Equipment: Cepheian Combat Armour w/Exoskeletal Augment

Combat Armour, Cepheian, w/Exoskeletal Augment 

    Cephei VI is in the early stages of TL13 and as such is still perfecting some of the technologies common to that tech level. Cepheian Marines routinely wear combat armour and have done so for several decades. They have also been phasing in battledress over the last few years. Current doctrine calls for one suit of battledress per squad, the marine so equipped operates a heavy support weapon such as a plasma gun (PGMP-12) or an autocannon. Mixing the two types of body armour in one squad creates an imbalance in speed and endurance, which can result in a loss of unit cohesion during combat. To solve this problem a study into the feasibility of equipping all marines with battledress was conducted. The costs proved prohibitive, so another solution was sought, eventually it was decided to develop a powered exoskeleton, which would provide some level of augmentation, enabling combat armour equipped marines a greater ability to keep up with battledress. This proved to be an efficient and cost effective solution.

    Combat armour w/exoskeletal augment is treated exactly as normal combat armour, with the addition that it enhances the wearers strength (STR x 1.5) and endurance (END x 2), (for lifting, carrying and fighting purposes, not for wounds received).

    The cost is double that of standard combat armour, at CR40,000.

Note: This post was inspired by my choice of miniatures to represent Cepheian Marines, Ground Zero Games' US Army in hardsuits. The figures appear to have an exoskeleton over their hardsuit and since the range has a pack of power armour as well, I thought about how to include these two bits of info into the setting.

    Traveller Referee: The augmented combat armour is weaker than proper battledress and does not enjoy the same advantages, that the battledress sensor suite provides (+2 on surprise rolls. Additionally since the exoskeleton is on the outside of the armour it is prone to suffering damage during combat. Any attack roll of a natural 11+ (whether a hit or not) will damage the exoskeleton, disabling it. A disabled exoskeleton severely impairs mobility, and must be disengaged if the wearer is to continue operating his weapons and moving through the battlefield. To do so the character must spend one combat round disengaging the exoskeleton.