GURPS Stealth and Camouflage Guide Part 1

GURPS Stealth and Camouflage Guide Part 1

All ghillied up

Stealth and Camouflage are skills that appear on variety of templates, are recommended for every soldier, mercenary and most adventurers, but a lot of questions come up when they're actually deployed in play, and a lot of tricks of the trade come ignored. Hopefully, this guide will clear these questions up and help both players and GMs to smartly utilize these skills in play.

The skills

Camouflage (BS183) - This is the skill of utilizing and modifying equipment and environment to allow a person to conceal themselves, their equipment or other objects in an immobile way. This skill covers assembly and modification of personal clothes, equipment, positions, objects and vehicles in such a way, that the resulting margin of success/failure is opposing hunter's vision and observation rolls. At the very least, camouflaged object grants -1 to hit it due to it's outline being broken up.

Appropriate uses:

• Set your personal camouflage up by donning your camo equipment. A roll against camouflage sets your margin of success/failure that is opposed by opponent's vision/observation until conditions improve or worsen, such as taking up a concealed position or ditching camouflaged equipment. This is the value that'll be used to avoid being spotted while remaining immobile outside of specifically made concealed position, such as after a failed stealth roll. At GM's permission, this margin of success can be added to margin of success of creation of concealed position. At GM's permission, extra time can be used to ensure all the equipment is properly set and donned.
• Improve your equipment for use with camouflage skill in specific environment. Success grants +1 to camouflage, critical success grants +2, failure grants -1, critical failure grants -2. Equipment such as ghillie suits has it's own rules. 
  
  
  This is as basic as rolling your white shirt in local dirt, and as elaborate as hand-spraying camouflage patterns on a vehicle and gear. Taking extra time or making multiple rolls means adding more elaborate modifications, but generally the GM is suggested to cap the improvements per outfit:
  
  
  +2 for improvised equipment (Modifying white shirt and a pair of jeans for woodland ops, painting civilian vehicle olive with a pattern); +4 for basic equipment (adding small branches to the helmet, running olive-colored strips of fabric down the outfit, dirtying it up with mud, painting military vehicles with elaborate camouflage patterns); +8 for specialized equipment (tailoring ghillie suit to fit the environment).
• Prepare concealed position for sniping or observation. Resulting margin of success is used to oppose vision rolls to finding you while you're hiding in that position. Extra time spent applies as usual. This can be used to hide in dirt while you have no camouflage gear, or conceal yourself even further.
  
  
  A GM might allow you to combine your margin of success or failure for camouflaged gear and camouflaged positions. A good position hides even the man in pink T-shirt, a bad position makes a sniper stand out like a sore thumb. Make sure not to add personal camouflage bonuses such as bonuses from ghillie suit or camouflaged weapon to the roll to create a concealed position, but do add bonuses from any tarps that are used, extra time spent, ecetera.
• Conceal equipment, vehicles, traps. As above, although traps are located on opposed per-based traps roll as well.
• Complimentary use to improve Observation and Tactics ("That's where I'd hide myself...") and various other creative means as GM Permits.

Stealth (BS222) - This is a skill of utilizing tactics and techniques that allow practitioner to reduce their 'footprint', as well as equipment that faciliates such. It covers techniques to move silently, pick out routes and hiding spots concealed from possible on-lookers and generally execute maneuvers without motions and reports that would otherwise attract attention. Generally, unless someone is on lookout for intruders, this is an un-opposed skill roll. You act sneaky enough to not arouse suspicion. Most uses of the skill receive penalties or bonuses from range.

One way to speed up play is to treat Stealth like a cap-skill, similar to environment suit. When an operative commits to stealthy approach, his effective skill cannot exceed his effective stealth skill level. On a failure, result is the same as always except the user also makes a sound. Critical failure involves usual effects and user making a loud sound (x2 of normal or worse). It is up to a GM to figure it out. A good example is an operative falling off of a tree in a loud manner on a failing climbing roll. Critical failure invovles him screaming in terror as he does so!

