Plain Clothes Armors

[drewkitty ~..~]

Outside the Triax books where are they found?

[Alrik Vas]

The northern gun books have some. Might be reprinted from merc ops.

[Glistam]

G.M.'s Guide and Dinosaur Swamp.

[Nekira Sudacne]

Outside the Triax books where are they found?

Northern Gun 2 has a huge selection of clothing armor in many varaties, pages and pages of them MDC ratings and styles. Many of which cover enough to not need an AR rating. it's awesome.

[drewkitty ~..~]

NG books.....is hoping to order them in the x-mass package
RGMG...only has them listed in the triax section. and basicly says 'go see the triax book'

DS....*shrugs*

Was looking for the Triax style plain clothes in a NA book. I am sure they are there somewhere I just don't remember where. And since it is for a char I am playing right now I need to know where before asking the GM.

[Damian Magecraft]

NG books.....is hoping to order them in the x-mass package
RGMG...only has them listed in the triax section. and basicly says 'go see the triax book'

DS....*shrugs*

Was looking for the Triax style plain clothes in a NA book. I am sure they are there somewhere I just don't remember where. And since it is for a char I am playing right now I need to know where before asking the GM.

Check in the new west books (i could swear i saw a write up on a mdc duster in there).

[Alrik Vas]

There are a few. Even some designed to fit over body armor.

[CyCo]

There's some in Rifts Oz, Base 4 armour, and an armoured trenchcoat.

[Glistam]

There's some in Rifts Oz, Base 4 armour, and an armoured trenchcoat.

Rifts Oz?

[Brayon]

There's some in Rifts Oz, Base 4 armour, and an armoured trenchcoat.

Rifts Oz?

Oz is Aussie slang for Australia.

[drewkitty ~..~]

I found some text in the 1st triax book where it says that they trade with the NG. But I was sure that there was a listing for CS Plain Clothes armor somewhere. *shrugs*

[abtex]

Brieghtling and Sons Leather Goods Co.
lists some stuff

[Pepsi Jedi]

the NG books actually note that it's surprising that the CS do NOT use MDC clothing yet.

As pointed out, the NG MDC uniforms and stuff originally appeared in Dino Swamp, but they were expanded greatly in the NG books. Full write ups and discriptions along with notation that would affect many games.

In short, it's not legal to wear full MDC armor in most Rifts cities. CS or other wise. NG came out with full lines (The Armored clothing, uniforms, and Ride armors) to get around these restrictions. Many people play rifts, armored from the second they sit down at the table till they leave to go home for the night. In the world, most cities don't let you walk around that way.

[dragonfett]

NG's Stalker Suit (page 87-88 of Merc Ops), can be worn under normal clothes.

[kaid]

The northern gun books have some. Might be reprinted from merc ops.

NG2 has a large number of clothing and non environmental body armors and parts of sets. If you like the plain cothes armor I strongly recommend NG2 nice combo of light military looks/hoverbike ganger type gear and outdoorsman gear that includes the stuff from the dino swamp book all in one location.

[Alrik Vas]

So stalker suit under exoskeleton armor from now on...

And when not in armor, stalker suit under "clothes."

[Slight001]

So stalker suit under exoskeleton armor from now on...

And when not in armor, stalker suit under "clothes."

I would invest in the cleanse and light healing tw mods for that suit...

(In case I'm mistaken the explanation)
Cleanse leaves your clothes clean and fresh and can even be applied to yourself iirc.
light healing doesn't concern itself with hp/sdc damage, but rather minor pains and abrasion types of damage. combine the two and you'll likely never need to remove your armor...

[Alrik Vas]

There's a psychological need to remove armor, usually. though yeah, that would work if you had a homeless type mentality and needed to be covered constantly.

[Tor]

The MDC thermal suit worn by the Tundra Rangers not only fits under power armor but even under their body armor. I don't know if it fits under ALL body armor but one gets the impression that it's unobtrusive enough to wear under normal clothes even if it might not pass for normal clothing itself.

The rifter supplement with TW variants had some, with the TW Aviator OCC from that book being used in Splynn Dimensional Market one might take that as grounds to use anything else by Sumimoto in that issue as canon-ish. The MDC aviator jackets did not seem particularly unbalancing and I like how they can layer over light armor.

There's also the CCW MDC Jump-Suit in Phase World, and the MDC wetsuit in underseas. Neither look like normal clothes but like the Tundra Ranger thermo-suit they look thin and flexible and easy to conceal under normal SDC clothing.

[drewkitty ~..~]

The game is in the arizona area atm so I am limited by that and it is a non-CS expedition. So there are those limiting factors.

[eliakon]

The game is in the arizona area atm so I am limited by that and it is a non-CS expedition. So there are those limiting factors.

