By Adam Garland

Durability and tolerance (using concepts from GURPS)

Armor, normally, has a durability equal to ten times its number of resistance dice and a tolerance level equal to its resistance dice (for example, padded clothing has a durability rating of 10 and a tolerance level of 1). When resistance dice are rolled, the number of damage points (divided by two) that are absorbed by the armor are taken off of the Durability Rating; this value cannot go below 1 (for example, if stiffsynth clothing absorbs 6 points of damage, the armor's durability becomes 67). If the armor absorbs more damage (cumulatively oo all at once) than the Tolerance level, one die is subtracted from both the Tolerance and the Resistance ratings of the armor (until, of course, it can be repaired, in which the dice or dice are re-added to the ratings). If at any time the Durability Rating goes to zero, the armor becomes irreparable and must be replaced.

Optional Rule 1: Quality- Quality ratings also reflect negatively or positively upon armor makes. For every "positive" step of make or quality, 20 more points of Durabilty or 1 more die of Tolerance may be applied to the armor's levels; however, this does NOT add resistance dice to the armor (for example, a Premium-made suit of Scale Mail could have could have a Durability of 130 or a Tolerance level of 10, or any combinatioon of the two. However, the resistance dice value of 7 is unmodified). For every "negative" step, 20 points of Durabiltiy or 1 die of Tolerance are subtracted from the armor's values, and the Resistance ratings of the armor are unmodified. This, in part, gives more variabliltiy to armor makes (a poorly made suit of chain mail may have a lower Tolerance level than its Resistance value, giving the character a relatively cheap suit of protection; however, a Master-made outfit of heavy cloth may have a durabilty of 80, reflecting the workmanship of its make).

Optional rule 2: Critical hits- If struck by a critical hit, the armor takes TWO TIMES the value of absorbed damage as denoted by its resistance dice; this reflects upon a powerful, masterful shot or hit. For example, the stiffsynth in the example above is the only protection for a poor character who's critically hit by a blaster pistol (total of 15 damage); the armor takes 5 (out of 7), leaving 10 damage to the character's body, and the armor's Durability takes a whopping 10 pts.!