Appropriate uses:

• Move silently. It is opposed by observer's hearing. The range at which your opponent can use his unmodified hearing is equal to your speed. Stalking at sub-yard speed allows you to get into close combat before your enemy even gets to roll. Equipment bonuses include a good pair of shoes such as sneakers or moccasins, which quiet your footsteps, usually at +1.
• Conceal yourself within your surroundings. Opposed by observer's perception. Quickly and quietly putting yourself behind the couch, using tall grass to move unnoticed, etc. Equipment modifiers vary, as opponent may try different approaches to locate you.
• Prepare your gear for sneaking. Tying up loose equipment, making sure it doesn't make you too bulky or unbalanced, familiarizing yourself with your new profile and weight is an IQ-based Stealth Roll (success grants +1 to Stealth, critical success grants +2, failure grants -1, critical failure grants -2).
• Perform an action unnoticed. Readying a weapon, passing a shank, activating a wrist-watch laser all can be done with stealth skill, with penalties and bonuses at GM's leisure. While holdout skill allows you to conceal items on you, the movement of sliding a weapon from a holster, drawing a blade from your sleeve or preparing a concealed cheat-sheet for use is covered by stealth skill. Penalties are equal to Bulk or Holdout penalties, for melee they are 0 for reach C weapon, -4 for reach 1 and -8 for reach 2, etc. In plain sight often applies! A person watching for such opposes with their perception or observation roll, a sentry in the jungle might not see you, but they might hear you pulling your handgun's slide! Related use is to avoid a scope glint of your scoped firearm that can be seen on a vision roll during a bright day.
• Stealth can be used as complimentary skill for many other skills, mostly IQ-based, such as figuring out a stealthy route via Observation, or dulling the weapon's coating to make it shine less in the light via Armoury (and thus improve it's stealthy use!), all subject to GM's approval.

Scrounging (BS218) - Is a skill of acquiring useful items that others cant via salvage, improvisation or simple search. It is often complimentary to the skills above, but often you'll need to make a roll against it to gain various benefits or offset issues with above skills. For example, scrounging used in conjuction with camouflage allows one to find a few flowers or a set of shrubbery that rests just nicely on your ghillie. Or you might be required to roll Scrounging to create Woodland camouflage inside of your city apartment.

Observation (BS211) - Is the skill of 'trained' perception, and it's user knows how to interpret what he sees in some shape or form. While standard perception rolls are useful to describe WHAT is happening, Observation skill may outright describe WHY it is happening. The difference between "six men walking around a wire fence" and "three pairs of two guards walking rotating patrols around a heavy-gauge security fence, each pair always keeping at least one other pair in sight". Knowing details of enemy security and surveillance makes it easier to penetrate or avoid it.

Equipment

Super spy Sam Fisher from Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, contrary to popular belief, is not a fan of an all-black gimp suit and wears camouflage as often as possible. Sadly, during SCUBA insertions, he has to utilize an all black wetsuit, although he often wears a camouflaged cargo pants over it, canceling out the visibility bonus.

Equipment for concealing yourself is mostly limited to objects or gear that breaks up your silhouette, reduces your report and blends you in with environment. 

Most of the equipment that protects against vision carries a bonus to only camouflage in certain books, in others like Ultra Tech it grants bonuses to Stealth, but not camouflage. In Dungeon Fantasy 16 Wilderness Adventures it grants both!

I personally recommend to keep these bonuses to camouflage only, but turn them into penalties for all vision rolls unless they oppose camouflage skill. Stalking through the blades of wheat is easier when you're wheat-colored. In the same manner, include penalties to vision even if the person wearing such gear is not trying to hide! A person falling overboard while wearing blue-digital camouflage should be logically harder to locate and rescue, than somebody who falls out in a bright orange life jacket. An unconscious soldier lying in tall grass while wearing woodland camouflage is likely harder to find than somebody with a bright pink shirt. A civilian with a group of soldiers travelling through the jungle might blink, and all of his escort disappeared into the wilderness as their mud-covered faces and tiger stripe fatigues blend into environment.

