TEXT: Unofficial CORPS (2nd Edition) FAQ and Addenda -- 30 June, 2000
  DISCLAIMER
  Except as noted, this information is not approved by
  Greg Porter or BTRC. CORPS is BTRC's trademark
  for  its  omniversal  role-playing  system,  and  is
  copyright©1995 by Greg Porter.
  01.General
  GN-01: What is CORPS?
  CORPS (which stands for Complete Omniversal Role-
  Playing System) is a role-playing system published by
  Blacksburg Tactical Research Center (BTRC), and was
  written by Greg Porter.
  CORPS  has  gone  through  two  editions.  The  first
  edition was released in 1990 as a conspiracy-oriented
  game  (CORPS  originally  stood  for  Conspiracy
  Oriented Role-Playing System). The (current) second
  edition was slightly rewritten, and released in 1995 as a
  generic system. It is a point-based system notable both
  for eliminating many dice rolls and for its realism,
  given its level  of  mechanics  and  its granularity  of
  resolution.
  CORPS  is  available  in  the  traditional  (softcover)
  printed  format  (144  pages,  ISBN  0-943891-28-0,
  stock#7101,  US$19.95), and as an electronic  (PDF)
  version. The electronic  version is only available  at
  Hyperbooks Online (http://www.hyperbooks.com).
  GN-02: Does BTRC have a website?
  Yes. You can find them at (http://www.btrc.net), and
  contact them via email at (btrc@btrc.net).
  GN-03: What supplements are available for CORPS
  2ed?
  Currently there are four official supplements for the
  2nd edition of CORPS:
  CORPS Dreamtime (48 pages, ISBN
  0-943891-30-2,
   
  stock#7102,
  US$9.95) 
  Heroic adventuring in a mythic past.
  Based  somewhat  on  Australian
  Aboriginal legends. 
    
  CORPS VDS (158 pages, ISBN 0-
  9438891-35-3, stock#7103, US$20) 
  A vehicle design system that can be
  used for any role-playing system (not
  just  CORPS).  Covers  everything
  from  rowboats  to  starships,  past,
  present and future. 
    
  CORPS  Apocalypse  (128  pages,
  ISBN  0-943891-36-1,  stock#7104,
  US$17) 
  A game universe set in an alternate
  present.  The  short  form  of  the
  background is "Nazi elves come back
  from  whatever  dimension  they've
  been  hiding  in  and  enslave
  humanity". The long version is quite
  a  bit  more  detailed  and  internally
  consistent,  but  no  less  depressing.
  You  can  download  a  preview  of
  Apocalypse (in PDF format) from the
  BTRC website. 
    
  CORPS Down in Flames (72 pages,
  ISBN  0-943891-37-X,  stock#7105,
  US$12) 
  A set of end-of-the-world scenarios
  for  CORPS  (or  any  other  rpg).
  Written for when you finally get tired
  of a campaign, or decide things need
  an abrupt and severe change of focus.
  You  can  download  a  preview  of
  Down  in  Flames (in  PDF  format)
  from the BTRC website. 
  These books are published in the traditional (softcover)
  printed format, but they are also available in electronic
  (PDF)  versions.  The  electronic  versions  are  only
  available
   
  at
   
  Hyperbooks
   
  Online
  (http://www.hyperbooks.com), and are around half the
  price of the printed version.
  BTRC publish two other products that can be used with
  CORPS:
  Guns! Guns! Guns! 3rd edition (also
  called  3G3)  (136  pages,  ISBN  0-
  943891-19-1, stock#4001, US$15.95)
  Weapon  design  system,  includes
  conversion notes for CORPS. 
    
