Silhouette CORE Rules FAQ 0.0 General Information Version: 1.04 Updated: Nov 25, 2004 0.1 Legal: The Dream Pod 9 logo, Silhouette CORE and all By: John Buckmaster other names, logos and specific setting terms are © ([email protected]) Dream Pod 9, Inc. All Rights Reserved Table of Contents Heavy Gear, Jovian Chronicles, Gear Krieg, Tribe 8, CORE Command, and all other proper names and 0.0 General Info logos related to the game lines are trademarks of 0.1 What's New? Dream Pod 9, Inc. 0.2 Version History 0.3 Contributors `d20 System' is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast 0.4 General Notes ®, Inc, is a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. Wizards of the 0.5 Contact info Coast ® is a registered trademark of Hasbro, Inc. 1.0 Basics 1.1 Complexity This document is created by a fan of the Silhouette 1.2 Rolling and Tests Core Rules, for fans of these rules, and should not be 2.0 Character Design in no way construed as a legal challenge to those 2.1 Attributes trademarks. This document may be distributed freely 2.2 Skills in any medium so long as no profit is derived from 3.0 Action the transaction, and the text is not altered. Though I 3.1 Maneuvers kind of doubt anybody is ever going to sell this thing 4.0 Mechanical Design for a profit... 4.1 Computers 4.2 Scaling 0.0.2 Welcome! 4.3 Perks and Flaws This document is intended to be a useful resource list 5.0 Mechanical Action for the Silhouette player or GM. Like all games, 5.1 Detection Silhouette has rules that need additional explanation 6.0 Specialized Rules or interpretation, and this tries to cover that ground. If 7.0 Gamemastering you need a rules clarification that cannot be found in 8.0 OGL Conversion this FAQ, please do not hesitate to ask your question 8.1 Character Conversion on the appropriate mailing list (see 0.5 Contact 9.0 New Optional Rules Information.) You will very likely get a useful 9.1 Thresholds response, and your question will likely be added to 9.2 Removing Complexity the next version of the Rules FAQ. 9.3 Revised Complexity 9.4 Combining XP, ED, & GP 0.0.3 Layout 9.5 Revised XP costs This FAQ is laid out in a manner similar to the 9.6 Skills with Subskills Rulebook. This was done in order to ease the use of 10.0 Errata the FAQ. Simply go to the section of the FAQ 10.1 Softback Errata corresponding to where your question comes from in 10.2 Changes between Editions the rulebook. 10.3 Hardback Errata 10.4 Updated Rules 0.0.4 Updates This document will be updated semi-regularly. This means: A Note on Printing 1) Whenever a question is asked a lot. 2) People seem to be having a lot of trouble with a This document is split up for ease of section of rules. printing. Look over this document before 3) People ask for it. printing to ensure you only print the 4) I get REALLY bored again. sections you need. 0.1 What's New? relevant question. You can also e-mail the author to Added a whole ton of stuff including optional rules get a quick response. and stuff from SilCORE Miniatures. 0.4.4 Why are the SilCORE rules missing so much 0.2 Version History stuff (magic, cyberware, psi powers, etc.)? Version Notes Specialized rules, such as the above, are included in Alpha. First run-through of the FAQ. the Player's Handbook for the game line(s) that Beta Awaiting final answers and formatting require them. For example, the Tribe 8 PHB will 1.0 First public release contain rules for the magic system of the T8 world. 1.01 First corrections... 1.02 Added clarifications on missiles The SilCORE rulebook isn't intended to be a generic 1.03 Corrected Missile type and RoF rules ruleset, but a core one -- an important distinction. It 1.04 LOADS of stuff merely exists to save the trouble and expense of reprinting the same basic rules in each of the DP9 0.3 Contributors game lines. It isn't a game of its own, merely the OS that the games themselves run on. In no particular Order: John Buckmaster, Author The web page will (and does!) have a variety of free Marc-Alex Vezina, former Dream Pod 9 Guy resources for the game. See section 0.5.3 for details. Everyone who helped out with the old FAQs, especially John D. Prins, who started it all. UPDATE: Since so many people asked for them, the generic weapon listing from the web page is now Jason Andreson