So, in the redesign of my system, I have been looking over some other systems, specifically for armor. So far, I have (Feel free to correct or add to):

D20: Abstract, makes you harder to be hit (decreases chance of opponent hitting you), armor lasts forever

Palladium: Middlin concrete, protects for points of damage

Iridium: Concrete, Ablative, heavier armor makes you easier to be hit

I guess we could add DR to D20 as well, so there might be more of a concrete aspect to it.

So, other armors? Looking for as comprehensive a list as possible.

Thanks,
Bill

Elric (at least one version of it) had damage that protected for random amounts for various parts of it--so head defends blocks X damage based on what it rolls.



In NWOD, it essentially eats successes--making you harder to hit and damage at the same time (its strange because if you are an agile/defensive character it may penalize you as much as it helps you..:/)

In High Valor, armor is a trait like any other trait, if you have it it can be used in the feat system to defend yourself. Sometimes its better to defend with armor than defending with other potential options  For example: You can't defend against fire with a sword parry, but armor--since if it is ranked as a trait is probably at least important heirloom mail, and at best may be magical, can provide protection in general.

Quote from: SilverlionIn High Valor, armor is a trait like any other trait, if you have it it can be used in the feat system to defend yourself. Sometimes its better to defend with armor than defending with other potential options  For example: You can't defend against fire with a sword parry, but armor--since if it is ranked as a trait is probably at least important heirloom mail, and at best may be magical, can provide protection in general.

hmm, is this also how your other games work?

Thanks,
Bill

Hackmaster: Armor provides AC like classic DnD, however it degrades with each hit. Example: Leather armor has 2 "Armor" boxes. It soaks two hit points (Exsses are transfered to the player) on the first hit, one on the second. After two hits, the AC bonus goes away (broken). Plate, has like lots and lots of hit boxes.

Pandora: Armor gives players Hit points (simular to pladium) These stack on top of the characters hit points. When a player goes to 0 hit points the armor and the hit point bonus degrades slightly. Armor is weak to certain types of weapon types, which deal slightly more damage to it. Sheilds are ablative armor, they act as a bonus to defense but if specificaly targeted or used to protect against ranged weapons it defense bonus goes down as the sheild is hit. Weapons have a stat associated with them that not only acts as a finesse element but doubles as a Armor class bonus.

Metal, Magic, and Lore features an extremely detailed armor system. It's not extremely innovative. Armor provides points of protection against various types of damage. It's most notable due to the fine detail. There are lots of hit locations and each one is covered, or not, independently.

I think Palladium of all things comes closest to the perfect system.

There's a range of to hit results that indicate a hit on the armour instead of the guy under it and the armour takes the damage.

I'd compound this with two cavets, one of which maps directly to megadamage:

I- a maximum damage the armour can absorb from a single hit before the remaining damage punches through to the wearer.  (like shields in GURPS) This value could even be different for different types of damage.

II- All armour has DR equal to one tenth of its damage points.  This is essentially an MDC rule.  Something with 100 damage points can't even be scratched by less than ten.

Quote from: HinterWeltSo, in the redesign of my system, I have been looking over some other systems, specifically for armor. So far, I have (Feel free to correct or add to):

An interesting rule from the Chaosium Elfquest RPG, which is distinctive in that it uses panels and examples from the comic to illustrate certain rules and adds rules to allow things to happen that happened in the comic.  There is a scene in the comic where Skywise is saved by the ornament he wears on his head so there is a rules for metal ornaments:

   Metal Ornaments: most metal armor worn by anyone in the World of Two Moons is purely accidental.  A decorative piece of jewelry may actually stop some damage points if it is hit by a weapon.  Such jewelry is rarely worn on the legs, often on the arms and head, and occasionally on the body.  The armor points of the piece should be rolled for when obtained.

If a character is wearing metal ornaments on a hit location receiving damage, he may make a roll of his POWx3 to see if the damage hit the ornament. [...]

d4-d4, Timelords, Millennium's End, etc - armour stops X damage getting through, and converts Y amount of lethal damage into non-lethal. Usually doesn't slow you down as such, unless it's really heavy and you're really weak.

Quote from: HinterWelthmm, is this also how your other games work?

Thanks,
Bill

Not exactly. Albeit the attribute system and power system in H&S use the same mechanic, armor isn't something everyone has (or would reasonably have) in a superhero game so it falls under powers. In that you make a roll to ignore damage. Which can of course stress you out, thus meaning that while you CAN ignore damage, you aren't going to get scott free without something bad happening. But that is "bad stuff" which happens for pushing oneself hard, not always going to happen just because of a few low rolls. The bad stuff can be well near anything--ricochets hitting a loved one, you struggling to stand after rubble falls on you, some attack actually penetrating due to its extreme force and knocking you out, or so on.



In E.O.N my space opera game (albeit slowly leaning to become space horror), armor will simply absorb or deflect damage. It is all about what works for the genre best, what keeps it reasonably simple and functional.


In Vast Frontiers, armor is something you buy for your mecha, and it blocks a small amount of damage as well.

That is as they currently stand. I believe in games with either specific settings, or those with a specific aim at a genre feel (for example if you were writing a game to emulate noir, or Tolkien's LOTR) you would of course have armor mechanics that made sense. (For example: Noirish settings guns rule, armor is unlikely or useless, but cover, and toughness would be important, so would dodging)

Bill, how are you defining "concrete" and "abstract"?

The thing I find most telling about this thread is that I posted the exact same thread on Story games and it has received many times the response. Every single one detailing an armor system. That seems to say something about the signal to noise ratio.

I thank those who have contributed constructively.

Bill

Quote from: SilverlionIn NWOD, it essentially eats successes--making you harder to hit and damage at the same time (its strange because if you are an agile/defensive character it may penalize you as much as it helps you..:/)

To clarify, In NWOD it doesn't eat successes, it eats dice from the attackers dicepool. Armor adds to someones base defense, however, armor cannot be reduced by multiple attacks (as base defense can,). Most armor has a min strength requirement and some have a dexterity penalty. Armor is, for most settings, socially akward and taboo outside of a soldier or police officer entering a combat zone.

Let's call that Tactical Abstract

Also to add, Armor in Exalted DOES eat sucesses (of certain damage types). Making it much harder for a character to do any actual damage to you after a successful hit. Technically damage reduction (with different different damge types covered at different levels). Non Magical Armor breaks if it takes too much damage from a single blow.

I'd say Middlin Concrete.

Of course you'll be aware of True20's system, but I'll add it to the list anyway...

Armour functions as protection by granting a bonus to the victims Toughness Save, meaning that you're less likely to suffer an injury when hit. What I really like about the mechanic is that the degree by which one fails the save determines how much damage is taken -- the upshot being that armour fulfils a DR function, too.

I find it to be a far more elegant soloution than the all-in-one AC gubbins of D&D, but that's just me.

Rolemaster: Somewhat detailed. Heavier armour generally made you less likely to  get critical injuries, but sometimes more likely to get hit as is the case of someone in full plate vs someone unarmoured.

CORPS by BTRC.  Armor is rated as x/y.  x points of damage are stopped completely, and y points are converted from lethal damage to non-lethal.