sdc damage to person wearing MDC armor?

[kmspade]

In the Rifts novels people frequently take damage from laser blasts to their physical bodies even thought they are wearing mdc body armor. For example someone wearing mdc armor is shot with a laser, and suffers physical burns. There are no rules for this in the book. anyone care to share some house rules that take this into account?

Thanks,

[Killer Cyborg]

Actually there are several rules for this.

RUE 356 - Falling Damage - A character takes 1 S.D.C. per 20 feet of a fall.
RUE 356 - High Speed Crash - A character takes 1D4 S.D.C. per 20 mph above 50 mph.
RUE 356 - Impact from an Explosion - A character takes 1 S.D.C. for every 20 M.D.C. of an explosion.
RUE 365 - Surviving a Crash Landing - A character taking 1D6 S.D.C. for every 20 M.D. sustained in the crash.

So just because you are sitting in that glitter boy suit doesn't mean you are invulnerable. Suffering 700 M.D.C. worth of explosive damage is still going to do 35 S.D.C to you. A crash on your hovercycle can be pretty injurious too. If you are driving at top speed (220 mph) and someone blows out your hover jets or puts an invisible magic wall of force in front of you, that is 8D4 S.D.C., an average of 20 S.D.C. damage. There are plenty of ways for Rifts characters to get hurt even while inside M.D.C. armor.

Yup.
Good post.

[Nekira Sudacne]

But to address the exsample in the book: No, The book is wrong, there are no laser burns though megadamage body armor whatsoever.

[kmspade]

Thanks for the info. I guess if there is no heat damage from lasers, then the burster vs laser thread is kind of pointless. Thanks for the input.

[Killer Cyborg]

Does the impact from the explosion damage also count for any solid projectile or is it only for grenades, missiles, etc.?

It is never mentioned to apply to non-explosive projectiles.