New West has an MDC 'duster jacket'

Specifically the Branaghan EBA armor has an armored coat that can be bought with it. This is a favorite item for people to buy and use separately as it is basically an MDC trench coat.
New West pg. 178

[glitterboy2098]

the Branaghan's coat is a semi-popular item in the setting as well, so it shouldn't be hard to get a couple (with or without the EBA)

that said, the Branaghan's coat is also supposed to be obviously an armored item, i doubt you could pass it off as regualt clothing the way the Triax stuff can be. so if you get a sheriff that is overly literal or or picky, you might get the same fines for wearing armor in a town.

[Nekira Sudacne]

the Branaghan's coat is a semi-popular item in the setting as well, so it shouldn't be hard to get a couple (with or without the EBA)

that said, the Branaghan's coat is also supposed to be obviously an armored item, i doubt you could pass it off as regualt clothing the way the Triax stuff can be. so if you get a sheriff that is overly literal or or picky, you might get the same fines for wearing armor in a town.

NG manages to make a version that does look like regular clothing, at a bit of a higher cost.

[eliakon]

the Branaghan's coat is a semi-popular item in the setting as well, so it shouldn't be hard to get a couple (with or without the EBA)

that said, the Branaghan's coat is also supposed to be obviously an armored item, i doubt you could pass it off as regualt clothing the way the Triax stuff can be. so if you get a sheriff that is overly literal or or picky, you might get the same fines for wearing armor in a town.

NG manages to make a version that does look like regular clothing, at a bit of a higher cost.

Yep Triax and Northern Gun make fully blended suits.
But the Bandito one is only 'semi blended'

[flatline]

Just for the record, MDC plain clothes armor shouldn't offer protection against kinetic attacks (well, any attack on the MD scale). The armor might be tough enough to take it, but since it's flexible, the person inside the armor would still be paste.

[Nekira Sudacne]

Just for the record, MDC plain clothes armor shouldn't offer protection against kinetic attacks (well, any attack on the MD scale). The armor might be tough enough to take it, but since it's flexible, the person inside the armor would still be paste.

The thing is that MDC clothing is "Cool" and therefore the laws of physics bend to accomodate them.

[Glistam]

I think I'd rather see the plain clothes armors "convert" M.D.C. into S.D.C. damage, such that a 10 M.D. attack becomes only 10 S.D.C. damage you take. The armor still takes the damage, but unlike true body armor it doesn't stop the effect entirely.

[drewkitty ~..~]

I think I'd rather see the plain clothes armors "convert" M.D.C. into S.D.C. damage, such that a 10 M.D. attack becomes only 10 S.D.C. damage you take. The armor still takes the damage, but unlike true body armor it doesn't stop the effect entirely.

sort of like how the promethien's (of phase world) body field convert any MD into SD?

But that idea it oh so too reasonable for people to like it.

However, that would only work for projectiles and melee attacks. Energy attacks would just damage the armor normally, no pass through. And High explosives shockwaves (SD & MD) would just pass through flexible fabric armor.

[flatline]

I think I'd rather see the plain clothes armors "convert" M.D.C. into S.D.C. damage, such that a 10 M.D. attack becomes only 10 S.D.C. damage you take. The armor still takes the damage, but unlike true body armor it doesn't stop the effect entirely.

sort of like how the promethien's (of phase world) body field convert any MD into SD?

But that idea it oh so too reasonable for people to like it.

However, that would only work for projectiles and melee attacks. Energy attacks would just damage the armor normally, no pass through. And High explosives shockwaves (SD & MD) would just pass through flexible fabric armor.

The heat from plasma, ions, or lasers wouldn't burn the person inside the clothes? Why not?

[drewkitty ~..~]

I think I'd rather see the plain clothes armors "convert" M.D.C. into S.D.C. damage, such that a 10 M.D. attack becomes only 10 S.D.C. damage you take. The armor still takes the damage, but unlike true body armor it doesn't stop the effect entirely.

sort of like how the promethien's (of phase world) body field convert any MD into SD?

But that idea it oh so too reasonable for people to like it.

However, that would only work for projectiles and melee attacks. Energy attacks would just damage the armor normally, no pass through. And High explosives shockwaves (SD & MD) would just pass through flexible fabric armor.

The heat from plasma, ions, or lasers wouldn't burn the person inside the clothes? Why not?

Of those three only the plasma might have a 'splatter' effect due to the heat of the plasma discharge.
Ion, Particle, and lasers would only pass through if they burned through, because they are actual beams. Where as plasma bolts are a bolt of a fluid.

