How do you guys handle the wearing of void suits with armor? I'm running a game where the whole party has to suit up, but because nobody has either power armor or Selenite-pattern void suits, that means zero armor protection. Some armor like Xeno Mesh seems more likely to be able to fit under a standard void suit, but then other armors, like Stormtrooper Carapace, I'm a little doubtful on.

Any advice?

Wouldn't you put the Void-suit on -underneath- the armour?

I guess I figured a void suit's got a bit of bulk to it, since it has to provide not just oxygen, but also a pressurized environment. Not quite as heavy as an astronaut's space suit (it's only supposed to be 6 kgs anyway) but similar. Something like the suits they had in the movie Alien.

Here's a picture by Zachary Graves of a void suit. I love this guy's stuff.

http://cghub.com/files/Image/088001-089000/88294/743_realsize.jpg

Some armor is possible - you can probably fit a carapace cuirass, or at least the front of it. Limbs armor may be possible too, especially if the PC is on the smallsih side. Flak should be possible on the limbs without undue trouble (and possibly some last-minute tailoring).The real problem will be the helmet and the back, because the void suit has it's own helmet with a specific sealing system and the backpack holding the life support systemq.

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no backpack, otherwise it's fine. SoD is involved here, but mainly because otherways you're just to damned vulnerable when wearing a suit. Armour is worn underneath. Would be better if there were some void suits that had a better AP value (which honestly someone must have made in the 40k verse)

In my campaign I do not allow armour to be worn with a void suit. It would be like wearing SWAT armor under a victorian diving suit. Sure, you might just be able to do it, but you'd spend most of your time waddling around like the Stay Puff'd Marshmellow Man. However, I make 2 exceptions.

Custom void suits can be made specifically to be worn under/over armour. For the purposes of Aquisition Tests, this is Purchased as a Best Quality void suit.

Any non-primitive armour can be given a specail upgrade called Hardened Against the Void. This upgrade seals the armour (and in cases where the armor does not protect the head, includes a colapsible helmet) and builds in a re-breather, allowing the armor to function as a void suit.

I've been told that in DH you could wear environmentally sealed armor. Certain armor suits, in my opinion, such as Kasrkin/Stormtrooper gear, is sealed against NBC warfare by default.

but because nobody has either power armor or Selenite-pattern void suits, that means zero armor protection.

The players are in a game where they travel around in a space ship and they didn't prepare for fighting in a vacuum ?

Sounds like they failed to plan ahead.

If you are feeling generous you could allow them to make one acquisition roll that, if passed, retcons in them having bought a suitable suit, or they have found an underling to borrow it from.

Badlapje said:

They have. It's called Power Armour.

What I've done in the past is say that mesh, bodygloves or any skintight armour can be worn underneath a void suit. Everything else won't fit.

Upgrading armour to be void sealed is an option, but that wouldn't help the OPs problem since it also needs to be acquired in advance.

Bilateralrope said:

In the game we play acquisition tests aren't free so it takes a while until everyone in the group has Power Armour. Even if they do: the crew at large does not. You can't buy 20 suits of power armour for crewmembers you'd like to take along unless you know specifically which crew members to buy it for (and to be honest, there's a lot of better stuf to spend my acquisition rolls on).

Imo: it's not deathwatch, not everyone should be running around in power armour all the time. Even if they do: power armour has the huge drawback of battery life that'll effectively block it being used to much or everywhere.

I think Into the Storm has void suit artwork. And yeah it does look pretty bulky. In the games I ran I'd say a typical void suit would provide no armor protection and would probably rupture if it ever got shot.

One question: they're members of a rogue trader crew. Why aren't they throwing money at this problem? Made custom armor that has built in voidsuits!

I'd rule in favour for letting them wear armour over their suits.

Nothing prohibits it, and by the rules, I can wear flak covered by power armour, I'll just simply benefit from the power armour's superior AP. Also, gunning down monsters on the side of your ship in power armour = more awesome than people in space suits too scared to do anything because of possible TPK.

Actually I think Void armour would be armoured to a degree, void suits are 1) made by the imperium where the bloody well armour everything 2) its a suit made to work in space I imagine they are armoured to a degree to resist mini meteors and if they are made for say a warship I think even more so. I mean in the battlefleet gothic books they talk about repairing the ship right after a battle, well with all the flotsam around the place they would be cut to ribbons without some armour. Now I imagine they would have at the limit to having say carapace level armour.

Boarding Armour from the Inquisitor's Handbook is basically a flak carapace with 3-5 armour on various locations, including a built-in void suit and photo-visor. Only Rare, but weighs 17kg. Assuming we stick with the void suit's rebreather, that's an hour per air canister, which may or may not require assistance to replace. No true replacement for a Selenite void suit, but the concept seems solid enough.

I allow my players to buy a specific upgraded version of any complete suite of armor :

Void combat fitting :

Only for non primitive full set of armor.

The armor offers environmental sealing, good craftsmanship photo-visor (to improve vision in the dark space and protect from sun) and 8 hour of air supply. No more backpack allowed (already used for the air supply).