Camouflage 

Camouflage patterns - Camouflage comes in 3 distinct types and consists of a pattern, picture or color applied to mundane objects such as clothes, load bearing gear, firearms, information tech, etc. It appears on HT 76-77. The more elaborate and specialized it is, the better the bonus. There are some notes about it to be made:

• Simple camouflage of dull color like khaki, olive and grey is treated by GURPS as universal, provides +1 to camouflage skill and is 'free' most of the time. Note that wearing such clothes in public may arise suspicion, as policemen and criminals know that a man dressed in tactical clothes, or trying to blend in with surroundings rather than the crowd, is likely to carry a weapon or be a combatant, but they generally are often overlooked due to modern fashion trends.
• Basic camouflage patterns instantly spell soldier or militarist, they're commonly unfashionable. If a pattern is prepared against observation with NVGs, add +1 to it's original +2 bonus for a total of +3. A good pattern breaks up silhouette and conceals the person even when viewed through color-blind green tint. Normal camouflage without such protection is at +2. When used against IR-sights that rely on object heat instead of it's visual appearance, the bonus is +1.
• Advanced camouflage patterns on the other hand spell hunter or sniper, and are often common wear in rural areas, thus they're useful for disguise as much as concealment.

Camouflage net (HT77) can be used not only to conceal objects and squads, but also cannibalized to improve personal equipment. 8 lbs of camo net can be cut up into enough strips to improve camouflage of the entire squad and is considered a replacement for naturally-sourced materials.

Ghillie Suits (HT77) - Ghillie suits effectively act as advanced camouflage, except with extreme customization capabilities, potentially granting +8 to camouflage rolls. The trade-off is it's price and weight, as well as high Camouflage skill required to modify it to the peak efficiency.

Half-Ghillie Coat (Homebrew) TL8 - A shoulders, hood and sometimes back in tactical and camouflaged pattern, with netting that accepts local flora or camo strips, allowing soldier to gain benefits similar to ghillie suit without the drawbacks of weight and heat. Generally, they cannot be used with helmets.

Simple version (x1 price) comes in a dull color and provides +1 to camouflage in addition to user's other camouflage (except Ghillie), and can be improved by +1(+2 total) by adorning it with scrounged up flora or camouflage strips. Basic Camouflage (x2 price) pattern provides +2 to camouflage (+3 with flora, camo strips), but -1 in wrong terrain (-2 with inappropriate addons) and -2 in highly contrasting (-3 with wrong flora/camo strips). Advanced camouflage (x3 price) pattern provides +3 to camouflage (+4 with flora, camo strips), but -2 outside of extremely specialized terrain (-3 with wrong flora, camo strips). 

A guerrilla might be smart to wear casual clothes, while carrying such half-ghillie in the backpack, tossing it on quickly to receive benefits equivalent to full body camouflage. An adventurer that can cross from one terrain to another can benefit from the simple version and adjust it on site, or carry multiple prepared half-ghillies to swap mid-fight.

$100, 1 Lbs

Face Paint (Seals in Vietnam 24) - provides +1 to camouflage as long as it is used with other camouflage equipment, but provides no bonus with ghillie suits and face masks due to redundancy.

Camouflaged Ski-Mask (Clothing Accessory HT63) - A properly matched face-mask, usually of ski-mask variety, can be purchased for 1% of cost of living+camouflage cost (Usually $6 for solid dull color) and can replace face paint if GM permits. A steel-mesh mask or steel mesh padding can be installed over mouth, nose and forehead, over or under balaclava. Usually made for airsoft, it has neglible (1 DR) protection, but may salvage user's teeth from a BB-gun or a slow-flying pellet. Internal versions increase comfort of use, as they provide stand-off distance from mouth. 

$40, 0.2 lbs.

Weapon Camouflage (TS76) (TL6) - Tactical Shooting states,that longarms give both stealth and camouflage penalty to longarms due to their apperance. Bulk -4/5 is -1, -6/7 is -2, -8/9 is -3. Such is corrected by usage of camouflage skill and 10$ worth of paint. Melee weapons can be camouflaged in the same way, but so can other equipment such as radios! Using duct tape for masking, one can prepare most of their gear for stealth and camouflage. Some objects can be bought in camouflage pattern, usually at no extra cost if it's designed for military or sports.

Stealth

Load Bearing Equipment (HT54) (TL6+) - Stealth is a skill affected by encumberance, the more you're loaded, the worse it gets. At TL6+, load-bearing equipment properly comes into it's own and it's quality bonus (+1 for good, +2 for fine) is used to off-set the stealth penalty from encumberance. Carrying all your infiltrator gear in a properly set-up LBE can completely negate this penalty, opening up sneak attacks to Storm Troopers, SWAT Officers and other Soldiers without having to ditch most of their gear.