There is also having to make it playable, so balancing real world vs game system.
-----
Yes, the armor might have to be taken off afterwards to prevent heat bleed through burns. But that is more Roleplaying then rollplaying.

[eliakon]

I think I'd rather see the plain clothes armors "convert" M.D.C. into S.D.C. damage, such that a 10 M.D. attack becomes only 10 S.D.C. damage you take. The armor still takes the damage, but unlike true body armor it doesn't stop the effect entirely.

sort of like how the promethien's (of phase world) body field convert any MD into SD?

But that idea it oh so too reasonable for people to like it.

However, that would only work for projectiles and melee attacks. Energy attacks would just damage the armor normally, no pass through. And High explosives shockwaves (SD & MD) would just pass through flexible fabric armor.

The heat from plasma, ions, or lasers wouldn't burn the person inside the clothes? Why not?

The same reason that most MD rounds don't knock people over, and that body armor can protect you from being hit with a long range missile, and that laser scalpels can dissect tanks, and non-magical wood knives do more damage than an M1A1 main gun......
In point of fact its the same reason that MegaDamage exists at all....
Because the game makes a lot of hand waves and concessions to playability rather than trying to be a reality sim.

[flatline]

This is why I don't play with MDC.

[Alrik Vas]

For every 10 mega damage someone in full body armor takes, have the wearer take 1d8 SDC. If the armor is just clothes, they take triple. Still likely alive, but MD clothing armor isn't supposed to be for real combat anyway.

[kaid]

The game is in the arizona area atm so I am limited by that and it is a non-CS expedition. So there are those limiting factors.

NG would be a good answer then. Its pretty widely available in north america in as much as anything is widely available. Major towns/small cities should have some selection of it. I would imagine the outdoorsman/military style light cloth body armor stuff probably is pretty popular by hunters/law officers who want some protection but are not expecting heavy combat. The MDC dusters probably are going to be big sellers as well as they would fit over many types of EBA or non EBA armor as well as just throwing it on over street cloths.

[kaid]

Just for the record, MDC plain clothes armor shouldn't offer protection against kinetic attacks (well, any attack on the MD scale). The armor might be tough enough to take it, but since it's flexible, the person inside the armor would still be paste.

The thing is that MDC clothing is "Cool" and therefore the laws of physics bend to accomodate them.

It also is a nice in that given rifts has evolved into a much more MDC weapon availability than I think they originally had in mind for the setting so its nice to have something for walking around town with that allows you some protection from vibro knives or easily concealed hideout lasers without walking around in full battle gear any time you step outside your room.

[Tor]

Force Fields can be flexible and then respond in reaction to force, so why not plain clothes armor? I imagine that stuff like plain clothes or millenium leaves are soft but then harden briefly in reaction to attacks, don't we have IRL armor like this already?

[Blue_Lion]

Force Fields can be flexible and then respond in reaction to force, so why not plain clothes armor? I imagine that stuff like plain clothes or millenium leaves are soft but then harden briefly in reaction to attacks, don't we have IRL armor like this already?

Think there is some on the books but most of it is low MDC. Some mdc leather armor out there as well.

[kaid]

Force Fields can be flexible and then respond in reaction to force, so why not plain clothes armor? I imagine that stuff like plain clothes or millenium leaves are soft but then harden briefly in reaction to attacks, don't we have IRL armor like this already?

That is pretty much how I have always treated all the "soft" MDC body armors. We already have materials that when hit with a shock instantly harden to disperse energy so not to much of a stretch that future tech expanded on that concept.

[flatline]

Force Fields can be flexible and then respond in reaction to force, so why not plain clothes armor? I imagine that stuff like plain clothes or millenium leaves are soft but then harden briefly in reaction to attacks, don't we have IRL armor like this already?

That is pretty much how I have always treated all the "soft" MDC body armors. We already have materials that when hit with a shock instantly harden to disperse energy so not to much of a stretch that future tech expanded on that concept.

You're missing the larger point. If the shirt becomes perfectly rigid so that the energy of the impact is spread over the entire front of your body, there is so much energy in an MD attack that your body would still be crushed.

[Nekira Sudacne]

Force Fields can be flexible and then respond in reaction to force, so why not plain clothes armor? I imagine that stuff like plain clothes or millenium leaves are soft but then harden briefly in reaction to attacks, don't we have IRL armor like this already?

That is pretty much how I have always treated all the "soft" MDC body armors. We already have materials that when hit with a shock instantly harden to disperse energy so not to much of a stretch that future tech expanded on that concept.

You're missing the larger point. If the shirt becomes perfectly rigid so that the energy of the impact is spread over the entire front of your body, there is so much energy in an MD attack that your body would still be crushed.

It's not that we don't understand so much as we don't care

[Pepsi Jedi]

It's not that we don't understand so much as we don't care

This.

