CONVERTING INTERLOCK TO SILHOUETTE
...or vice versa

So maybe you've been playing Cyberpunk (or Mekton) and want to see if the Silhouette system works for your group. Conversion is fairly simple, though I'll warn you from the get-go: There isn't a 1:1 conversion between the two systems. However, the tables herein should give you a good basis for converting a character over. Also, don't expect a "standard" character in Interlock to be equivalent to a "standard" character constructed in Silhouette, the point systems used for Stats and Skills are linear in Interlock, but semi-exponential in Silhouette.


So we'll begin with your STATS.

Interlock stats are based on a 1-10 scale, with 6 being the human average. Silhouette uses a zero average with the "normal" human distribution between +/-2, with especially high or low (+3 or higher, -3 or lower) being extremes. This part is easy... Overall, I'd normally say a "60 point standard" Interlock character will end up a few points ahead of a "30 point standard" Silhouette character.

Let's do a quick review for those just tuning in:

What do the stats really mean?

INTERLOCK

 

SILHOUETTE

THE STATS THE RATINGS
INTERLOCK SILHOUETTE
ATTR APP
BODY BLD & FIT
COOL WIL
EMP INF & PSY
INT KNO & PER
LUCK PSY
MA FIT
REF AGI
TECH KNO & CRE
INTERLOCK SILHOUETTE
1 -3
2 -2
3 -1
4 -1
5 0
6 0
7 +1
8 +1
9 +2
10 +3

As you can see, the stats don't match up perfectly. Don't worry about it... It's not too difficult to figure out whether or your character's Empathy score of 8 should be either a +1 Influence or a +1 Psyche (Hey, if your GM is really generous, you could get both, but I wouldn't recommend it, as too many bonuses gets out of hand really fast). So this is when you start really thinking hard about how you see the character...

A good rule of thumb for stats is this:

Examples:

He's got a BODY of 9. Is he physically HUGE (+2 BLD is between 95 and 115kg, 200-250lbs), or is he just incredibly fit, say 180lbs (90kg) and just ripped? In the first case, I'd probably give a +2 BLD and +1 FIT, and for the latter, a +1 BLD and +2 FIT.

Ellie, your netrunner, has a INT of 8. Depending on whether or not you see her as being highly educated and knowledgeable (+1 KNO), or is she more creative (+1 CRE)? Book-learning (KNO), or Improvisation (CRE)?


So now let's try out the SKILLS...

Interlock uses the same 1-10 scale, and Silhouette uses a 0-5 scale. The little listing I've got on the Cyberpunk Skills List explains how Silhouette breaks down the skill levels. A good rough estimate of skill level is to divide the Interlock skill rating by 3 and round up.

SKILL LEVEL CONVERSIONS
INTERLOCK SILHOUETTE DESCRIPTION
1 0 Unskilled
2 1 Basic
3 1 Basic
4 2 Professional
5 2 Professional
6 2 Professional
7 3 Expert
8 3 Expert
9 3 Expert
10 4 Elite
12+ 5 Legendary

Obviously there's some skill overlap between Interlock and Silhouette versions of skills, and other skills are outright missing. There's also some skills that exist in Cyberpunk and not Silhouette and vice versa. Additionally, Silhouette has neither limitations on skills, nor Special Ability skills. Take a gander through the Silhouette Cyberpunk Skills List and see what fits.

At this point, converting the character is almost-but-not-quite like building a whole new character...


Wrapping Up...

Take a look at your character, see how things worked out.

For kicks, add up how many character points and skill points you've spent, and compare that to the book values for a "standard" player character (30 stat points and 40 skill points in Silhouette).

FYI, Silhouette Stat and Skill costs are in the table below:

Stat Cost
-5 -16
-4 -9
-3 -4
-2 -1
-1 +0
0 1
1 4
2 9
3 16
4 25
5 36
Skill Level Cost
0 0
1 1
(2 if Complex)
2 4 (8 if Complex)
3 9 (18 if Complex)
4 16 (32 if Complex)
5 25 (50 if Complex)
Negative Costs for Stats are a Rebate...
You get X number of points back.