini datapad



Incom TS-43 Marauder Space Battle Suit

The Incom TS-43 is one of the better armoured space suits available
today. It lacks the powered systems of the Imperial Spacetrooper
armour, but it is still a powerful system.  It incorporates a wide
variety of systems, including armour penetrating rockets, a laser
cutter and a very potent rocket pack.  It was first designed to
provide security to those troopers stationed at Incom's vacuum docks
and construction stations.  It has since been sold to KDY, Sienar
and a small number of mercenary forces.

        type: space combat suit
        availability: 3 X
        cost:  8,000
        basic suit:  +3D Phys, +2D Energy, -1D+2 DEX.  Cover all areas.
        grapple:  3-30/100/300  (space: 0/1/3), fitted with fusion disk.
                  Missile Weapons skill.  Fitted to left forearm.
                  Attached to high speed winch (spools in at 50m per
                  round)
        laser cutter:  does 4D Starfighter scale damage, uses Melee
                       Combat skill (Moderate difficulty).  Fitted to
                       right forearm.
        wrist blasters:  uses Armour Weapons skill. 3-10/30/50
                         (space: 0), does 4D damage.  Twenty shots,
                         fitted to each forearm.
        light rockets:  3-50/100/500  (space: 0/1/5), uses missile
                        weapons skill. Does 10D damage, 2 carried on
                        back.
        rocket pack:  Uses Rocket Pack Operation skill, move of 1. Has
                      thirty bursts.  Will not function in atmosphere.
        life support: has air and energy for two hours.


SoroSuub Devistator Suit

This old design dates from the late Clone Wars.  It has numerous weapons
systems, and was originally meant for use as a fire support chassis.
Each arm carries a powerful, selective-fire blaster carbine.  It also
adds a flamethrower and ion gun.  The pack contains a massive rocket
launcher, a compact automatic grenade launcher and a powerful gyro-
stabilizer (needed to stay upright).  The back and legs contain the
servo systems that would be needed just move under the heavy load.  The
rocket launcher may be loaded with 10 armour piercing or fragmentation
rockets.  It finally went out of production, as it was just too slow-
all the wearers were getting shot.

        type: fire support suit
        skill: Powersuit Operation: Devistator
        availability: 4 X
        cost: 50,000+  (black market)
        basic protection:  +2D physical/energy, -2D DEX
        move:  half all normal movement rates.  May not attempt any
               Hide, Sneak, Swim or Running rolls, due to weight.
        targeting system:  +2D to hit with the suits weapons systems.
        rocket launcher:  uses Missile Weapons skill.  3-40/120/400,
                          10 rockets carried. Anti-Armour: 10D damage;
                          Anti-Personnel:  5D (0-2)/4D (8)/3D (14)/20
                                           (20)
        grenade launcher:  Uses Missile Weapons skill.  3-30/100/300,
                           carries 50 shells. Uses any standard 35x40mm
                           grenade.  May be fired single shot or full
                           auto (fires 10 shells, roll scatter
                           individually).
        2 blasters:  Armour Weapons, 1 mounted on each forearm.
                     3-30/80/200, 4D damage.  May be fire single shot
                     or in 20 shot burst (as per normal full auto
                     rules)
        ion gun:  Armour Weapons, mounted on left forearm.  3-10/30/120,
                  5D Ion.
        flame thrower:  Armour Weapons, mounted on right forearm.
                        3-4/7/20, 5D+1. Does 3D for the next 5 rounds,
                        area of effect 2m.  Has 25 shots, fire rate 1.


Merr-Sonn Personal Sheild

The Merr-Sonn Pesonal Sheild is meant to provide a high degree of
protection against rnaged weapons, without the bulk and inconvenience
or armour.  It consists of a medium sized belt unit that is easily
concealed inside of robes and cloaks.  Popular with nobility, it
projects a concussion/ray energy sheild of appoximately 1 meter
diameter.  It has the drawbacks of being highly noticable and having
a high power draw.  When used in conjuction with power generators, it
has seen some use with shock troops and raiders.

        type: personal shield
        availability:  3 R
        cost: 2000  (powercell: 50)
        basic protection:  7D, in a one meter radius.  Has three minutes
                           service life with standard powercell.


--------

SKILLS IMPORTANT TO ARMOUR USERS:
DEX:  Armour Weapons:  Difficulty figured by range.  This is used for
      energy weapons, slugthrowers and flamethrowers mounted on armour.
MECH:  Powersuit Operation:  Used to operate powered armours.  Explained
       in the SWRPG  (all versions)
Jetpack Operation:  Used to fire jetpacks mounted on the armour.
        Explained in SWRPG2.1
TECH:  Armour Repair:  Used to repair and improve the protective armour.
Electronics Repair:  Used to repair and add the various sensors, imaging
                     systems and communicators found in armour suits.
Powersuit Repair:  Used to repair and improve the servos and gyros used
                   in powersuits.  The protective armour uses the Armour
                   Repair skill.
the various Weapons Repair skills:  Used to repair and incorporate
                                    various weapons systems into a suit
                                    of armour.



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This page is Copyright © 1996, 1997 Urban Lundqvist