included in the Hardback edition of the Silhouette Andrew G. Paul CORE Rules Nick Pilon Constantine Thomas AKA "Evil Doctor Ganymede" 0.5 Contact Information Chris Upchurch AKA Blackeagle "Riker" 0.5.1 A Note on Etiquette C Love Please note that rude, derogatory, or otherwise Oliver Bollmann AKA "Kannik" impolite messages will not be responded to by the Gerald Rodberg Author or by DP9. Be Polite! Bryan Rombaugh Epidiah_ravachol AKA "Eppy" 0.5.2 Contacting the Author The members of the various Mailing Lists and now John Buckmaster, the author of this FAQ and official the Forums rules “guru,” can be reached at Patrick Bohnet [email protected] He's the one you want And anyone else I forgot. (Sorry!) to contact if you have a rules question. 0.4 General Notes 0.5.3 Contacting Dream Pod 9 Dream Pod 9 can be reached on the web at 0.4.1 Did you read the rulebook? www.dp9.com by e-mail at [email protected] and by It may seem a stupid question, but many of your mail at the address found in the Credits section of any garden-variety rules questions can be answered DP9 product (near the Table of Contents.) quickly and easily by looking in the handy index and reading the appropriate section. This document 0.5.4 Mailing lists and forums. should be the second thing you grab for when you The Mailing Lists are no longer in operation and have have a question -- the rulebook being the first. been replaced by the DP9 forums at http://www.dp9forum.com/ You can browse without 0.4.2 Did you check the Errata? needing to log in or register. A lot of basic questions can be answered by simply checking the Errata, found in section 9 of this FAQ. 0.4.3 What if this FAQ doesn't cover my question? Well, there is the DP9 forum (see 0.5, Contact Information.), where we're glad to answer any 1.0 Basics Items do not. Otherwise, if you were using a CPX 5 item on a CPX 5 task, you’d get penalized twice and 1.1 Complexity that fails the logic test. 1.1.1 What is Complexity? Items may add or subtract from the skill roll if it says It is a measure of the combination of practical so in the description, but they do not have a CPX to experience and theoretical knowledge that enables the operate. Complexity is Task Complexity or how character to handle more complex tasks. This complex a task is. includes the character's versatility in that field, as well as the depth of knowledge he has related to that field. 1.1.5 What about Tech level and CPX? One thing that may help your understanding is to Due to the way the initial example in the rulebook is think of it as your character’s “technique” or worded, many people think that a higher tech level is adaptability. inherently “more complex” This is not true, for the same reason Items should not have Complexity. By contrast, your Characters skill level represents the Tasks, regardless of the setting or situation have an skill ability, rather than the versatility. As an example. inherent Complexity rating. Situation and tools A person with a skill of 2/1 would be competent in a modify the Die roll and the threshold. limited Range of things, whereas a 2/5 would be competent at a wide variety of things. 1.1.6 Why doesn’t CPX apply to all opposed rolls, rather than just those of the same skill? 1.1.2 OK then, how does CPX work? Originally, it was determined that this caused some Basically, in any opposed test where those involved unbalanced combinations and problems, however are using the same skill, the difference between the many people report playing it this way without lower CPX and the higher CPX is applied as a bonus problems. You may wish to try applying CPX to all to the side with the higher CPX. This can be applied rolls and going with whichever method works best in to multiple opposed situations like Initiative. your game. Again, the optional replacement rules in Section 9.3 remedy this situation. In static tests vs. a threshold, or when the test sets a threshold, the GM sets a CPX based on the 1.1.7 Can we get some examples of Task experience needed to complete the task effectively. Complexities? Default for most tasks is CPX 1. The difference The following is a general chart explaining the types between the CPX needed and the CPX of the of tasks that fall under each level of Task complexity. character is applied as a modifier.