Which would make better personal armor: Plastic or titanium/steel?

[Tangential]

<insert appropriate Lex Luthor quote here>

[beejazz]

"Synthetic substances don't necessarily have to rely on petroleum in a fictional world."

Yes I know but what else could they rely on?

They're what? Complex carbon chains? You can get that out of just about anything. I guess it could be sugar-based. People could maybe even take it from the fatty tissues of animals (WHALING) but that might be a little far-fetched. Sky's the limit. Especially if the tech level only goes down for the general populace... "ancient artifacts" could include nanotechnology specialized to fabricate synthetic substances.

Chemistry is one of those overlooked fields in science fiction, though. It's good to see someone taking an interest. Maybe you could look up stuff on wikipedia? It's how I figured out plasma weapons, based on a prototype in development by Taser. I'm sure you could find something similar (info on prototypes, that is) there.

[the_taken]

Another thing you might want to consider. The type of armor your are thinking about is the archaic inactive armor. It's solid, and either blocks or deflects attacks, up to a certain level, and theoretically unlimited amounts of even weaker attacks.

But modern tanks have an awesome armor system now. A reactive armor system. Those blocks you see on the side of modern tanks are not plates of metal. They're explosives!
See modern weapons are literally just super bullets. It's not the explosive that actually does damage, but the super heated metal at the front that gets blasted into the tank. It literally cuts thru the metal armor like it's nothing. So they cover their tanks in bombs to created a force that negates the one that propels the metal into the tank. It's only good once, but you aren't likely to hit the same exploding plate twice.
Think about. Reactive Armor System.

[Tangential]

I never knew...

[Sacred.Stone]

Wow man. This forum is awesome. All I have to do is post an idea that popped into my head, and you guys turn 1 idea into a brainstorm. Thanks for all the ideas! :)

[Xathan]

Another thing you might want to consider. The type of armor your are thinking about is the archaic inactive armor. It's solid, and either blocks or deflects attacks, up to a certain level, and theoretically unlimited amounts of even weaker attacks.

But modern tanks have an awesome armor system now. A reactive armor system. Those blocks you see on the side of modern tanks are not plates of metal. They're explosives!
See modern weapons are literally just super bullets. It's not the explosive that actually does damage, but the super heated metal at the front that gets blasted into the tank. It literally cuts thru the metal armor like it's nothing. So they cover their tanks in bombs to created a force that negates the one that propels the metal into the tank. It's only good once, but you aren't likely to hit the same exploding plate twice.
Think about. Reactive Armor System.

While reactive armor is bloody sweet, it's really not that effective for personal use - the human body would be battered as much by the armor as by the defenses, and it relies upon quickly being able to be repaired and rebuilt. Once it's reacted, as you noted, the armor is usless. Which is fine for a tank or other large vehicle, which has a large surface area and therefore the armor is theroetically useful over a longer period of time, for a person...not so much.

Plus, the individual soldier has a history of turning around scary sounding tech. In Nazi Germany, they had a backpack with rotor blades that would allow a soldier execute 2 mile long jumps, which would have been great for trench raids with the german quick style. However, the idea of having rotor blades a foot above their heads wasn't attractive to most soldiers, to the project was scrapped. Could you imagine being told your armor is SUPPOSED to explode when you're hit by attacks?

[the_taken]

I forgot to mention that the regular metal allow plating was still underneath the tank's exploding armor.

Besides, the most important questions you must ask when in the army are "Will it hurt?" and "Will it look cool?". You (should've) joined the army with full knowledge that you would very likely be injured or killed, so you'll have to settle for requesting aesthetic improvements.

Imaging your regular Plastitech Full-plate armor have it's density cut in half, but covered in in one-inch cubes. When hit by a Stinger Bullet - a metal needle on some TNT propelled by a rail gun - a cube of explosivenss goes POP! and your no more hurt than if you got punched by 5 year old human.

For triple the price, your popping armor also unleashes a little confetti.

[Xathan]

I forgot to mention that the regular metal allow plating was still underneath the tank's exploding armor.

Besides, the most important questions you must ask when in the army are "Will it hurt?" and "Will it look cool?". You (should've) joined the army with full knowledge that you would very likely be injured or killed, so you'll have to settle for requesting aesthetic improvements.

