Would Improved Armor Master (+1 defense to armor with a soak of 2 or higher) and Jury Rigging a piece of armor to have +1 increased ranged defense stack?

So if I had Heavy Battle Armor, would it be a total of +3 to ranged defense? Seems pretty overpowered!

That all should stack. It all says that it increases the stat, so yeah.

There are ways to get around that, though. Precise Aim is one of them, though fighting in melee or just getting a bunch of advantages against them by getting Boost dice can help too. But you can make a pretty ferocious monster that way!

Yea until someone rolls 6 yellow dice and a few greens against 2 purples and those 3 black dice.

They would all stack, so yes it'd be 3 Ranged Defense for three setback dice.

However remember that this requires two specific talents, one of which is generally expensive to purchase and reach on the talent trees it appears in, as well as owning a rather expensive set of armor. A set of armor that's tantamount to walking around advertising that you're looking for a fight. Boba Fett kinda gets away with it because he's Boba Fett, with enough of a reputation as a bad ass bounty hunter that authorities tend to give him a lot of leeway. But most PCs won't have that kind of rep, particularly those in EotE, and the PC wearing such tricked-out purpose-built combat gear shouldn't act surprised when local authorities give him trouble. It'd be very much akin to walking into a US shopping mall decked out in full SWAT gear in terms of what sort of reaction the PC would get.

What, Donovan said.

I see the allure that is tricked out HBA (this is not the first thread on the subject of armors), but I think some people are forgetting what it means to be walking around in such an outfit.

The reaction from authorities would probably be something along the lines of, "You're wearing a suit of illegal armour. We're going to have to impound it." Once the PCs realize they could have their shiny toy taken away from them, you'll find it gets left aboard ship a lot more often.

Depends on the world though. I imagine on most Outer Rim worlds, it isn't going to get you pegged by authorities that fast because the authorities are kind of stretched thin anyway. I mean, Han Solo shot a man dead in the middle of a bar and no one batted an eye. Most people aren't going to care if you are wearing armor.

Granted they might not like you showing up to negotiations in full armor, and that might work against you. Unless your negotiations are really coercions.

I'd be weary of not letting a PC have the toy he spent credits and talents on to make awesome. No, they shouldn't be able to wear it anywhere (you aren't getting off the ship on a Core World wearing that ****), but in a lot of less reputable places it shouldn't be a huge issue.

Oh, I agree. Places like Nar Shaddaa and Tatooine no one will care much. Of course, in those places it doesn't really disrupt the balance too much because others will have weapons heavy enought to still pose a threat to the player. I was thinking (and so were probably the others here) more about more "civillized" systems.

Very true, and I have definitely kept that in mind for my PCs. We're just starting out so no one has anything above Padded Clothing so I am pretty far from having to deal with a character walking around in Mandalorian armor.

Thanks for all the replies everyone!

Depends on the world though. I imagine on most Outer Rim worlds, it isn't going to get you pegged by authorities that fast because the authorities are kind of stretched thin anyway. I mean, Han Solo shot a man dead in the middle of a bar and no one batted an eye. Most people aren't going to care if you are wearing armor.

Bear in mind also that Han shot a bounty hunter that was holding him at gunpoint, one that made it rather clear he had no problem killing Han. So in that case, the other patrons could have simply viewed it as "self defense" as opposed to out-and-out murder, regardless of whether or not he shot first (I prefer the original version of the scene myself).

However, not every Outer Rim World is a lawless hive of criminal activity that most of Tatooine is. There's plenty of Outer Rim Worlds that are far more civilized and have a legal infrastructure not too far removed from what you'd find in the Core Worlds, such as Eriadu, home planet of Grand Moff Tarkin and a world just as law-abiding and cosmopolitan as any of the of the actual Core Worlds. Walking around in HBA is pretty much advertising that you're looking for trouble, same as if strolling around with a heavy blaster rifle slung to your back.

Elrood is another good example. It's a far-flung Outer Rim world, but developed, well-behaved, and cultured, if a bit of a backwater, and they specifically outlaw personal armor of any kind.

What I don't get is if HBA is so restricted and looked down upon by society as a whole then why is it barely better than other armors?

1 defense die is hardly worth all of the trouble to wear it.

Notice I said "Most Outer Rim Worlds" not "All Outer Rim Worlds".

I agree in general that you shouldn't let someone walk around on a stricter world with armor, I just feel that treating it like a taboo everywhere you go "Oh he's looking for a fight", you are basically saying: Never buy armor, never buy talents that improve armor, never train in Ranged (Heavy), because you will never get to use any of it without being constantly penalized.

What I don't get is if HBA is so restricted and looked down upon by society as a whole then why is it barely better than other armors?

1 defense die is hardly worth all of the trouble to wear it.

I agree with this and also wonder about the view prescribed to an individual wearing HBA by others. Although generally most non-policing bodies will assume, to a certain degree and more so on worlds where "Scum and Villany" reign supreme, that the guy who is carrying a disruptor rifle and wearing HBA is competent enough to do so and survive so in self-preservation its live and let live or ignore them.