  More  Guns!  (232  pages,  ISBN  0-
  943891-26-4, stock#4002, US$19.95)
  Weapon write-ups for 3G3, with stats
  for all weapons in CORPS terms. 
  1 of 10
  
  CORPS Addenda
  Like  the  CORPS  supplements,  3G3  is  available  in
  printed and electronic versions (you can also purchase
  an  Excel  spreadsheet,  which  will  handle  all  the
  calculations for you). More Guns! is only available in
  the printed version.
  GN-04: What was published for CORPS 1ed?
  In addition to the main rule book, there  were  five
  supplements released for CORPS 1ed. They were, in
  order:
  Book  0:  CORPS,  The  Global
  Conspiracy Role-Playing Game 
  52  pages.  The  main  rule  book.
  Details the rules and the modern day
  conspiracy which the 1st edition uses
  as  its  setting.  Includes  a  short
  adventure (Chinese Puzzle - as with
  all  the  titles  Greg  used  for  the
  adventures  he  wrote,  this  one  has
  nothing  to  do  with  what  the
  adventure involved). 
    
  Book 1: CORPS Technology 1991 
  28 pages. Weapons, armor, transport,
  personal  gear  and  "other".  Also
  includes a chapter on security and ID
  (what it costs and who you need to
  know). 
    
  Book 2: CORPS Deathwind 
  64  pages.  A  5  part  campaign
  involving  the  Illuminati  and
  Hierarchy,  but  adding  other
  organizations into the mix as well.
  Includes  a  lot  more  info  on  the
  CORPS  conspiracy  setting  (in
  particular,  expanded  info  on  the
  Hierarchy), maps, NPC sheets, etc. 
    
  Book 3: CORPS Organizations Book
  1 
  32  pages.  Detailed  information  on
  the  Immortals,  Time  Travelers  and
  Hierarchy. Includes three adventures
  involving these organizations. 
    
  Book 4: CORPS Worldbook 1992 
  72  pages.  Facts  about  the  world.
  Includes information on gun laws in
  various countries around the world. 
    
  Book 5: CORPS GameMaster Screen
  3 panel screen. Includes a 16 page
  booklet  inside  with  an  adventure
  (Conflagration).  The  back  of  the
  booklet contains several forms which
  can be used to record PC and NPC
  information. 
    
  Most of these are still available directly from BTRC.
  GN-05: Why aren't there more supplements?
  Greg's only one guy. The following supplements are in
  the pipeline, as of this writing:
  CORPS Bestiary 
  Animals, etc. The text is done - Greg
  is currently waiting on art. 
    
  CORPS Tanurae (formerly Alien 
  Games) 
  A SF campaign background. 
    
  CORPS TimeLords 
  The  BTRC  TimeLords  background
  for CORPS. The text is done - Greg
  is currently waiting on art. 
  GN-06: Where can  I get CORPS Errata, BTRC
  catalogs, and other CORPS information?
  The  BTRC  site contains  a  complete  catalog  of  all
  products currently in print (and a few that are out of
  print),  as  well  as  some  errata  (including  some
  important errata for CORPS VDS).
  GN-07: Is there a place (on the internet) where I
  can discuss CORPS with other people?
  Yes,  there  are  currently  several  places  for  CORPS
  discussions.
  The first (and currently most active) is the CORPS
  electronic mailing list. Subscription info can be found
  at
   
  (http://www.igs.net/~mtr/role-playing-
  games/mailing-lists.html#CORPS). Subscription to the
  mailing list is handled by the web (although it is a
  traditional email mailing list). Pretty much anything
  about CORPS is on topic for the mailing list, and there
  are a lot of knowledgeable people there (including just
  about everyone who has contributed to this FAQ). Feel
  free to drop on by!
  There are also two web based chat forums. The first
  (and official) chat forum is hosted by Gaming Outpost,
  located
   
  at
  (http://www.gamingoutpost.com/forums/default.cfm?
  Action=ShowForum&ccurrentforum=42&site=GO). In
  time this forum will have an email component, so that
  you can read (and post?) messages to the forum via
  email as well as the web. When this functionality is
  added, the CORPS mailing list may be closed down.
  The  second  (and  oldest)  web  forum  is  hosted  by
  WebRPG (http://www.webrpg.com), and is called the
  CORPS
   
