WOIN [NEW] Question about customizing armor

OsirisDawnEU · Apr 11, 2023

Hello,
we are playing N.E.W. right now (great system!). Last night we had two questions regarding armor.

The first one
One of my players got enough money to buy himself a TD85 Scorpion Flexible Armor Suit (SOAK 6; blunt 12)*.
Now he wants to add Reflective for the 5 SOAK vs. heat. But we are in doubt. Does it even stack? It has no "+" so it wouldnt, reading the rules on pg 112.

So what would be his SOAK vs. heat wearing a Reflective TD85?
A) 6; 11 vs. heat; 12 vs. blunt
b) 6; 12 vs. blunt and no bonus from Reflective at all

The same question applies to Silent regarding its SOAK vs. sonic.

The second one
Not sure if i missed it, but how do i know which of the armors offer protection against environments, like the Environmental suit does?
If there is no such thing i will simply offer it as customization option for the prize of an Environmental suit ($500).

As a little QOL suggestion for any future updates: It would be nice to see in the table (pg. 120) which armors are meant to be powered armors. From the table entry I would have bet that the Angel Battlesuit is powered, but the text says its not.

Thank you very much!

~OsirisDawn

*the table entry for that one is messed up a bit, btw.

TheHirumaChico · Apr 11, 2023

I see what you mean about that specific entry line for the TD85 Scorpion Flexible Armor Suit in the table on p. 120 of the NEW 1.2 book being messed up a bit. Presuming that if this line entry were fixed then the Ineffective column for this armor doesn't say Heat (which it might given the entry for the Krayte Industries Armorgel does), then perhaps take a page from the NOW rule book, specifically p. 109. That page is in a section discussing Armor Upgrades and Customization, akin to this same chapter in the NEW rulebook. There is an option called "Resistant" where one can spend $1,000 and 1 upgrade slot to add +2 SOAK against a specific damage type, except types that the armor is already ineffective against. It contradicts the entry for Reflective in the NEW Core Rulebook, but as written, I would agree that this NEW upgrade isn't clear as to how to apply it.

OsirisDawnEU · Apr 12, 2023

Thank you for the hints.
I still feel i am missing something. What difference would it make if the armor had a vulnerability to heat?

Thank you for your time!

TheHirumaChico · Apr 13, 2023

@OsirisDawnEU In the NOW rules, if an armor is ineffective/vulnerable to a particular damage type, one cannot use the "Resistant" upgrade to bypass/overcome this vulnerability. Here is the actual text:

Resistant. For every $1,000 spent (and each slot used), the armor gains +2 Soak against a specific damage type (but not ballistic damage, and not a damage type the armor is ineffective against). The type is chosen at the time of the upgrade. This stacks with the armor’s existing Soak.

Of course, this is for NOW, which is a modern genre setting, not NEW, which is intended for a future/sci-fi setting, so perhaps this should not be a restriction in NEW, which is why this is not worded the same. I think it is really up to you what to allow in your game for this issue.

For my own thinking in terms of a NOW modern setting example, I don't see why a character can't wear a stab vest (essentially a rigid plate/sheet of hard plastic or thin steel) under a Kevlar vest, and for the stab vest to still provide SOAK against piercing damage, while the Kevlar provides SOAK against ballistic damage (but is ineffective vs. piercing damage). But that's up to me if I decide to allow that, perhaps with a penalty of some type for wearing two layers of armor (e.g., harder to conceal, bumps up the armor type from Light to Medium, or something like that).

OsirisDawnEU · Apr 13, 2023

@TheHirumaChico These are great suggestions, thank you! I do have NOW somewhere on my drive, i will take a look.

I would still like to know if that missing "+" is just an oversight in NEW.

MacD · Apr 24, 2023

Hi,
Regarding your second question - the answer is hidden within the environments section in the rulebooks.
If anyone has 5 or more SOAK that's damage-specific, he gets protection from environmental effects tied to that damage type (i.e. heat -> desert).

In my opinion that's why there are upgrades like reflective. I add their value to te armor SOAK but that's my homebrew way.