Equipment

Equipment is a major source of power in SolarLink. Equipment specifically refers to objects carried and used by characters at the Ground Scale. Characters will need to buy, build, and repair a large amount of equipment throughout their adventures.

Equipment Lists

Weapons List

Clothing List

Other Equipment List

Cybernetics List

Build, Maintenance, and Complexity Scores

All objects, whether they are equipment, cybernetics, and even SolarLink Components have either a Build Score, Maintenance Score, or Complexity Score. The Build Score is the difficulty to construct or repair equipment. The Maintenance Score is the difficulty to perform routine maintenance on equipment. The Complexity Score is the difficulty to hack equipment.

Generally, when all three are present, these three scores are identical and hierarchical, with the Build Score being the lowest in the hierarchy and the Complexity Score being the highest. When an equipment has a Build Score listed, it does not have a Maintenance of Complexity score. This indicates the equipment can be built and repaired but does not require routine maintenance and cannot be hacked.

If a piece of equipment has a Maintenance Score listed, it can be built and repaired but also requires routine maintenance and can be sabotaged. A piece of equipment with only a Maintenance Score cannot be hacked. Finally, a piece of equipment with a Complexity Score can be built, repaired, maintained, and hacked.

In equipment charts the chart itself will include either Build, Maintenance, or Complexity score in its header. This means, when not specified in the equipment's entry, it has the type of score listed in the header. If a piece of equipment is an exception to this, it's Build, Maintenance, or Complexity score indicated with a “B”, “M”, or “C” respectively after their listed difficulty. Inherently, if a piece of equipment has a Complexity Score, it has a Maintenance and Build Score. If a piece of equipment has a Maintenance Score, then it also has a Build Score.

Building Equipment

One major task characters can focus on during the long durations of space travel is building equipment. When considering how to keep functional equipment, players must decide between buying or building new equipment. Buying is typically the more expensive and faster option. By contrast, building is less expensive but requires significant time. Another advantage of building equipment is that not all equipment of all specifications may be available for purchase. Therefore, building new equipment also ensures characters get exactly the gear they want.

Building equipment requires Spare Parts. Spare Parts are simply a collection of minor individually non-functional pieces, that can be used to construct equipment. Spare Parts come in types, and the correct types must be used to construct equipment. These types are Biologic, Chemical, Fabric, Metal, Electrical, Mirror Crystal, and Thermal. To build new equipment the cost of the piece of equipment is multiplied by percentage of each category of Spare Parts listed in its construction table. The resulting value is the cost of each category of Spare Parts that needs to be used to construct the equipment.

After determining the cost of small parts, characters make a Trade Roll to determine their progress on making the piece of equipment. To begin, the character must make a Trade Roll with difficulty equal to the Build Score of the piece of equipment. The result of the Trade Roll is subtracted from the cost of Spare Parts, which are consumed in the process. This Trade Roll represents the progress made in one (1) shift.

Failed Trade Rolls do not consume material, but it does waste a shift of progress. In many cases, the construction of a piece of equipment might take many days. In this situation, utilize an assumed Trade Roll to simplify bookkeeping. If the remainder of the Spare Parts is greater than zero (0), the Trade Roll is repeated until the Spare Parts are fully consumed. Once the Spare Parts are fully consumed, the new equipment is finished.

In general, most equipment listed in the SolarLink Handbook can only be built or repaired by one character at a time. The exception to this rule are vehicles, which generally allow a number of characters to work on them equal to the number of empty squares immediately adjacent to the vehicle. When multiple characters are working on a piece of equipment, there must be at least one (1) character present capable of making a successful Trade Roll for building the equipment in any given shift.

Repairing Equipment

Repairing equipment is only relevant for equipment that has HP or DHP, such as exoskeletons or cybernetics. Equipment with no listed HP or DHP, when damaged, requires such comprehensive repairs that the cost is identical to building a new piece of equipment. Similarly, for equipment with HP or DHP to be repaired, it must have at least one (1) HP or DHP remaining, otherwise it is so damaged that repairing the equipment is effectively identical to rebuilding the equipment.

