New body armor options for soldiers

[General Lee]

Originally Posted by Anthony

No modern plates cover all torso; a standard front or back insert is roughly 0.75 square feet, a side insert is 0.33 square feet, a complete set is maybe 2.2 square feet, which is somewhat under 1/3 of the area of the body, or maybe half the area of the 'torso' hit location. Based on their weight, the trauma plates in basic probably do not include side plates.

So the plate covers only the chest? An abdomen shot would count only with the vest protection?

Meaning 2 (or 3) chances to hit in a d6 roll?

[Kuroshima]

I would say that we treat the trauma plates as large pectorals (GURPS Instant Armor, p. 20)

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Kuroshima

I would say that we treat the trauma plates as large pectorals (GURPS Instant Armor, p. 20)

In that they cover the vitals in the chest? I'm not sure that a chest hit that doesn't hit plate is as likely as that would imply. Maybe.

[Crakkerjakk]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

In that they cover the vitals in the chest? I'm not sure that a chest hit that doesn't hit plate is as likely as that would imply. Maybe.

Pectorals are different sizes. They all cover the vitals, but depending on the size have a varying chance of protecting the torso too, from 1/6 to 5/6.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Crakkerjakk

Pectorals are different sizes. They all cover the vitals, but depending on the size have a varying chance of protecting the torso too, from 1/6 to 5/6.

Then yeah, SAPIs are pectorals.

[Crakkerjakk]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Then yeah, SAPIs are pectorals.

Although, pectorals only have a chance of protecting the chest, never the abdomen. I don't think that's true of SAPIs, so some modification may be necessary.

[Anthony]

That's standard for partial armor that covers the chest -- it always covers the vitals. In terms of actual surface area, SAPI is roughly 3/6 coverage of the 'torso' location and no coverage of the 'groin' location, which low-tech seems to errata to really mean 'everything below the waist'. Arguably it should be 4/6, as much of the uncovered area is rarely particularly exposed to attack (for example, the tops of the shoulders).

[Crakkerjakk]

Originally Posted by Anthony

That's standard for partial armor that covers the chest -- it always covers the vitals. In terms of actual surface area, SAPI is roughly 3/6 coverage of the 'torso' location and no coverage of the 'groin' location, which low-tech seems to errata to really mean 'everything below the waist'. Arguably it should be 4/6, as much of the uncovered area is rarely particularly exposed to attack (for example, the tops of the shoulders).

Shoulders are arms, and I thought groin was now a sublocation of the abdomen?

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Crakkerjakk

Although, pectorals only have a chance of protecting the chest, never the abdomen. I don't think that's true of SAPIs, so some modification may be necessary.

SAPIs stop exactly where a breastplate does. They don't cover the fauld area at all.

[Crakkerjakk]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

SAPIs stop exactly where a breastplate does. They don't cover the fauld area at all.

I love it when game mechanics neatly mesh with reality.

The best part is if we know that sapis are 3/6 pectorals, we now have all the information we need to calculate the weight, cost, and dr of a full suit of titanium ceramic plate!