Availability : armor availability + 1 (rare become very rare, etc.), minimum rare.

I allow Armoured Bodygloves to be worn under void suits, and I count the helmet of the void suit as a Carapace Helm. I've also allowed a Carapace Chestplate to be fitted over the void suit. That's been enough protection for my games.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_activity_suit

Its look doesn't really fit with the 40k universe, being fairly streamlined, but there is no reason that the basic suit is the actual pressure suit, and the rest of the bulk could come from inbuilt features, like vox links, augmented sense cogitators, purity seals, and inbuilt armour. Someone mentioned micrometeor strikes as a reason for every suit being at least slightly armoured, not to mention that a lot of ship repair will take place outside the ship, which after battle will probably be swarming with sharp debris. Of course a default void suit probably lined with a thing layer of Flak cloth with an AP of 1 or 2

In Traveller most voidsuits are able to repair relatively minor breaches like gun or knife wounds more or less instantly, but large wounds like being clawed by some horrible space beast would leave suit in pieces. It lets the characters get into fights without one hit being death, but would at least make them leery about charging someone with a chainsword, or shotgun.

Wearing armor over OR under a space suit is mostly pointless, IMHO. If the suit itself isn't armored then it will only take a tiny tear to rupture your suit and threaten your imminent death.

If the armor is under the suit then it's a waste of time because the suit will already be ruptured before the armor does anything useful for you - wearing the armor is actually MORE dangeorus than going unarmored if it impedes your ability to dodge in any way.

Wearing armor over a space suit (armor that isn't explicitly designed for this purpose, anyway) would threaten to tear the suit itself if it bunched up or if you moved the wrong way. Sort of like asking someone to use a torch to investigate a room full of dynamite.

Bottom line, if you're looking for the physical protection of armor AND the atmospheric protection from the void of space, you NEED a single suit designed to provide both. That means power armor or proper void suits. Any effort to improvise a solution without the proper equipment is just putting your life at more risk than doing without.

The void suit can be considered to be self-sealing against low damage hits, so there's still a reason to wear something like an armoured bodyglove under a void suit. I still think it's best to consider that a void suit offer comparable protection to an armoured bodyglove with Carapace Chestplate and Helm to round it out.

In my game, void suits cannot be worn with armour. The only exception is an armoured bodyglove or the like. That said, there are a few ways around it:

One, the Selenite pattern void suit, and the Boarding Armour from DH are both void suits that incorporate armour.

Two, the description of the Rockhound void suit from Into the Storm implies that is armoured, too. (But, I couldn't find the stats for it. Anyone?)

Three, I'll allow players to make a combined acquisition (like getting a gun with a scope) and buy custom void suits that incorporate a suit of armour.

I don't think power armour is an option because of the incredibly short, and random, battery life. The really good power armour is not available to anyone except the upper echelons of the adepta, and is probably out of reach of even a Rogue Trader.

Incidentally, my players have not yet taken advantage of the opportunity. So, both times they've gotten in a void combat, they have had zero armour... then again, both void combats have been against Hollow Men, who have huge AP anyway, so the armour wouldn't have helped. (They are starting to really hate the Processional of the Damned.)

Cheers,

- V.

Badlapje said:

Indeed, and the Imperial Navy has them:

Something out of Goodwin's artbook. I also remember having seen these guys in some Codex or WD artwork, though that was a "proper" image and not a sketch like this one. Some small article about Navy crews and morale, with the image supposedly depicting Naval Armsmen assisting with the establishment of a beachhead.

The helmet and suit with those heavy gloves look void-capable and quite protective. I'd say make it AP 3 or 4; the material is probably quite thick due to insulation and all. In fact, maybe this is the Boarding Armour that above poster mentioned.

If you want heavier protection, get a suit of (light) power armour and make sure it has environmental seals plus magboots.

That said, a penetrating shot will - of course - still render the suit useless for extra-vehicular activity. Which is probably why the Navy thinks it is silly to waste better armour on these guys. In space, a grazing shot to your ankle will likely kill you. Grimdark.

If you're a Rogue Trader and don't have the resources to acquire a suit of power armour, you could still just slap on some pieces of ceramite on the outside ( like so ?) or maybe even on the inside - it's just that either the voidsuit and/or the ceramite pieces (etc) need to be customized to work in this combination, and you'll still face the issue of any damage to the suit rendering it useless. Plus, I would expect that such a combination would be rather cumbersome and impose a couple penalties on stuff like Agility and related tests.

And letting the Tech-Priest put together something gives them something fun to do.

You can even allow them to cackle as they go moremore overboard in their custom void-armour designs.

Oh yes, cackling goes with the job. Definately

Maybe this is a bit out of topic, but I heard there are Boarding Armours as well. Can we acquire 'Best Quality' Boarding Armours,do they have the extra +1 AP?

Thank you in advance.

Telosse said:

Vandegraffe said:

I think you summed up the best way to handle it, at least from my perspective.