How armor, clothing, Power Armor and robot chassis actually behave — layering, weight penalties, requirements, condition, and what each armor tag does.
Clothing Types
| Rule | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing | Body clothing (arms/legs/torso). CAN be worn with armor — DT stacks. | Most everyday wear. |
| Outfit | Full-body sealed suit. CANNOT be worn with armor. | Hazmat Suit, NCR Ranger, Chinese Stealth Suit. |
| Head | Headwear. CANNOT be worn with Head armor. | Style vs protection. |
| Face | Face/eye coverings. CAN be worn with anything. | Glasses, masks, bandanas. |
| Belt | Belt-line accessories. CAN be worn with anything. | Bandolier, Belt with Pouch. |
Layering and Mixing
| Rule | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing + Armor | Clothing DT stacks with armor DT on the same limb. | Encourages clothing investment. |
| Armor Slots | 1 armor piece per limb slot (6 total). | Cannot stack two armor pieces on the same limb. |
| Mixing Freely | Players may mix armor from different sets and weight classes however they like. | No mixing restrictions. |
Weight Classes
| Rule | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| Light Armor | No penalties. Hide, Leather, Trapper, Thick Leather, Recon. | Full mobility. |
| Medium Armor | -1 Evasion. -1 Sneak. -1 Max MAP. Raider, Tire, Security, Combat, Marine. | Balanced. |
| Heavy Armor | -2 Evasion. Disadvantage Sneak. -2 Max MAP. Bone, Scrap Metal, Shell, Metal, EOD. | Tank loadout. |
| Majority-Based Loadout | Loadout = majority of 6 armor pieces. Ties go to heaviest. | 3 Light + 3 Heavy = Heavy. |
END Requirement
| Rule | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| END REQ | Meet or exceed = no penalty. | Stamina for wearing gear. |
| Under-REQ Penalty | -1 AP per deficit (max -3). -1 Evasion per deficit (max -3). Stacks with weight class. | Force-wearing is punishing. |
Condition
| Rule | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| Condition Scale | Perfect → Good → Poor → Broken. Each step: -1 DT, -1 RADS Resist (min 0). Broken = no protection. | Degrades over time. |
| What Damages Condition | CRITs, Sunder X, effects, narrative events. | Repaired via Repair skill. |
Armor Tags
| Rule | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| 🏷 Insulated Tire, all pieces | +1 Shock Resistance against attacks hitting this limb. | Rubber insulates per-limb. |
| 🏷 Hunter’s Gear Trapper/Thick Leather Torso | +1 to Survival tests. | Hunter-focused gear. |
| 🏷 Ballistic Lining Security Torso | First Phys damage in combat reduced by 2 (min 1). Resets each combat. | Kevlar anti-ballistic. |
| 🏷 Chitin Weave Shell Torso | +1 to Endurance tests when resisting RADS. | Natural carapace. |
| 🏷 Sharpshooter Recon Helmet | +1 to Perception-based skill tests. | Integrated optics. |
| 🏷 Semper Fi Marine Combat Torso | +3 Composure in combat. | Marine training. |
| 🏷 Bomb Suit EOD, full set | +50% DR against Explosive Attacks. Requires all 6 EOD pieces. | Signature EOD effect. |
| 🏷 Plated Metal, EOD, all PA | DT/Hardness DOUBLED vs Gatling attacks. | Heavy plate deflects Gatling fire. |
Power Armor
| Rule | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| Power Armor Frame | Rare exoskeleton. Required to wear any PA piece. The frame alone grants immunity to fall damage — no armor pieces needed. | Found as loot. |
| Power Armor Training | Dedicated perk required. Without it: Movement AP cost is DOUBLED, -3 Evasion, and Disadvantage on STR, END and AGI tests. | Perk gating. |
| Fusion Core | Required to function. Without one the suit is DEAD: no STR bonus, no environmental protection, you CANNOT MOVE, and your Evasion cannot exceed 5. Pieces still provide HP and Hardness — you are protected, and you are a sitting duck. | Ongoing cost. See Fusion Core. |
| STR in Power Armor | STR set to 11. | Melee, STR REQs, carry capacity, STR tests. |
| PA Penalties | -5 Evasion. -5 Sneak. Your Size increases to Large. Armor and clothing worn underneath have NO effect. Unarmed weapons cannot be used — fit Arm servos instead. You cannot Sprint. | A tank: slow and tough. |
| PA Pieces | HP + Hardness. Cover attenuation (D-R, D-2R). HP 0 = destroyed. | Repairable. 6 worn pieces: torso, helmet, 2 arms, 2 legs. |
| Environmental Protection | All 6 pieces above 0 HP = immune to environmental gas, temperature and RADS. | Sealed suit. Fall immunity comes from the frame, not this. |
Robot Chassis
| Rule | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| Robot Chassis Slot | Single armor slot. DT applies to ALL 6 limbs. Robots have 6 limbs with Cripple Thresholds. | Chassis IS the armor. |
| Robot Limbs | Head=sensors, Torso=chassis, Arms=weapons, Legs=mobility. Called Shots disable specific functions. | Crippling is tactical. |
| Robot Immunities | Immune to Bleed, Poison, RADS, most organic effects. Vulnerable to EMP, Shock, Burn. | Machines, not flesh. |
| EMP Shielded (binary) | Not Shielded: full EMP damage + stun. Shielded: immune to stun, 50% EMP damage. | Only Sentinel has shielding. |
See also: 🛡 Armor · 🦾 Power Armor