Modification:The Long Night: Armor

xTATTEREDx  · +FINE+  · *SUPERIOR*  · ≡EXCEPTIONAL≡  · ☼MASTERWORK☼

Updating to 2.6

The wasteland is a dangerous place and one is well-advised to go armored if one intends to last. The Long Night sports a wide variety of armor types which function very differently from vanilla DF.

How armor works

Armor works differently in The Long Night. It is the far future, after all. In advanced civilizations, armor comes in the form of a powerful exoskeleton, or power armor, that covers the entire body except for the hands, feet, and head, which are protected by helmet and limb add-ons. There are many different types of exo-armor, with their own strengths and weaknesses in the form of cost, weight, and defense.

The armor user skill is particularly important here. Without any points in it, for example, a superheavy exoskeleton slows the wearer to a tenth of their normal speed.

(It should be noted that rather than using exo-armors, posthuman tribes graft outer carapaces of nanotechne onto themselves. It gives them the appearance of ferocious metallic monsters rather than beings in armor.)

Along with the exoskeleton, which comprises the vast majority of the outfit, some other equipment is needed for full operational status.

Exo-helmets: Function as a standard helmet. Come in various forms. Exo-legs: Protects the legs and supports the exoskeleton. Light variants are used by ranged soldiers. Exo-arms: Protects the hands and supports the exoskeleton. Light variants are used by ranged soldiers.

Exo-Armors

Basic Exo-Armors

These models are widespread in civilized areas, though some can only be found in specific civilizations.

• Gretzer-88/89/90/91/92: A durable and reliable exo-armor with a practical military aesthetic, with smooth, angular plating and a helmeted head. Probably one of the most common and popular exo-armors around. The 88, 89, 90, 91, and 92 series are virtually identical save for some minor software differences, due to the ancient company that made them being involved in a financial scheme intended to bloat their sales numbers (It's complicated). Users will swear that there's a meaningful difference between the five but that's usually put down to superstition.

• Gretzer-96H: A heavy version of the Gretzer armor, intended for melee soldiers but perfectly suitable for heavy ranged infantry as well. Well-known for being a pretty decent piece of gear.

• Starner-V: A seriously heavily-armored exo-armor with thick, rounded armor plating. The Starner-V is the go-to for nations or mercenaries wanting serious protection. Individuals tend to prefer it for melee but there's always some nation-state with the bright idea to make it the standard pattern for their army, with mixed results.

• Jiken-Free: A knock-off of the Jiken-Bak exo-armor. Slightly less effective at everything but it's about as good as a Gretzer so people don't complain too much. Only the Light model was copied, however.

• Centurion-3020: An exo-armor with a roman motif, though it's expressed through smooth, rounded armor and overlapping plates. It has a crest of synthetic fibers mimicking a mohawk. Lightweight but well-armored and suitable for both ranged and melee roles, but favored for the latter.

• Drud-SH: The Drud, also called the Fat Man, is a notably bulky exo-armor with thick, rounded plates and a design resembling the body type of a muscular, obese male. Despite it's odd frame, it's still a proper exo-suit and is quite powerful at close range.

• Valiant-14/15/16/17: A smaller Martian company tried a scheme similar to the Gretzer manufacturer's plot, only to be discovered and shut down. However, their sleek, streamlined exo-armor was actually a pretty good lightweight model and was spread through the underground, lasting long after the fall of Earth. Like the Gretzer quintuplets, users swear there are meaningful differences between the models, but no proof has surfaced.

• Valiant-B: Also called the Brute Valiant, it is an attempt to turn what was never intended to be a heavy exo-armor into a heavy exo-armor, with middling success.

• M-Grace: The M-Grace is a famous Europan model with a sleek, utilitarian design, intended to be as easy on the eyes as it is on the pocketbook, and a study in form-fitting minimalism. Easily one of the thinnest exo-suits around, it's angled countours are seen flitting about the battlefield and delivering devastation to its foes.

• M-Comet: Another Europan model with a distinctively waspish waist and a triangular, broad-shouldered frame. This smooth-armored model is a light melee variant that sacrifices power for speed. It isn't a top of the line melee model but Europans have always prioritized ranged capability, and thus naturally fall short when it comes to melee variants. Looks great though.

• Boxer-13: An unlucky model that was only discovered by chance, the manufacturer having gone bankrupt before he could even put it into production. A rounded-armor type, this model is noticeable for the narrow waist and thickened forelimbs, giving it an odd appearance. It's said that this armor was designed for martial artists and works better in unarmed combat, but this may just be a placebo.

• Korga-J9: A sinister-looking exo-armor with tapered limbs and a triangular body, giving it a sort of alien appearance when combined with its sleek armor plating. Widely regarded as one of the better heavy gunner models, though it does well enough when used in melee.

• Jarst-S/D: The Jarst models were intended to be sold as a pair of matching heavy suits to an individual buyer, but the plans were leaked. There is little difference between the two boxy, thickly-plated exo-armors, but as with all series, people tend to have endless drunken debates about them.

• Grao-Kappa: An odd lightweight model known for its distinctive disc-shaped helm armor and similarly disc-shaped pauldrons installed over its sleek, form-fitting frame. Beyond that it's a moderately capable exo-armor.

• Vrasta-G10: A sleek dogfighter-type exo-armor, the Vrasta excels in long-range duels, light enough to dodge attacks and armored enough to take a few hits. It suffers if enough force can be brought to bear against it though, and doesn't do well in battles of attrition.

