Ultra-Tech Armor Design

(Based on Pyramid #3-96.)

This article provides highly optional rules for a “ground up” look at futuristic personal armor design. It uses a system inspired by the rules developed for vehicular armor. This is the third part of a trilogy of articles that began with Low-Tech Armor Design in Pyramid #3/52: Low-Tech II (covering TL0-4 armor) and continued with Cutting-Edge Armor Design in Pyramid #3/85: Cutting Edge (covering TL5-9). These rules do not replace those found in GURPS Ultra-Tech; instead, they provide additional options intended for those who prefer designing personal armor in greater detail.

The article covers flexible and rigid wearable armor types built with TL10-12 technologies and with superscience, including sealed space armor and vacc suits, plus exotic armor types like electromagnetic armor and retro-reflective armor. A few examples of TL9 armor that were omitted in the prior article are also included. The complexities of powered battlesuits and force fields are beyond the article’s scope.

The Ultra-Tech Armor Design system constructs armor on a piece-by-piece basis, using numbers based on the weight per point of DR per square foot of torso, head, or limb area. Further modifiers are applied based on construction type to account for shaping and variations in strength over hit locations.

This system uses surface area and material values to construct armor on a piece-by-piece basis. The numbers are based on the concept that every DR 70 is equal to the protection of an inch of TL6-7 steel plate (technically known as rolled homogeneous armor) – that is, roughly DR 2.75 per millimeter of modern steel plate.

These rules also center on the idea of the weight of armor per square foot. For example, steel has a density of 490 lbs. per cubic foot. An inch is 1/12 of a foot, so a square foot of steel therefore weighs 490/12 = 40.83 lbs. Since an inch of steel armor is set at DR 70 in GURPS, every DR 1 of steel armor would weigh 40.83/70 = 0.583 lbs. per square foot, rounded off to 0.58 lbs. Similar calculations have been used to determine other armor materials where the density is known and the armor’s DR per inch can be estimated, usually from bullet and projectile penetration studies. The tables below used numbers derived from such studies.

An additional modifier is applied based on construction type, which can reduce the weight but increase cost. This accounts for both ballistic shaping (e.g., curved surfaces) and the fact that armor is rarely of uniform strength across an entire hit location – designers will usually reduce the armor in areas that are less likely to be hit. (Rules for targeting chinks in armor reflect this.)

For this system to work, it requires estimating usable values for surface area of various body parts. Surface area figures for the human body broken up by percentages are typically used in assessment of skin injuries and treatment (e.g., for burns), and a simplified version of these figures were applied in these guidelines. An adult human body averages approximately 20-22 square feet, and the torso – excluding what GURPS calls the groin area – is about is about 30-40% of that. While researching body-armor areas and weights, it became apparent that GURPS numbers for “torso” protection for vests, trauma plates, and similar armor would be far too heavy if they assumed full coverage of six to eight square feet for the entire torso (or three to four square feet for a front or back plate) as quoted in Ultra-Tech and High-Tech. However, GURPS Low-Tech corrected this by dividing the “torso” location into chest (75% of torso) and abdomen (25% of torso) areas; it would probably be realistic to assume that some TL6+ vests and most rigid trauma plates noted as protecting “torso” will implicitly use the same rule and protect only the chest area.

In the case of modern flexible armor made of materials such as Kevlar or high-density plastic fibers where steel-plate rolled homogeneous armor equivalents were unavailable, armor statistics were based on analysis of published protection figures for body-armor panels or vests of a given size. Modern body-armor protection is usually rated for level of protection in terms of the pistol or rifle caliber ammunition it can stop. In GURPS, this is based on average (rather than maximum) damage, e.g., a .357 magnum revolver does 3d damage (average 10.5); armor rated to stop that has DR 10 or DR 11. So, if a given armor material was described as weighing 3.5 lbs. and covering 5.25 square feet with the ability to protect against rounds up to .357 magnum, the weight per point of DR per square foot would be 3.5/(10 x 5.25) = 0.0666 lbs. This is not an exact science as it ignores extra weight for things like fastenings, so values were rounded up.

To build armor, follow this step-by-step procedure.

Step 1: Tech Level and Name. Pick the TL at which the armor is built (from TL9 to TL12) and name the armor. If using superscience materials, add ^ after TL.

Step 2: Coverage and Surface Area. Decide on the hit location – or partial location – that will be protected by the piece of armor being built. Calculate its surface area coverage in square feet. Record this value. Decide on the number of pieces making up the armor. If the armor’s DR will vary by different locations, consider noting each location’s area.

Step 3: Armor Material. Choose the material used in each piece of armor. Record its material weight and cost multipliers.

Step 4: Construction Type. Choose a construction type, such as plate. Some types are only available for certain materials.

Step 5: Set DR. Decide on each piece of armor’s Damage Resistance (DR). The DR can vary by location even for singlepiece protection, representing armor with variable thickness on different parts.

