Mechwarrior: Armour

[Chimera]

Ok, I want to add sectional armor. But I don't like the locational wound or surgery rules... Too much hassle.

I thought I could just use hit locations for armour. But this comes into conflict with the current rules having locations like hands and feet. Just using locations Means you need to armor all locations heavily to survive.

So, maybe we could use hit locations and locational damage reduction as per the current rules. But leave residual damage as it is.
What this means is a hit to the torso or head hurts, so you need to armor them up. But damage to extremities is reduced, half for arm/leg and quarter for foot/hand. So not as important to armor them. Also to do the maths quick I could add a table to the character sheet.

I thought of removing hand and foot locations but they sorta fit with the current armor and add fitting out depth... thoughts?

[Kaneski]

I agree that locations and armor should be kept as they are - playing with exposed hands or barefoot should mean you may get them blown off.

The major upkeep, as far as I can tell, with the location rules is the stages of injury tracking. Since each location has up to 3 effects that can happen to it at any one time - tracking this will be tedious, especially during combat.


I think Chimera and I discussed this at lunch one day, but the general idea was to keep locations, and section armor, but only track damage as if it's done to the torso. This means, the only effects of damage is the progressively harder skill checks, rather than hamstrings, blindness, etc...

There are two modifications I would propose to that:
1) Keep the head location effects. Getting shot in the head should be traumatic. Wear your helmets!
2) Keep the location effect for the 75% damage capacity effect. Tracking minor cuts and bruises - tedious. If you're at death's door - something bad should happen.

[Chimera]

Ok, wow, necro warning

Alright, summarising how I will do damage:

Damage
1.   TARGET HIT – AP/BD of attack is known.
2.   Determine Hit Location – roll 2d6 to determine location.
3.   Compare BAR of hit location to AP of damage taken (Using armour effectiveness level 2 C.pg25):
   a.      If BAR > AP then take Fatigue Damage = BD – (BAR-AP)
   b.      If BAR =< AP then take Standard Damage = BD
4.     If standard damage taken and BD is 5 or greater degrade armor by 1 point (PG.186).
5.   Reduce Damage Based on Hit Location (Round fractions up) and apply.
6.   If Standard damage received check for Location effects:
   a.      DAZED: Add one fatigue, 1d6 if location is HEAD.
   b.      DROP: If hit in HANDS target must make a DEX Attribute Check (applying Injury Modifiers) to avoid releasing and held object/s or grappled opponents.
   c.      KNOCKDOWN: If hit in LEGS or FEET target must make a RFL Attribute Check (applying Injury Modifiers) to avoid falling.
7.   If Damage taken apply States:
   a.      BLEEDING: If target takes Standard damage in excess of half his BOD score (rounded up), the character must make an unmodified BOD Attribute Check. Failure indicates BLEEDING.
   b.      CONSCIOUSNESS: If the target suffers Standard damage or is struck by a successful Subduing damage attack roll 2d6 vs TN7 (applying Injury Modifiers) or be UNCONSCIOUS.
   c.      STUN: If the character received any damage from an attack they are STUNNED.

Notes:
Fatigue/Standard damage house rule is written into this.
Trying to retain the hit location effects somewhat for extremities. Especially head.
Arms, feet and legs are one location. It is a simplification. Assumes symmetrical armour for now - if this becomes a problem I can look into it.

Roll: Location (Damage Multiplier)
As per book pg.190.

Changes 12/8: Drop is as per book now - limited to hands. Added new step 4 for armour degradation. Locations now as per book.

[Chimera]

Need to add between 3 and 4,

4. If standard damage taken and BD is 5 or greater degrade armor by 1 point (PG.186).

As I am grouping locations, eg both hands form the hand location, the degradation is also grouped.
This is to reduce bookkeeping, and is similar to how warhammer groups arms and legs into one armor.

[Loswaith]

Keep in mind warhammer does have individual left and right hits though, even though it treats the piecemeal as a pair for arms and legs.

[Chimera]

Hmmmm yes, seem to have forgotten that. Would it be better if I just left it in then? Sounds like it is wanted...

I am thinking its absence is counter intuative. Ie if hit in the hand you say, which one? So rather than explaining it I may be best to just leave it in.

[Loswaith]

Well can go with that, or only worry about which hand is hit if it realy matters.  So taking major injury or damage to that hand.  Even if its just for example a hand hit, then odd mean left even means right.

In most cases the armour will come for both anyway.  So realy only comes down to the left or right being important for injuries.

[Chimera]

Yeah, been playing it out in my head - and yeah. In a role-playing scene it is good to know where you are hit. Realistically it is only a few extra lines on a character sheet to have left and right. Additionally its as per the rules, as such. So in a way it is simpler.

The house rule is then just the removal of tracking location damage separately. Everything else is as is.

I am posting up a new character sheet. It has a location diagram with locations. Also, added a third page, Brunhilde asked for a page to have separate armour kit outs - ie an out of mech profile, and in mech profile, and maybe print it again for a ballroom function profile, etc...

[Chimera]

OK, armor stacking.
Basically I am using it as is, but taking a literal interpretation of the word "personal armor". Generally this means the adore on the personal armor tables are impacted by stacking. This means that accessories are not. Accessories can be stacked with armor, but only one per location.

This interpretation was primarily to slow load bearing vests to be used with armored vest. But their are some interesting other quirks. Extremities cannot be stacked, no double gloves, helmets or boots. Which makes some sense. Parkas and heat suits can be worn over armor in relevant environments.

My only concern right now is environment suits... my gut feel is to say they can be the only thing worn due to thief specialized nature, like you could not wear armor under power armor.

As always, weight applies anyway, basic encumbrance checks should be assessed for any kit setup.