Imaging your regular Plastitech Full-plate armor have it's density cut in half, but covered in in one-inch cubes. When hit by a Stinger Bullet - a metal needle on some TNT propelled by a rail gun - a cube of explosivenss goes POP! and your no more hurt than if you got punched by 5 year old human.

For triple the price, your popping armor also unleashes a little confetti.

Oh yeah, I know how reactive armor works...and I just don't see it being feasible for individual use without significant...technological...advance....ahhhh. Nevermind, carry on. :)

And yes, yes it is cool, no argument here.

[Gwaihir Windlord]

Reactive all the way.  But for personal use, I would suggest carbon nano-tubes.  It's like a gel, but hardens when hit.  Kinda like futuristic chain-mail.  Follows the same principle.

[Ra-Tiel]

I agree with Gwaihir. Reactive armor is in my opinion only appropriate for vehicles and other objects with a hard frame that can compensate for the back blast of the detonation.

Also, from B5 to Blue Planet to Shadowrun, all "normal" SciFi settings have had some sort of liquid or flexible armor that hardens on impact, creating a sheet of armor to block the impact, and then liquifies again to regain its flexibility.

Another idea would be to introduce some sort of "personal shields". The "Fadings Suns" setting had a nice idea. A deflector (as shields were called there) could - dependent on size and power source - only activate a certain number of times. However, a deflector also had a minimal value of energy that was needed to activate. A bullet would always activate a deflector, while a slower moving throwing knife may not (compare the goa'uld's personal shields in Stargate).

[Endless_Helix]

Actually, I would suggest carbon nanotubes with ceramic scale reinforcement and a gel layer to absorb some of the shock, assuming that you're using projectile weapons. It's quite possible to make by way of clay beds and vegetable oils (in large ammounts, the real problem is the energy required to create the nanotubes). You could probably get away with artifiicially grown diamonds to help reinforce the ceramic scale. Diamond is a really brittle substance if not reinforced, but it can be used to help increase the strength of most substances.

[Gwaihir Windlord]

Hey, that's really a good idea.  *works on stat block to include it in sci-fi game*

[SDragon]

Another idea would be to introduce some sort of "personal shields". The "Fadings Suns" setting had a nice idea. A deflector (as shields were called there) could - dependent on size and power source - only activate a certain number of times. However, a deflector also had a minimal value of energy that was needed to activate. A bullet would always activate a deflector, while a slower moving throwing knife may not (compare the goa'uld's personal shields in Stargate).

Interesting. Strong when you need it to be strong, weak when you don't need it to be strong? The thing I like about this is, the limited use provides a nice balance for the high strength.

[Ra-Tiel]

Interesting. Strong when you need it to be strong, weak when you don't need it to be strong? The thing I like about this is, the limited use provides a nice balance for the high strength.

Not wanting to derail the thread, but a d20 version of a deflector could look like the following. All deflectors would either take up the "belt" or "amulet" slot, dependent on their appearance.

[spoiler]
Personal Deflector
This is the most basic version of a deflector. The field it projects around the wielder is tight, and allows for only light armor being carried underneath without disrupting its function.

A personal deflector can activate a total of 10 times before its energy cell must be replaced. Any attack that deals more than 5 points of damage (no matter the source of the damage) activates the deflector. When activated, a personal deflector grants DR 10/- against the attack that caused its activation.

A personal deflector requires a small energy cell to function.

Duelling Deflector
This is a more advanced version of a deflector. The projected field is wider, and allows light or medium armor to be worn without inhibiting its function.

A duelling deflector can activate a total of 10 times before its energy cell must be replaced. Any attack that deals more than 5 points of damage (no matter the source of the damage) activates the deflector. When activated, a duelling deflector grants DR 20/- against the attack that caused its activation.

A duelling deflector requires a medium energy cell to function.

Battle Deflector
This is the most sophisticated version of a deflector. It projects a far reaching field around the wearer, allowing him to wear all sorts of armor (even heavy one) without giving up its protection.

A battle deflector can activate a total of 10 times before its energy cell must be replaced. Any attack that deals more than 5 points of damage (no matter the source of the damage) activates the deflector. When activated, a battle deflector grants DR 30/- against the attack that caused its activation.

A battle deflector requires a heavy energy cell to function.
[/spoiler]