Step 6: Time to Don and Concealment. Figure out if the armor counts as flexible, and calculate the time it takes to put it on. Determine if it is concealable.

Step 7: Calculate Weight and Cost. This is decided with a formula based on the values determined in steps 1-5. Consider style options.

Step 8: Accessories. Choose any additional accessories or options, which will further increase weight and cost.

Step 9: Armor Statistics: Record the armor’s statistics block. Take note of any special factors that apply to the armor, e.g., modified DR against certain damage types.

Optionally, also calculate the armor’s radiation resistance and the maximum pressure it can stand. This is useful if designing hostile-environment armor, diving suits, etc.

Consider giving the piece of armor a unique name.

Example: Let’s build some TL11 ultra-tech armor for the Imperial Plasma Grenadiers, an elite guard for the galactic emperor’s palace. We’ll call it Imperial parade armor.

The human body has an average area of about 20 to 21 square feet. About seven square feet of this is devoted to the torso. Using numbers derived from the Armor Locations table from GURPS Low-Tech, p. 100, the Coverage Table (below) gives the values in square feet.

Example: The parade armor covers the entire body (we’ll skip the head; it has a separate helmet). This is 19.25 square feet. We plan to make the chest portion of the armor – 5.25 square feet – thicker, so we’ll have two locations with different DR coverage: chest (5.25 square feet) and one for all locations except chest and head (19.25 - 5.25 = 14 square feet).

Directional DR: Outfits may be built to protect a location (other than eyes or face) from the front (such as front trauma panels, bikini top, or a low-cut dress) or the back (such as a cape or rear trauma panels). Halve the surface area; record an F or B after armor DR.

Flexible armor (including scale armor) that covers the torso or chest locations may optionally be fitted with a carrier attachment for removable trauma plates – rigid armor designed to increase protection against higher-power ammunition or impaling weapons (“anti-stab plates”).

Build this as an extra layer of rigid armor with plate construction covering any torso location (sometimes with a directional DR option if only a front or back plate is included). Typical material used in trauma plates at TL8 are grades of steel, titanium alloy, and polymer composites; more advanced cutting-edge materials are quite possible.

Note that it is possible to build a non-ballistic carrier vest for the plates by simply using a cheap material like nylon and assigning something like DR 1 or DR 2.

Decide how many pieces the armor consists of. Even if it covers several locations, it can be a “single piece” provided each location logically can be attached together. For example, two arms must be separate pieces, but if there were also a torso piece, they could be a single unit, connected together. See also p. B399 for reference.

Example: We decide the suit is a single connected piece, even though we’ll have different DR on different locations.

Partial locations are in italics. Locations marked as “both” protect two limbs (or partial limbs) or extremities; you can cover just one for half the surface area.

* There’s a 1-in-6 chance a hit to these locations will hit the vitals.

The listed GURPS weights for armor assume they are sized to a wearer of average build (115-175 lbs. – see the Build Table, p. B18). In reality, a wearer who is a significantly different size or shape will need to have armor of a different size (or appropriately sized inserts) with a different weight and cost. Finding such sizes may also prove difficult.

Each +1 or -1 to SM affects surface area by the factor shown in Adjusting for SM (see GURPS Ultra-Tech, p. 16). Apply that factor to surface area right away, or just multiply the final cost and weight by the factor.

Armor also can be scaled individually to particular body sizes and weights. This can be done by dividing character weight by 150 (average human weight) and then raising it to the two-third power (that is, find the cube root, then square it). Use this as a multiple to surface area, rather than adjusting for SM. The formula is:

Surface Area Multiplier = (character’s weight/150)^2/3.

If someone’s only option is to wear ill-fitting armor, consider assessing a penalty of -1 to DX (or -2 to DX if the armor covers half or more of the surface area). In addition, if the armor is too small, consider reducing the penalty to target any chinks in armor by 1 or 2, as there will be gaps in protection.

Choose a material type for the armor. Several types are available, and more than one material type can be combined if desired (this is often the case for reflec, retro-reflective, and electromagnetic armor, which only resist very specific damage types).

Example: For the Imperial parade armor, we decide to use costly diamondoid laminate (WM 0.03, CM $200 at TL11). It can be transparent at double cost, but we won’t bother with that. We also must give the armor at least DR 35, due to its minimum DR.

Rubber (TL6): Natural or synthetic rubber.

Elastic Polymer (TL7): Synthetic rubber-like elastomer materials such as neoprene or Spandex, and various blends. Commonly used in wetsuits, motorcycle riding suits, superhero costumes, or lightweight protective gear (e.g., paintball armor vests).

Nomex (TL7): Flame-resistant meta-aramid blends such as Nomex (often reinforced with nylon, neoprene, etc.).

Nylon (TL7): A silky synthetic thermoplastic material; statistics are for strong ballistic weave nylon as used in early body armor and other protective gear.

