Mothership Power Armor Rules

Intro    

Power armor is ubiquitous in sci fi. These rules are intended to augment Mothership combat rather than replace. Power armor itself can be treated as a separate character. The max size of power armor these rules are designed to work with are a maximum of 8 feet tall and 1200 pounds.

     1. Power Armor

     Power Armor is armor that uses energy to augment a persons ability e.g. hydraulics to help lift more. This is separate from a mech in which you are more driving a vehicle than being in a suit of armor. A suit of power armor should be formidable; normal small arms wont do much to a full size suit yet dedicated anti armor weapons and larger caliber weapons still pose a significant threat. The armor can easily bounce a standard pulse rifle round but an anti tank rocket will be deadly. Aesthetics wise this varies from GM to GM. Suits can be anything from the sleek sci fi suits such as Crysis and Halo or a more ‘clunky’ or industrial looking suits such as suits seen in Battletech and Maschinen Krieger. 

    2. Armor Stats 

Armor is a player in its own right with stats and health independent of the PC. 

 

Example: Armored Fighting Suit 1

• Hits 3(50) 
• Combat 70 
• Strength 50 
• Armor 50 
• Speed 40
•  *Intellect +5 
• Weapon: Laser Rifle 6d10 damage 
• Weapon: Melee punch 3d10 

    The suit has 3 hits of 50 health, a combat score of 70, an armor score of 50 and a speed of 40. The suit also adds +5 to intellect checks as a special ability. Suits can have all kind of special abilities whether that be augmented speed, better fear saves or onboard healing. Body checks however are still done using the original PCs stat sheet.

    In regards to hits a suit is an extra health pool on top of the PCs standard health. If a weapon deals more damage than a hit it doesn't bleed through that hit is simply gone. It is up to GMs discretion for what weapons will deal damage to a suit and what won’t. A good standard is critical's hit with any weapon. However, most small arms e.g. pulse rifle, revolver, shotgun wont do damage unless they critically hit. Now standard weapons that will deal damage is a rigging gun, smart rifle and laser cutter.

    3. Suit Damage Rules 

    When a suit loses a full hit that is a bad situation for the player. A roll on the 1d6 critical failure table is warranted

    

These effects are gone when a suit gets repaired. In field repairs are done with the players taking a

break and making intellect checks and using necessary supplies.

4. Weapons and Vehicles 

    PCs should be harder to kill in power armor but not invincible, these tables below have both infantry and power armor weapons. Another obstacle to throw at players would be heavy vehicles such as tanks. A tank will core a power armor suit 1 to 2 hits with its main gun.

5. Conclusion 

    Power Armored players are not just normal mercenaries or soldiers anymore. A suit of armor  requires a logistics train to keep it going along with a massive upfront cost upwards of 2 million credits per suit. A suit will keep you alive in the worst conditions but only if you keep it alive.