Bare Feet (LT98) (TL0) - According to Low Tech, under Moccassins entry, going barefeet gives one +1 to stealth. A free solution, if you don't worry about hurting yourself. Potentially negated if feet are wet, up to GM.

Moccasins (HT68) (TL5) - Light, thin leather footwear or other comparable shoes give +1 to Stealth, effectively making footsteps quieter. A ninja's favorite. They're lighter than sneakers, but they explicitly look out of place in a warehouse at 2 AM or on a military operation.

Sneakers (HT69) (TL6) - Sneakers provide +1 to Stealth, making footsteps quieter, and never look out of place on the street. Many popular fashion styles view them as standard footwear! Weigh twice as much as Moccasins. They're also slightly more comfortable on the hike than climbing shoes and moccasins.

Climbing Shoes (HT69) (TL8) - TL8 version of the moccasins, they grant +1 bonus to stealth AND climbing, making them extremely useful for a modern 'ninja', but lacking proper sole they're even more out of place than moccasins, especially on the street.

Scent Masking (HT77) (TL8) - A clothing modification worth 200% of clothing cost, which keeps chemicals within, granting -4 to attempts to track it's wearer by scent. GM might permit this penalty to apply to all taste & smell rolls to locate the user. Useful against dogs and unusual foes.

High Visibility Items

Sometimes you want to stay concealed, but sometimes it is important to be seen, like in an emergency. What follows are some homebrew items for such situations.

High Visibility Clothing - As an inversion of simple camouflage, your clothing can come in extremely bright, highly visible colors, like bright orange or yellow, granting -1 to Camouflage but +1 to Vision rolls to spot you. 'Free'.

Suprisingly, BLACK tactical gear is in this category due to one suprising quality of light and shadow. Dark room, moonlit forest, etc are not black, but dark, and thus surrounding trees, walls and environment are not black, but dark. In such situations, camouflage for the environment works as normal, but pitch black camouflage stands out like a sore thumb unless the environment is pitch black, but then nothing really stands out in such environment. Some tactical units, mostly Police, suggest that SWAT units entering the building in all black dazzle suspects due to obscure psychological effect, and black color is generally seen as intimidating. If GM permits, wearing black tactical gear gives +1 to intimidation or +1 to initiative rolls during partial surprise. Or both!

Light-Reflective Clothing - Clothes covered with strips of light-reflective material that reflects more light than it absorbs. Usually these are placed on high visibility clothing, creating the classic high visibility vest. These combinations provide +2 to Vision rolls to spot the user. x2 the cost of clothing.

Light-Reflective Patches - Same as above, but in the form of sew-on patches or detachable panels, velcro, molle, etc, can quickly turn any piece of equipment into High Visibility. They provide +1 to Vision rolls to locate it and can be put on items that are usually holstered, but can be dropped and thus in need of retrieval. Police SWAT teams often wear them on shoulders and helmets to identify friend from foe under flashlight or car light, and tear them off when stealth and concealment are a factor. For twice the price, they can be made IR-reflective, only visible in Night Vision. This variant is more favorable with special forces. 1% of cost of living.

Strobers (P3-57:11) - A strober affixed to clothing, or sewn into clothing blinks or flashes brightly, granting user +2 to vision rolls to be spotted. Combining this with Light-Reflective Clothing lights the user up like the brightest star. Military versions are expensive and can flash in IR or act as a flashlight, while cheaper versions are generally not as effective.

Part 2 will include Tactics and Weaponry for Stealth and Camouflage, providing tips and instructions on how to utilize these skills in modern setting.

GURPS: Spraying fire cheat sheet

Somewhat quick-use Spraying Fire cheat-sheet, allows you to quickly figure out if the targets fit 30 degree cone, and if targets at different distances can be engaged by one spray. Open the full image for HD display.

GURPS Shooting - TL8 headache: Assault Vest

You've done it now, boy. Your last message on SJGames forums has enraged not only the forum administration, but the authorities themselves. Your local SWAT team is planting their boots into your door as we speak, and they've brought along their Assault Vests.

Many GMs, Players and bystanders have noted a curious thing about TL8 - the presence of Assault Vest, Advanced Body Armor and their little brother Concealable Vest with Trauma Plates within the GURPS High Tech book (Page 67). Sporting DR values of 35/28 and 37/30 depending on the vest and user's deep pockets, one might exclaim that presence of such protection ruins this TL for gunfighting, as this armor is extremely hard to crack while being relatively cheap ($1,500 for Assault Vest with stock plates), relatively accessible (Concealable Armor and aftermarket Trauma Plates are LC 3) and in some cases even concealable (Concealable Vest and Advanced Body Armor).