Ballistic Polymer (TL8): Flexible plastic fiber composites such as Spectra Shield and Dyneema manufactured from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. Costlier but tougher than Kevlar.

Improved Ballistic Polymer (TL8): The latest generation of ballistic polymers.

Kevlar (TL8): Woven para-aramid fiber fabric such as Kevlar and Twaron.

Improved Kevlar (TL8): Costlier late-TL8 para-aramid materials using more sophisticated ballistic weaves.

Improved Nomex (TL8): Meta-aramid fabric reinforced with Kevlar, such as Nomex III.

Arachnoweave (TL9): Spider silk produced using genetic engineering technology. (TL10+ versions, not covered here, are further improved via enhanced spiders…)

Basic Nanoweave (TL9): A late-TL9 flexible armor using polymer reinforced by carbon nanotubes (albeit not quite as strong as the TL10 nanoweave armor in Ultra-Tech). Laser-Ablative Polymer (TL9): Ballistic polymer built to absorb laser fire.

Magnetic Liquid Armor (MLA) (TL9): Another, potentially even stronger, form of liquid “reflex” armor incorporates microtubules filled with magneto-rheological fluid (ferrous metallic particles suspended in a carrier liquid. The MR liquids built into the armor can instantly transition from a flexible suit to rigid metallic panels as sensors in the armor detect impacts and trigger an electric charge. The armor is self-powered (using a wearable flexible power supply that is recharged by the wearer’s muscle movements).

STF Liquid Armor (TL9): Ballistic fabric such as improved Kevlar whose protective qualities are enhanced by ceramic nanoparticles soaked in sheer-thickening “liquid armor” fluid. They transition to a rigid material upon impact. This is one of the armor technologies referred to as “Reflex armor” in Ultra-Tech.

Reflec (TL9): A light, highly reflective armor of polished metallic fibers that gets full DR vs. microwaves and (in cinematic games) visible-light and near-infrared lasers, but no DR otherwise. It negates any stealth benefits vs. radar and adds 1 (2 if wearing a full suit) to rolls to detect its wearer via radar.

Bioplas (TL10): Ultra-tech “living” smart polymer with superior damage resistance and unique self-sealing capability.

Nano-Ablative Polymer (TL10): Flexible composite with laser-absorbing nanotubes.

Advanced Nanoweave (TL10): Fabric reinforced by woven ultra-strong nanotubes.

Monocrys (TL11): Flexible diamondoid ballistic molecular mesh.

Retro-Reflective Armor (TL11^): This armor is embedded with metallic fibers covering spherical micro-lenses whose mirrors reflect laser fire back at the attacker. It returns half the damage from visible-light or near-infrared lasers that the DR actually resisted. The remaining damage affects the wearer. If not expecting reflection, the attacker gets no defense against the first attack reflected back; otherwise, he can dodge.

Energy Cloth (TL12): Also called energy weave, this is a hyperdense exotic smart matter fabric that is both flexible and exceedingly damage resistant.

Hard Steel (TL6): Face-hardened high-strength steel or high hardness alloys.

High-Strength Steel (TL6): Rolled homogeneous armor plate.

Basic Ceramic (TL7): Boron carbide or aluminum oxide ceramics (or for transparent armor, possibly also quartz).

Ballistic Resin (Late TL7): Various rigid fiber-reinforced composites.

Fiberglass (TL7): Tough glass-reinforced plastic, e.g., S-glass.

High-Strength Aluminum (TL7): Aerospace-grade aluminum alloy.

Plastic (TL7): Ordinary thermoplastic material.

Polycarbonate (TL7): Tough high-impact molded plastic; may be transparent at extra cost.

Titanium Alloy (TL7): A strong but costly light alloy.

Improved Ceramic (TL8): Costlier ceramics, e.g., silicon carbide, either with a polymer or alloy backing plate, or encapsulated in a polymer material.

Laminated Polycarbonate (TL8): Advanced multi-layered polycarbonate and polyurethane laminate, often used for transparent armor visors.

Polymer Composite (TL8): Carbon-fiber reinforced plastic or resin-bonded Kevlar. Often used to make ballistic helmets.

Titanium Composite (TL8): A titanium metal matrix composite – alloy reinforced by high-strength ceramic particles or fibers.

Ultra-Strength Steel (TL8): Triple hardened steel alloys or nanostructured steel.

Ceramic Nanocomposite (TL9): Ceramic nanoparticles in an elastic medium.

Polymer Nanocomposite (TL9): Plastic reinforced by carbon or boron nanotubes.

Titanium Nanocomposite (TL9): Titanium composite reinforced by carbon or boron nanotubes.

Advanced Nano-Laminate (TL10): A multi-layered composite armor incorporating advanced polymer, titanium, or beryllium composites; ultra-hard ceramic nanocomposites; and reactive materials over an inner layer of spall and shock-absorbing bioplas, nanoweave, or liquid armor.

