One of the big shake-ups from Run and Gun was putting the option for hardened armor in metahuman hands.
In SR4, the only way to get hardened armor was as a critter power; Shadowrun 5 offers the option of Hardened mil-spec battle armor.
Mil-spec armor makes the wearer almost immune to small arms fire.
How it works:
Hardened is the key word here. Regular armor turns physical damage into stun damage when the Damage Value is less than the rating of the armor.
The hardened armor critter power instead negates all damage under its rating.
And if the DV is over the Hardened Armor rating? Roll a damage resistance test and add half the Hardened Armor rating as automatic hits.
So, a guy with 15 hardened armor won’t even roll a damage resistance test against a light pistol unless the shooter gets 9 net hits. Even with those net hits, the target gets 8 free hits on his damage resistance test. Almost negating the crazy-good roll before even rolling.
Shotguns and assault rifles have an easier time damaging. Yet, I’ve seen a guy in hardened armor take 3 rounds from a Krime cannon before dropping.
Nasty stuff.
The up-side is a few of the options from SR4 which made the non-hardened-but-still-mil-spec-armor extra-dangerous. So, no increased mobility or jacking strength beyond augmented max because the suit isn’t you.
Houserule note: It’s possible for hardened armor and regular armor to stack through Cyberware/bioware, adept powers, spells, and critter powers. At my table we assume hardened armor takes AP first so it retains some influence over a fight.
Dealing with Mil-spec armor:
There aren’t many good strategies for handling Mil-spec armor. It’s stupidly powerful and each suit has a ton of capacity for extra tricks.
Before going any further we should know a little about the other qualities they provide. First, each Mil-spec armor is tailored for an individual. It won’t fit otherwise.
This is, of course, expensive military equipment. No reason not to pretend they’re not going to protect it.
Mil-spec armor has 3 neat features and one important one. The holster, increased ease to ready gear, and raised social limit for intimidation are neat. What matters is how it halves speed and forces a fatigue roll for every run/sprint.
This means if you can get out of a mil-spec wearer’s line of sight, you can probably get away. The most agility a metahuman can have is 12. So, if you have six agility you can outrun anyone in mil-spec armor.
Most people wearing mil-spec armor will not have 12 agility.
Mil-spec armor halves all movement, including from making running checks.
Yes, GTFO is the first strategy. It’s simple enough in theory. In practice, anyone with this kind of armor probably also has vehicle/air support and getting away might not be so simple.
The next strategy relies on them not having the legal option to wear it. This one is spotty since a corporation or military unit are the main users of mil-spec armor.
If you can get your armored-pursuers to commit some kind of crime near someone with more firepower than you… Mil-spec armor becomes Someone Else’s Problem.
If you have to fight without big guns, it’s best to go for disabling. Disarm, break weapons, shake up, etc. If you can keep them away from their weapons they might not be as big a threat. The book also makes mention of knocking them into water, which is lucky if you can pull it off.
Risky, but there’s a shot.
Keep in mind shake up/Shake, rattle, and pop!/Shake, Rattle, and boom! can hamstring an opponent even if they don’t do any damage, buying you time for plan 1.
Let’s not forget the all-purpose solution to all problems: Magic. These guys are why your mage ought to be able to cast Manabolt/Manaball.
And last, there’s overwhelming force. Get the biggest guns, gratuitous amounts of explosives, and attack from surprise with edge. Hope for the best. Prepare for the bad news they brought an armored mage along.
Bottom line? Stay away from people with Mil-spec armor.
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