Power Armor

[S1C0]

Me and my group are running a sci-fi themed campaign,
my question is how would you handle power armor in
your game?I had an idea for balance, a limited power
sourse similar to fusion cores from fallout 4 which would make it so you have limited number of actions per session, also a seprate "stress" track that relates to the benefits of armor rating and actions as a whole.
you can see my difficulty stating it out, I figure a mortal stunt or multipule.... let me know if you also like the idea for your games as well!!

[Quantus]

If you are running a Sci-fi game on top of the DFRPG rules, I think I'd just re-skin the Shapeshifting rules to be Suits instead of alternate forms.  It has all the bases you'd need covered, and Modular Abilities in particular might lend itself nicely as the PC's suits "advance".  It has the benefit of simplicity and the balance has been hashed out, as compared to new rule-sets, and you're table will be used to working new cosmetics onto previously "magic" frameworks.

[Taran]

I have a character that uses Power Armour (kind of). 

This is how I do it:

Item of Power (+2 obvious)

Grants:
Toughness 
 - this gives you armour and extra boxes to take stress. (because it's armour and that's what armour does) You can use whatever level of toughness you want.  My character has Mythic
 Strength
 - This represents the suits enhanced power letting you lift heavy objects or crush things with your hands.
Claws
- To punch things with your Power Fist or decapitate things with your Vibro sword.  Alternately, you can just wield a mundane weapon and not spend any refresh on this power.
Breath Weapon
-Because your armour is equipped with a gatling gun or flame thrower.  Alternately, you can just wield these as mundane weapons and save the refresh.  If you take strength powers, you'll be strong enough to carry them unhindered.
Speed
- the suit is hard-wired to your brain, enhancing your reactions or let you jet around really quickly
Wings
- If your suit can fly (like Iron Man)
Supernatural Senses
- To get infrared, Darkvision, sonar and any other array of enhanced senses
-Cloak of Shadows/Glamours
- if your suit has a cloaking device
Hulking Size
- If your suit is a Mech Suit like a 40k Space Marine or Voltron

When you aren't wearing it, you don't have access to those powers, obviously.  No one else can use it because it requires your DNA/fingerprints/retinal scan - whatever.  Doesn't mean it can't be stolen, however!

You are no longer a Pure Mortal if you own a suit of Power Armour.

[Mr. Death]

I'm certain there's at least a couple, 'How do you build Iron Man?' threads around here somewhere. I myself put together something similar for Bunker of Sentinels of the Multiverse.

[Sanctaphrax]

I'm certain there's at least a couple, 'How do you build Iron Man?' threads around here somewhere. I myself put together something similar for Bunker of Sentinels of the Multiverse.

Yep.

http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,45296.0.html
http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,18560.0.html
http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,18634.0.html
http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,26344.0.html

[S1C0]

Those are fine examples of power armor, I was particularly interesteted in the temporary power rule for my idea, the type of armor i am working towards.

I have a more refined idea on how it can work.
Firstly the armor rating comes with its own stress track , the higher the stress the lower the armor rating.
Secondly it has a fuel point stress track, both limiting its use and adding difficulty to consistently use, similar to how fusion cores work in Fallout 4, based on our fake sci-fi feul unobtainium.
Thirdly it's still tech so hexing works unfortunately as does the possibility of somebody hacking into it...
Finally this armor is more of a group item due to the fact they're only being one or two true combat pcs and our story lends well to this sort of thing.

I am still wanting more insight and opinions!! Thank You for your time.

[Sanctaphrax]

Not sure what you mean by the armour rating coming with its own stress track. Is the idea that damage to the wearer will also affect the armour, lowering its armour rating?

Fuel stress could work, but it would probably have to be a special stress track like hunger or soul. Clearing it at the end of every scene wouldn't make much sense.

Group items aren't really a thing in DFRPG. But you could add them to the game. You could even give the group a character sheet, with all sorts of skill/power/stunt options.

All of this is fairly heavy homebrewing...you up for that?