Advanced Polymer Nanocomposite (TL10): A non-metallic armor consisting of advanced polymer reinforced with highstrength carbon or boron nanotubes.

Electromagnetic Armor (TL10): Introduced in vehicles one TL earlier, EM armor is used to neutralize shapedcharge warheads via layers of thick-spaced plates or, at higher TLs, superconductor layers. When a shaped-charge projectile (e.g., HEAT) or plasma-bolt impacts the armor, sensors detect the impact and the armor generates an intense electromagnetic field, disrupting the penetrating jet and degrading or nullifying its effect. See also Power Cells and Electromagnetic Armor for details on providing the material with energy.

Diamondoid (TL11): Super-hard diamond-like material created through molecular nanotechnology.

Diamondoid Laminate (TL11): A multilayer composite of diamondoid, titanium carbide, bioplas, monocrys, and shockand radiation-absorbing reactive polymers.

Hyperdense (TL12): A laminate of steel and exotic collapsed matter (“collapsium”).

Hyperdense Laminate (TL12): A complex laminate of hyperdense exotic matter ultra-tough synthetics and exotic shock and energy-absorbing smart matter (like energy cloth, above).

Electromagnetic armor requires that the suit has built-in power cells dedicated to the armor. It won’t function at all if there isn’t enough available energy. C cells can power EM armor for a number of times equal to Uses determined by the formula below:

Uses = (Pc x DRe) x number of C cells dedicated to powering armor.

Pc is 500 at TL9, 2,000 at TL10, 4,000 at TL11, and 8,000 at TL12.

DRe is the highest DR of electromagnetic armor on the suit.

B cells provide 1/10 as many uses, D cells 10¥ as many, E cells 100¥, etc. Add the weight (but not cost) of the desired number of power cells to the armor’s weight: B cells are 0.05 lb., C cells are 0.5 lb., D cells 5 lbs., and E cells 20 lbs.

TL: The earliest tech level the material is available for armor.

Material: A designation for the material.

WM: This is the armor weight multiplier; it is the weight of one square foot of armor with DR 1, assuming the armor is of solid, flat construction.

CM: The base cost per pound of worked material.

DR/in: For reference purposes, this is the DR per inch of a one-inch (25mm) thickness of that material. Some materials have a split DR as detailed in their Note.

Max DR: The maximum DR that any single layer of worn armor can possess, to avoid making it too thick to wear.

Min DR: Some laminate armor requires a minimum thickness. The armor must be built with at least this DR using the material.

Notes: Special notes regarding the armor:

B is bio-tech, capable of sealing punctures or rips. In addition, at DR 15+ bioplas can greatly reduce the cost and weight of an extended life-support system (see Accessories).

E is energy-ablative; treat the armor as ablative DR vs. damage from lasers, plasma or fusion guns, or flamers.

F means the armor is flexible if it has no more than 25% of its listed DR/in. Flexible armor has flexible DR, but can be donned in 2/3 the usual time. It is subject to the blunt trauma rule (p. B379). It may be built with “DR 0” (treat as DR 0.25 for weight and cost calculation); this is useful if using these rules to create unarmored clothes.

L is composite laminate armor. If the armor has at least half the max DR, the DR will be doubled against shaped-charge warheads (e.g., HEAT) and plasma bolts (plasma or fusion weapons).

M is electromagnetic armor. Its DR protects only against shaped-charge projectiles and plasma bolt weapons. Attacks failing to penetrate the DR of any armor installed over the EM armor (or any screens) don’t trigger the EM armor. If building electromagnetic armor to match the examples in Ultra-Tech (where the EM armor is described as increasing laminate armor DR from double its DR to triple its DR against shaped-charge and plasma attacks), simply assign an EM armor DR equal to 100% of the laminate armor’s DR.

T means it can be transparent (it doesn’t have to be) at twice the material cost. If transparent, it has 0 DR against visible-light laser beams, such as blue-green lasers, and against any blinding attack. Transparent armor is useful for creating visors, shades, and the like. For 2.5x material cost, it can be transparent at will.

Construction: R/S means it can be used for any rigid (plate, solid, segmented plate, or impact-absorbing plate) construction type or for scale construction. F/O means the material can be used as fabric or optimized fabric.

See Armor Material Table Key for details on terms and abbreviations.

Notes:

• [1] If assigned DR 2 or more, the full DR only applies against crushing damage. Divide DR (and DR/in) by two vs. all other damage types.
• [2] The armor’s DR only applies vs. microwave and (in cinematic games) visible and near-infrared laser beams. It has 0 DR vs. other damage types.
• [3] The full DR only applies against burning damage. Divide DR (and DR/in) against other damage types by four (round down).
• [4] The full DR only applies vs. piercing and cutting damage (or, for bioplas, vs. piercing and burning). Divide DR (and DR/in) by three vs. all other damage types.
• [5] The full DR only applies against piercing and cutting damage. Divide DR (and DR/in) against other damage types by four (Kevlar, arachnoweave), three (STF liquid armor, nanoweave, improved kevlar), 2.5 (ballistic polymer, improved ballistic polymer), or two (Nylon, magnetic liquid armor).
• [6] The full DR only applies against burning damage from lasers (including X-ray, gamma-ray, etc.). Divide DR (and DR/in) by six vs. all other damage types.