So why is it looked down on by so many worlds? The disruptor weapons I get instantly why it's a death sentence to carry around on so many systems, same with thermal detonators those are both Nasty with a captial N. But HBA is what 2 soak with 1 defense? (I'm at school no book nearby) What's so amazing about that?

What I don't get is if HBA is so restricted and looked down upon by society as a whole then why is it barely better than other armors?

1 defense die is hardly worth all of the trouble to wear it.

I agree with this and also wonder about the view prescribed to an individual wearing HBA by others. Although generally most non-policing bodies will assume, to a certain degree and more so on worlds where "Scum and Villany" reign supreme, that the guy who is carrying a disruptor rifle and wearing HBA is competent enough to do so and survive so in self-preservation its live and let live or ignore them.

So why is it looked down on by so many worlds? The disruptor weapons I get instantly why it's a death sentence to carry around on so many systems, same with thermal detonators those are both Nasty with a captial N. But HBA is what 2 soak with 1 defense? (I'm at school no book nearby) What's so amazing about that?

HBA is better than Laminate by 1 defense and 1 hardpoint. It just seems silly that people blow a gasket over HBA but won't bat an eyelash if you're wearing Laminate? Laminate is just like wearing Stormtrooper Armor in the movies. Both armors pretty much look the same in the book. (p 170)

Does Fett wear HBA? The guy is wearing cargo pants and only an armored helmet and vest compared to someone fully encased in a Laminate shell.

I don't really care much if it's laminate of heavy armour. On law-abiding, well-regulated worlds everything that can't pass for clothes (basically heavy clothing and armoured clothing) is going to draw attention. I wouldn't deny the players the option to wear it anyway unless it was actually illegal (like Elrood), but people would stare and police types would pull them aside for an ID check every half an hour or so. Not to mention that when said police start questioning eye witnessess you stand a better chance getting away clean if they describe "an average height human with brownish hair and dark jacket" than "a guy in massive armour with a satelite dish on his helmet and a jetpack".

For some reason, wherever my players go various authorities soon show up asking questions of bystanders. Funniest thing.

I don't really care much if it's laminate of heavy armour. On law-abiding, well-regulated worlds everything that can't pass for clothes (basically heavy clothing and armoured clothing) is going to draw attention. I wouldn't deny the players the option to wear it anyway unless it was actually illegal (like Elrood), but people would stare and police types would pull them aside for an ID check every half an hour or so. Not to mention that when said police start questioning eye witnessess you stand a better chance getting away clean if they describe "an average height human with brownish hair and dark jacket" than "a guy in massive armour with a satelite dish on his helmet and a jetpack".

For some reason, wherever my players go various authorities soon show up asking questions of bystanders. Funniest thing.

Yea that's my point.

What's funny is in my party the Twi'lek Thief/Trader and Wookie Outlaw Tech/Doctor wear Laminate armor and I'm a Assassin/Gadgeteer/Marauder and wear Armored Clothing lol.

What I don't get is if HBA is so restricted and looked down upon by society as a whole then why is it barely better than other armors?

1 defense die is hardly worth all of the trouble to wear it.

I'd put laminate armor in the same category as HBA; it's obvious milspec gear (especially if it's salvaged stormtrooper armor) and advertises that the wearer is either expecting or looking for trouble.

What I don't get is if HBA is so restricted and looked down upon by society as a whole then why is it barely better than other armors?

1 defense die is hardly worth all of the trouble to wear it.

Maybe it just looks "scary." In the real world there have been weapon features that are restricted because of how they look, but don't have any unusually dangerous functionality.

I'm currently playing as an ex imperial storm trooper turned mercenary with a sizable bounty on my head (Obligation 15 total). I strut around in around Laminate Armour and while it may be patched together and not as shiny as it was when originally issued it is still noticeably 'Storm-Trooper Armour'. I've generally found that it works into the whole bad-ass vibe i'm trying to radiate.

When people refer to the authorities do they mean Imperials or local powers? Cause if imperials come at me i tend to put them down then go on the run (hence the bounty), whereas most local powers don't seem to have an issue with the heavily armed appearance, if anything respecting those that stand up to the imperials but keeping themselves at arms length of your activities.

I have to agree with earlier comments however that you shouldnt penalise players for choosing options in the book. It's in the book to be used, so its just as valid as plain clothes social characters.

I strut around in around Laminate Armour ...

I think that Storm Trooper Armor should from here out be spelled with the u, because we all know that the Imperials were all British.

I'd imagine somebody walking down the street of a civilized world in Laminate would probably have the same amount of grief as Battle Armor. I'd say you could get away with up to about Armored Clothing level without to much issue, beyond the occasional odd look. Anything bulkier will at the very least attract attention.

As for why Battle Armor is so great. It's not tons better, but that extra defense is nice. Of more relevance I think is the Hard Point. That extra hard point can make a big difference. especially for a gadgeteer who can add another.

You might not have many circumstances you can wear the stuff, but when going into a truly hostile situation, it will really help to tear it up.

To quote the core book under padded armor'It also has the advantage of being relatively comfortable, many individuals can wear padded armor without generating too much attention from local law enforcement on frontier worlds'

So, ergo, if you get attention wearing padded armor on a non frontier world , anything heavier is going to attract attention, esp on a core world for example.