Armor and superpowers

[Impulse77]

I looked and could not seem to find any rules on standard armor (Kevlar vest, etc.) and how it interacts with the variable energy types in the super powers section, granted I assume it works fully vs kinetic energy, just wanna know if there is a ruling listed somewhere on other energy types.

 

Also, this is slightly a different topic, but was hoping someone might be able to point me to a book or link that gives items and structural stats and armor ( such as walls , different doors than the ones listed)

 

Any and all suggestions are welcome

[seneschal]

You are correct.  In the BGB, standard armor types listed in the equipment section, whether Kevlar or plate metal, defend against standard kinetic energy.  You'd have to buy appropriate defenses for your hero's bulletproof vest to also deflect laser fire or to protect him from the effects of Polar Panda's ice gun.

 

Structural stats are trickier, sneaked in to discussions of SIZ.  See the chart and article on Page 277.  That chart, by the way, is also how to figure out exactly how strong your hero is.  A character with STR 40, for example can dead-lift SIZ 40 weight, equivalent to picking up a missile or small plane.  He'd have to have more STR than that to actually move the missile around or to throw it at the aforementioned Polar Panda.  Since enhanced STR in BRP is relatively expensive compared to strength costs in other supers games, characters with the 50+ STR required to heft and toss an automobile (as Superman did in his initial appearance in Action Comics) are rare.

[Atgxtg]

Offically normnal armor is considered to protect against kinetic damage only, although some of the rules for fire let armor metal soak a total amount of damage equal to it's rating (before becoming too hot to soak any more). A houserule that I've been toying with is to allow armor to work at half value against other types of attack-modified by what common sense I might have (i.e. metal armor wouldn't be too effective against electricity). 

[seneschal]

A houserule that I've been toying with is to allow armor to work at half value against other types of attack-modified by what common sense I might have (i.e. metal armor wouldn't be too effective against electricity). 

Heh, the Blue Beetle encountered exactly this situation during his short-lived 1940s radio show.  BB's signature gear was his blue chain armor, "flexible as silk but stronger than steel."  Presumably of some miracle metal alloy, it easily protected the hero against gangster's bullets.  But BB nearly roasted when goons attacked him with electricity.  (His scientific sponsor eventually came up with an insulated costume.)  Strangely, he was able to swim like an Olympic champion while wearing the stuff.  Meh, it's OK.  I never liked encumbrance rules anyway. 

[Impulse77]

Thanks for the speedy replies and for the information!

[Atgxtg]

Heh, the Blue Beetle encountered exactly this situation during his short-lived 1940s radio show.  BB's signature gear was his blue chain armor, "flexible as silk but stronger than steel."  Presumably of some miracle metal alloy, it easily protected the hero against gangster's bullets.  But BB nearly roasted when goons attacked him with electricity.  (His scientific sponsor eventually came up with an insulated costume.)  Strangely, he was able to swim like an Olympic champion while wearing the stuff.  Meh, it's OK.  I never liked encumbrance rules anyway. 

 

Well if the miracle alloy was very strong it could be fairly thin, and lightweight. In fact, it could conceivably be easier to swim in that a T-Shirt, since it wouldn't soak up any additional weight in water. Funny thing is, there are a few material of the drawing board today that could do it, but they are not metallic.

 

 

In real life though, anything that flexible would leave BB badly bruised from bullets. The armor would keep them from penetrating flesh, but not stop all the kinetic energy. Maybe BB discovered Vibranium? It's got all the right properties.  

[seneschal]

Well if the miracle alloy was very strong it could be fairly thin, and lightweight. In fact, it could conceivably be easier to swim in that a T-Shirt, since it wouldn't soak up any additional weight in water. Funny thing is, there are a few material of the drawing board today that could do it, but they are not metallic.

 

 

In real life though, anything that flexible would leave BB badly bruised from bullets. The armor would keep them from penetrating flesh, but not stop all the kinetic energy. Maybe BB discovered Vibranium? It's got all the right properties.  