The weight of armor material assumes a solid construction with no joins or gaps, but alternative construction types are more commonly used. The Armor Material Table lists what other construction types are possible for given materials at various TLs. Refer to the descriptions below and the Construction Table for options.

Example: We used diamondoid laminate, with construction type R/S, so it cannot use fabric or optimized fabric. We decide the armor is plate, with CW 0.8, CC 1.5 (at TL9+), and Min DR 3.

Fabric: This is simply a wearable garment with uniform protection across the material, so that Chinks in Armor (p. B400) rule should not apply.

Optimized Fabric: Body armor is often designed with thicker material over areas that are more likely to be hit. If this construction type is used, the Chinks in Armor (p. B400) and Harsh Realism – Armor Gaps (see GURPS Low-Tech, p. 101) also apply.

Scales: This turns a solid material into a flexible version by forming the material into small linked platelets, often inspired by computer analysis of animal armor.

Segmented Plate: Uses large, overlapping horizontal bands of armor laced together.

Plate: Armor made of solid plates or castings, attached by joints, carefully shaped to use less material in areas of reduced vulnerability to save weight. However, the armor is vulnerable to Chinks in Armor (p. B400) and Harsh Realism – Armor Gaps (see Low-Tech, p. 101).

Impact-Absorbing: Built with a structure designed to collapse and thus absorb and dissipate heavy impacts, or with extra padding. Treat as plate, but it has split DR: use the full DR vs. crushing damage (including explosions) and half its DR (round down) against other types of damage.

Solid: This represents flat or gently curved plates. It’s not really possible for armor on most limb hit locations, but can be used for chest, skull, head, or face (as well as things like vehicles). The Targeting Chinks in Armor rules should not apply.

CW: The construction weight multiplier.

CC: The construction cost multiplier at TL9 and higher.

Min DR: The minimum DR that the armor may be assigned; if it is higher, use the minimum DR listed on the Armor Material Table.

Notes: The effect on DR, as covered in Step 5.

Choose the armor’s DR, keeping in mind these considerations.

Maximum DR: The armor can’t exceed the Max value for the material type specified on the Armor Materials Table. If armor is to be concealable as or under clothing, its DR should have no more than half the material’s Max value.

Minimum DR: The armor can’t be less than the Min DR specified on the Construction Table or the Armor Material Table. A greater DR will increase cost and weight, as shown below. If this is a major concern, calculate the weight and cost per point of DR first, and then choose actual DR. If the armor material or construction type affects DR vs. some types of damage, make a note of it. Many armor materials get reduced DR vs. certain damage types.

Example: Diamondoid laminate has a max of DR 420 (and min. 35), but that much armor would be too heavy to move in! As it is for use around the palace, we want the armor to be something that does not add significant encumbrance to the wearer, so we need to keep it below 20 lbs. for an average person. However, it should be reasonably effective against blaster pistol or similar weapon – at least DR 30. We decide it has DR 45 on the chest but the minimum DR 35 elsewhere.

A heavily armored suit may provide some radiation shielding, as measured by its Protection Factor (PF); see p. B436 for how it reduces the effects of radiation. Use PF rating against most ordinary radioactivity, including radiation produced by nuclear weapons. Less penetrating radiation from solar flares and Van Allen belts is resisted with 20 x PF. Radiation shielding PF is based on the area density (AD) in pounds per square foot of the armor, since what matters is the total thickness and mass rather than its ability to stop bullets.

Area Density (AD) = DR x material WM.

DR is the armor’s DR. (If it varies, use the DR applicable vs. burning damage, and use the lowest location’s DR.) All TL10+ laminate armors include additional layers of radiation-absorbing materials; treat their DR as 10 times higher for this purpose.

WM is from the armor material.

Look up the area density (AD) on the table below to find the Protection Factor (PF):

* Treat this as PF 1 against most radiation; the fraction 0.5 is used only when calculating effective PF against less penetrating radiation (e.g., solar flares and Van Allen belt radiation) which is resisted with 20 ¥ regular PF and so would be PF 10.

Example: The suit’s diamondoid laminate had WM 0.03. Multiplying this by DR 35 x 10 (for TL10+ laminate) gives an AD 10.5, which means we have PF 2 (PF 40 against less penetrating radiation like solar flares, etc. where even thin protection is effective).

The base time to don for high-tech or ultra-tech armor is three seconds per piece.

Armor is flexible if it uses a flexible material, or uses a rigid material plus scale construction; otherwise it is rigid. Any single piece of armor that covers any of the leg locations and one or more other locations (besides feet) takes twice as long to don, if it’s flexible, or five times as long if it is rigid.

