Powered Armor and Upgrades

[Lady Platypus]

Hi,
I noticed something interesting while reading into powered armor:

Quote:

... The cockpit of powered armor is too small to fit a person wearing heavy armor. If you're wearing light armor while in powered armor, you gain the higher of the EAC bonuses and the higher of the KAC bonuses between the two suits of armor, and you take the worse maximum Dexterity bonus and armor check penalty. ...

It doesn't say anything about upgrades. So let's make an example.

I get a "Battle Harness" powered armor (1 slot) with the "Exit Pod" upgrade. While in that armor, I'm also wearing a Estex Suit I (2 slots) with "Infrared Sensors" and "Electrostatic Field mk 1".

Do I get all three bonuses? Do I only get "Exit Pod"? Or do I get both "Exit Pod" and "Infrared Sensors", while only getting the resistance bonus from "Electrostatic Field mk1" (not getting the 1d6 Electricity damage if someone touches or attacks me with melee weapons, since they don't technically get in contact with it)?

I think it's safe to assume that some upgrades wouldn't work on the light armor if I'm also using the powered one, such as Jetpack or Jump Jets for example.

[Jimbles the Mediocre]

Huh, good question. I suppose it comes down to GM's discretion. If it were me, I would say

You get to use all the armor upgrades on your powered armor

You get to use any of the armor upgrades on your light armor that would also be applicable to powered armor with the exception of "skin" upgrades, such as the electrostatic field.

[Claxon]

Aside from the flight frame, powered armor only provides 1 or 2 upgrade slots. I think it's probably not unbalanced to allow you to utilize all the slots on the light armor as well as the powered armor. I mean, you had to acquire the feat and spend the money on the powered armor as well as spend the money on the light armor.

[The_Defiant]

Given how you can use the better of the KAC/EAC between a suit of light armor and power armor when wearing both, I think it's pretty situational when wich upgrades apply. Though universally, I'd allow anything that gives visual upgrades, life support extensions, enviromental/damage resistances and such things apply regardless, while mobility upgrades generally aren't going to translate from your light armor to the suit of powered armor. Anything else is up for debate though. If you're wearing that powerlifter armor over a decent suit of light armor, I could see the electrostatic field still applying, considering that thing is remarkably uneclosed, for example.

So.. GM Fiat, a lot of the time.

[Lady Platypus]

That's what I thought. I'm going to talk with the GM about it, but I wanted some other opinions first.
Thanks!