Armor bought as Damage Resistance Advantage

[BaHalus]

Originally Posted by Dinadon

Armor doesn't normally reduce Basic Speed. It may reduce Basic Move or Dodge, but certainly not Basic Speed. But it's magic, so fair enough.

Weel, there is some disagvantage that reduces dodge? I could use that instead. My intentions was actually reduce Basic Move and Dodge.

Originally Posted by Dinadon

Or just use another Temporary Disadvantage for a negative reaction.

I think it would cause the same effect in the point value.

Originally Posted by Dinadon

No new modifier required, being able to wear clothes is a Perk.

So I calculate the value of the armour and add 1 at the end?

Originally Posted by Dinadon

Switchable is only required if you have no other modifiers that would cause an ability to turn on and off.

Takes Extra Time only makes sense when you need to activate the ability. You need both Switchable and Takes Extra Time since this is normally a passive ability.

Without Switchable your ability is passive and thus always on. Reflexive only works on abilities you can activate.

Well, I got confused now, your third sentence seems to be against the first one and what is said in page 153 of the Basic Set.

Originally Posted by Dinadon

Hard to say. I can't find anything in the RAW. What I would say is that if something has both Takes Extra Time and Reflexive then there is no need to actually use a ready maneuver to activate it. If you do decide to activate with a ready maneuver the time will be reduced, as per Reflexive.

Reflexive with extra-time? It can be done? I was thinking in two different options, not in both at the same time.

Originally Posted by Dinadon

You would do this similarly for abilities with variable FP costs, but obviously using Takes Extra Time instead of Costs FP. Unfortunately can't remember where this is at the moment.

Checking that.

[knarf]

Originally Posted by vitruvian

If it's that the guy can clobber insubstantial people with his mailed fists when the armor is phased in, it shouldn't be an enhancement on the DR, it should either be an enhancement on his punching damage per the rules for Modifying ST-based damage (and I'd allow grappling with those same hands for free), or an Imbuement ability tied to the armor. Either way, it would get an Accessibility at probably -10% of 'only when the armor is phased in'.

I would also limit the Reaction mod from having the armor on to -1, -2 at most. Other limitations such as Cannot Wear Armor (but remember to take the Nonprotective Clothing Perk so you don't need to strip down before activating the armor), Magical -10% (assuming it's a magical ability that won't work in No Mana), and a Nuisance Effect of -10% (since not having it immediately available when you first Ready it is indeed disadvantageous, and -10% balances out the silly +10% for Switchable quite nicely) and maybe a -1 or -2 to Basic Speed and therefore Dodge should limit it quite a bit and make it fairly cheap. Let's see:

DR 15 (Cannot Wear Armor, -40%; Magical, -10%; Nuisance Effect: 5 seconds to fade in after Ready, -10%; Nuisance Effect, -2 to Reaction Rolls, -10%; Switchable, +10%; Temporary Disadvantage: -1 to Basic Speed, -20%) [15]
Perk: Nonprotective Clothing [1]

An alternative might be to take this as an Alternate Form with Absorptive Change so your clothing goes away, Active, one level of Reduced Time, and Magical, but it will end up costing more so I think the Switchable DR is probably the easiest way to go on this.

My gut feeling is that, rather than declare a penalty to Basic Speed while the armor is active, just declare that it has weight equivalent to plate armor. Probably worth 10-15% as a Nuisance Effect.

[vitruvian]

Originally Posted by knarf

My gut feeling is that, rather than declare a penalty to Basic Speed while the armor is active, just declare that it has weight equivalent to plate armor. Probably worth 10-15% as a Nuisance Effect.

Why, when we have the Temporary Disadvantage limitation available right there?

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by BaHalus

Well, It is not always possible to run away.

I was actually thinking "Run toward." as in "Chaaaaarge!" :) Not always possible either.

Comparing Version D (with Delay) and Version I (Instant On), making contact with the enemy at some distance (presuming the PC was walking around with the armor off, because being slow and tired sucks):

Version I has to choose between "Activate the armor now, and charge very very slowly into combat, arriving after everyone else or slowing the charge" and "Charge unarmored, make contact unarmored, and spend a turn in melee range activating the armor" and "Activate the armor and wait for the enemy to charge us".

Version D has to choose between "Activate the armor now, wait until it's fully formed while the enemy charges, and prevent our side from charging", "Activate the armor now, charge while it's forming (suffering Movement and Dodge penalties compared to the armor being On) and then make contact with the enemy fully armored and ready to fight" and "Charge in unarmored, spend a turn in contact with the enemy activating the armor, and frantically try to survive while the armor is manifesting."

Two options for Version D are obviously severely un-optimal, but one seems actually better than Version I.

[BaHalus]

Well, I was thinking disadvantages in full expression once the armour was activated, even with the delay of the fade. But the alternative of the disadvantages slowing appearing could be interesting too (but a little bit more expensive I think).

[Langy]

Originally Posted by Bruno

Two options for Version D are obviously severely un-optimal, but one seems actually better than Version I.

Only problem is the limitations wouldn't fade in slowly - they'd be fully-formed the moment he gets 1 DR from his armor, unless the Basic Speed penalty is only on the last DR to be formed, and that would increase the price of the armor, probably enough to cancel out the delay price-reduction.

[knarf]

Originally Posted by vitruvian

Why, when we have the Temporary Disadvantage limitation available right there?

Because in GURPS, armor doesn't necessarily slow you down. It encumbers you, so it is likely to slow you down, but this is a function of weight rather than an inherent property of the item (unlike D&D). And encumbrance doesn't modify Basic Speed. It has one effect on Basic Move and another effect on Dodge, but Basic Speed is untouched.

[Langy]

Originally Posted by knarf

Because in GURPS, armor doesn't necessarily slow you down. It encumbers you, so it is likely to slow you down, but this is a function of weight rather than an inherent property of the item (unlike D&D). And encumbrance doesn't modify Basic Speed. It has one effect on Basic Move and another effect on Dodge, but Basic Speed is untouched.

The only RAW disadvantage that lowers Dodge is reduced Basic Speed, though; reducing Basic Speed seems to be a decent 'this stuff is encumbering' disadvantage. I'd probably say increased encumbrance could be treated as a -20% nuisance effect per encumbrance level gained (based on the cost of reduced basic speed), but that's not part of the RAW.

[Tuoni]

Originally Posted by Langy

The only RAW disadvantage that lowers Dodge is reduced Basic Speed, though; reducing Basic Speed seems to be a decent 'this stuff is encumbering' disadvantage. I'd probably say increased encumbrance could be treated as a -20% nuisance effect per encumbrance level gained (based on the cost of reduced basic speed), but that's not part of the RAW.

But if one wants the disadvantages of wearing full plate, than "Nuisence Effect:Weight of full plate" is better than trying to model being stuck at a certain encumbrance level, as that allows the penalty to be dependent on the PC's ST, much like actual armor. Also, has the advantage of avoiding negative Move due to stacking Encumbrance penalties on top of the DR Temporary Disadvantage.

[vierasmarius]

I second the suggestion to have a Signature Gear suit of high-quality (possibly enchanted) plate armor stored in an extra-dimensional Payload. It's basically what you're going for anyway, and would likely be cheaper and fit the concept better.