Not going to lie, TL8 is my most favorite TL thanks to it's aesthethic of borderline mundane cyberpunk and general wealth of options for a realistic character to make use of, and abuse when needed.

This article will thus describe various ways that a modern TL8 gunfighter can take on some stormtroopers and come out victorious despite their advanced protection.

What is protection?

IMTV in use by US Marine Corps.

GURPS most happily tells you the armor's DR value, but does not explain what this means tactically for a gunfighter that wears such armor or somebody who tries to take it down. 

To ensure that the data is present in full, I will assume that body armor protects from the bullet's average damage, is imprevious to a bullet that cannot bypass DR and is penetrated by a round capable of at least 4 points of damage to max out the shock penalty on an average human.

As such, to defeat a DR35 ballistic vest, a firearm must deal at least 39 damage on average - 11d in damage dice. 37 DR vest requires 41 average damage weapon - 12d-1 respectively. As you can see, only Barrett M82A1(HT118) firing .50 Browning (6dx2 pi+, 7,5 average) can properly dispose of the assault vest without specialty ammo.

Breaking Through

Barrett REC7 with 16" barrel, 6.8x43mm

The way GURPS is built, there are not many options to effectively deal with such protection. The most obvious - explosives - resolves against target's average DR (BS414, it can still be pretty high!), so technically only direct impact of an explosive on limb can detach it, simply tossing a grenade won't cut it. As for the rest...

3-pack of 12 Gauge 3" APDS slugs.

The Good

These options are those that I recommend, because most importantly they cost money and time, rather than character points or clout with GM.