"Too much Science FACT in our Science FICTION kills the science FICTION and the fun.

Of course this stuff is all made up. It's why it's an RPG and not an instruction manual. You can find holes in any fantasy or science fiction, if you try.

"Soft" MDC Armors work because of hyper technology so advanced from what we have now, it seems magical to our current limited understanding.

Maybe they do have impact fibers/substances like our current shock gel, which as pointed out is soft and supple but when struck hardens. Why does 'if it hardenes is the impact not still slammed through the 'hard' shell? Well that could easily be an aspect of the gel/fabric dissipating the entire empact over and around it's entire surface area, vs one half inch wide impact point.

How does it do that? Whoo. that's a trade secret. Wouldn't YOU like to know!! NG and Traix keep that technology closely guarded. Pretty snazzy huh? LOL

[Alrik Vas]

That's what I figure as well. Which is why armor protects you against the mega damage impact and heat, only allowing a small amount of SDC damage to bleed through.

[Tor]

You're missing the larger point. If the shirt becomes perfectly rigid so that the energy of the impact is spread over the entire front of your body, there is so much energy in an MD attack that your body would still be crushed.

This larger point extends beyond plain clothes into pretty much any MDC armor you wear though =/

With Millenium Leaves we can just say "it's magic" regarding force-countering but it's harder to think of tech operating like that.

Considering how force fields can just counter kinetic force with pure energy, maybe all MDC armor has some non-renewable element of that?

[abtex]

"Soft" MDC Armors work because of hyper technology so advanced from what we have now, it seems magical to our current limited understanding.

Maybe they do have impact fibers/substances like our current shock gel, which as pointed out is soft and supple but when struck hardens. Why does 'if it hardens is the impact not still slammed through the 'hard' shell? Well that could easily be an aspect of the gel/fabric dissipating the entire impact over and around it's entire surface area, vs one half inch wide impact point.

How does it do that? Whoo. that's a trade secret. Wouldn't YOU like to know!! NG and Triax keep that technology closely guarded. Pretty snazzy huh? LOL

Maybe just a 21sin version of Dragon Skin body armor. Are Something from DBees, etc. (do a google on Dragon Skin and Magnetic liquid armor or Magnetorheological fluid here's one)

Just info nothing else.

[taalismn]

On additional sources of 'plain clothes armors'....Rifts China: The Geofront has MDC uniforms. In fact, pre-Rifts China was said to have made several breakthroughs in MDC textiles, leading to their 'Demon Skin' subcutaneous implant armors(which SHOULD mean that any damage done to you leaves you with nasty painful second to third degree burns with the added hassle of the MDC mesh keeping the char in place ...but as mentioned above, that takes the fun out of being megadamage-armored in your skin...)
Of course, GETTING that plain clothes armor from China would be rather difficult. For North Americans it might be easier to trade or steal Altaran armored swimsuits.....

[glitterboy2098]

"Soft" MDC Armors work because of hyper technology so advanced from what we have now, it seems magical to our current limited understanding.

Maybe they do have impact fibers/substances like our current shock gel, which as pointed out is soft and supple but when struck hardens. Why does 'if it hardens is the impact not still slammed through the 'hard' shell? Well that could easily be an aspect of the gel/fabric dissipating the entire impact over and around it's entire surface area, vs one half inch wide impact point.

How does it do that? Whoo. that's a trade secret. Wouldn't YOU like to know!! NG and Triax keep that technology closely guarded. Pretty snazzy huh? LOL

Maybe just a 21sin version of Dragon Skin body armor. Are Something from DBees, etc. (do a google on Dragon Skin and Magnetic liquid armor or Magnetorheological fluid here's one)

Just info nothing else.

dragon skin armor didn't work through shear-thickening though. it just replaced one large plate of armor in a vest with many small ones, in an attempt to allow the armor to be hit more than once and still function.

and this folks is why you actually do need to do the research.. so when your start spouting technobabble you won't be saying stuff that can be shown fundamentally wrong with 10 seconds on google...

[Pepsi Jedi]

Not really. When you're purposefully talking technobabble about a fictional fantasy/sci-fi setting, you just sort of roll with it.

Again, Too much science fact in science fiction is not generally welcome.

I'm not saying have people walking on the sun, but the 'little things' need not be exact.

[flatline]

Or you adjust the power levels so that the laws of physics match your intuitions.

[Alrik Vas]

Yeah, that's the thing about rifts. You shoot a guy in armor, he keeps going for a long while. That same shot misses, each pew-pew is like a bomb explosion.

[Pepsi Jedi]

Naa Lasers and what not are seldom explosive. That's specialty ammunition. *G*