I've been toying with the idea of helmets as a piece of gear. I know it may add a level of unwanted detail for some, but with the gear cards I've been creating I've considered it may not be that complicated and add some realism for when a player says, "What happens if I take my helmet off?", or, "I grab the Stormtrooper helmet and put it on my head".

My ideas below. Subject to change with input.

Some armors/clothing include a helmet as part of their base cost, some don't. The helmet that came with your armor can of course be discared or be upgraded by purchasing something better:

Heavy Clothing: No helmet.

Adverse Environment Gear: No helmet.

Padded Armor: Basic Helmet

Armored Clothing: No Helmet.

Laminate Armor: Advanced Combat Helmet.

Heavy Battle Armor: Advanced Combat Helmet.

Space Suit: Vac Helmet.

Enviro Suit: Advanced Vac Helmet.

I probably need some better names for the following:

Basic Helmet: A light helmet (Level 1) with an open face. It can't be coupled with a suit to form a vacuum seal. It may have a Visor attached, but not included. Examples: Rebel Commando helmet, a basic laborer's hard hat.

Combat Helmet: A standard armored helmet (Level 2) with an open face. It can't be coupled with a suit to form a vacuum seal. It may have a Visor attached. Examples: Rebel Soldier white helmet, Imperial Trooper black helmet.

Advanced Combat Helmet: A full armored helmet (Level 3) with closed Visor included. It can be coupled with a suit to form a vacuum seal if the armor or clothing has such capability. Examples: Stormtrooper helmet, Fett helmet.

Vac Helmet: A cheap space helmet with little protection (Level 1), but able to be coupled with a suit to form a vaccum seal. It's faceplate is considered a permanent Visor. Example: Cantina creature bubble space helmet.

Advanced Vac Helmet: Similar to the Advanced Combat Helmet, but typically with less armor (Level 2). A Visor is included, typically closed, but some have the option of retracting the Visor. It can be coupled with a suit to form a vacuum seal. Examples: various Starfighter pilot helmets, hostile environ suit helmets.

What they do:

Depending on their protective level, a helmet, when worn, can offset some Critical affects.

Level 1: Head Ringer result is ignored once, but the Helmet is destroyed.

Level 2: Slightly Dazed result is reduced to a Head Ringer.

Level 3: Knocked Senseless result is reduced to Slightly Dazed.

Each level includes the levels below, but you can't chain the results. Example: A Level 3 Helmet includes the Level 2 protection, but if hit for Knocked Senseless the result is reduced to Slightly Dazed (but not reduced further).

Visors have added benefits:

Blinded result is treated as Scattered Senses

Scattered Senses result is ignored.

Invoking either of the above protections destroys the Visor, which may have catortrophic affects in a Vacuum. A player may choose to instead take the full affect and keep the Visor intact?

Visors give a penalty of 1 Setback to Perception when in place. This penalty can be offset by anything that eliminates Perception Setback. Example: Armor with the Enhanced Optics Suite attachment removes 2 Setback from Perception penalties. A set of such armor using a Visor would thus not suffer the Visor's 1 Setback and 1 more Setback could still be eliminated from any other outside affects.

Thoughts? I plan on putting the above details onto my Gear cards to alleviate any problems of remembering what they do. I don't think the Visor penalty nor the bonuses given by the helmets are a game changer at all.

The whole idea with armoured clothing is that it's hidden sort of secret like, would kind of ruin the notion if you wore a helmet and some clothes with hidden deflective and soaking capabilities

The whole idea with armoured clothing is that it's hidden sort of secret like, would kind of ruin the notion if you wore a helmet and some clothes with hidden deflective and soaking capabilities

I just think a lot of what you are proposing is covered by HPs and attachments to armor. I think all of the suggestions could be attachments offered in that section. Special padding shock absorbers if you will. The vision enhancement is already in there as is vacuum sealing.

The whole idea with armoured clothing is that it's hidden sort of secret like, would kind of ruin the notion if you wore a helmet and some clothes with hidden deflective and soaking capabilities

Good point. I will edit the list above to No Helmet for Armored Clothing by default.

I just think a lot of what you are proposing is covered by HPs and attachments to armor. I think all of the suggestions could be attachments offered in that section. Special padding shock absorbers if you will. The vision enhancement is already in there as is vacuum sealing.

Yes I know vision enchancements and vacuum sealing are already in there. That's why I mentioned them above. I think you missed the point.

The point being when a player picks up a helmet or takes off one, I would like it to make an in-game difference. That isn't covered by HPs and attachments at all.

I suppose a completely different way to think about Helmets would be to call them attachments with 0 HP cost.

Helmets are part of armor. Seems to me the HP is a somewhat general philosophy. One could have a set of laminate armor and say all of the HPs are used on the helmet, for a vacuum seal, night vision, comm link, and HUD proving a rank of Accuracy. So if they take it off all the attachments go with it. The flip side could be true, have different helmets with different attachments to swap out.

Helmets are part of armor. Seems to me the HP is a somewhat general philosophy. One could have a set of laminate armor and say all of the HPs are used on the helmet, for a vacuum seal, night vision, comm link, and HUD proving a rank of Accuracy. So if they take it off all the attachments go with it. The flip side could be true, have different helmets with different attachments to swap out.

Good point. You could easily assign general armor locations to attachments.

But what about the armor without attachments? What happens when you take the helmet off attachmentless Laminate Armor or Heavy Battle Armor?

I'm liking this, having helmets as 0 HP attachments is a good idea, for those armours that wouldn't naturally come with it at least.

Although I would go a slightly different route. I think. Will have to consider it further, then I'll present my idea.

Another thought (sorry). What if helmets simply adjusted the critical ratings of attacks against the wearer by 1 level? Would that be too powerful of an effect? As in, a CR 3 weapon targeting a person wearing a helmet would in effect have a CR 4 rating. Or, have the reverse be true (CR 3 weapon targeting a person without a helmet has a CR 2 rating).

Helmets are part of armor. Seems to me the HP is a somewhat general philosophy. One could have a set of laminate armor and say all of the HPs are used on the helmet, for a vacuum seal, night vision, comm link, and HUD proving a rank of Accuracy. So if they take it off all the attachments go with it. The flip side could be true, have different helmets with different attachments to swap out.

Good point. You could easily assign general armor locations to attachments.

But what about the armor without attachments? What happens when you take the helmet off attachmentless Laminate Armor or Heavy Battle Armor?

To develop a whole system you'd obviously have to start to part out armor and assign HPs to individual pieces. I was thinking more in line with a quick house rule than actually getting into a player proof system. I kind of like the open ended shoot from the hip way that this system is, there's nothing wrong with parting things out and focusing on details like individual armor pieces I'm just not sure a narrative based RPG is the place for that system.

About adjusting the critical rating: I'm not sure I like the idea of a helmet affecting critical ratings. Although I think the notion of reducing critical results like you did is pretty nifty.

I can see armor (including helmets) having the potential to add ranks of Durable to the wearer as the armor reduces the severity of critical hits inflicted.

Man. That's what I needed for some of my armour attachments, but I was too narrow minded... REVISIONS!