• Armor Piercing ammunition - The second most obvious solution. High Tech, at TL8, lists a large number of variants of AP ammo of varying accessibility and quality, but for most practical applications in small arms, only three are of interest. APHC(HT167), APDU(HT169) and APDS(HT167). All 3 provide (2) armor divisor and reduction in wounding modifier under certain calibers. End result is that the vests in question effectively have 18.5 and 17.5 DR against such attacks.
• APHC - Universally available tech, LC2, (2) Armor Divisor, calibers under 20mm experience reduction in wounding modifier, x2 the cost. Nothing special. The minimum effective damage dice is 6d (2) pi or 7d+1 (2) pi-.
• 12 Gauge Shotgun firing 3" P+ slug at 6d+2 (2) pi+ is the most readily available option. At only $2.1 per shot, any tactical, home defense or hunting gun becomes SWAT officer's nightmare. Averaging 23 damage and 6.75 damage post-DR, it's a major wound and maxed out shock penalty on a normal human thanks to it's pi+ wounding modifier. The main benefit of this round is that it can be made at home, and some jurisdictions (like federal US law) do not forbid ownership of such ammunition in shotguns.
• 7.62x54mmR Surplus APHC-I firing out of SVD (HT116), Tigr (Civilian SVD variant), PKM(HT135) or some such produces reliable 7d+1 (2) pi- inc, averaging at 4.5 damage (3,5+1 incendiary attack(BS433)). The benefit of this option is that, despite it being banned in US, it is the most common APHC round in the world - happily produced by Chinese and Russians and found all across the globe, if illegally. At $2.4 per bullet, it's a good option for a sniper targetting vitals. Feel free to bargain with your GM a bit about getting it cheaper if the adventure puts you in middle east, Africa or a Balkan country torn by civil war. 
• 7.62x54mmR and 7.62x51mm APHC-P+ - is an upgraded previous option, slightly more effective (7.62x51mm will do 8d-1 (2) pi- and 7.62x54mmR will do 8d (2) pi-), but costlier and rare, most likely encountered only by government order or handloaded. Handloading in US adds additional trouble of it being illegal. For all your trouble, there's a miniscule bump in reliability, making x54mmR do average 4.75 damage and x51 4.25. $2.4 for either.
• Dedicated Sniper Platforms - Remington Model 700 in .300 Ultra Magnum, CheyTac M200 Intervention in .408 and Barrett M82A1 in .50 BMG - This is something a SWAT sniper would be shooting YOU with, if you dare to confront them with an Assault Vest. All three options are relatively expensive, with Model 700(HT116) being budget choice, with it's APHC bullet costing $4 and dealing 9d+1 (2) pi- (7 damage average). CheyTac M200(TS63) APHC Match does 5dx2 (2) pi and averages at a very neat 16,5 damage for mere $14 per bullet. Without factory-made Match quality, it's down to $7. The rifle itself will set you back $11,500. Barrett M82A1(HT118) seems like a smarter choice. At $7,775 and $8 per APHC shot, it delivers 6dx2 (2) pi into the target, average of 23,5.
• APDU - A somewhat rare beast, small arms development is rather scarce by 2018. Functions exactly the same as APHC, EXCEPT it multiplies firearm's damage by 1.2 and becomes incendiary if it penetrates at least 10 DR of solid armor. x3 the cost. Cannot be made at home.
• Any APDU chambering - Generally, you wont find them in small arms in realistic campaigns, and you cant handload them yourself, but if for any reason the GM allows you to - minimum damage dice it's useful with is 6d. Such damage dice is found in 7.62x39mm RPK(HT114), and 16" Barret REC7(TS64) in 6.8x43mm, both costing $1.8 per shot and averaging 4.25. REC7 is recommended for style points, as visually it is indistinguishable from a modern AR-15. Sets you back a meager $2,500. Otherwise, it is a direct upgrade of APHC P+, keeping the same price, being less available, but adding 1 point of burning damage and a generous x1.2 damage modifier, while discarding P+ downsides.
• APDS - A suprisingly serious bullet variant, it combines some rather peculiar tidbits. Minimum available calibers are 7.62x51 and 7.62x54mmR, but GURPS High Tech insists that experiments with 5.56 did happen. Invariably LC1, there's one exception. United States Federal Law does not forbid the sale of APDS Shotgun Slugs to civilians, effectively making it LC3. Sadly, can't make at home. Grants (2) armor divisor, multiplies damage by x1.3, multiplies range by x1.5, reduces wounding modifier if caliber is under 30mm, x3 price, LC1.
• 12 Gauge Shotgun firing 3" APDS Slug at 8d-1 (2) pi+ - Measily $2.1 per shot outputs 12.75 average damage. And they say shotguns have no use on modern battlefield.
• Any other APDS chamberings - Highly illegal, most likely hard to get, extremely useful. Minimum required damage die is 6d (4,4), but even full-length 5.56 like out of M16(HT117) will do 2.25 on average, allowing you to utilize automatic fire with it's reasonable rcl 2.  For the brave ones, Ruger Super Redhawk, .454 Casull(HT97) is a pocket variant at 6d (2) pi, averages at 2,5 damage and works much better as a sidearm than a 12G sawn off. Interestingly, US uses 7.62x51mm M948 as their 7.62 SLAP round, so US government forces shouldnt have an issue acquiring it.
• 7.62x51mm D.U.D.S. by Pacific Technica - Seemingly the only commercially available APDSDU(HT169) option at LC1, it really boosts performance of all x51 guns against body armor. A battle rifle or a sniper rifle will deal 10d+2 (2) pi- when chambered for such, costing $3.2 per shot. Combined with incendiary damage, it averages at 9,25.
• Ordnance - If you find yourself in a combat theater near a modern military force, 
• 40mm grenade launcher firing 40mm HEDP shots can make short work of this armor thanks to it's 7d(10) cr ex with 6d [2d] cr ex linked. Needless to say, the impact must be direct, at which point the armor will equal a measly 3.5-3.7DR, so the enemy will receive 20-21 explosive damage, and then it will receive 21 average from linked effect. M203, M320 and GP25 mount under your favorite assault rifle, cost $20 per shot and destroy vehicles, bunkers and people.
• Grenades can also work to indirectly harm the gunman, shrapnel striking unprotected areas, but usually the damage dice is low enough for it to be stopped by modern protection other than assault vest.
• Molotov Cocktails - With human body being somewhat solid, and tactical armor usually being solid due to presence of plates, shattering a Molotov cocktail produces unreliable 3d (5) burn attack (BS411) and 1d (5) burn follow up every second. One may argue that it burns the vest as much as the person, thus destroying the armor.