Armor can be put on in only 2/3 the time by omitting properly securing the armor, tightening straps, and adjusting the fit. For quickly donned armor, the GM should assesses -1 to DX until it can be securely fashioned. Sealed armor (see below) also may not be properly sealed, if donned hastily; roll vs. NBC Suit or Vacc Suit skill to avoid this. It generally takes half the specified time to remove securely fastened armor.

Example: The armor covers everywhere but the head, so it falls under “covers leg and one other location (besides feet). Additionally, it’s rigid, therefore takes five times as long to don, or 15 seconds.

Rigid armor is not concealable. Armor made of flexible materials or scale may be concealable, depending on how thick it is.

Armor with more than half the maximum DR is not concealable. It can only pass as heavy clothing such as a trench coat, biker leathers, etc. Reduce LC by 1.

Armor with up to half the maximum DR can be concealed under clothing or pass as ordinary civilian outerwear.

Armor with no more than one-quarter the maximum DR can pass as light clothing such as T-shirts, evening wear, skintight suits, etc. and be worn beneath clothes. Increase LC by 1 to max LC4.

Armor with no more than one-sixth the maximum DR can be disguised as swimwear, lingerie, or other diaphanous clothing. Increase LC by 1 to max LC4.

Example: The armor is rigid, so it’s not concealable.

Use the formula below to calculate the weight and cost of the armor. To instead calculate the weight and cost per point of DR, just use “DR 1” in the formula.

Armor weight (in pounds) = LSA x WM x CW x DR.

Armor Cost = armor weight x CM x CC.

LSA is the location surface area from the Coverage Table.

WM is the material weight from the Armor Material Table.

CW is the construction weight multiplier from the Construction Table.

DR is Damage Resistance.

CM is the material cost from the material Armor Materials Table.

CC is the construction cost multiplier from the Construction Table.

The final weight and cost should be rounded to two significant figures – that is, round $246 to $250, or 13.5 lbs. to 14 lbs.

Example: The chest armor has LSA 5.25 (chest) x WM 0.03 (diamondoid laminate) x CW 0.8 (plate) x DR 45 = 5.67 lbs., Its cost is the armor weight 5.67 x CM $200 (diamondoid laminate at TL11) x CC 1.5 (plate) = $1,701. The armor on the rest of the body is LSA 14 x WM 0.03 x CW 0.8 x DR 35 = 11.76 lbs. Cost is 11.76 x CM $200 x 1.5 = $3,528. As this is a single piece suit, the weight is 5.67 + 11.76 = 17.43 lbs., rounded to 17 lbs. The cost is $1,701 + $3,528 = $5,229, rounded to $5,200.

Armor – even if it’s not concealable (e.g., parade or tournament armor) – can be attractively styled. Apply this as a modifier to the calculated cost. Stylish armor is four times the above cost. Fashion originals are 20 times the above cost.

Stylish or better armor can also include “authentic” appearing replicas of period armor made from inauthentic materials.

Example: It’s ornate armor for the elite Plasma Grenadiers! It has gold and iridium highlights and buckles! Four times cost for stylish, or $20,800.

Armor can have additional accessories and modifiers. Unless noted, any system can be used with any ultra-tech armor. Some of the most common options are detailed below, but numerous other possibilities are available from GURPS Ultra-Tech and GURPS High-Tech.

Sealed: Armor with DR 1+ can be sealed. All rigid armor joints are protected and/or fabric is treated to be impervious to penetration by liquids and gases. If a wearer’s entire body is protected by sealed armor, the wearer has the Sealed advantage (p. B82). Ultra-tech sealed armor is an extra $5 per square foot protected. Round off as above. Of course, armor without a helmet, etc. only counts as sealed when it’s fully buttoned up.

Waste-Relief System: The suit collects and packages the wearer’s waste products in a hygienic manner. $500, 1 lb. at TL9-10; halved at TL11+. Available for any armor that includes the groin location (groin, abdomen, torso, full suit, etc.). No extra weight if DR 5+ bioplas covers that location, as it’s assumed to feed on waste products.

Infrared Cloaking: Any suit that covers at least 70% of the entire body may have this option. This system reduces an object’s heat signature to defeat infrared and thermal imaging detection. It subtracts -4 at TL9, -6 at TL10, -8 at TL11, or -10 at TL12 from rolls to detect the wearer via infrared vision or similar sensors. 3 lbs. and $75 per square foot of armor. LC3.

Biomedical Sensors: +1 to Diagnosis rolls when examining suited wearer (or remote diagnosis at -2 to skill). $200, 0.2 lb. See Ultra-Tech, p. 187. Can be built into any armor that includes chest coverage.

Near Miss Indicator: Sensor grants +2 to Vision rolls to spot source of projectile fire in conjunction with HUD or sensor visor. $1,000, A/24 hr. See Ultra-Tech, p. 188.

