Minimum body armor ranks for characters with superhuman strength

Does it make sense to assign minimum levels of body armor for beings with superhuman strength?

Now, granted, once you get to characters with Monstrous or greater superhuman strength, body armor is almost a given. I can't think of a single character with that level of strength who doesn't have at least Excellent body armor (I am thinking of the Sub Mariner). But it makes you think. Wouldn't a character that has superhuman strength automatically acquire at least some minimum amount of body armor by reason of his body being durable enough to withstand supporting several tons of weight? I mean, a character without at least some increased durability couldn't lift a 10 ton truck because his body couldn't go through the stresses.

My thought is to assign characters body armor equal to their strength, -5CS (minimum of Shift 0 body armor). That means a character with Unearthly strength would automatically receive a minimum of Excellent body armor, and a character with Remarkable strength would automatically receive a minimum of Feeble body armor. Home-generated characters with superhuman strength who choose body armor as a power begin with a minimum body armor rank equal to their automatic body armor +2CS. Thus, a character with Unearthly strength who chooses body armor as a power would start with a minimum body armor rank of Incredible, whereas as a character with Remarkable strength who chooses body armor as a power would start with a miniumum body armor rank of Typical. Of course, if they roll for a higher rank body armor, they get that rank.

Thoughts?

That makes perfect sense to me Epyon.

The only tweak I'd give it is no +2CS if body armour/resistence is chosen. I'd give them the protection at -5CS (STR) or at the rank rolled, whichever is higher

It certainly makes sense. We've always had those "border-line" characters who are really strong but who's durability has been "offically" ranked well below their strength--Thor, Wonder Woman, Hecules, Sub-Mariner, etc.

Spider-Man is interesting in that he is extremely strong (I think we superhero fans get a bit jaded. Ten tons is A LOT!) yet has no apparent body armor at all. I like this system. Spider-Man having at least some protection makes sense. Granted he dodges out of harms way a lot, but he does still take his shots for Scorpion, Venom etc.

I guess it's a function of balance; the Hulk get's great body armor (in the comics and the game) since he's basically a "tankish" brawler. Thor's durability need not be played up taking into account his fighting ability and enchanted hammer. (Though I totally agree with the sites modification of his to Incredible. Makes more sense) Sorry for the tangent. Been in superhero geek mode lately. I think your system is fantastic idea. Hell, I might use it.

I think we mentioned this before. It makes a lot of sense but it applies to a lot of things. ANy of the characters with syuper speed you would have to do the same thing with. Quicksilver moving at the speed he does his body wold break just as your example of a guy with super strenth lifting something. Or even a hero that can fly at high speeds or one that leaves the atmosphere. The list goes on and on of powers that require body armor. So isnt the answer high endurance?

Currently i've stolen the idea of using either the players str. or end. to decide the amount of body armor, whichever stat is highest is used. And i call it automatically -3cs. So Thor has Un str and gets In b/a. Spidey has In str. and gets Gd b/a. Now if they chose B/a as a power than its true invulnerability and they have resistance to anything at that level, like heat,acid,energy. If its just automatic than i give them -20pts to their armor for energy or piercing attacks, like wolverines claws. So thor gets In vs physical and Ex vs energy or wolvies claws. And spidey is just as vulnerable to energy as anyone but a typical bullet wouldn't hurt him. Now you may play like it cut or scratched his skin but that it didn't really hurt him. I think the spiderman movies really showed you his resistance to physical damage.

See I dont think that is right. The reality that a bullet will kill spiderman just as easily as a normal human. His skin is no tougher.

Actually, his skin is tougher. You don't get knocked through brick walls and glass windows all the time with but a few minor scratches to speek for it. If his skin was no tougher than the normal man, then the first energy shooting badie would burn the skin off of him whenever he gets shot by the In strength energy attack. Think about what 5 to 10 tons has to be held up by structurally and that is the minimum material strength for his bone and muscular structure. To put it into a visual for you, imagine 5 half ton p/u's in a row or a full grown elephant and what would hold them up. Now picture that support structure being the size of a man,5'9" tall and about 2'wide and tell me what it would be made of? It would be made of Reinforced steel and add some major hydrolics to it to boot. So that being said, if his bones are Ex to Rm material str. vs a humans Pr to Ty then you can see where the average bullet would recochet off of any bones, including the skull. Not to mention the strength and density of the muslce,tendons, veins. I think it's pretty common sense really. I'm not saying that the .357 magnum that does Gd dam. will just bounce off of his chest like superman. But lets say the average henchman has spiderman chained to a beam and incapacitaded and desides to empty his .357 into a helpless spidey. He fires all 6 rds into spidermans chest/abdomine area at 10ft away. The bullets wouldn't get passed the dense muscle or bone and would just do surface damage, cutting when deflected or getting logged in his skin and muscles which would hurt but doesn't really affect his health. Now im not saying that im 100% on the -3cs, it might be -4cs for midrange heroes and -3 for Mn and above. In that case he has Ty B/A and each slug does 4pts of dam. which would be 24 pts. And depending on the color range he could get a stun or kill result.