To repair equipment, first determine the cost of Spare Parts needed to repair one (1) HP or DHP of the equipment. This is determined by taking the cost of the component and dividing by the cost of the component by its HP or DHP minus one (HP or DHP – 1). This value is then multiplied by the percentage of each category of Spare Parts needed to build the component. These final values are the cost of each type of Spare Part needed to repair one (1) HP or DHP of the component.

After determining this cost, repairing equipment functions similarly to building equipment. Characters make Trade Rolls with difficulty equal to the Build Score to determine the progress made towards repairing the component. This Trade Roll represents the progress made in one (1) shift of work. Once the Spare Parts to repair one (1) HP or DHP are fully consumed, the piece of equipment restores one (1) HP or DHP.

Hacking Equipment

Hacking is more relevant for SolarLink Components than for smaller scale equipment. However, some equipment, such as cybernetics, are susceptible to hacking. Typically, hacking Ground Scale equipment results in the equipment no longer functioning, though the GM may allow for other manipulation they deem appropriate.

Only equipment with a Complexity Score may be hacked. Additionally, characters must be adjacent to a piece of equipment they wish to hack. To hack equipment, characters make a Trade(Hacker) Roll with difficulty equal to the Complexity Score of the equipment. This Trade Roll requires AP equal to twice the Complexity Score of the equipment. Upon completion of the successful Trade Roll, they immediately gain access to the equipment.

Weapons

Nearly all characters will always carry some form of weapon on their person. Using a weapon requires a Trade Roll. To make an attack with a weapon, a character makes a Dexterity based Trade Roll with the weapon. If the result of the Trade Roll exceeds the defense of the target, then the attack is a success and the character makes a damage roll to determine the amount of damage dealt to the target. The damage type dealt to the target is determined by the weapon used. All details for weapons can be found in the Weapons List.

Unless specified otherwise, all weapons utilize the Dexterity Attribute Modifier for the Trade Roll. For melee weapons that deal physical damage, a character may add their Strength Attribute Modifier to their damage roll. Most weapons in the SolarLink era are intentionally designed to be simple to use. Therefore, nearly all weapons may be used without a necessary Trade. Each weapon has a relevant Trade listed which determines what Trade is added as a modifier to the weapon attack roll.

Most weapons use Energy Cores. A single Energy Core has one hundred (100) charges that a weapon can consume before it needs to be reloaded with another Energy Core. Different weapons will have different numbers of charges they consume per use. If a weapon has no value listed for its charge in the Weapons List, then it does not need energy cores to function.

Weapon Tags

All weapons have one or more Weapon Tags. Weapon Tags describe what the weapon is like and what maneuvers they can be used with. Some maneuvers will have a list of Weapon Tags listed in their entry. If a maneuver entry includes an "&" between two weapon tags, weapons must have both tags to be used for that maneuver. If a maneuver entry keeps Weapon Tags separated by commas, then weapons with any of the tags may be used.

Two tags, Melee and Ranged, are special as they determine whether the weapon must be used for attacks in adjacent squares (Melee) or at a distance (Ranged). One special tag is Extended, which is followed by a number (Ex. Extended(2)). An Extended weapon is a Melee weapon that can make attacks at a distance in meters equal to the number following the tag.

Weapon Holsters

It is assumed that characters have enough weapon holsters to place their weapons. Characters can reasonably carry five (5) weapons in holsters, with two-handed weapons taking up twice as much holster space. In combat, placing or drawing a weapon from a holster requires only one (1) AP.

Clothing

While all characters can be assumed to wear clothing at no cost, some articles of clothing confer statistical bonuses. Clothing that confirms a statistical benefit occupies a Clothing Slot. Clothing slots include three layers, the Exoskeleton Layer, the Standard Layer, and the Under-armor Layer. Of these layers, the Standard Layer is broken into bodily positions (ex. arms). Only one piece of clothing may provide their beneficial effects per clothing slot.