Psionic Mind Shield Circuitry (TL9^): Adds TL-6 to IQ or Will to resist Telepathic afflictions or attacks; $1,000, 0.5 lbs., 2B/100 hrs., LC3 (See, Ultra-Tech, p. 188).

Personal Radar/Ladar Detector: Warns of radar, ladar, or laser targeting at 2¥ targeting system or sensor’s range (1.5¥ if LPI sensor). $50, 0.5 lbs., A/10 days. See Ultra-Tech, p. 188.

Trauma Maintenance: Built-in drug injector with 10 doses. $2,000, neg., A/1 yr. See Ultra-Tech, p. 188.

Microbot Arteries: Allows a one-yard swarm of microbots to nest in the suit. Suit must cover at least the entire torso. $500, neg., without microbots. See Ultra-Tech, pp. 35 and 189 for swarms and arteries. Often uses a TL10 paramedical crawler swarm ($6,000) or a TL10 repair swarm ($500).

Climate Control: Add to any suit. Provides air conditioning, waste-heat removal, insulation, and one day’s drinking water supply. This is typically effective within a climate range from 120ºF to -40ºF without penalty or fatigue, but see Temperature Tolerance (p. 26). Adds $50, 0.5 lbs. Usually added to whatever part of the suit covers the torso.

Desert Environment System: Recycles nearly all waste water (increase duration 60x). $1,000, 2 lbs. See Ultra-Tech, p. 189. Requires some form of climate control or life support. Not necessary if suit has extended life-support system (p. 26).

Extreme Climate Control: This provides light, water, heating, and cooling systems like the basic climate-control version, but at any extremes of temperature that the suit can physically withstand as long as the wearer is entirely enclosed in sealed armor. This will vary, but usually means from near-absolute zero to whatever temperature would start to damage the suit. $200, 1 lb. Usually added to whatever part of the suit covers the torso. An alternative to climate control and the various life-support systems detailed below.

Air Supply: Any sealed suit or any helmet with an air mask may incorporate oxygen tanks (rather than just wearing them separately); a suit with a life-support system or extended life-support system (see p. 26) will often incorporate an air supply. A suit can have more than one tank if desired.

Large Air Tank: This holds 24 hours at TL9, 36 hours at TL10, two days at TL11, 3 days at TL12. $200, 10 lbs.

Medium Tank: Holds 12 hours at TL9, 18 hours at TL10, 24 hours at TL11, or 36 hours at TL12 of air. $80, 4 lbs.

Small Tank: Holds four hours at TL9, six hours at TL10, eight hours at TL11, or 12 hours at TL12. $60, 2 lbs.

Tiny Tank: Holds 10 minutes at TL9, 15 minutes at TL10, 20 minutes at TL11 or 30 minutes at TL12 of air. $50, 0.5 lbs.

Life-Support System (LSS): This is a life-support pack that functions as extreme climate control and provides a water supply equal to the air duration, the Vacuum Support advantage (p. B96), and pressure support (see Extra Details, below) as long as the wearer is entirely enclosed in sealed armor (e.g. has a helmet, etc.), with built-in or external air tanks (p. 25). Add to any sealed suit, normally adding it to the torso section. A prerequisite for adding LSS requires minimum DR 2 if TL9+ flexible armor or DR 6+ if TL9+ rigid armor; if damage varies vs. different types, this DR must be vs. crushing damage. $1,000, 2 lbs. It requires a suit power pack (below).

Extended Life-Support System (ELSS): This is an ultra-tech alternative to the LSS that can be used with any sealed suit in conjunction with built-in or external air tanks (p. 25). It’s usually built into whatever part of the suit covers the torso, as a backpack. It reclaims and recycles most of the user’s water and air supply, while scrubbing out waste products. Multiply operating air and water duration by 10 at TL9 or by 60 at TL10+. The system is 5 lbs. and $10,000 at TL10; halve this at TL11+ For sealed suits with at least DR 15+ bioplas on 80% or more of the body, divide weight and cost by five; the “living” suit performs recycling.

Power Pack: Any suit with a climate-control or life-support system should have a power cell. Generally, each C cell (adds 0.5 lbs. to suit weight) provides any life-support system or extreme climate control with 12 hours power at TL9, 18 hours at TL10, 24 hours at TL11, or 36 hours at TL12, or twice that for ordinary climate control. Often two cells are used. Don’t add their cost, however, just their weight.