[Quantus]

Not sure what you mean by the armour rating coming with its own stress track. Is the idea that damage to the wearer will also affect the armour, lowering its armour rating?

Fuel stress could work, but it would probably have to be a special stress track like hunger or soul. Clearing it at the end of every scene wouldn't make much sense.

Not per scene, but a specific "refueling" action to wipe it could work.  Would be as limited as they want to make the

Group items aren't really a thing in DFRPG. But you could add them to the game. You could even give the group a character sheet, with all sorts of skill/power/stunt options.

All of this is fairly heavy homebrewing...you up for that?

You know, that is a spectacularly interesting idea!  Imagine a Party character sheet with Aspects, with players potentially getting conflicting Compells, and Teamwork Stunts like you'd expect out of an  established and well-trained super-hero teams.  It would be a really interesting way to model a mixed-bag party  where you have individuals that arent the traditionally working together or working toward the party's stated goal.  Skin Game is a great example, but so would the classic self-centered chaotic rogue that somehow landed in a party full of noble heroes out to Save The World

[Taran]

I think I'd do it like so - keep in mind this is a preliminary idea:

Make the Power Armour a separate character.  Give it all the usual aspects but make them pertain to the item's background.  Make sure it has one or more 'Group/Party' Aspects.  Be sure to give it aspects that revolve around getting hexed/stolen/hacked since these are primarily dealt with as compels anyways.

Give it Powers such as toughness, speed, etc... (as I mentionned above)
If you want to give it lots of boxes but lower armour, give it hulking size.  This adds 2 boxes and makes it easier to hit.  Give it lower toughness power.

Give it Living Dead.  This means its stress track does not regenerate after a fight.  You need to repair it.  You need a workshop and tools and, possibly, fuel - see below.
Give it a Hunger track based on a character's drive (or other appropriate skill).  This represents the user's ability to use the fuel efficiently.  At the end of a scene, make a roll against the powers you used.  Failure adds to the Hunger stress track.  Consequences relate to damage and lack of fuel.  It can be taken out this way until you track down more fuel (by missing a scene or by adventuring in-game).   The nice thing about Hunger is, if you fail your roll, you can choose to take Hunger Stress, Take Consequences or Lose Powers to absorb the stress.  Losing Powers reflects the degrading systems in the armour.

Give it some basic skills which represents what it can do on 'auto-pilot'.  Like, if you call it to you or are controling it remotely.  Basically, this requires one of the PCs to invoke an aspect on their character sheet "OWNER OF POWER ARMOUR" and the GM could just run it.   Or, if your PC is really bad at athletics(for example), they can default to the AI skills.

Endurance +5,
Might +4
Alertness+3; Fists +3
athletics, +2 Guns +2
Drive +1 Stealth +1

If you want to drive it, here is what you do:  Give it a pool of refresh for mimic abilities.  This pool represents the 'drop of blood' you need to insert into the machine allowing you to use it.  (also is compel fodder for anyone who steals it).
You use mimic abilities to mimic any skills/stunt/powers from the character who is playing/driving the power armour.
You can use the armour's abilities or your own, if you bought them using mimic, but  All physical skills are modified by your DRIVE skill.  So, you can use your own athletics, but your ability to dodge is hampered by your ability to pilot the machine.  This can be done as a refresh rebate on the character.  The AI is fairly simple and has a low Drive skill.  All of its physical actions are also restricted by drive.  The group can choose to 'upgrade' the AI systems at milestones by increasing the Drive skill.  Eventually, they might upgrade it to a point they don't need the drive skill themselves because the AI takes care of most of the piloting.  AI technology would be difficult to develop at a certain skill and would require appropriate research/workshop.

All mental/social skills(and Drive, if they want it to be higher) need to be bought using your mimic refresh.

So, each player plays their own character or the Power Armour character.  Not both.

When I have some time, I'll write up an example sheet.