In the radio show version, the Beetle got his powers and his equipment from Doctor Franz, owner of your friendly neighborhood corner pharmacy (BB was rookie beat cop Dan Garrett in his secret ID).  Franz apparently was that rare entity, a good-guy mad scientist.  When Garrett was gunned down by mobsters and seemed unlikely to recover, the Doc slipped him an experimental vitamin formula that not only enabled him to survive but to heal to full strength (and beyond) overnight.  Garrett gained (in BRP terms) enhanced STR, CON, DEX and Regeneration -- which may explain why all those bullets didn't leave him a bruised mess.  He couldn't burst through walls, but he was strong enough to slap around 6-8 thugs at once.  In addition to armor, Franz also provided him with a "magic ray gun," the 1940s equivalent of a laser pistol, a weapon greatly feared by the Beetle's opponents.  Other gadgets field tested by the Blue Beetle included invisibility paint, a lightning gun (taser?), and a wireless telephone (cell phone?).  The mysterious Doctor Franz was either a super genius, a time traveler, or both but he devoted his research to quietly arming Garrett for his private war on crime.

[Atgxtg]

My pharmacist won't even slip me a cough drop. 

 

I've listened to some Blue Beetle, but am more of a Green Hornet fan (nice logo ya' got there).

 

BTW, speaking of mad scientists - I always wondered why they had to resort to robbing banks and such. With their ingenious inventions they could have made far money money than they tried to steal just on the royalties. But then, why does a "good mad scientist" have to double as a soda jerk? Maybe it was a cover to hide the fact that he was really Abraham Erskine? 

[seneschal]

The Blue Beetle program was fun, but its production values were inferior to those of The Green Hornet or The Adventures of Superman.  While the latter two shows evolved into convoluted dramas that could enthrall adults and well as children, The Blue Beetle remained strictly for the kiddies.  On the other hand, you can find the whole series online for free.

 

Mad scientists don't patent and profit from their works for several reasons.  They fear their inventions might fall into the wrong hands (assuming they aren't there already).  They are afraid someone else will steal their research.  They believe the world is not ready for such knowledge.  They are determined to use their discoveries for their own selfish ends and don't want to alert authorities of their criminal intent.  They want to be able to gloat that they are the only kid on their block with such-and-such a device. 

[Atgxtg]

I liked GH, but don't care much for Superman. At times it was bad. Yes, sometimes it made an "okay" mystery show, but that isn't what Superman is supposed to be about. But they had the problem of handling a Superhero series where the only super powered being in the hero, and he not only was one of the most powerful heroes to begin with, but got progressively more so as the series progressed. The 15 minute format didn't help much either. Like most 15 minute shows, they barely have any time left to advance to story once they get through the intro, two commercial breaks, and closing.   

 

But I still can get past the "Superman's friends don't drown." power.   

[seneschal]

Tastes differ, I guess.  During the initial 1940 season, all kinds of bad things were going on in and around Metropolis.  Despite his awesome powers, Superman had to figure out that something was wrong, discover what it was, and then (finally) try to stop the perpetrator in time.  Sure, opponents such as The Wolf, the Yellow Mask, or Dr. Bly couldn't last 3 seconds in a fistfight with Supes, but they all could cause catastrophic damage that only he could prevent or repair.  The tactic drew out the suspense and made Clark Kent a much more interesting character, since Superman spent 90% of the show in investigative reporter mode and actively tried to prevent people from realizing that there was a flying strongman in their midst.

 

By 1945, Superman's existence was public knowledge.  The radio writers introduced Kryptonite; there was just one meteorite, in the Metropolis Museum.   It was promptly stolen by the Scarlet Widow, enabling Nazi holdouts to create the Atom Man, Superman's first opponent with powers as devastating as his own.  He died, but the comics later revisited the concept in the villain Metallo.

[Atgxtg]

Yup, taste differ. I'll confess that I generally don't like 15 min. radio shows, plus quite a few of the radio series were turned into episodes for the TV series, and that didn't help as far as I am concerned. I can visualize Superman ducking the thrown revolvers.