Alpha Dawn - Star Frontiersman

Tactical Vest
Sometimes it’s not adventure on a character’s mind;
sometimes they’re out for payback. Other times they’re
deployed on a purely militant mission: bounty hunting, big
game hunting, assassination (surely your characters
aren’t into contract killing?), or mercenary special
missions. When this is the case, the Tactical Vest is a
decent option.
The Tactical Vest is designed to hold:
- eight ammunition magazines
- four grenades
- two variable timers
- one kilogram of Tornadium D-19
And look dangerous while doing it. All of these items,
when properly placed in the vest compartments, weigh
nothing to the character wearing carrying them. It also
has several straps designed to hang off the bottom of the
vest, to act as rigging onto which pistol-sized weapon
holsters can be attached.
The back of the vest includes five SEU PowerClips in a
network of heavy-duty canvas rigging, all wired together
with integrated power routing and buffering to form the
equivalent of a standard 100-SEU Power Backpack. 1.5m
power cords can be pulled and locked in place (festooned)
and will retract when pulled and released. Up to four
devices can be powered in this manner. Unlike a standard
Power Backpack, these five 20-SEU PowerClips can be
replaced independently (though not by the vest’s wearer
while being worn, and quickly enough to be done
effectively during combat).
The Tactical Vest is built of an extremely durable ballistic
material. If worn alone, treat it as a 25 point skeinsuit.
Skeinsuits cannot be layered, so if worn over another
skeinsuit, both of the protective layers will take the same
damage. For example: a character is shot for 34 points of
damage. He takes only 17 points, and both his skeinsuit
178
and his tactical vest take 17. If worn over an albedo suit,
it nullifies the protective nature of that suit.
The Tactical Vest is not inexpensive. It is not often worn
by large armies because of this. Mercenaries and
adventurers comprise the bulk of the vest’s sales. The
vest can be adjusted to fit any of the four core Frontier
races (even accommodates a Yazirian’s wings), and can
be purchased in black, white, khaki, hunter green, and in
several types of camouflage. It weighs 2kg and costs
750Cr.
Unpowered Helmets
The Star Frontiers game has no helmets. I’m not sure
why, but I guess professional adventurers and explorers
having exciting adventures on alien worlds fear getting
their hair matted down. Helmets have an important role
in the military – but science fiction has many more uses
for headgear.
Universal Combat Helmet
The basic combat helmet is simple in design and effective
protection against light shrapnel and projectiles. Unlike
some earlier helmets – these helmets are not
camouflaged but polished and white, designed to deflect a
glancing beam weapon.
Combat helmets come in sizes and shapes for all four of
the major races. This helmet has a universal fit, with
inserts and chin straps designed to accommodate each of
the four core species. All simple combat helmets
(including this Universal one) costs 50Cr and weighs
nothing when worn. They weigh 1kg when stored.
Referees may allow called shots to the head (with a
substantial penalty, -20 for example) to cause double
damage unless protected by a helmet. Alternatively,
referees may immunize characters against the
automatic knock-out that occurs when an opponent rolls
01-02 to hit while so protected (see the Alpha Dawn
remastered book, page 16).