[HOE] Revised Power Armor Rules... [LONG]

["Kai Tave" <kaitave@harborside.com>]

These are just some revised rules for powered armor I've been going over in
my head, and I thought I'd post them to the listserv to see what people
think.  These were mainly brought about due to changes in the game (The
Junkman Cometh) and explanations of various subjects (Waste Warriors).

-Revised Power Armor Rules v1.0

The first thing that's changed since The Wasted West is how G-rays and
Junker devices in general are handled.  Before The Junkman Cometh, Junker
devices and spirit batteries weren't really explained in detail.  Now that
they HAVE been, the explanation given in The Wasted West about how powered
armor stays powered doesn't hold up anymore.  You can't just hook spirit
batteries up something run on conventional power and say "Here you go.".
So, the first change made is that there are now two ways to keep your
powered armor running: conventional power, or G-rays.

Conventional power means that the suit is running on electric power.  There
are three different ways you can use conventional power.

The first is to hook up batteries to the powered armor's power intake (done
using cables).  This is an inefficient way to go about it however, so each
battery only transfers half its charges to the suit; the rest are lost in
the process.  So, a large battery would only provide 50 charges to a suit of
powered armor.  This process takes five minutes per charge transfered.

The second way is to hook the suit up to a source of electricity, such as a
functioning outlet.  This method is a bit slower, but you can leave the suit
hooked up all night if you wish.  This process provides one charge every 10
minutes hooked up to a 110 volt outlet, or one charge every five minutes
when hooked up to a 220 volt outlet.  Functioning power sources of this kind
are rare; Junkyard and Lynchburg are two of the only remaining settlements
that have such capabilities.  Prices for a 110 volt outlet per night are
around $25, moreso for a 220 volt outlet.

The last method of conventional powering, and the most difficult to come by,
is by hooking up the suit to a functioning fusion engine.  Most military
hover vehicles designed before the War used a fusion engine which created an
abundance of energy used for motive power and energy weapons.  Most of these
vehicles also came with power hookup stations which could be used to
recharge or power anything that ran on electricity, from electric razors to
battlesuits.  If a character can manage to hook up a suit of powered armor
to such a generator, he's got it made; the reactor tops off the suit's
tanks, giving the user a full charge.  For light powered armor, such as the
USA X-Suit and LatAm Diablo Battlesuit, this provides up to 48 hours of
continual use (576 charges for the X-Suit and the Diablo) .  For heavier
suits, such as the CSA Wolverine and the HI Purgatory Suit, this provides up
to 24 hours of continual use (1440 charges for the Wolverine, 720 for the
Purgatory).  This process takes 12 hours.

Now that we've covered that, let's move on to G-ray power.  Since the Junker
rules have changed, so has the process for converting powered armor to run
on G-rays.

This conversion is a two-step process.  It first requires a Hard (9)
Tinkerin' roll to remove the original power system.  This takes six hours,
and each raise on the test shaves an hour off the time.  Failing the roll
means you waste six hours futilely trying to figure out what to disconnect
from where, although you can try again.  Going bust means you ripped out
something you shouldn't have and that the suit is only good for spare parts
now.  Nice going, brainer.

The next step is installing the new, Junker-made power supply.  The Junker
performing the installation must have the Generator power.  The Junker then
makes his tests as if he were constructing a device with a Frame size of 5.
If this succeeds, then the suit now runs on G-rays just as listed in The
Wasted West.

However, because the power supply is Junker-made, it now suffers from
Instability just like any other Junker device.  Power armor purchased at the
beginning of the game with the G-ray power option has a Stability of 16.
This Stability can vary depending on how much you're willing to pay.  For
every $1,000 extra, the Stability increases by 1.  Conversely, for every
$1,000 shaved off the cost of the suit, the Stability is lowered by 1.

It should be noted that the M-40 Ripper is designed to be used in
conjunction with the CSA Wolverine Battlesuit.  Because of this, it drains
charges directly off of the Wolverine's battery.  You can't charge the gun
itself, because it just doesn't work that way.  If the Wolverine suit has
been converted to run on G-rays, the Ripper does NOT need to be converted as
well since the modified power system converts G-rays into electricity, which
can then be fed to the Ripper as usual.

Now for repairs.  After the armor value of your suit starts to wear thin,
you may be interested in fixing it back up.  This doesn't require much; just
some structural components to slap over the holes.  Each level of armor
value repaired requires four structural components.  The base TN to fix the
armor value of a suit of powered armor is 3.  Add +2 to the TN for each
level of armor degradation over one.  So to repair a powered armor torso
with three levels of armor degradation requires an Onerous (7) Tinkerin'
roll and 12 structural components.  It takes half-an-hour for each level of
armor repaired, but each raise on the Tinkerin' roll shaves 10 minutes off
the total time (minimum time of 10 minutes per level).  Failing means the
patching didn't take and you have to start over.  You waste twice the amount
of time required to fix the armor with no success, although you can keep the
structural components and start over.  Going bust means that area just lost
a level of armor PERMANENTLY.  Sucks to be you.

