This page is devoted to the most frequently asked
questions by role players on Iconoclast,
the MUD. It changes, and anything unimportant
or outdated will be removed.This page
has nothing to do with code, improvements, apartments,
or anything else that does not
impact Role Play on the MUD.
A: That depends on lots of factors. A fact not known by most people is that bullets don't do all their damage simply by piercing the person's body and making them bleed. A great deal of the damage caused by a bullet is invisible. When bullets are fired out of the gun, they're travelling at several times the speed of sound. Thus, while the bullet is flying through the air, a small sonic boom is being created and dragged behind it. When the bullet penetrates the body, there is a short time span when the skin and internal organs are pressed rapidly inwards, then outwards by the force of the bullet. At the same moment the skin and organs are moving outwards, the sonic boom catches up with the rest of the bullet and impacts the person a second time. A great deal of the shock done to the body is, in effect, done by the sound wave the bullet trails behind it.
By 2100, technology has advanced extremely far both in terms of weaponry and how to protect oneself from it. So, most armor available on the street, such as Neon Knight gear, has a measure of bullet resistance. While wearing one of these vests, it may stop one or two bullets. More than that and the vest will become worthless, as most armors rely on strength as a whole to remain sturdy enough to protect you. Where a NK vest pays off is that it's very light and bullet resistant, and will be able to stop or severely dissipate the following shock wave. Sure, you may get shot a few times, but you're not being repeatedly blasted by sonic booms. Medically, the difference is very astounding.
A bullet proof vest, on the other hand, is specifically
made to stop the bullet itself. You will not be penetrated by a bullet,
and will not lose blood, and your organs will not be punctured and/or sucked
outside the body by a force vaccum. Bullet proof vests are not and can
not be designed to absorb the force of the shock wave. Luckily, the shock
wave is only dangerous if the bullet has penetrated the body and left space
for the organs to be compressed against. However, the force of a bullet
stopping abruptly on your ribcage is not pleasant. You will bruise and
break ribs, and you will be knocked on your ass for a few seconds. (Ragers
on an adrenaline rush can ignore that one and just keep barreling on in.)