Riot Armour
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Basic Information

Riot armour is a form of protective clothing, originating in the late 20th century and designed to be worn by security forces - mostly police - whilst suppressing riots and other forms of civil disorder.

Although riot gear may contain some ballistic elements, it will normally be optimised to protect against improvised and less lethal weapons - typically clubs and thrown objects such as bottles and stones. Stab protection is also common, as is fire-resistance (rioters often throw moltov cocktails) and frequently liquid resistance in case of acid throwing or bombardment with infectious material. Construction is generally from plastics and similar durable polymers and the helmet will typically be fitted with a full length visor to protect the face. Quite often the fire/chemical protective layer will be provided by a one piece suit, over which the actual armour is then worn.

In most cases, the wearer will also be issued with a respirator mask to protect against chemical attacks (typically those deployed by his own side) and a riot shield. In earlier eras, the respirator may be issued instead of the visor and/or as well as it (if the visor is a cage type and doesn't provide splash protection).

Sources

Bibliography
1. full source reference

Game and Story Use

  • In a zombie apocalypse, this sort of armour might be reasonably available - even if it needs to be stripped off a zombie first - and provide pretty good protection against most of the attacks the undead can throw at you.
  • In more dystopic settings, this may be standard police uniform.
  • Note, however, that this is not typically ballistic protective - or, if it is, it is only likely to protect against fairly low end attacks: resistance to military grade rifle ammunition is way out of scope.
  • Properly statted out, this kit should make it hard, if not impossible, to injure the wearer with unarmed strikes … wrestling, on the other hand, should work fine.
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