(Answered) Reactive Armor and Damage Types

[Bandit Queen]

Does Reactive Armor (TO, p.282) reduce damage from any attack that has a Damage Type of AE or M?

[Xotl]

Why would it not?  The description seems very clear to me.

[Bandit Queen]

Sadly the description is not clear.  It does not reference AE damage at all.

The rules state "Reactive Armor reduces all damage from explosive-type weapons such as missiles, mortars and artillery weapons by half (rounded down, to a minimum of 1 point per hit). Physical attacks, as well as attacks using energy weapons, autocannons, Gauss weapons or other weapons deliver their normal damage and effects to the target...".

"Explosive-type" is vague and not mentioned anywhere under "WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT" (TW, p.113).  If fact, one might even confuse it for Weapon Type X.  What is the point of having Damage Types if the rules do not reference them?  Why do the Reactive Armor rules not simply state "Reactive Armor reduces all damage from weapons with a Damage Type of AE or M"?

If Reactive Armor is able to reduce damage from any AE type attack, then this has very broad implications.  This means it (and not Laser Reflective) is the premier ASF armor for space combat.  All Capital and Sub-Capital weapons have a Damage Type of AE.  This means AAA-Mode Lasers and Barracudas now deal half damage.  Combine this together with Capital Fighters (SO, p.32) and they can devastate WarShips and Pocket WarShips.  For Reactive armored ground units, Orbital Bombardment, mines, and grenades would all do half damage.

Adding further confusion is recent errata which states that Arrow IV Homing ammo has a Damage Type of DB, while ADA ammo simply has a Damage Type of F.  The rules, the way they are written now, would reduce both of these ammo's damage since the rules specifically state "artillery weapons".  But, for me, this is further evidence that Damage Type AE is not a criteria for damage reduction.

[Xotl]

The text doesn't use weapon types specifically because of the issues you've identified: that wouldn't work.

It works as it says: if it's an explosive-type weapon, it's affected.  Arty, arty cannons, missiles of any kind up through capital missiles.  I suppose Type M would always work, but AE as a universal judge of applicability clearly would not.

[Bandit Queen]

Okay, so Reactive Armor will reduce damage from all Mortars, Artillery of any type, and Missiles of any type (including Capital Missiles).

Since Damage Types cannot be used to determine what Reactive Armor effects, I have to ask this question.  To me the answer seems like a common sense yes, but I have heard others argue about these before.  The most recurring I can remember is about Mines.  While some of these may not be common, it is important to remember that Battle Armor can use Reactive Armor too.

2)   Will Reactive Armor reduce damage from AA Weapons (aToW, p.276), Bombs, Booby Traps (TO, p.297), B-Pods (TM, p.205), Grenades (Including Mauser IICs and any other Infantry weapon that has an integrated Grenade Launcher), Mines, Recoilless Rifles (TM, p.268), Rockets, and Torpedoes?

[Xotl]

Those are "explosive-type weapons", so they should be covered.