Seemingly technical specifications and package information of 7.62mm D.U.D.S. by Pacific Technica

The Bad

This is where good times end, and tactics, strategy and point-spending begins.

• Targetting unprotected bodyparts - Armed with god knows what, preferably a shotgun with buckshot or an assault rifle, you can try to engage the less protected areas. At TL8, modern limb armor rarely goes above 12, sitting comfortably at 8-12. Firing into the arms and legs is relatively easy (-2) and targetted attack to buy it off down to -1 is one of the cheapest. Lethality of such attack is sadly lacking, but the added benefit of disarming or demobilizing is a plus. A shot into the face from the front (-5) or skull from the back (-5) is a good way to deal with the enemy, but if you're shooting the skull from the front, or face from the back, you're at (-7) instead. Buys down to -2/-3 respectively, but at a great cost.
• Targetting vitals - At this point, you're still putting rounds into assault vest at -3 to hit. You can expend some points to buy it down to -1, but you will still require a solid rifle with armor piercing bullets to deal damage. The benefit of this, though, is that original wounding modifier is replaced by vitals modifier, which is x3. That makes pi- weapons six times more effective, pi weapons 3 times more effective and pi+ weapons 2 times more effective. Minimum caliber of use is still 7.62x39mm out of RPK or 6.8mm out of REC7 Civilian Rifle, but at that point even standard APHC bullet will deal 7,5 damage on average.
• Targetting chinks in armor - At extreme penalty of -8, bought down to -4, you gain (2) Armor Divisor. This is hard to pull off, but useful if you dont have access to APHC ammo. On the bright side, this does not negate weapon's wounding modifier, so the damage is twice as good past DR. Even better, this armor divisor stacks with any other, thus APHC bullet fired at chinks in armor would divide the DR by 4, meaning you only have to contend with 9 DR. Virtually all rifles and some handguns can defeat that, given that they have APHC ammo or better. Box on TS12 instead permits to attack around the plate, meeting vest's 12/5 instead at the -6 penalty, bought down to -3.

The Ugly

This is where things stop relying on your character's skillset/riches or your game knowledge, and rely on your personal charisma, or dumb luck.

• Persuade your GM to make trauma plates semi-abalative. Box on HT67. 10 point of damage stopped, 1 less DR, thus emptying a few magazines into somebody oughta burry him no matter what. Requires bookkeeping of everyone's DR as dynamic number.
• Persuade your GM to purchase anything you want as long as you meet LC and cash requirements. This opens up the entire HT ammo library and the lettersalad ammo like APFSDSDU(HT169).
• Use martial arts - suicidal, but generally what takes down a Knight might take down the SWAT officer. Don't let him shoot you, don't let his friends shoot you. Grapple, Arm Lock, Throw from Lock, Damaging Judo Throw, etc. Disarm him then do him in.
• Crash a car into them, shoot them with an APC, blow them up with a bomb. Long setup that just might not trigger.
• Buy your GM Pyramid #3/57 - Gunplay. It includes an article for both stronger AND weaker TL8 ballistic vests, bridging the gap between the kevlar 12/5 and plate 35/28, as well as taking a peek into Late-TL8 world that looks more and more like TL9. Hopefully, they'll be able to it use to create a more organically challenging scenarios, while you yourself can shed some weight and wear something lighter, or turn yourself into the juggernaut you always wanted to be.

Brass Check

To finalize, it is quite clear that the government has the easiest time dealing with these threats, so Police SWAT units, military commando squads and such will be able to easily acquire top of the line protection AND AP ammo. They can also justify having extensive training at shooting around plates.

Terrorists and criminals have slightly worse time, but given ties to black market can purchase themselves a few cans of 7.62 APHC. The less civilized the corner of the earth is, the higher the chance of that happening.

Civilians in US have a few law tidbits that permit them to acquire solid rounds for shotguns, and even SWAT teams should consider loading their breacher up with such.

Civilians in more restrictive countries are forced to rely on skill, or scavenge Police or Military surplus.

As such, Assault Vest and the like are great tools to keep your PCs alive throughout the adventure, but adversaries wearing such gear are best used as "bosses", since the fight against them without preparation becomes a puzzle of suppression, lining up tough shots and getting creative. If you, as GM, would like to not have such gear appear in play, invoke local laws, tone of the game or simply talk to the players. I am sure they'll understand.