Mod idea...possible?

[capnq]

a SEIV mod that would give weapons a penetration value, or several penetration values depneding on what they were trying to penetrate and the range.

The closest thing to multiple penetration values would be the specialized damage types like "Skips Armor" or "Quad Damage To Shields".

[Suicide Junkie]

You can give weapons varying penetration levels in a variety of ways.

It is harder to give varying armor/shield resistance levels, though.

First:
If you have a ship with extremely high crystalline ability, the following will happen:
Skips Shields/Ships armor: 100% penetration.
Quad 2 shields: 80% penetration.
Double to shields: 66% penetration.
Normal: 50% penetration.
Half to shields: 33% penetration.
quarter to shields: 20% penetration.

Second:
If you have a ship with limited/varying crystalline ability;
If hull damage each shot < crytalline ability amount: use the above numbers.
If hull damage each shot > crystalline ability amount:
Quad: 1/4 of crystalline ability amount is absorbed, the rest penetrates.
Double: 1/2 of crystalline ability amount is absorbed.
Normal: ability amount = damage absorbed.
Half: 2x ability amount = damage absorbed.
Quarter: 4x ability amount = damage absorbed.

So if a ship has too little armor, the penetration goes up, but once the armor is a certain thickness, any extra plating is redundant.

[PvK]

Proportions doesn't do exactly what's proposed, but it's sort of close, at least in that there are various kinds of armor, and most armor types are not "shot off" before any damage is done to the ship. Instead, it tends to offer some emissive ability, while not being destroyed, and often absorbs hits before useful components are damaged, but not always, depending on what type and quantity of armor is used. I also borrowed Baron Munch.'s idea of giving Graviton Hellbores armor-skipping ability, and of course large heavy weapons will also make the emissive abilities less signifigant, while other weapons have different advantages and trade-offs.

PvK