[Taran]

Power Armour
HC: Automated Power Suit;  Trouble: Ultra High-Tech Piece of Machinery
Other: Unleaded Unobtanium Fuel Only; Owned By >>PC GROUP<< ; Synchronized with User;  Simplistic AI; Invented by >>insert plot hook<<

Mundane Equipment
Armoured Shell: Armour 1
Automatic weapons array: weapon 3 gun
Power Fist: weapon 2 (bludgeoning weapon)
On-board computer with voice activated control (smart phone)
Basic AI intelligence

Skills
Endurance +5,
Might +4
Alertness+3; Fists +3
athletics, +2 Guns +2
Drive +1 Stealth +1

Powers
- 1 Automated Armoured Suit ( Living Dead )
- 2 Hulking Size
- 3 Mimic Abilities pool
+1 Piloted Vehicle:  All physical skills are restricted by pilots DRIVE skill

+1 Feeding Dependency. (Based on Drive Skill) Affecting:
- 4 Supernatural Toughness (sheilds)
  +3 Catch: Energy Weapons (Fire, electricity, cold)
-2 Inhuman Speed or Inhuman Strength
-1 Supernatural Senses (Darkvision)
-1 Wings

Physical: 000000 (0000) Armour 1/2*
Mental: 00  or ?
Social: 00 or ?
Hunger: 00 or (00) ?*

Refresh: 9/10

   *Note: even if someone with a high drive skill or if Supernatural toughness is used, temporary stress boxes that are marked off are considered used when another driver takes the wheel.

[S1C0]

Firstly WOW!
Secondly the armor rating has a durability stress track
that is damaged as you are, when it's durability degrades so does the benifits it gives.
Thirdly the hunger&physical stress of the armor does not refreash without an advanced mech bay, and an unobtabium power cell which is a big resource roll think of it like this, it is far more difficult to afford then three Fighter jets.
Forthly i adore that party group concept i also have a thought along similar lines how about a group sheet that's along the same vein as the city sheet.. another layer to the world if you will that includes goals of both your party and notes on developments in your organization and personal life... like a Fate map.

I am glad for help from the community and let me know your thoghts on the armor lore and Fate map outlook!!!

Once again thank you for your time and insight.

[Taran]

Secondly the armor rating has a durability stress track
that is damaged as you are, when it's durability degrades so does the benifits it gives.

Well, its physical stress track IS the durability.  If you take damage, the next time you don the armour, the damage is still there.  Eventually, if you don't get it repaired, it will have to take consequences to absorb blows and you'll more likely get taken out in the next fight.  Your 'shields' get damaged permanently as well, the more you use them.

I would say that a character would don the suit for a scene.  It's probably incredibly hard to get in and out of.  So, if the suit goes down in a fight, the PC is, effectively taken out (even though his character sheet has no consequences).  He's probably trapped inside the suit.  Maybe, as a concession, he can escape the suit to run away, but he has to ditch the armour.

You can repair this damage the same way you can repair a car.  It's mostly physical damage and wear.  Doesn't affect systems too badly but it also doesn't heal on its own.

Thirdly the hunger&physical stress of the armor does not refreash without an advanced mech bay, and an unobtabium power cell which is a big resource roll think of it like this, it is far more difficult to afford then three Fighter jets.

Well, if you read Feeding Dependency, if you are taken out by Hunger, you have to spend a scene feeding.  In this case, you'd need to spend time repairing the core/refueling.  This affects the Systems and the AI because these things are powered by your Unobtanium.  If you can't feed the suit Unobtanium (just like a vampire needs to feed on blood), then you can't repair the systems and shields.  According to Feeding Dependency, a successful Hunger roll clears all Hunger stress.  You may want to get rid of that...or you can keep it and say that the PCs have a limited source of fuel - or maybe the suit has a limited power-recovery function. 

The problem is they can use a 1-refresh power and easily succeed on the Hunger roll and heal up any previous stress...which feels cheap to me.  The other option is to have them roll against the "powers used + current stress".  This would make it harder to succeed even on cheaper powers.

Although, I suppose it depends how high each PC puts Drive as a skill.

Once again thank you for your time and insight.

No problem.  It's fun!