Armor & Cover

You might want to check and see if there's any way to put something between you and all that badness that's about to pulp your body. Things like Taking Cover, Using Shields (or some unlucky booster who you got a good grip on) and Armor.

Taking Cover

The Golden Rules of Cover
You are considered to be in cover if you are fully behind something that could stop a bullet.
If they have line of sight on you, you aren't in cover.
There is no "partial" cover. It can either stop a bullet or it can't. If it cannot stop a bullet, it provides no cover and thus has no HP.

Nothing is stopping your enemy from moving up to re-establish line of sight on you, rendering what was previously cover for you pointless, so make sure that your plan is better than their plan.
The other method of getting somebody "out of cover" is removing the cover itself using something really fun, like a grenade. Anything you might want to take cover behind has HP, and a 2 m/yds by 2 m/yds (1 square) section of it can be attacked just like you can. At 0 HP, cover is destroyed. If a cover's HP drops to 0, excess damage is lost and doesn't harm any targets hiding behind it. You can hurt them with your next Attack. The one exception to this involves explosives (see page 174).

Cover Hit Points

Cover HP is determined by the material and its thickness.
Thin cover might be able to be moved slightly in a pinch, but Thick cover is too unwieldy for Characters without BODY 10 or higher to move without special equipment.
Steel cover cannot be damaged by Martial Arts or Brawling attacks except those made by Characters with a Cyberarm or BODY 10 or higher.

Using Shields

Equipping and dropping a shield takes an Action. While you are using a hand to carry a shield, it cannot be used to do anything else. A shield is a movable source of cover, and while you wield a shield with HP remaining, you are considered to be in cover. When attacked by a target that you can see, you can interpose the shield between yourself and the attack. If you choose to do so, you cannot dodge the attack at all, though a Ranged Attack can still miss you due to your opponent's poor marksmanship. The shield takes the entire attack to its HP. If a shield hits 0 HP it is destroyed (until repaired if inorganic), and cannot be used as cover, though it still remains equipped to your hand until you use an Action to drop it.

Human Shields

We all knew it would come to this. If you are already the Attacker in a Grapple, you can use an Action to "equip" the defender as a Human Shield if you are not already wielding a shield, using the same hand you are using to Grapple them. While you wield a Human Shield, you are considered in cover. Human Shields are more unwieldy than typical shields. Because of their squirming, Human Shields cannot be used to block Melee Attacks, or Ranged Attacks specifically targeted at your head using an Aimed Shot. When attacked by a target that you can see with a Ranged Attack not targeted at your head, you can interpose the Human Shield between yourself and the Ranged Attack. You can still attack your own Human Shield while you have them equipped, it's practically a tradition. Your Human Shield cannot dodge Ranged Attacks while you have them equipped, even if they have REF 8 or higher. When your Human Shield is shot, they take damage as if they had been shot normally. A Human Shield who dies while you have them equipped automatically becomes a shield with HP equal to their BODY. Unequipping a live Human Shield is as simple as ending your Grapple with them, which doesn't cost an Action, but dropping a corpse shield costs an Action just like any other shield.

Armor

Armor is rated by its Stopping Power, or SP, which is how well it can stop damage. It can be worn on either your body or your head, and it is advised that you wear both.
Armor can be purchased for either the head or body locations. Wearing even a single piece of heavier armor will lower your REF, DEX, and MOVE by the most punishing Armor Penalty of armor you are wearing, a penalty which you only have to take once, even though you are likely wearing armor on both your body and head. This penalty can even leave your Character (if at MOVE 0) completely immobile.
SP gained by armor does not "stack," only your highest source of SP in a location determines your SP for that location. All your worn armor in a location is ablated simultaneously whenever you take damage. See pg. 186.

How to Read the Armor Table

Armor Type: What we generally call it. There are a lot of brands; this is the generic title.
Armor Description: What it looks/wears like. If the armor has any effects or special notes this is where they will be listed.
Stopping Power: How many points of damage the armor can stop before it reaches your body.
Armor Penalty: How much does the Armor interfere with your ability to move and respond while wearing it.
Cost: What the armor costs in the main currency in Night City, the Eurobuck. The Price Category of the item is listed below its cost. See Buying and Selling on Page 385.