Example: We decide the Imperial parade armor has several accessories. We’ll add biomedical sensors ($200, 0.2 lbs.), plus a waste-relief system so the palace guards can stand at attention for hours without restroom breaks ($250, 0.5 lbs. at TL11). We’ll make it sealed armor; using its total 19.25 sq. ft., that’s $5 x 19.25 = $96.25. Let’s also add infrared cloaking ($30 x 19.5 = $585). For use when the suit is paired with a sealed helmet, we’ll give it an extended life-support system (ELSS) ($5,000, 2.5 lbs.) and add a built-in tiny air tank ($50, 0.5 lbs.) for when not wearing external tanks. It will also use two C cells as a power pack for its ELSS (giving 48 hours of power). The accessories add a total of $11,181.25 and 4.7 lbs. to the suit’s existing $20,800 and 17 lbs., for a total of $31,981.25, rounded to $32,000, and 21.7 lbs., rounded to 22 lbs.

Add these features to any armor that covers the skull or entire head. LC4 unless noted.

Tiny Radio: 0.05 lbs., $50, includes GPS receiver. See Ultra-Tech, p. 74. Range is one mile at TL9, two miles at TL10, five miles at TL11, or 10 miles at TL12.

Air Mask: $50, 0.5 lbs. Used with a filter or air tanks, allows breathing in unbreathable but not otherwise harmful atmospheres. Not necessary if the suit has air tanks and either a life-support system or extended life-support system, if all locations are sealed.

Computer: A tiny computer with the Hardened and High Capacity options. It has Complexity 3 (TL9), 5 (TL10), 6 (TL11), or 7 (TL12). 0.1 lb., $150 ($3,000 for Fast version with +1 Complexity).

Filter: $100, neg. weight. Filters out gas, etc. Useful even with life support, as this doesn’t use up stored oxygen.

Provisions Dispenser (TL9): Provides food paste. $50, 1 lb., plus $10 and 0.75 lbs. per day of food paste (UltraTech, p. 73) stored (maximum of two weeks).

Hearing Protection: $50, neg. weight. Screens out noise equivalent to Protected Hearing (p. B78). Add to any armor that covers the skull or entire head. Any rigid armor that covers the face (or entire head) with transparent material may incorporate a head-up display. See Ultra-Tech, p. 24.

Head-Up Display (HUD): Basic helmet-mounted display. $50, 0.1 lb.

HUD With Infrared Visor: As above but with infrared vision and 2x magnification at TL9, 4x magnification at TL10, 8x at TL11, or 16x at TL12. $500, 0.6 lbs., B/10 hr.

HUD With Hyperspectral Visor: As above, but provides hyperspectral vision. Magnification is 1x at TL9, 2x at TL10, 4x at TL11, or 8x at TL12. $2,000, 0.6 lbs., B/10 hr.

If the face is not covered with transparent material, the user will be blind when the visor is in position. To fix this, add a sensor visor.

Sensor Visor: If a helmet lacks a transparent visor, sensor information suitable for 360° scan (giving Peripheral Vision) is $1,000 at TL9 (halved at TL10 and again at TL11+). Includes basic HUD, audio microphones, and a simple (and unjammable) low-light optical-circuit TV camera if no better sensors are provided. Burned out by a critical hit to “eyes” location on 10 or less on 3d. See Armor Without Faceplates (Ultra-Tech, p. 187).

Give the armor a name and record the armor’s statistics block using the standard format with the addition of a Don time entry.

Note any modifications to DR against different damage types. Put an * after DR to denote flexible armor, as defined under Calculate Time to Don and Concealment.

Assign the armor whatever LC seems appropriate, often based more on its look and feel than its actual statistics. Civilian-wear armor is usually LC4, paramilitary gear is LC3, and full military gear LC2.

If the suit has a power supply for its life support record the type of cells and duration.

The following details are pertinent for armor with appropriate accessories.

A suit is pressurized and thus counts as “vacuum support” if all locations are sealed and has life support or extended life support system. (Many suits as noted as “pressurized if sealed helmet added.”)

Example: Our suit qualifies as vacuum support if paired with a sealed helmet.

Any sealed suit that covers at least 90% of the body and has climate control provides -40°F to 120°F temperature tolerance. If it is completely sealed increase this to -50°F to 150°F if DR 5 or less (vs. burning damage). If it has extreme climate control or a life-support system and is completely sealed raise this to at least -459°F to 250°F (or perhaps higher, at the GM’s option).

Example: Our suit gets -459°F to 250°F protection while completely sealed, thanks to its life-support system.

Rigid armor is rated for the maximum atmospheres of pressure it can withstand without collapsing (crushing the occupant). A sealed pressurized suit with rigid armor can resist 1.5 atmospheres of pressure per point of rigid armor DR. Exception: If the armor uses only Solid construction, multiply its effective DR by 10 for this purpose. Where DR varies over different locations or directions, use the lowest DR; if it varies vs. damage type, use DR vs. crushing damage. Multiply by 33 to get a crush depth in feet of water.

Example: Our suit has DR 45 on the chest and DR 35 elsewhere. It’s rigid pressurized armor. If it were combined with a helmet with similar capabilities, it could withstand a maximum of 1.5 x 35 = 52.5 atmospheres of pressure, or 1,733’ of water. (If the helmet was worse, we’d use the helmet’s values to calculate this.)