Troy here, and today I will share my thoughts regarding Armour (AP) and weapon Penetration values. First, I'll get stuck in with...
Penetration
See what I did there? Anyway...
The game mechanic of subtracting TB and AP from Damage to calculate the number of Wounds a PC suffers from an attack (or other sources) can trace its origins to the first edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (WHFRP). In WHFRP, there were (extremely rare) enchanted weapons that bestowed a bonus to hit or to Damage, sometimes (though very rarely) to both, but the closest any weapon ever came to having a Penetration value were the legendary Rune Weapons.
Rune Weapons were near-mythical weapons with the ability to ignore Armour, completely. In effect, they were then what is the equivalent of Warp Quality weapons today. These weapons were considered one of the greatest treasures of the Old World.
Today, in Wahammer 40K RP, weapons with the Warp Quality are rightly feared for their ability to ignore AP. Well, they should be, but...
There are weapon/Special Ammunition type combinations that can ignore near-equal AP values; an example would be a Hand Cannon (Pen 2) loaded with Man-Stopper Bullets (+3 Pen) ignoring Light Carapace (AP 5)*; and these combinations significantly marginalize weapons possessing the Warp Quality.
* Example taken from Only War (RAW).
Penetration values, no matter from where they are generated, foil (defeat) the mechanic of subtracting TB and AP from Damage. However, that is not to say that Penetration values have no place in the game. Indeed, Penetration values can define weapon Craftsmanship and/or power levels. Removing them would homogenize weapons, creating a vast selection of redundant choices.
After reading many forum threads regarding this topic, I came across one that suggested a simple solution. In fact, the "fix" seemed so simple, I nearly overlooked it. This takes us to...
Armour
For the purposes of this topic, Armour is defined as anything that provides an AP value intended to soak Damage. There are several different categories of Armour:
- Augmetic- the result of certain Talents or Traits
- Cover- provided by interposed obstacles or terrain features
- Field- device-generated barriers
- Natural- innate resilience, or toughened hide, chitin, shell, etc.
- Personal- worn and/or carried
- Psychic- mental barriers/effects
- Vehicle- thick plating, laminates, ablatives, and/or durable alloys
* Example taken from Only War, pg 253, Table 8-4: Cover Examples (RAW).
Referring to the simple "fix" mentioned at the end of Penetration, some (meaning not all) Personal and Natural AP values are to be increased by +2. At first, I thought this simply decreased the chances of any weapon doing enough Damage to cause Wounds. Well, if we leave the mechanic in its original form, this is true. However, we will not be leaving the mechanic in its original form. I will explain the change (again, quite simple) a bit later. For now it is enough to understand that a superfluous weapon selection is undesirable (it's true that Players are happier when there are more choices), and these House Rules will significantly mitigate needless redundancy with regards to the (ever increasing) list of weapons.
Throughout the Warhammer 40K RP game lines (of which there are five) there is a vast array of weapons and Personal armour PCs might utilize. Many GMs want to and will incorporate elements from some or all of these games, and it is important to remember that these House Rules are intended to bring all five games into one cohesive rules set. Bearing this in mind...
I mentioned earlier that some, not all Personal AP values are increased by +2. There are many specific reasons for this increase, though the most important of all reasons is this: I and my group have been play testing and refining these House Rules for nearly a year. Except for the occasional holiday or family obligation, we meet each week for approximately five hours, and in that time I have put these "tweaks" (and the PCs) through the ringers. That being said...
Since the selection of Personal armour spans five games' worth of material, it is far and away easier to list the armour categories that do receive the +2 AP increase rather than those that do not, with a few notable clarifications, and they are as follows:
- Non-Primitive Personal armours: Flak, Carapace (Light and Storm Troopr), Power Armour, Terminator Armour.
- Cloaks, Gauntlets, and Helmets excluded*
By definition, a cloak is an overgarment that hangs from the shoulders. A Flak Cloak (Arms, Body, Legs) is less rigid than a Flak Coat (Arms, Body), the trade for a Lower AP value being the increase in Location coverage. Gauntlets trade a lower AP value for the ability of fine manipulation without a penalty to Tests. Helmets trade a lower AP value for adaptability, viewed as the inclusion of "add-on" devices such as in-built Photo-Visors, Micro-Beads, Prey-Sense Goggles, Salvation Augers, etc. In the case of Astartes Power Armour, having an (adjusted) AP value of 10 on the Arm Location might be viewed as a benefit of combined vambrace (lower cannon), rerebrace (upper cannon) and pauldron rather than the gauntlets (though the penalty to fine manipulation Tests still applies).
As there exist such options as Armour Upgrades (Ablative, Black Crusade, pg 178, Table 5-11: Armour Upgrades), Armour Monger (Talent) (Only War, pg 140), and others besides, it is with the primary interest of game balance (as opposed to realism) that these exclusions have been noted. Also, bear in mind the varying rules iterations of The Flesh Is Weak/Machine (X) Trait (considered Augmetic AP) stacks with Personal AP, Cover AP, Psychic AP, and certain (limited) Field AP values.
Standardization of Talents/Traits (and similar) will be address in a later post.
In the interest of space, it is not possible here to be specific with regards to every AP value attributed to the expanding Warhammer 40K RP bestiary. Giving the barest of examples:
- A Termagant would not receive the +2 AP increase, whereas a Hormagaunt or Genestealer would
- A Tyranid Warrior would, whereas a "Shrike" would not
- An Eldar Guardian would not, whereas a Warp Spider, Striking Scorpion, or Wraith Guard would
- A Dark Eldar Wrack would not, whereas a Grotesque would
- A Loxatl would not, whereas a Lacrymole...might
If you want me to rewrite the whole collection and adversaries and beasts for you so it reflects this House Rule, it's not going to happen (right now). For now, GMs are encouraged to use their best judgment.
That should be enough for this post.
Coming up next, Damage (categories, such as that caused by attacks and Falling), the role of Toughness (including TB, Unnatural Toughness, and similar Traits), and Wounds.
Appendix: In the cases of Dark Heresy, Rogue Trader, and Deathwatch, weapons do not double their Damage against Primitive AP values. Likewise, AP values are not doubled against certain Special Ammunition types (such as Dumdum Bullets).
Later posts will cover complete Special Ammunition types and Weapon Qualities.
"This website is completely unofficial and in no way endorsed by Games Workshop Limited or Fantasy Flight Publishing, Inc."
Appendix: In the cases of Dark Heresy, Rogue Trader, and Deathwatch, weapons do not double their Damage against Primitive AP values. Likewise, AP values are not doubled against certain Special Ammunition types (such as Dumdum Bullets).
Later posts will cover complete Special Ammunition types and Weapon Qualities.
"This website is completely unofficial and in no way endorsed by Games Workshop Limited or Fantasy Flight Publishing, Inc."
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