Re: [DL] Armor rules

["Daphne Brunelle" <dbrune4@po-box.mcgill.ca>]

Howdy Tomasz,

If you're looking to discourage players from taking breastplate armor,
there's a number of things you could take into consideration:

First, I think it's a good idea to penalise Nimbleness checks, although I
would have thought that a -2 penalty would be more appropriate. Also, I'd
penalise Deftness checks as well (you try drawing a pistol wearing
breastplate).

If it's just a piece of iron sewn into the jacket, treat it as light armour
(subtract a few points from total damage) instead of giving it a 50% chance
of deflecting. Also, set a number of points of damage the thing can take
before desintegrating from the usual wear and tear.

Also, as someone mentioned, that kind of thing is really uncomfortable to
wear. The MiB dusters (which function more or less the same way) are
extremely heavy, and extreme heat and cold would definitely be a grave
consideration if it's iron you're talking about.

Not to mention, where would your characters find this armour? It's not like
it's readily available outside of Smith & Robards (and even then it's
reserved for the Agency). If the characters themselves decide to make their
own armour, ask yourself whether they have the technical know-how to do
something like that. Armourers aren't a dime a dozen in the Weird West, and
that kind of thing takes talent and training. How do you sew a piece of iron
into a jacket? Iron is heavy, and would most likely tear right through any
but the toughest of hides, not to mention that it's sharp and ungainly and
would look really terrible, thus tipping off their opponents that
something's up.

That's what called shots to the arms, legs, and head are for, Marshal. More
to the point, you could simply offer them Upper Guts protection, while
you're at it. Then make it painfully obvious that a smart gunfighter doesn't
rely on armour, but rather seeks out cover and tries to outsmart her
opponents rather than stand there and take their bullets (easier said than
done, btw).

That's all I have for now, anyway.

Cheers,

Daphné
--
"I don't know about you, Scully, but I am feeling the great need to blast
the crap out of something."
        -Fox Mulder

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