One of the recent spiderman issues right after the introduction of the new armor spiderman is shot and the bullet bounces off. The lead up to the bullet was the bullet would have killed him but the armor saved him. I mean whats the point of armor that protects against small arms fire if you skin is already equally as tough.

Now I agree that his bones structure must be able to support his muscle strength. As well as his interal organs being able to take the pounding they do. But to go as high as give him kevlar like skin is a bit much. I mean that is why is he has endurance and health ranks to justify the beatings he takes.

Sometimes, I've found, that low level True Invulnerablity (or neo-TI) can better simulate someone like Spidey's toughness. Say, Poor TI, which reduces all incoming attacks by -2CSs.

Thus, a Typical slug will hurt him, but only does Feeble damage, and a Kill result is possible.

I would agree with Powersurge, though both junderway and StormBeetle make excellent points. And I think I like this minimum BA idea. Well, the way StormBeetle stated it, anyway.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/06/2006 11:32AM by Red Devil.

Lol. Hello,devil. Okay, after thinking about it for a min. i would maybe change it to -4cs for those with superhuman str.or end. of Rm or IN and -3cs for Am or higher. So spidey would have Ty B/a to physical and nothing for energy which you can say reduces B/a by 10pts and vice versa force fields attacked by physical attacks are reduced by 10pts. You could also say that certain attacks like edged weapons and shooting weapons are designed to penetrate deeper and are piercing weapons which could reduce B/A by -1cs. So spidey shot by Gd gun with his Ty B/A would reduce his B/A to Pr and he would take 6pts and be subject to a possible kill. And on the other side a ty thug can take a lead pipe to him at Gd dam. and not hurt him, or red devil can attack him with his ty flame and it do the full 6 pts of dam.

Technically, when you apply the Blocking tactic, a white result provides the character with a body armor rank equivalent to Str-6CS.

This can be read that a character who is just standing around has Str-6CS body armor. That would mean that characters with Str of Rema or less have 0, but beginning with Incr get some protection.

A character with Mons Str would automatically have Typical Body Armor.
This is not a dramatic advantage, but makes them bullet proof v. low level firearms.

Just an observation.

SD points out YET ANOTHER backdoor within the rules.

You all have pointed out the scientific impossibility of super strong people...in comicbooks. (next thing you guys will debunk flying, stop!)

I would suggest looking at a grisly bear, they are flesh and blood, yet they can turn over cars, bend iron bars and effortlessly push down doors... but a single bullet can kill them (or you empty the pistol and it eats you anyway, depends on where you shoot them). But, a normal guy goes after a bear with a 2x4 and the bear can ignore the abuse...and eat the dude.

My point...don't hit bears.

No, wait, hang on a second.

Bullets, right, bullets are not easily stopped and even though a typical kevlar vest can stop one, you might end up with broken ribs.

So I might reduce the damage of blunt trauma,via the blocking dealio but that bullet is just as deadly until you buy a vest and helmet.

In one comic a guy squeeses Spidey's bicept and says "Feels like a regular arm to me."
Then Venom smashes a brick wall with his head, prooving you just can't trust people who write comics.



Now, can someone explaine how Conan and John Carter: Warlord of Mars, could fight twenty guys with swords and only have scratches?????

I would say at least excellent,to change a Human Body to have SuperHuman Strenght would be a natural.You would have to change Skin Density for the Augmentation.

Another way of handling it might be to give body resistence specifically vs. blunt/crushing damage, but not edged or shooting, etc.

I think it is an excellent idea. -5 CS works well, so spidey would have poor B/A ... bullets still hurt him and can kill. Thor would have excellent, as a default. This would be a freebie ability and if one took body armor then it should be roll made or +1 CS. One always wonders why spidey doesn't work up a variation of webbing to make his costume out of. After all, spider silk is incredibly strong compared to other materials. Be a good emergency costume ... a gray web costume.

Spider-man actually did create a set of body armor once from his webbing; it had a quilted/padded look to it. Only used it for one issue and really laid the smack-down on his opponents before the armor was compromised and he had to discard it.

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