From: ward1@husc8.harvard.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.archives
Subject: Shadowrun FAQ: Armor
Followup-To: rec.games.frp.misc
Date: 14 Sep 1992 08:34:02 -0400
Organization: UUNET Communications
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: rodan.uu.net

                   ****************************************
                   *              SHADOWRUN               *
                   *      Frequently Asked Questions      *
                   *                Armor                 *
                   ****************************************

Post Name: ShadowFAQ -- Armor
As of: July 1, 1992
Version: 0.4
Compiled by: Wordman (ward1@husc.harvard.edu)

This post contains FAQ (frequently asked questions) and standard house 
rules about the Armor portion of the Shadowrun gaming system.  Posted 
simultaneously with this post is a post titled 'Shadowrun: FAQ General' 
which contains more information on what the point of this list is, where 
it came from, et cetera.

Outline
I.  Weakening armor
II. Layering armor


*******
A1:  Armor is too powerful.  What is to be done?
*******
HOUSE 1:  Treat the current autosuccesses from armor as auto-sixes.

HOUSE 2:  Armor does not give auto successes.  It gives it's rating in 
dice (used as body dice) to damage resistance.
   VARIANT 1:  Light armor gives 1 autosuccess in addition to dice.  
Heavy armor gives 2 autosuccesses in addition to dice.  Form-fitting 
just gives dice.

HOUSE 3:  Armor as vanilla, but impact of attack can bruise.  Resist 
damage with Body and dodge.  If this does not get rid of the damage, 
then armor reduces damage.  If any real damage gets through armor, the 
person takes that wound as normal, but if the armor absorbs all 
remaining damage, the character takes a STUN wound equal to one wound 
category less than the damage that the armor cancelled.

HOUSE 4:  Armor gives no autosuccesses or dice. Instead it subtracts its 
rating from the Power of the attack.  Zero power attacks do no damage.
[This will be how SRII works.  --Word]

HOUSE 5:  Armor degrades one point (permanently) if a) a weapon hits 
with a deadly damage code (regardless of whether the character resists 
the damage or not) or if b) the character inside the armor takes any 
damage at all.  Note that both conditions can be satisfied from a single 
hit, degrading the armor by 2 points.  This is the most that armor can 
be degraded by a single weapon hit.

HOUSE 6:  Roll a number of dice equal to armor rating. Add them together 
and divide power level of the attack (dropping all fractions).  The 
result becomes the number of autosuccesses.

*******
A2:  If I wear a lined coat over a secure jacket, do I get the benefits 
of both?
*******
VANILLA:  No.  Only the highest rating is valid.  Armor is not 
cumulative.  (Many feel that even though this rule has some logical 
holes, armor is already too powerful to warrant changing it.)

HOUSE 1:  Use most powerful armor, as normal, but other armor gives 
extra dice at 1/2 its rating.  No other armor may be worn with Heavy 
Armor.  Helmets are as normal.

HOUSE 2:  Each additional suit adds 1 to the rating of the toughest 
armor.  If the additional armor has no rating in the category it is 
resisting, it gives no bonuses.