Skin Armor
VERY SIMPLE: Add the APs of this power to the RV (Body) of the Power User, specifically versus any Physical Attack that would cause injury through force or impact: a brick on a stick, gunfire, a concussive explosion, claws, Projectile Weapons, and some Energy-based attacks depending on the circumstances.
Skin Armor does not protect against gas or radiation.
Generally speaking, Skin Armor will protect its user against at least some of the threat from Flame Project. It will also protect against the impact of snowballs thrown by an Ice Production opponent. It won’t protect against the heat damage of Flame Project, or getting encased in solid ice, or Lightning (except any involved Knockback), or sticky traps, or knockout gas.
VERY NOT-SIMPLE: Gadgets replace user stuff, they aren’t supposed to ADD to user stuff.
Skin Armor is supposed to add to the Power User’s defenses.
As written, a Gadget with built-in Skin Armor adds to the Gadget’s Body for defensive purposes. If you want that to defend your character directly in combat, for example you’re wearing it, then technically you have to make a Body (italicized to indicate it cost more HP so it can sub for the user’s) and a Skin Armor that combine to something high enough to be worth putting on. As soon as that Gadget takes 1 RAP of damage, there’s a hole big enough to let the squishy wearer be attacked without the Gadget’s protection at all.
This is why a lot of the characters written up in the back of the white book have Equipment listed such as COSTUME (with italicized Body higher than the owner’s Body stat) or BATTLE ARMOR (with italicized Body much higher than the owner’s Body stat) or something.
But Wally West has a COSTUME with a non-italicized Body that’s actually a point lower than his own Body stat. Good thing it has Flame Immunity, because now he’s wearing it for something besides lookin’ good.
And the Bat is written as not wearing any damn armor at all. What? I’m pretty sure that even back in ’96, he had some armor built into his outfit.
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