Ballistic Vest

## Basic Information

The modern **Ballistic Vest** is a form of armour that covers the vital areas of the torso. It is intended to reduce and prevent injuries from stabbing and gunshots. It should be noted that not all vests are dual resistant and some are ballistic only - those which only resist stabbing are called stab vests. Full protection may include a collar, side panels, upper arm protection and aprons protecting the crotch, whilst minimalist vests may only protect the immediate front of the torso. In general, the better the protection, the heavier and more bulky the vest and the less concealable it will be.

## Rating System

The Ark has a rating system to classify the effectiveness of various ballistic vests and other body armour. The system uses the following classifications:

 Type IIA
 Type II
 Type IIIA
 Type III
 Type IV

In general, the better the grade of armour, the more protection it gives. Larger and faster bullets will penetrate lighter armors, though damage may be reduced somewhat by the armor slowing the bullet. Don't get too cocky, though - hits on seams and weaker areas can still penetrate, non-penetrating hits can still crack ribs, and the armor doesn't cover every square inch of your body. The actual classification system has a lot of additional information concerning bullet velocity, but the above should be good enough for gaming. Not only that, but many of the higher levels of protection are generally only over a limited area of the vest (usually a ballistic insert protecting the heart and lung roots) and are only good for a small number of impacts before the protection is downgraded. Even hits which fail to penetrate will permanently degrade the armour - which is generally easier to replace than repair. It is, for example, entirely normal for a vest to have a general rating of IIIA, with pockets for level III or IV plates in the front and back - such a vest will be a very large and obvious piece of armour, considered military or high-end law enforcement grade and will likely attract comment if worn in public. Again, as noted above, concealable armour usually pays for a lower profile with a much lower standard of protection - both in resistance class and coverage. Notably neck and shoulder protection, let along groin guards, are hard to conceal under anything lighter than a substantial coat.

## Bulletproof Vest

Informally, such armour is often called a "Bulletproof Vest", but that term is on the outs because of a psychological issue. Use of the term tends to fool the wearer into thinking they are better armoured than they are, which can lead to overconfidence and risk-taking.

The term "Bulletproof" is no longer commonly accurate, anyway. The term originated in the 16th Century, and it meant armour that had actually been shot with a gun and was not penetrated. This would leave a dent in the armour as proof that it could resist bullets. Armor on display for sale in the era would often have the dent circled in chalk to draw the potential customers attention to it. In the modern day, manufacturing standards allow for consistency in the armour's performance, and no need to test any given vest by shooting it before sale. Which is good, because the pressure of a gunshot degrades the armour, and "proofing" armour in this way can actually make the armour less effective.