That’s why reactive armor tiles have an outer layer of passive armor to protect the reactive part (the mercury in this case, the explosive in the real world): Any hit below a certain threshold doesn’t penetrate enough to set the reaction off.
Now, you keep on shooting your lasers enough, you presumably trigger enough of the tiles that you start getting gaps big enough to aim for.
Very cool, Sydney. Maybe LASH dispensers would be better for protecting Anvil troops and unarmored vehicles (assuming they’re totally buttoned up). If the dispenser can spew vaporized mercury into the air for a while (half a minute or so?), you could drop artillery shell versions of LASH in front of enemy laser units like a smoke-screen and give yourself some cover actively.
Salting the earth indeed.
Chris
Yeah, there’d definitely be different forms:
Reactive armor, either as add-on tiles or built-in to the regular armor – the most logical explanation for the puff of LASH vapor from Sarge’s armor after he’s hit is that his Iron’s armor is a “sandwich” with mercury under the outer layer of solid plate.
Then you have basically “smoke grenades” that you can either throw or fire from a short-range dispenser to cover your own position.
And last you’d have artillery shells/missile warheads you could use to blanket an enemy position.
Mostly these different mechanisms are color, but I’ll take a look at Luke’s original write-ups again and see if the actual mechanics need tweaking – I don’t think we have a “blanket enemy position” version yet, for example.
Has anyone thought of the result of all of this vaporized mercury on the combatants? It might not be a big deal in an environment where you have to have full respirators anyway, but otherwise wouldn’t you end up with a lot of mentally handicapped veterans?
EDIT: The stats in this post are rough drafts - please see the final version on the wiki.
Okay, this is my revised version of what Luke did, based on this latest exchange of posts and my other experiences statting out tech. I welcome comments on any wonkiness:
LASHR (LAser SHield Reactive armor)
Resources Obstacle: 4 pts
Low Index or higher
LASHR is a layered armor consisting of tiny tiles, each composed of bullet- and explosive-resistant alloy “sandwiching” an inner layer of mercury-laced explosive. When an incoming hit penetrates the outer layer, it sets off the inner layer: The resulting explosion directly disrupts the penetrating capability of kinetic-energy projectiles and shaped-charge waheards, and indirectly, by vaporizing the mercury into a thick cloud, disrupts incoming laser and fusor beams. Meanwhile the lower layer protects the vehicle or body armor underneath from the backblast.
LASHR may be carried by Anvil armor, Iron, or vehicles as either original construction or as add-on tiles.
+3 Ob against incoming attacks against the individual character or vehicle only: i.e. against individual shot opportunities during Direct Fire or Suppressive Fire and individual Weapons Fire, or Grenades actions during Close Combat (Device: Obstacle, base 1 pt; +3 Ob, +3 pts. Total, +4 pts)
Toxic to unarmored personnel (Categorical Limitation, -1 pt)
Requires Ammo Check against a skill of 3 after each hit defended against (Categorical Limitation, -1 pt)
Ammo capacity: equivalent to Cylinder (+2 pts)
LASHUP (LAser SHield, Unit Protection)
Resources Obstacle: 4 pts
Low Index or higher
LASHUP is a protective cloud of vaporized mercury, large enough to cover a whole formation of troops, that interferes with incoming – and outgoing! – energy weapons fire. It may be delivered by a dispenser, grenades, or large-bore projectile weapons.
+3 Ob against all incoming energy attacks against either the LASHUP-equipped character/vehicle or its unit. This applies against enemy Direct Fire and Suppressive Fire unit actions, as well as against individual shot opportunities during Direct Fire or Suppressive Fire and individual Weapons Fire or Grenades actions during Close Combat (Device: Obstacle, base 1 pt; +3 Ob, +3 pts; affects two additional actions, +2 pts; Categorical Limitation: energy weapons only, -1 pt. Total, +5 pts)
+3 Ob to the protected unit’s own outgoing energy fire! (Device: Obstacle, base -1 pt; +3 Ob, -3 pts; Categorical Limitation: energy weapons only, +1 pt. Total, -3 pts)
(Note that the “affects additional actions” clause doesn’t come in here: It does affect outgoing Direct Fire, Suppressive Fire, etc., but only from one unit, the protected one.)
The Obstacle to both incoming and outgoing fire lasts until the end of the Firefight, or until the protected unit moves by taking an Advance, Flank, or Withdraw unit action. (Enhancement: Extended duration, one conflict/scene, +4 pts. Categorical Limitation, unless you move, -1 pt. Total, +3 pts).