-New Suits

Here are a few new suits of powered armor that your brainer might stumble
across while wandering the wastes.  The suits detailed in The Wasted West
were some of the best examples of the technology developed during the War.
Of course, every new technology has to have its trials and errors, and
powered armor was no exception.  The suits listed here were the early
experiments and prototypes that eventually led to the more refined suits.
These suits are cheaper than usual, and they’re somewhat easier to find, but
there’s a reason why the militaries stopped using these models: they’re not
as powerful (or as safe) as the later versions are.  They can still kick
some serious ass, however.  All of the suits listed here follow the basic
rules for powered armor found in The Wasted West (or my new rules, if you so
prefer).  They can all be equipped with all the add-ons as well.

USA MODEL 51-B POWERED INFANTRY SUIT (R)
This was one of the US’s first experiments with powered armor. Utilizing a
series of external struts and braces that wrapped around the user's arms and
legs, the suit is controlled by a large backpack-sized computer that also
serves as the power source.  The design is very light, emphasizing long
operational duration and freedom of movement over heavy augmentation, but it
ultimately proved to be too underpowered for the commanders in charge of the
powered armor divisions, and was later replaced by the X-Suit.  After the
X-Suit was developed, many Model 51-B’s were given over to the US National
Guard.  A few were also given to various police Special Weapons units.

Model 51-B powered armor increases the user’s Strength by +1 step and has an
Armor Value of 2.  Because of the open design of the armor, it does not have
the environmental sealing of most powered armor.  It drains power at a cost
of one charge for every four minutes of operation.  The Model 51-B’s design
is so simple and unobtrusive that it doesn’t require the Drivin’: Battlesuit
Aptitude to operate.

CSA STONEWALL CLASS BATTLE ARMOR (VR)
The Confederate military opted for a much heavier model for their first
experiments with powered armor.  They wanted a suit that would give an
infantryman the protection of a light armored vehicle, with the ability to
carry and use a variety of heavy weaponry.  The Stonewall came through in
spades when it came to protection and strength, but it was also very bulky
and heavy, impeding movement drastically.  It wasn’t until scientists
developed better, more efficient servo support systems that the heavy
Confederate battle suits would become a viable force.

Stonewall Class Battle Armor grants a Strength bonus of +3 steps, and an
Armor Value of 6.  It also reduces the user’s Nimbleness by -2 steps.  Power
drain is one charge for every one minute of use.

HELLSTROME INDUSTRIES CHARON SUIT (VR)
HI’s first attempt at making a powered armor suit was based on the workings
of their famed automatons.  The automatons used an electrically-conductive
gel to transmit the signals from a human brain to the machinery that made up
the automaton’s motor functions.  The engineers sought to replicate this
effect by using a special neuro-transmitter helmet to pick up and translate
brainwaves into electrical commands that would operate the suit.  The high
level of control resulted in a very smooth and efficient operation despite
the heaviness of the suit.  Unfortunately, the design was shelved after
several incidents in which the system’s computer would seize up and cause
feedback spikes.  This feedback could cause anything from disorientation and
dizziness to severe brain damage.  The Charon Suit was eventually abandoned
in favor of more conventional designs.

Charon Suits add +4 steps to the user’s Strength, and have an Armor Value of
5.  Every 30 minutes of operation, draw a card.  If the card is a Joker, the
system suffers some feedback, and the user’s noggin gets zapped.  If the
card is a Red Joker, the user is stunned.  The user must make an Incredible
(11) Vigor roll on his next action to recover.  If he fails, he can keep
trying on each of his next actions against the same TN.  The user also
suffers a -2 penalty to all his mental Traits and Aptitudes for the next 1d6
minutes.  If it’s a Black Joker, then the brainer’s looking at 4d8 damage
straight to his head, as well as the stun check.  The poor sod suffers a –2
penalty to all his mental Traits and Aptitudes for the next 1d6 hours, as
well.  Charon Suits drain power at a cost of two charges every five minutes.

PRICES:

USA Model 51-B Powered Infantry Suit  $3,000
CSA Stonewall Class Battle Armor   $5,000
HI Charon Suit     $8,000


*                    *                    *

Whew.  Okay, that was quite a bit.  Congrats for making it to the end
without falling asleep.  Assuming you DID make it, feedback would be most
appreciated.  I realize it's a bit wordy and complex, prehaps unnecessarily
so.  Suggestions, complaints, and compliments are all appreciated.

--Kai Tave