The exoskeleton layer is the outermost layer and is reserved for large, bulky clothing. The exoskeleton layer only has one Clothing Slot, which is called the exoskeleton slot. In general, if a character is wearing an exoskeleton, they do not receive any benefits from the Standard or Under-armor Layer. Since an exoskeleton completely covers a character, the exoskeleton must completely lose its HP (or DHP) and be destroyed before the character underneath receives damage.

The Standard Layer is the most common layer of clothing and is meant for typical, non-form fitting clothing. Clothing on the Standard Layer tis broken into multiple Clothing Slots. These slots are hands (2x), arms (2x), Torso, Backpack, legs (x2), Feet (2x), and head. Some clothing can occupy multiple slots. Clothing that occupies more than one slot is denoted with an “&”, such as “hand&arm”. Unless the two combined slots are identical, such as “hand&hand”, different “&” connected slots are assumed to be on the same half of the body.

Each piece of clothing on the Standard Layer, except the head slot, has an assigned coverage score that is determined primarily by the slots it occupies. If the total coverage a character has on the Standard Layer exceeds fifty percent (50%), the character may no longer receive benefits from some types of Under-armor. The backpack slot is unique among the Standard Layer, as it only factors into coverage if a character does not have their torso slot occupied by clothing. Additionally, a backpack slot may not be used if a character is wearing an exoskeleton.

The final and innermost layer is the under-armor layer. Similar to the exoskeleton layer, the under-armor layer consists of a single under-armor slot. Some Under-Armor provides no benefit if they are covered. These are listed as "under-armor (C)" in the Slot entry of the List of Clothing. Under-armor tends to have some valuable effects that do not stack well with too much standard layer gear.

General Equipment

There is a substantial amount of general equipment that does not fall under the category of Weapons or Clothing. General Equipment is covered in the Equipment List, but some rules about specific item categories are presented here.

Injections:

Injections are single use syringes that most often provide some form of statistical benefit. There are multiple types of injections, each one with its own cost an benefit. Any injection requires six (6) AP to inject. If a character does not want to be injected, an attack roll utilizing the Trade(Emergency Medic) must be made to deliver the Injection.

Injections may have immediate or duration based effects. Enhancement Injections provide a benefit over a duration (one (1) minute unless specified otherwise) while regular Injections provide a one time immediate benefit. Taking too many injections can result in harmful side effects. For each injection beyond the first taken within the same one (1) hour period, a character must make a Constitution Attribute Roll equal to thirteen (13) plus one (1) for each injection taken. On failure, the character receives a minus one (-1) penalty to Wisdom.

Inst-E-Nades:

Inst-E-Nade is the shortened name of instant electronic grenade. These specialized grenades, after being activated, immediately explode on next contact with a solid surface. Inst-E-Nades are single use and come in a variety of types. All Inst-E-Nades allow for a Reflexive Leap to escape their area of effect. Inst-E-Nades that deal damage allow for a Reflexive Leap to reduce damage.

Spare Parts:

Spare Parts are not a true piece of equipment, but rather are the resource used to build and repair equipment and SolarLink components. Spare Parts are divided into different types which are tracked and stored individually. Any amount of Spare Parts that characters wish to have for building and repairs can be purchased. One-thousand (1,000) kDo of Spare Parts can be stored in a 1x1x1 crate. The Spare Parts categories are:

Biologics – Used mostly for medical equipment, poisons, and medicines.

Chemical – Includes common chemicals, acids, and bases. Used in weapons and medical equipment.

Electrical – Essentially ubiquitous, nearly all equipment needs some level of electrical wiring.

Fabrics – Primarily used for clothing.

Metals – Almost ubiquitous, nearly all equipment requires some amount of metal. Often the support structure of SolarLink Components.