• Lodny-S/H/L: The Lodny series is a primarily Jovian design, but has found usage across the planet. The Standard, Heavy, and Light patterns all share a similar motif of close-fitting slabs of curving armor and a prominent gorget-like protector on the neck. The Standard and Light are typically used by gunners with the Heavy variant being a melee-oriented model.

• K2 Series: The K2 models have a graceful elegance to them despite their bulk, resembling a more brutalist version of the ancient knights of the far distant past. The Petit gunner model is the lightest, with the Magnifique and Puissant medium and heavy models serving as melee suits.

• Judgement-10: An odd-looking exo-armor with a distinctly conical head and similarly conical pauldrons atop a triangular body, giving it a top-heavy sort of look. Despite this, the suit is well-balanced and makes a decent melee option. It is said to have been the armor of choice for an ancient inquisitor's faction during the collapse of the Great Solar Empire.

• Steadfast-54: A bulky heavy gunner outfit with curving metal plating, known for its broad legs and broad body. Its stability and protection makes it a decent option for those wanting protection as a gunner. Few other gunner models offer similar protection.

• Pupa Series: the Pupa-I was a disaster and is out of production, having multiple weak spots on its thin, ring-segmented frame. The Pupa-II had enough reinforcement to function as a light gunner outfit, its distinctive flared helmet an easy way to distinguish it. The Pupa-III functions as a cheap alternative to other melee suits.

Advanced Exo-Armor

High-performance models used by advanced civilizations and rarely by weaker ones.

• Dominance-22: A high-end exo-armor with a sleek, futuristic design. Lightweight but high-grade protection. Only the most advanced nations even have a chance of getting their hands on this design.

• Nova-X5: Another high-end performer, the Nova-X5 has a similar design to the Dominance-22 but with somewhat thicker armor plating. Most notable is its special adaptive nanotechne feature, essentially allowing the armor to subtly shift its shape when struck to deflect blows. This gives it suprising durability for its weight class.

• Jiken-Bak-L/H: The standard pattern for the Class, descended as they are from the zaibatsus that took over most of Asia a few thousand years ago. Looks like the ancient samurai but with a smoother, polished look to it. Practically epitomizes elegance. Has a Light and Heavy variant.

• Gretzer-E: A prototype advanced Gretzer model that can match a Dominance-22 blow for blow. Slightly more expensive to produce.

• Vrasta-G12: One of the top-tier lightweight models, the Vrasta-G12 is the ace dogfighter of the exo-armors, the wearer capable of getting into gun duels with even the toughest models and coming out on top.

• Titan-III: The heaviest exo-armor ever produced, this blocky, heavyset monster of the battlefield seems nigh-impenetrable. Anyone without experience piloting exo-armors will have a tough time getting this beast to move faster than a crawl.

Raider Exo-Armor

Slapped-together armors that shouldn't be underestimated. Primarily used by bandits and the poor.

• Bloodspike: A ferocious-looking exo-armor with a primitive and simplistic design. It has conical spikes welded haphazardly to the armor and is overall a bulky and clunky set of armor. The stereotypical raider's getup.

• Gladiator: A simple, primitive-looking exo-armor with a head resembling that of an ancient gladiator. Another cheap armor used by raiders.

• B-Semple: An exo-armor patterned after what seems to be an ancient, ancient record of a crude tank. It has corrugated armor plates haphazardly welded to the frame.

• Tincan: A somewhat crude-looking exo-armor with a cylindrical body, the head entirely swallowed by the armor's form so that it looks like someone added a visor to a trash can and gave it arms and legs. Despite its looks, its a decent heavy exo-armor if you're low on cash. While the bulk may give the impression it's a melee model, it's actually better for heavy gunners due to the poor mobility.

• Demonlord: A painfully-named exo-armor developed by someone whose concept designs didn't match up with the materials they had. This exo-armor is a scrappy but durable melee model with a sinister design. Spiked pauldrons, horns, the works. Completely impractical. It makes proper armor-crafters wince just looking at it.

• Dendra: An exo-armor modeled after the ancient dendra armor worn during the bronze age. It's more angular and even thicker, and looks somewhat silly. But it can't be denied it's difficult to trip one of these armors up.

• Streaker: An exo-armor without the armor. It's incredibly cheap to produce but it's a 50/50 chance whether an attack is deflected by the armor or slices right into you. Why would you wear this.

• Semi-Streaker: An exo-armor modeled after the Streaker (if you can even model something off of an armor that doesn't have armor) to have a bit of plating in the most vital areas but still leaves the wearer 20% exposed.

• Hell Gretzer: A modified version of the Gretzer with spikes and a skull-like helmet design. Otherwise identical.

• Death Orb: Yes, it is spherical. Yes, its limbs are thick and stubby. Yes, the viewing port is right in the center. Yes, despite looking ridiculous it's a veritable walking tank and one of the best scrap armors you can get.

Exo-Suits

Exo-Suits differ from exo-armors in terms of both form and function. Rather than being clunky power armor, exo-carapaces are form-fitting shells of nanotechne that seem to fuse with the wearer, turning them into a ferocious biomechanical monster if they weren't one already. They also focus less on augmenting the wearer and more on simply protecting them, as since they are primarily worn by posthumans reliance on external servos to move them isn't necessary. Some exo-carapaces can be rather thin pieces which meld elegantly with the creature, while others are girthier specimens which give one a more well-armored appearance. They generally come in anatomical or skeletal varieties, the former resembling a skintight armored suit mimicking human anatomy and the latter resembling a humanoid skeleton built on the outside of an individual.

Related Pages

The Long Night: Lore
The Long Night: Civilizations
The Long Night: Weapons
The Long Night: Materials
The Long Night: Creatures