Toxic to unarmored personnel (Categorical Limitation, -1 pt)
Requires Ammo Check against a skill of 3 after each hit defended against (Categorical Limitation, -1 pt. Ammo Capacity: Single Shot, +1 pt. Total, 0 pts).
LASHA (LAser SHield, Artillery-delivered)
Resource Obstacle: 9 pts
Low Index or higher
LASHA is a warhead for artillery and missile weapons that disperses vaporized mercury over an enemy unit, disrupting its ability to fire energy weapons – as well as anyone’s ability to hit it with energy weapons.
+3 Ob against all energy attacks against any target made by targeted unit. This applies against its Direct Fire and Suppressive Fire unit actions, as well as against individual shot opportunities during Direct Fire or Suppressive Fire and individual Weapons Fire or Grenades actions during Close Combat (Device: Obstacle, base 1 pt; +3 Ob, +3 pts; affects two additional actions, +2 pts; Categorical Limitation: energy weapons only, -1 pt. Total, +5 pts)
+3 Ob to energy fire against the targeted unit! (Device: Obstacle, base -1 pt; +3 Ob, -3 pts; Categorical Limitation: energy weapons only, +1 pt. Total, -3 pts)
(Again, “affects additional actions” does not apply, since it’s only one unit.)
The Obstacle to both incoming and outgoing fire lasts until the end of the Firefight, or until the protected unit moves by taking an Advance, Flank, or Withdraw unit action. (Enhancement: Extended duration, one conflict/scene, +4 pts. Categorical Limitation, unless you move, -1 pt. Total, +3 pts).
Toxic to unarmored personnel: It’s a chemical weapon!
(Assault Weapon scale damage; 2 pts. Megablast, +6 pts. Categorical Limitation, affects unarmored personnel only, -1 pt. Total, +7 pts).
Must be fired from a weapon – weapon used determines range. (External Trait Limitation, -3 pts)
Requires Ammo Check against a skill of 3 after each use (Categorical Limitation, -1 pt. Ammo Capacity: Single Shot, +1 pt. Total, 0 pts).
I’ve put revised versions of LASHR and LASHUP on the wiki. I’m still not happy with LASHA, the version you can drop on enemy units.
Okay, accumulated self-doubt and an exchange of PMs with Luke has made me revise these again, darn it, since as Luke rightly points out +3 Ob is pretty out of control.
So for LASHR, I’ve figured out a hack for a device that reduces an incoming weapon’s Die of Fate, which is a less minmaxed and more realistic way of depicting what reactive armor actually does: It’s not actually harder to hit a reactive armor-protected vehicle, it’s just harder to get a good, solid hit with certain weapons.
Since “One extra success gets a +1 to the DoF” (p. 516), and on average two dice generate one success, imposing -1 to an incoming weapon’s DoF is equivalent on average to knocking two dice off the enemy’s weapons skill, which is equal-and-opposite to a +2D Skill Advantage, i.e. 5 points.
The tech traits section of the current wiki version of LASHR reads:
-1 to enemy DoF, equivalent to -2D to enemy weapons skill (+5 pts)
Categorical Limitation: ineffective against Squad Support or Close Combat projectile weapons (-1 pt)
Categorical Limitation: Neutralized by Devastator trait (-1 pt)
And then LASHUP goes back to what Luke wrote up in the beginning, using the “Enhancement” trait, rather than all my fiddling with what counts as an additional skill/use affected:
I personally don’t think “Poisonous” counts as a 3-point limitation, just a 1-point inconvenience, because it amounts to “Categorical Limitation: useable by troops in vehicles or sealed helmets only.” Also, I’ve made it last a whole volley, I’ve changed “one use” to needing an Ammo Check and having an ammo supply, which people can buy up as desired.
So, the tech traits from the current wiki version of LASHUP:
Technological Traits:
Device: Obstacle, base 1 pt; +3 Ob, +3 pts. (+4 pts)
Enhancement: Affects everyone on the other side (+6 pts)
Enhancement: Lasts one exchange in Firefight, +3 pts; Categorical Limitation: unless protected unit moves, -1 pt (+2 pts)
Categorical Limitation: affects protected unit’s own outgoing fire! (-1 pt)
Categorical Limitation: Toxic - may only used by troops in gas masks, spacesuits, Anvil, Iron, or vehicles (-1 pt)
Categorical Limitation: requires ammo check, -1 pt; Ammunition Supply: Magazine, +3 pts. (+2 pts)
Luke, does this look better? Chris, does this satisfy your original vision?