Power armour is an integrated system of powered body armour, designed to provide unparalleled personal protection. Most power armour also uses various arrangements of servomotors and fibre bundles to significantly enhance the strength, endurance, and speed of the wearer, among other benefits.
The military-grade power armour used by first-rate powers is an enormously formidable system, giving individual fighters capabilities comparable to light vehicles. These suits usually include various non-essential systems that further boost both the durability and offensive capabilities of the user. Even lower-tech power armour represents a step-change in individual combat.
However, for all its capability powered armour is still not especially widespread, primarily owing to the enormous cost and complexity of the systems involved and the necessity for each suit to be made specifically for its intended user. As such, in many armies full power armour is reserved only for their most elite fighters, while private users are typically rare.
Capabilities
The primary function of powered armour is personal protection. Obviously the exact degree to which it provides this depends on the system in question, but virtually every suit in circulation is highly resistant to regular small-arms fire, vulnerable only to shots to the joints or faceplate, or heavily focussed fire. Higher end suits can even offer significant protection against anti-tank weapons.
It should be noted that the efficacy of power armour depends on using it correctly. While even an inexperienced wearer can be very hard to put down, well-trained users will angle the armour in such a way to both minimise their exposed weakpoints and present the thickest armour plates towards the enemy. This is typically done by turning shoulder in, offering the enemy a large and thickly-armoured pauldron that partially conceals the vulnerable faceplate.
The physical enhancements offered by power armour are also considerable. Wearers of even mid-range suits are capable of lifting vehicles, punching through walls, and running at high speeds for sustained periods.
Distribution
The Reunification Alliance is the only major civilisation to issue power armour universally, with every soldier in Alliance Combat Forces Ground Branch issued with a custom-fitted Assault Harness.
The Illuminators do not use powered armour, with their only known combat troops, Resolvers, instead wearing highly adaptable Solution Suits.
Due to the natural durability of their people, the Kharak-Ghar Republic of Militant Citizens prefers instead to issue powered combat rigs to its troops. These Exo-Suits confer similar advantages of strength and speed much more cheaply, able to go without the complex integration (and considerable weight) of interlocking armoured panels. Elite units do use full suits of powered armour, as do important religious figures like War Chaplains.
The Celestian Empire issues power armour to all of its Celestian troops, but does not typically provide suits to its non-native auxiliary units.
On High Atlantic power armour is uncommon, but hardly rare. A number of the world’s most successful mercenaries are known to wear power armour on the job, and many wealthy visitors will have civilian suits that focus on comfort, ease of use, and raw protection from incoming fire. The Tourist Board generally does not fund its forces very well, but with some of the more expensive contractors offering power-armoured security, it does maintain the Hostage Response Unit, comprised of elite operators equipped with powered armour and military-grade coilguns.
History