Battle Jackets

Mechanical, super-powered suits used by traditionally weaker beings to engage with powerful adversaries. 

Owning a Battle Jacket. At various points, the rules may refer to the ‘owner’ of a Battle Jacket. This is the person who predominantly possesses it. If another Character were to steal it, they should not be classified as the ‘owner’ unless this becomes a permanent possession of theirs. The distinction is primarily made by the ARC.

Jacket Level and Jacket Tier. Not all Battle Jackets are created equal. Each Battle Jacket has their own Jacket Level and Jacket Tier – decided when that Battle Jacket is created (though it can be increased through various means):

• Jacket Level. Jacket Level functions, effectively, as a Battle Jacket’s Power Level. When a Battle Jacket is created, its Jacket Level is equal to its creator’s Power Level.
• Jacket Tier (JT). Jacket Tier functions, effectively, as a Battle Jacket’s Tier of Power – replacing it for any (bT) or (T) scaling effects while you are piloting a Battle Jacket. Your Jacket Tier decides the amount of Technique Points your Battle Jacket possesses. As Power Level decides a Character’s Tier of Power, so does Jacket Level decide a Battle Jacket’s Jacket Tier (i.e. a Jacket Level of 5 means their JT is 2, while a Jacket Level of 15 means their JT is 4).

Strengthening a Battle Jacket. If you have a free 24 hours, you may upgrade a Battle Jacket. Make a Craft (Vehicles) check and compare it against the Difficulty Categories for each Jacket Grade (see — Creating a Battle Jacket). If you beat the Difficulty Category for a higher Jacket Grade, you may upgrade your Battle Jacket to that new Jacket Grade.

Even if you fail to increase its Jacket Grade, increase its Jacket Level to become equal to your Power Level. 

Piloting a Battle Jacket

Battle Jacket Combat. While Piloting a Battle Jacket, several rules are applied that change combat in some ways. While you are the Pilot of a Battle Jacket:

• You use that Battle Jacket’s Awareness, Haste, Soak Value, Defense Value, Damage Reduction, Normal Speed, Boosted Speed, and Might instead of your own.
• For calculating Punching Up and Punching Down, as well as any effects that depend on a Character’s Size Category, use your Battle Jacket’s Size Category instead of your own.
• Any usage of Ki Points uses a Battle Jacket’s Ki Points instead of the Pilot’s (unless specified otherwise).
• Any Damage received while piloting a Battle Jacket, unless through a Called Shot to the Pilot, will reduce the Battle Jacket’s Life Points instead of the Pilot’s.
• You cannot use your own Signature Techniques, Auras, or Unique Abilities. You must use those possessed by your Battle Jacket, but you may treat them as if they’re your own for any effects while piloting the Battle Jacket.
• When participating in a Duel Clash while Piloting a Battle Jacket, use the Battle Jacket’s Might instead of your Force for the Duel Clash.
• Your Battle Jacket’s JT is used instead of Tier of Power to calculate Tier of Power Extra Dice and Superior Dice.
• Any Life Points that would be lost through Collision or the effects of a Combat Condition are instead lost by the Battle Jacket.
• If your Life Points are reduced by an effect used by an Opponent or through the effects of one of your Battle Jacket’s Signature Techniques, it is lost by the Battle Jacket instead of you.
• You cannot trigger or benefit from any effects that come from Body-Category Racial Traits, Aspects, or Transformation Traits.
• Any of your effects that would increase/decrease your Life Points, Soak Value, or Damage Reduction are not applicable to your Battle Jacket.
• Your maximum number of Energy Charges while Piloting a Battle Jacket is decided by your Battle Jacket’s Might instead of your Force or Magic Score.
• Any effects that refer to Health Thresholds are referring to the Health Thresholds of the Battle Jacket while you are Piloting it.
• Any Power stacks or Energy Charges gained while Piloting are lost the moment you leave the Battle Jacket. If you had used the Energy Charge Maneuver but hadn’t used the declared Attacking Maneuver, you stop applying its effects.
• You cannot use any Profiles of the Magic Foundation through the Basic Attack Maneuver as an Unarmed Attack.
• You also cannot use the Possession or Absorption Special Maneuvers or be targeted by them.
• You are considered Unnatural.

Battle Jacket Penalty. Piloting a Battle Jacket is one thing, but getting the best out of it is another. While Piloting a Battle Jacket, that Battle Jacket’s Combat Rolls are reduced by 2(JT). 

This penalty is removed by the Expert Pilot Talent.

Attacking Maneuvers and Battle Jackets. When making a Wound Roll while piloting a Battle Jacket, you use the Battle Jacket’s Might instead of your Force or Magic Modifier.

Battle Jacket Health Thresholds. Battle Jackets possess Health Thresholds, functioning the same as those for a Character. Any effects that refer to Health Thresholds are referring to the Health Thresholds of the Battle Jacket while you are Piloting it. None of your effects, except those from a Jacket Module, can modify the Dice Score of your Steadfast Checks for a Battle Jacket’s Health Thresholds. Any Health Threshold Penalties apply only while you are piloting a Battle Jacket which is suffering from them. If your Character would be suffering from any Health Threshold Penalties themselves, they do not apply to their Combat Rolls while piloting a Battle Jacket.

Called Shots and Battle Jackets. As machinery, Battle Jackets can be targeted  in many locations to suffer critical failures. If, for one reason or another, you become aware of Weak Points in a Battle Jacket (this is mostly decided through narrative consequence and ARC discretion or possessing a Battle Jacket’s Blueprint), you may target them to apply the following effects depending on the Weak Point:

• Pilot. This Weak Point is where the Pilot is seated, allowing you to target the Pilot. If you hit the Pilot with that Attacking Maneuver, use the Pilot’s Soak Value and Damage Reduction instead and apply any Damage to their Life Points instead of the Battle Jacket’s Life Points. If a Combat Condition is inflicted by this Attacking Maneuver, it will ignore the Pilot being treated as Unnatural for its effects.
• Frame. If a Battle Jacket is knocked through the Injured or Critical Health Threshold by a Called Shot targeting this Weak Point, you stop applying the effects of your Jacket Frame’s Unique Jacket Trait until your Battle Jacket is Repaired.
• Engine. If a Battle Jacket is knocked through the Injured or Critical Health Threshold by a Called Shot targeting this Weak Point, you stop applying the effects of your Jacket Engine’s Unique Jacket Trait until your Battle Jacket is Repaired.

Battle Jacket Recovery. Battle Jackets cannot regain Life or Ki Points during a Combat Encounter through any effect except those of a Jacket Module. Outside of a Combat Encounter, a Character with 2+ Skill Ranks in Craft (Vehicle) can spend up to 4 hours repairing a Battle Jacket. For every hour spent, a Battle Jacket is Repaired.

• Repaired. A Battle Jacket regains Life and Ki Points equal to 1/4 of their Maximum Life and Ki Points.

Destroying a Battle Jacket. If a Battle Jacket has its Life Points reduced to 0, it is destroyed and the Pilot has their Life Points reduced by the Maximum Life Points for that Battle Jacket. Repairing a destroyed Battle Jacket is impossible, but it is possible to recreate it.

Recreating a Battle Jacket. If your Battle Jacket is destroyed, you can attempt to create it again if you possess a blueprint (see — Creating a Battle Jacket). If you possess a blueprint and have both the time and resources (decided by your ARC), you can make a Craft (Vehicles) Skill Check to recreate your Battle Jacket using its previous Jacket Grade. If you succeed, the recreated Battle Jacket also possesses any Super Modules.