Skinweave:
Skinweave is artificially reinforced
skin. By the logic R. Talsorian uses, there would be a penalty
for
unaltered skin. (most will say "there is a -0", zero, being
neither
negative, norpositive doesn't constitute as a penalty) Skinweave,
at higher levels, gains its own penalties (both in ATTR loss and REF as
I recall), therefore additional layering penalties fail to apply again.
Subdermal Armor:
Well let's consider this one
as well. Subdermal armor is replacing bone with obvious
protection
(a network of linked metal plates buried underneath the skin).
This
causes loss of both reflex and attractiveness. Once again
layering
penalties only reinforce subdermal armor as impractical. Also as
reinforcement, it is not quite a "layer" of armor. By the same
logic
your natural Bone structure should offer some sort of SP rating and
count
as a layer.
Working Skinweave & Subdermal
Armor:
Remember, there are PLENTY
of areas NOT protected by these forms of protection; Genetalia,
palms,
eyes, mouths, nostrils, ear canals, rectums, etc. are not protected by
skinweave and subdermal armor declares that it only protects the torso
or head. These areas gain NO SP rating aside from worn
armor.
Also, remember, to reach subdermal armor, the atack must reach, or
break,
the skin. The target takes 1 point of bruise damage automatically
(then total up the damage as per normal). Skinweave is handled
the
same way, except only half SP applies to blunt attacks (gel and rubber
rounds apply here).
Armor
Layering:
Oh boy, here's the big boys
here.
Layering rules, as they apply now, they sound good, but what about
layering
of reinforced clothing? Well, it's okay to use the rules they
give
you, except if you start to account for fashion.
How
Much is too much?
So, you decidedto ditch the
stormtrooper
look for something a bit more socially acceptable, GOOD! Now,
let's
get down to buisness. For much of this, I'll be using my
character for examples and as a template. I'll go through
this
ensamble, and explain everything along the way.
First, Trax's enhanced with SP 6
rated
skinweave. Why? It's no good to have so much OBVIOUS armor
that you look paranoid or afraid. SP 6 is the lowest possible
rating
he could get. It offers enough protection that he doesn't have to
constantly lug an armored jacket around in the Night City heat.
Skinweave,
when he needs that extra bit to cover his bets. Skinweave, so
natural
even your lover can't tell.
SP 6 pants, because if you break a
sweat lifting your legs to walk, you are going to pass out when you
have
to run someone down. The SP 6 pants combined with the skinweave
offer
enough protection as lightly armored pants. SP 6 is enough that
it
is socially acceptable, almost everywhere, and relatively unnoticable,
and resiliant enough to take a bit of punishment before having to be
repaired,
or replaced.
An SP 4 T-shirt gives Trax's upper
body the protection equal to a kevlar vest, but isn't even half as
obvious.
Being that the article is a T-shirt and the SP rating is one of the
lowest
on the market, the shirt is appearing as a normal t-shirt unless looked
at closer (NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE to notice that it is so much more).
The T-Shirt is light enough to not inhibit movement and lets Trax's
skin
breath like a regular T-shirt (Aren't anti-ballistic fabrics great?).
The SP 12 Jacket might raise an
eyebrow
or two, so permit me to elaborate. First, note that this is the
heaviest
he wears REGULARLY (though the SP 14 Trench is heavier, it isn't worn
as
frequently). Second, let's consider the clothing today. How
hindered is our movement by a T-shirt? Answer: not very. We
can move pretty easily. If we threw an overshirt or flannel on
top,
we are still unhindered. When a Trenchcoat is worn, much bulkier
than a majority of jackets, even leather jackets, most are only
hindered
by the weight, and the bulk of something as already light as a lightly
armored jacket to a man with a body rating of 13 (well into superhuman)
is going to be MUCH less than if the same jacket were placed on a
person
of body rating 7 (average). And the Jacket (which is a bit more
obvious
than everything else) also serves to let people know that he is
concerned
with his protection. You see, if he was conceiling all his armor,
people would suspect that something was up, this helps to extinguish
some
of that.
Now if Trax put on a flack vest or
even metal gear over the armored t-shirt, I would still apply ONLY the
penalties the armor has itself. However, if someone attempted to
put a HEAVY ARMOR piece on over the jacket (even with no T-Shirt
underneath),
I'd apply a small layering penalty. Why? Because think how
hard it is to move in a life preserver vest, over a thick piece of
clothing.
Moving in a Flack Vest is like that.
So layering penalties should apply
as a mix of what the clothing type is that the armor is built into, and
the thickness (the rating of) of the armor. The lower the number,
the thinner the clothing is (and less obvious as a protective
garment).
This does not permit the character to wear five or six SP 4 t-shirts
with
no penalty. And for concerned GM's, remember, anything the
characters
can do, the street trash can do too. So don't dress heavier,
dress
smarter (and for G-d's sake! USE COVER!)