Trauma plates (no ontology)
From Mazeworld
A trauma plate (referred to as simply plates on occasion) is an insert of bullet-resistant material, designed to reinforce body armor and make it more resistant to damage. Trauma plates exist in multiple variants in the Mazes, but cannot be inserted in every type of armor.
Trauma plates reinforce the wearer's protection by providing a flat Pain modifier when bullets strike the torso, drastically cutting down the effects of Pain. In addition, they are designed to prevent injuries and limb damage from happening - all damage is instead absorbed by the plate (unless overpenetration occurs, see below).
They are considered to be items part of the Clothing category, but are actually not pieces of clothing and cannot be worn "alone" - plates require specific types of body armor, tagged as 'plate carriers' (the list of plate carriers will be detailed below), in order to be installed.
As indicated in Clothing and armor, it takes 1 turn to insert a plate carrier into a piece of body armor, and 1 turn to remove it. It is also not allowed to place body armor with a trauma plate inserted into the inventory - the trauma plate must first be removed.
The benefits of wearing armor with a trauma plate include the ability to cut down Pain damage received when struck in the torso. Plates however are limited in their protective ability by three factors: the fact that a plate is not designed to protect from anything other than Bullet-type damage (Meaning, that if any other damage type strikes a plate wearer, damage is to be calculated as if there was no plate), the fact that plates cannot stop bullets indefinitely and will eventually break, and lastly, the fact that depending on the material of the plate, sufficient amounts of damage in one hit may actually overpenetrate and defeat the plate. A bullet that manages to defeat the plate will deal as much pain and limb damage to the wearer as if the plate wasn't there at all, while still damaging the plate.
In essence, plates work more or less like a miniature, personal piece of cover that users wear on themselves at all times, with the same principle of cover health and overpenetration.
It must be noted that regardless of how a plate performs, if an user is struck with a vest with plate, the vest will not suffer clothing damage from Bullet-type hits. The plate also serves to protect the vest itself from taking damage and thus prevent the vest from "falling off" with a potentially still viable plate inside.
- EXCEPTION: If a bullet manages to defeat the plate's Pass-Through Threshold, or in other words, defeats the plate and vest and pierces through, then naturally the bullet will damage both plate and vest.
Plate carriers
In order to wear a trauma plate, the wearer must be already wearing a piece of body armor with the Plate carrier trait. See the article for more information on body armors and plate carriers.
Trauma plate types
Trauma plates may be bought in clothes shops, found at random, or found on encounters which carry plates as standard issue equipment.
- Fiberglass
- Description: Very cheap and very light, fiberglass sheet plates are essentially improvised armor inserts. While they can stop most low-end threats, from grenade fragments to low-powered handgun rounds, they are not recommended against any 'serious' threats. Fiberglass plates are soft and cheaply made; that means they offer very poor Pain reduction.
- Maximum health: 20 HP
- Pass-through threshold: 9+ dmg (Stops up to 8)
- Pain damage modifier: 0.75x Pain
- Weight: 1 unit
- Cost: 100 P$
- Aramid fiber
- Description: Aramid fiber plates are soft trauma plates. They are of much higher quality and made to better standards than simple fiberglass sheet plates, being made of the same type of fibers that body armor vests are woven out of. Aramid fiber plates are soft ; they offer poor Pain reduction compared to hard plates, but is still better than fiberglass.
- Maximum health: 30 HP
- Pass-through threshold: 10+ dmg (Stops up to 9)
- Pain damage modifier: 0.5x Pain
- Weight: 1 unit
- Cost: 200 P$
- Ceramic
- Description: One of the most commonly-used types of trauma plate. It is the lightest type of hard trauma plate, and offers a good compromise of weight, affordability, and protection level.
- Maximum health: 40 HP
- Pass-through threshold: 11+ dmg (Stops up to 10)
- Pain damage modifier: 0.15x Pain
- Weight: 2 units
- Cost: 500 P$
- Titanium/Steel
- Description: Better than ceramic, yet a lighter alternative to light steel, this plate is composed of a thin tile of steel, layered between two tiles of titanium. T/S plates are suitable for those seeking a protection level higher than those offered by ceramic plates, but without the cost and expense of an all-steel plate.
- Maximum health: 50 HP
- Pass-through threshold: 12+ dmg (Stops up to 11)
- Pain damage modifier: 0.15x Pain
- Weight: 3 units
- Cost: 750 P$
- Light steel
- Description: A medium thickness (5/8ths / 0.625 inch) plate of hardened steel, which offers a compromise between weight and toughness, with price to match. It is designed to stop most intermediate rifle rounds, but do not let it be shot too much by full-power rifles.
- Maximum health: 60 HP
- Pass-through threshold: 13+ dmg (Stops up to 12)
- Pain damage modifier: 0.2x Pain
- Weight: 4 units
- Cost: 1000 P$
- Heavy steel
- Description: A thick (3/4ths / 0.75 inch) plate of hardened steel, made to withstand full-power rifle rounds (up to and including AP variants). Such plates are tough, hard to destroy, but also expensive and heavy, but few users of this plate will find it unsatisfactory.
- Maximum health: 70 HP
- Pass-through threshold: 14+ dmg (Stops up to 13)
- Pain damage modifier: 0.2x Pain
- Weight: 5 units
- Cost: 1500 P$
- Composite
- Description: The composite armor plate is the logical result to efforts towards improving the already efficient heavy steel plate. Composed of a 1.15 inch thick plate of boron carbide, layered with an unique aramid sleeve for maximum protection levels.
- Maximum health: 100 HP
- Pass-through threshold: 18+ dmg (Stops up to 17)
- Pain damage modifier: 0.1x Pain
- Weight: 3 units
- Cost: See below
Composite plates
Composite plates must be crafted, but unlike regular Crafting items, specific items must be brought to a Workshop in order to make them available for sale there - after being successfully produced by the workshop, they will begin selling these plates at a rate of 1 per workshop visit, and at a cost of 2800 P$ per plate. The composite plates have the advantage of being a unique, exclusive item which the engineers promise to sell to the Contestant only.
Items required:
- Engineering specifications document #BC337 - Cutting and shaping boron carbide into plate-shaped objects
- Engineering specifications document #TP212 - Manufacturing and producing bullet-resistant aramid sleeves and armor layers
These items may only be found at random.
When obtained, the following event line will be displayed:
- [Clothing] Trauma plate - Composite - Health: 100 HP / Pass-through threshold: 18+ dmg / Pain reduction: 0.1x - Weight: 3
NOTE: The Composite plates cannot be wished for, until they are available in the workshop. When they become available, they also become valid wishable items.
Finding trauma plates
They may be found:
- At random, as with other items
- At the exception of the Composite plate, sold in Clothes shops as part of a separate list
- Found worn on certain encounters' clothing