  Town
   
  Hall
  (http://townhall.webrpg.com/index.phtml?
  2 of 10
  
  CORPS Addenda
  groupid=176).  Unfortunately  this  forum  sees  little
  traffic.
  Greg Porter reads the mailing list and Gaming Outpost
  forum, so don't be surprised if you ask a question and
  he is the one who answers it for you!
  GN-08: What is CORPS in a nutshell?
  CORPS in a nutshell is a 4 page version of CORPS that
  provides you with the basics of the system (which isn't
  a bad effort since the bottom half of page 2 is a skill
  list, and page 4 is a character sheet). Obviously such a
  short document couldn't hope to include all the rules,
  but it does include the core rules which everything else
  is based on. It can be used as a handout by GMs who
  want to save their players the cost of buying the main
  rule book, or as a cheap way for someone to check out
  CORPS without having to buy it first.
  GN-09: Where can I get CORPS in a nutshell?
  You can download the PDF version of CORPS in a
  nutshell  directly  from  the  BTRC  site,  at
  (http://www.digdat.com/~btrc/pub/nutshell_v13.pdf).
  A PostScript copy of CORPS in a nutshell is available
  from the mail server at monosys.com. For information,
  send an e-mail to games-request@monosys.com with a
  Subject  line  containing  just  the  word  "info"  (no
  quotes).
  GN-10: Where can I get CORPS?
  The best way is to support your local games store, and
  to ask them to order it in for you. If they are unable to
  help, you can order it directly from  BTRC (although
  they are unable take credit cards). Finally, there are
  several  places  where  you  can  order  it  on-line.
  Hyperbooks Online (http://www.hyperbooks.com) sell
  CORPS (and all other BTRC products, including the
  electronic versions).
  02. Combat and its aftermath
  CM-01: How do you die in CORPS?
  Unlike many  games,  CORPS  doesn't  really  have  a
  concept  of  "hit  points".  That  is,  you  can't  wound
  yourself by being punched in the head until weak (1 hit
  point left) and then die by having a rock dropped on
  your foot. It's hard to die in combat, though it's easy to
  die after combat's over.
  There are two ways to die in CORPS: HLT loss and
  autokills.
  HLT can be lost through bleeding, exertion, exposure,
  environment (drowning or a vacuum), or through a
  paranormal power like "Subtract." When the character
  actually dies depends on how they lost their HLT. For
  bleeding, you die when you have lost HLT points due
  to  the  bleeding  (not the  same  as  when  your  HLT
  reaches zero - see bottom of page 49). For everything
  else, you pass out when your HLT reaches 0, and die
  when your HLT falls below its negative value (page
  82-83). For example, if your HLT is 5, you die when
  your HLT goes below -5.
  Autokills  are  determined  when  a  character  takes
  damage (page 49). This is an optional rule, and may
  not be used by the GM (or it may be used only for
  NPCs, and not PCs). Autokills are based on the amount
  of damage the character took, and modified by the
  location of the damage. Arm and leg hits are never
  autokills.
  CM-02: What's the difference between "damage"
  and "impairment"?
  Damage is how much you're hurt, which affects how
  fast you'll bleed and how long you'll take to recover.
  Impairment  is  how  badly  that  interferes  with
  subsequent actions.
  Let's  say  your  character  takes  two  points of lethal
  damage to the chest. Two points of lethal damage is a
  two-point impairment. All rolls that involve the chest
  are  now  made  at  +2  difficulty. Rolls  that  involve
  nearby body parts are at +1 difficulty. At this point,
  damage and impairment are identical.
  Once you get a second wound in the same location,
  they become different. Suppose you now get a three-
  point hit in the chest. The damage is still three points,
  and determines how long you'll take to heal or bleed or
  die from that wound. The impairment to your chest,
  however is:
  
