Why is there a difference in AP when I buy pieces separately instead of a whole armour? For example, a flak helmet has AP 2 but if I get Guard Flak Armour it suddenly has AP 4. Is a helmet thinner when I don't wear it with the rest of the armour? Or is the normal flak helmet for "civilian use"? The same thing applies for mesh and carapace armour - the separate pieces have a lower AP.
It would be nice to be able to buy armour piece for piece, so I could customize it.
I'd assume it's because the sets are higher quality, and possible fit well together? You could probably ask your dm if he'd let you take pieces of those sets and mix and match
Try to piece together the cost of a full set of the normal armor and determine what % the helmet is. Then apply that to the guard armor. Should be a very reasonable price for just grabbing the helmet.
Other, fancier armor sets would be more difficult to buy in pieces. e.g. power and carapace.
Another thing that I considered, is that in modern and historical armours to effectively protect head you need to protect the neck they have large armoured collars (a gorget in historical armour).
We discussed that with our group in a recent game. We came to the consensus that the full suit of Imperial Guard flak has overlapping parts that fit well together and thus apply more Armour Points. So their looted together armour doesn't give the full protection.
And I am proud that the players insisted on giving them less of an advantage.
anireyk said:
We discussed that with our group in a recent game. We came to the consensus that the full suit of Imperial Guard flak has overlapping parts that fit well together and thus apply more Armour Points. So their looted together armour doesn't give the full protection.
And I am proud that the players insisted on giving them less of an advantage.
Almost exactly the same situation in my games.
Basically they're not the same armour. Sure they're all flak but they're of different thicknesses and give different coverage. Think of the weaker flak vests as the sort of armour used by police or undercover agents whereas the guard flak armour is the equivalent of the armour worn by soldiers.
Indeed, as above:
Think of Flak Chest Plate (or whatever it is called) as being Class III A - rated to stop pistol rounds and some shotgun blasts.
Think of Guard Flak Armor as being Class IV - rated to stop some rifle rounds in addition to the above.
Even in real life, the armor may be made of similar materials, but varying weights, shapes, and thicknesses vary the protective capabilities quite a bit.