Edge Protection rules update (draft)

[DouglasCole]

Originally Posted by alimantando

I think thats more an "doesn't seem to work for arrows".
I doubt there are cases, wher a bullet came just half way out of the armor.
But I would say that that "all or nothing" does not work at all.

I think it comes from the difference in scale. just a fraction of the bullets energy is needed to make a hole in flesh, any energy more is wasted (bone is another business).
Suppose thats 10%:
Armor that takes less then 90% of the energy doesn not protect at all. Armor that can take more then 100% gives full protection (save some bruises).
Only armor that takes between 90% and 100% offer that "protects a bit" business. Thats why I wold like to handle that with "blow through".

There's rather a lot of evidence that supports the way GURPS does things in the general sense, and rather more to support some of the tweaks suggested by tbone, Dan, and myself (among many others).

Right now, I've seen your assertions, but no proof. Most pistol bullets do NOT blow through their targets, and the ones that do typically do more damage than 3d.

In fact, I believe I posted a note a few days ago showing how you could handle blow-through for armor; applying that to people wouldn't be that hard.

Just take the person's HP, modified for bullet type, as DR. If you can't punch through aproximately the equivalent of DR10, the projectile won't even exit an unarmored person.

[alimantando]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_metal_jacket_bullet

Because the bullet does not expand as hunting bullets are designed to, FMJ are much less likely to stop an enemy combatant. Hunters are not allowed to use FMJ rounds, due to their limited stopping power and propensity to travel great distances through brush, buildings, and other cover. The bullet relies on its victim to desanguinate (bleed to death), whereas soft-tipped and hollow point bullets are designed to shock the system, destroy vital organs, and to speed the desanguination process.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollow_point

Despite the ban on military use, hollow point bullets are one of the most common types of civilian and police ammunition, due largely to the reduced risk of bystanders being hit by over-penetrating or ricocheted bullets, and the increased speed of incapacitation.

[DouglasCole]

Originally Posted by alimantando

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_metal_jacket_bullet


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollow_point

Two things:

(1) Wiki is not considered an authoritative source by just about anyone.

(2) The note on full metal jacket bullets sounds like ad copy for the soft/hollow point industry, and is misleading on several counts. FMJ rifle bullets at more than 600m/s tend to tumble and fragment in flesh, making WORSE wounds then JSP bullets of similar caliber. What that does do, however, is ruin the meat. All bullets are designed to "destroy vital organs" and cause the victim to bleed out. There's nothing in GURPS current rules, and most of the optional ones, that doesn't support hollow points or soft points doing worse wounds than conventional rounds.

And the hollow point is little better. ANY risk of overpenetration is unacceptable to a police agency in a land where the lawsuit is a more effective weapon than the firearm. That hollow points reduce indcidence of overpenetration does not mean that incidence is high to begin with.

[jacobmuller]

hmmm, I like it, not a lot, but I Do like it. Particularly the version were penetration forgoes the effects of EP...