[kyoto kid]

...yeah Missions is a lot different.

 Hoping to find an ongoing campaign for my Face character as she would fare better there since  we are so limited for time in the Missions group. Hence we really don't do  much with legwork which is what she is really good at.

[Rift_0f_Bladz]

Granted, my sig line blow my posts also explains how we got caught up on money. Before we started this current hunting exposition, the group hunted up full-body armor with chem seals and radiation shielding R6. Perfect tox hunting armor.

[kyoto kid]

...in a run back in 2n ed, KK took out a greatform Toxic Spirit with her weapon focus. throwing everything she had into her attack (no "edging" the roll back then).

[Rift_0f_Bladz]

Last spirit we encountered (around F6 Radiation Spirit) Bladz dropped in one shot, technically it had 1 box of physical left out of 12. Granted edge was used, but really didn't help a large amount (3 edge just doesn't cut it). Also our newest player has a chem seal doesn't have rad shielding R6 in his FB armor yet, so the character was kinda flipping out. Funny thing was the 3 veteran character had the response of, "Meh, 'nother day at the office".

[kyoto kid]

....yeah, spirits can be a real pain unless you have something like a a mage with good mana spells, an adept with a weapon focus, or someone with a high powered sniper rifle like a Barrett who does a bullseye double tap.

[Whiskeyjack]

But neglecting soak is not a smart idea either. But agile defender has saved my melee adept's crazy a$$ multiple times. My high armor at first, saved me, but as our runs are getting harder, AP is becoming higher and leaning on armor is less and less wise.

I'm not saying one should neglect soak, just that the 2 soak from Mystic Armor, which you're using an incredibly rare resource to buy, isn't going to save you and is actively a waste of that resource.

2 more ranks of Combat Sense is infinitely more valuable than 2 soak from Mystic Armor.

[kyoto kid]

...already have 2 levels of Combat Sense (see revised build).18 Armour is better than 16 armour. particularly considering that armour is reduced by net DV, not base weapon DV.If you have only a armoured Jacket and someone shoots you with an Ares Alpha getting 2 net successes, you end up taking physical instead of stun damage.Ideally it ise bst not to get hit at all, but the law of averages says it will happen.

Again, there is only so much you can do with purchased armour.  Sleeping Tiger and a Synergist long coat is about the best one can get at chargen (due to cost and availability) which is only 16 total, without going into Sec or Military Grade armour or burning out a point of MA to get an  augmentation like Orthiskin.

16 armour may be fine for a non combatant character, but for one like KK who goes into melee, she needs all the armour she can get.

[Whiskeyjack]

Find a way to fit Prototype Transhuman in. Bone Aug >>>>>>> Mystic Armor.

[Rift_0f_Bladz]

So true. For fist adepts, aluminium bone lacing is not bad, if you can justify 1 whole essance loss.

[kyoto kid]

....a more essence friendly implant is the Bone Density Bioware augmentation..3 Essence per rating and it also adds to the DV of one's unarmed attacks beginning at rating 2 while granting it's rating in dice for soak rolls. for .1.2 you can get rating 4 which adds 3 to the DV and 4 to your Body for damage tests. If you beta that (after chargen) that it comes down to .84 essence for 30,0000.  So you get the effects of Titanium Bone Lacing (albeit without the boost for armour) at the same price for about half the essence drain and an implant that does not show up on MAD scanners.

Not that I'd want to sacrifice essence and start KK on "Burnout Road" (though I did so in earlier editions as taking deadly wound, even if you managed to shake part f it off, resulted in having to make a Magic Loss test, and the higher your MA, the harder it was not to fail).

[Whiskeyjack]

You don't lose Essence with Prototype Transhuman.

[Hobbes]

Missions Play Prototype Transhuman is 20 Karma and gets a bit questionable cost wise.  But Mystic Armor is far and away the most expensive Soak dice you can buy.   levels of Combat Sense >  levels of Mystic Armor. 

[kyoto kid]

....but combat sense does not actually give you armour, it only adds to your base defence which is still a random chance you don't get hit. whereas armour itself is a constant value.  Again, having good armour can mean the difference between taking physical or stun damage. Stun damage is easier to mitigate (faster recovery and one can also use a stim patch if necessary) than physical damage.

Also, the character already has 2 levels of Combat sense as well as two levels of Mystic armour. The only other way she could improve her armour would be to burn out a power point for something like Orthoskin, Bone Lacing, or Smartskin as she has the best combination of armour a character can get at chargen (Jacket, Ballistic Mask, and PPP legs and arms protection for a total armour 18 with the Mystic Armour).

My Face, who is not a combat oriented character, has 20 Armour.

[Rift_0f_Bladz]

Actually, best would be sleeping tiger (13) then the stuff you list (or Synergist Coat for +4 armor) for total of 17. If you had high strength character you can easily add more, with helmet or ballistics mask, etc.

[Halinn]

....but combat sense does not actually give you armour, it only adds to your base defence which is still a random chance you don't get hit. whereas armour itself is a constant value.

Not getting hit is more valuable than taking less damage.