Core Light Armor

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**Vac Infantry (PL 8)**

This is the earliest attempt at armor designed for boarding actions in space combat. It is very light, and only allows for 30 minutes survival in vacuum. This armor comes with magnetic boots, but a separate magnetic grapple must be used.

**Nighthawk Armor (PL 6)**

For decades the nighthawks served U.S.H.E.R. as an airborne reconnaissance unit, ﬁnding targets for the “heavy hitters” in the Atlas Battalion. With the recent rise in terrorism around the world however, it was decided that the nighthawks needed to take a more active role in combating terrorism abroad and a new suit of armor was commissioned to aid them in this task. In addition to its protective qualities, Nighthawk armor contains a built in radio allowing members of a team to communicate and the ﬁnest nightvision technology in the world, granting Darkvision to a range of 60 meters The suit is sealed against all environmental and radiation hazards short of hard vacuum with an air supply of 1 hour. The armor’s skin also has a Chameleon-like affect, granting the wearer a +4 equipment bonus to Hide skill checks when standing still. In place of a clumsy parachute, Nighthawk armor has retractable glider wings built into the suit, granting a totally silent ﬂight speed of 20 meters per round (Good maneuverability). The only difference between the armor’s gliding ﬂight and powered ﬂight is that the wearer can only lose altitude, never gain it (the GM may allow the character to gain altitude at heights of 35 meters or more with a Dexterity check TN 15 if he feels conditions make this reasonable). The armor’s gliding wings may be deployed or retracted as a move action and only appear to be a backpack when not deployed.

**Absorb-Gel Suit (PL 8)**

This armor is composed of thick clothing filled with a synthetic, impact- and heat-absorbing gel. While the liquid adds to the weight of the armor and sometimes makes maneuvering in it difficult, it does a good job of shielding the wearer from some of the impact from a wide variety of attacks.

**Refractive Cloaking Armor (PL 6)**

Perfect for combat operations, this armor refracts light. It renders the wearer virtually undetectable to the naked eye and bestows a +10 circumstance bonus on Hide checks.

**Second Skin (PL 6)**

Second Skin is a supple polymer one-piece suit molded to the wearer’s body. It provides minimal protection, but is completely undetectable underneath clothing.

**Light Combat Armor (PL 6)**

Light combat armor provides less protection than later, heavier types, but also allows increased mobility. Most light combat armors consist of a reinforced blast vest, shoulder and upper arm pads, thigh and abdomen pads, and kneepads. Some light combat armors also include helmets and visors, though not all incorporate this aspect of the armor.

**Light Undercover Shirt (PL 5)**

Designed for deep undercover work in which it’s critical that the wearer not appear to be armed or armored, this garment consists of a T-shirt with a band of light protective material sewn in around the lower torso.

**Flight Suit And Helmet (PL 5)**

   The flight suit and helmet combination worn by combat pilots doubles as body armor that protects grounded pilots. The flight suit contains kevlar-lined pouches on the chest, back, arms, legs, and abdomen, into which armor plates are inserted. The helmet protects the head.

The armored flight suit carries over into later Progress Levels. Most military pilots in later eras wear armored flight suits and helmets essentially the same as this PL 5 version, though in the design appropriate to their society.

**Pull-Up Pouch Vest (PL 5)**

This garment, consisting of a torso apron of light protective material held up by a loop around the neck, can be stored in an innocuous fanny pack. Deploying the apron is a move action. This garment provides no equipment bonus (and has no armor penalty or maximum Dexterity bonus) when undeployed.

**Undercover Vest (PL 5)**

   Covering a larger area of the torso, this vest provides better protection than the light undercover shirt—but it’s also more easily noticed. It’s best used when the armor should remain unseen but the wearer doesn’t expect to face much scrutiny, granting a +2 bonus on Spot checks to notice the armor.

**Fire Resistant Suit (PL 5)**

   This bulky, silver-coated suit provides fire resistance 10, but does not protect against any other type of damage. In the preapocalyptic world, it was used primarily by firefighters.

The suit takes 1 minute to don with someone’s aid or 2 minutes without. If a fire resistant suit takes 8 points of damage from ballistic, slashing, or piercing weapons, the benefits it provides are negated.

