I can't believe I'm going to do this... here... considering it usually grates on my nerves when others do it. However, in the interest of honing my skills and searching for inspiration, I'm going to do it. (And if this belongs in HL, I apologize. Given this topic pops up in both UF and HL, I thought a more general forum might be appropriate.) Roxanne forgive me, here I go...

Where do you (and by that I mean the EPU people, but surely not exclusively) get your ideas for body armor such as the Ironman suit, Gryphon's armor, and the upgrades given to the Knight Sabers? I know it's from RDF Field Guides, the Iron Manual, and other research material/rpg books. However, I'm curious what the process you go through when picking and choosing components and technologies to use.

I've been toying around with giving my (very NON-UF) avatar a bit of armoring, and was curious if anyone had suggestions on how to strike a believable balance between the good toys and too many toys? Any help, suggestions, or the like (or unlike) are welcome... I'm just fishing for idears.