Armour

The armours described here are patterned off those described on p. S84 , with some customization. In general Aliens armour is exactly TL9 in effectiveness, with venlar replacing monocrys, and boron carbide and titanium alloys making up most hard armours. Reflec armours are technologically possible, but useless when nobody uses laser weapons. Battlesuits are just in their infancy, and not yet fully effective or widely used.

Cuirasse de Combat
A medium body armour which inspired the American M3, the Cuirasse provides better protection, but is heavier and more expensive. It's composite clamshell provides DR 38, PD 6 to areas 9-11, 17-18. It weighs 12 lbs. and costs $800.

M3 Personal Body Armour
 Used by the Colonial Marines and US Army, M3 armour is light but easy to wear. While the manufacturer markets a full suit, standard US issue is just the clamshell vest (protecting areas 9-11, 17-18 with DR 28, PD 4) and leg greaves (areas 14-16, DR 18, PD 2). These together weigh 9 lbs. and cost $600.

M3-Level I Armour
 For situations where M3 armour is inadequate the US issues additional armour packages. The level I package provides additional leg and arm guards that form a complete suit. The body remains DR 28, PD 4, while the limbs are DR 18, PD 2, and the hands and feet DR 14, PD 2. The complete suit is not sealed, weighs 20 lbs., and costs $1600.

M3-Level II Armour
Although refered to as an upgrade of the M3, the level II package is in fact largely a new suit. The arm and leg guards are heavier, providing DR 28, PD 4 to the limbs and DR 18, PD 4 to the hands and feet. Additional layers of hard armour plate are added on top of the torso section, reinforcing it to DR 40, PD 6. The full suit weighs 30 lbs., and costs $2,400.

Mk.35 Pressure Suit
A bulky hard-suit intended for use in high-pressure environments, the Mk.35 is bulky and awkward to wear, giving a -1 to DX. The exterior layers are armoured, providing equivalent protection to M3-Level I armour. The Mk.35 comes with a six hour air-tank and the helmet has the same features of the M10. The suit weighs 32 lbs., and costs $4200.

Samson Gentleman's Armour
A range of fashion venlar body armours. Standard issue to British and Chinese officers as a compromise between appearance and practicality. While the fabric can be obviously distinguished as armour, the suits are comfortable and can be cut to almost any style. The suit provides DR16, PD 2 to all locations except the head, however it is a non-rigid armour, with all the inherent limitations. They weigh 12 lbs. Cost varies, from $4000 for off the shelf, up to hundreds of thousands for a designer styles.

Venlar Vest
A weave of ballistic fibre protecting the torso, a venlar vest is easily concealed under a shirt or jacket. A stanard venlar vest provides DR 16, PD 2 to areas 9-10, 17-18, weighs 5 lbs., and costs $1200. This is sufficient to stop most handguns, but bulky enough to be noticable. A light vest provides DR 8, PD 2, weighs 3 lbs., and costs $800. The light vest will only stop light handguns, but is almost invisible.

Type PD DR Cost Wt. LC TL
Cuirasse de Combat 6 38 $800 12 2 9
M3 Armour 4 28 $600 9 2 9
M3-Level I 4 28 $1600 20 2 9
M3-Level II 6 40 $2400 30 1 9
Mk.35 Hardsuit 4 28 $400 32 1 9
Samson Gentleman's Armour 2 16 $4000+ 12 3 9
Venlar Vest, Standard 2 16 $1200 5 3 9
Venlar Vest, Light 2 8 $800 3 3 9
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