Zelta – Important for Energy Cores. Zelta is significantly more expensive for its material than other Spare Parts and harder to acquire.

Thermal – Components used for controlling temperature.

Cybernetics

Cybernetics bridge the gap between humans and machine, giving characters access to abilities that cannot be easily performed biologically. Cybernetics can be used to conceal weapons, scan rooms for enemies, and distally hack computer systems. In some cases, cybernetics are used just to replace lost limbs, greatly mitigating the effects of permanent injury. In addition to the powerful benefits of cybernetics, they usually do not require any Energy Cores, meaning they have less cost upkeep compared to traditional weaponry.

While cybernetics can be incredibly useful and powerful, they are not without drawbacks. Cybernetics are expensive, both to install and to repair when damaged. Beyond the financial cost, most cybernetics come with a Toll. A Toll is a non-financial semi-permanent penalty a character suffers for wielding a cybernetic. For example, installing an Odyn Eye requires a Toll of one (1) Wisdom. As long as a character has an Odyn Eye implanted, their Wisdom is decreased by one (1). Generally, most cybernetic Tolls reduce the Wisdom Attribute, increasing the risk of a character suffering from Insanity.

Similar to most equipment, some cybernetic equipment has a vulnerability to being hacked. Whether a cybernetic can be hacked is dependent on the presence of a Complexity Score. Like all equipment, cybernetics without a Complexity Score cannot be hacked. In most cases, a hacked cybernetic simply ceases to function.

Cybernetic Sockets

In addition to Tolls limiting the number of cybernetics an individual can own, most cybernetics are limited by where they can be placed on the body. The human body can essentially be divided into Sockets in which an enhancement can be placed. These sockets are the hands (x2), arms (x2), eyes (x2), torso, spine, brain, legs (x2), and feet (x2). Only one cybernetic may occupy a single socket unless otherwise specified. The socket that a cybernetic can be installed in is listed in the Cybernetics List.

Some cybernetics occupy multiple sockets. If a cybernetic requires more than one socket, the combined sockets will be denoted with an “&”. It should be assumed, unless specified otherwise, that combined sockets are on the adjacent side of the body. For example, a blaster arm requires “Arm&Hand”, this means it occupies an arm and hand socket, both of which must be on the right or left side of the body. If a socket entry has identical slots listed (ex. Hand&Hand) this rule no longer apples.

To retain simplicity, clothing a character wears should be assumed to be compatible with their cybernetics. The exception to this is clothing that occupies the exoskeleton slot. Most cybernetics cannot be used while wearing an exoskeleton.

Building and Installing Cybernetics

Building and installing cybernetics uses the Trades of Cybernetic Engineer and Cybernetic Surgeon respectively. Each cybernetic has a build or complexity score associated with it that determines how difficult it is to build or hack a cybernetic. Cybernetics, unlike all other equipment or components that have a complexity score, do not require routine maintenance.

Building or repairing a cybernetic follows the same rules as building equipment, except they always require a Trade(Cybernetic Engineer) roll. Unless otherwise specified, Cybernetics always use a combination of Spare Parts consisting of 10% Biologics, 20% Electrical, 10% Metal, 10% Thermal, and 10% Zelta.

After a cybernetic is built, it must be installed through a surgical procedure. This surgical procedure must be performed on a Medical Bed and requires a Trade(Cybernetic Surgeon) roll with difficulty equal to the build score of the cybernetic. This procedure requires a number of hours equal to the build score of the cybernetic. The character performing the Trade(Cybernetic Surgeon) must be consistent throughout the procedure, which often requires the character works more than one (1) shift.

Installing a cybernetic is a highly invasive procedure that always results in a minus two (-2) penalty to the Strength, Dexterity, Celerity, and Constitution Attribute Modifiers of the character receiving the cybernetic. If the Trade(Cybernetic Surgeon) roll fails, the time is wasted and the character receiving the cybernetic still receives this penalty. The penalties to these attributes recover as normal.