**NBC Suit (PL 5)**

    Although technically not armor, this oversized suit does protect the wearer from nuclear (radiation), biological, and chemical hazards. When worn and completely sealed, it grants a +10 equipment bonus on Fortitude saves against radiation, disease, chemicals, or poisons (airborne or contact only).

An NBC suit comes with an air supply that lasts for one hour. The suit takes 5 minutes to don with someone’s aid or 10 minutes without.
If an NBC suit takes 4 points of damage from ballistic, slashing, or piercing weapons, the benefits it provides are negated. If the suit has been exposed to some hazard, it must be cleaned and neutralized, taking 1 hour and requiring special chemicals (10 TUs).

**Rad Suit (PL 5)**

    The wearer of this suit treats an irradiated area or radiation source as two degrees weaker for the purpose of determining radiation exposure (severe becomes moderate, high becomes low, moderate becomes mild, and the wearer is unaffected by low and mild degrees of exposure).

The suit takes 1 minute to don with someone’s aid or 2 minutes without. If a rad suit takes 8 points of damage from ballistic, slashing, or piercing weapons, the benefits it provides are negated.

**Ashigaru Armor (PL 2)**

    Ashigaru armor is a light and inexpensive armor worn by farmers conscripted into a daimyo's army. It consists of a light breastplate and thigh protectors made of laced metal plates (hara-ate), shin guards (sune-ate), and a light helmet resembling a round straw hat (jingasa).

**Chain Shirt (PL 2)**

    A chain shirt protects your torso while leaving your limbs free and mobile. It includes a layer of quilted fabric worn underneath to prevent chafing and to cushion the impact of blows. A chain shirt comes with a steel cap.

**Prism Vest (PL 7)**

The Prism Vest has the same refracting crystals as a Prism Cloak, sown into a long-sleeve shirt. Prism armor provides its full benefit even against energy weapons.

**Cord Armor (PL 0)**

    Cord armor consists of rope-like fibers woven and knotted into a thick, tough fabric . It is typically found among more barbaric cultures or in places where leather is scarce.

**Leather (PL 1)**

    The breastplate and shoulder protectors of this armor are made of leather that has been stiffened by boiling in oil. The rest of the armor is made of softer and more flexible leather.

**Padded (PL 1)**

    Padded armor features quilted layers of cloth and batting. It gets hot quickly and can become foul with sweat, grime, lice, and fleas.

**Studded Leather (PL 1)**

    This armor is made from tough but flexible leather (not hardened leather as with normal leather armor) reinforced with close-set metal rivets.

**Bone Armor (PL 0)**

    Bone armor is sometimes worn by nezumi or barbarian soldiers or sorcerers. The armor consists of a cloth or leather coat reinforced with strips of bone, and the limbs free.

**Scout Armor (PL 6)**

Scout armor is similar in many ways to light combat armor, but with a few notable exceptions. Scout armor is painted with camouflage patterns: woodland, desert, winter (primarily white), urban (gray patterned), and black are available. When worn in an appropriate setting, the armor grants a +2 bonus on Hide checks.

Additionally, scout armor lacks the kneepads and legwear of the light combat armor, increasing mobility but decreasing protection to the lower body. Scout armor more often incorporates survival gadgets as fits the terrain for which it is designed.

**Survival Suit (PL 6)**

    The survival suit is the natural evolution of wilderness survival gear popularized in the Information Age. Thanks to the continued miniaturization of technology along with advancements in chemical engineering, the survival suit allows its wearer to function for days or even weeks on end without a source of water or rations. The basic premise of the survival suit is that in order to continue living in harsh environments the human body must conserve and recycle resources. As a result, the survival suit, which looks much like a modern-day wetsuit covered with matte-black pads, is able to control the intake and waste of the human body in an efficient manner.

Water is stored in small pouches all over the survival suit and can be drawn through a small tube that protrudes from the collar; the suit recycles sweat and urine (which it chemically purifies) and then refills those pouches as needed. The outside of the survival suit bears a number of partially reflective black pads, which absorb solar energy and heat and store that energy in tiny heat cells throughout the suit. If the temperature begins to drop, these heat cells can release energy and sustain a comfortable temperature for the human body for up to 8 hours without needing to recharge. If these cells are empty, the suit also has chemical pouches that can be activated one time for another 8 hours of heat. A tiny intravenous feeding system provides nourishment when rations and food run out for up to six days. Tiny fans and vents built into the suit cool the body in temperatures of extreme heat without losing any body moisture.