  The largest damage, + 1 for each additional
  wound 
  In this case, the impairment to your chest is 3 (the
  largest damage) +1 (for the 2-point wound), or 4 points
  of impairment (ie: +4 difficulty).
  CM-03: How much does a non-lethal attack impair
  you?
  On  the  round  it's  delivered,  a  non-lethal  attack  (a
  punch, say), causes its full damage as impairment (plus
  or  minus  any  location  modifiers).  On  subsequent
  rounds,  it  causes  1/10  its  original  damage  as
  impairment (round up) (page 47).
  For example, if you're hit with a stick in the abdomen
  for 9 points of non-lethal damage, that's +9 difficulty in
  that  round,  but  only  a  +1  difficulty  in  subsequent
  rounds. If you were hit in the head instead of the
  abdomen, the  initial modifier would be +8 difficulty
  3 of 10
  
  CORPS Addenda
  (still +1 in subsequent rounds), and if you were hit in
  the  arm  or  leg  the  initial  modifier  would  be  +10
  difficulty (still +1 in subsequent rounds).
  As another (less detailed) example, if you're hit for 11
  points of non-lethal damage, that's +11 difficulty in that
  round, but +2 in subsequent rounds.
  Or if you do DV 2 with your fist and hit someone 5
  times, they will have +5 non-lethal impairment after
  the fight is over.
  CM-04: Limb amputation seems a little too easy to
  me...
  ...On page 48, it says that cutting attacks which inflict
  DV 5 on limbs may be considered as amputation (GM
  option). This would mean that every successful attack
  with a broadsword by someone with strength 6 (i.e. one
  point above average for men) against someone without
  armor would always be able to amputate a limb, which
  seems too easy for me.
  [Answer  by  Greg  Porter,  in  a  post  to
  rec.games.frp.misc]
  You are right, but there are a few caveats:
  
  It's an optional rule. 
  
  That's 5 points of damage after armor. 
  
  If you use the graze  or half damage rules
  (page 40), it means that only a solid hit (make
  your hit roll by 2 or more) does 5 damage.
  And I don't have any conceptual problem with
  a strong guy lopping off an unarmored arm
  with a solid broadsword hit. 
  CM-05: The description of the Grab maneuver (p.
  56) isn't clear...
  ...It says, "may not directly use that body party" which
  contradicts  the  example  that  follows,  where  the
  "assassin is now at +2 to stab Grond" after having
  been grabbed at the arm.
  [Answer  by  Greg  Porter,  in  a  post  to
  rec.games.frp.misc]
  Correct. The assassin can't do a stab with that arm until
  he exceeds Grond's STR on his movement initiative (he
  breaks free). However, the grab is a +2 penalty to all
  other skill use by the assassin, including attacks with
  the free arm. That could have been written clearer.
  Sorry.
  CM-06: Explain the eventually-fatal roll again?
  (Page 49). There are two questions answered by the
  eventually-fatal roll - is the damage the character just
  took serious enough that it will eventually cause them
  to die, and if so, how long will it take for them to die?
  A  wound  can  only  be  eventually  fatal  for  lethal
  damage.  To  determine  if  a  wound  received  is
  eventually fatal:
  1.
  Determine the amount of lethal damage the
  character received to the hit location (after
  armor, etc). 
  2.
  Add 1 to this value if the hit location was the
  head, and subtract 1 if the hit location was the
  arms or legs (torso hits are unmodified). 
  3.
  Roll 1d10. If the value rolled is less that the
  value  calculated  in  step  2,  the  wound  is
  eventually fatal (the character is bleeding to
  death). 
  How  long  it  will  be  before  the  character  dies  is
  determined from what was rolled on the 1d10 in step 3
  (call this value X). At X minutes after the wound is
  received, the character will lose 1 point of HLT. At
  (2*X)  minutes  after  the  wound  is  received,  the
  character will lose a second point of HLT. At (4*X)
  minutes after the wound is received, the character will
  lose  a  third  point  of  HLT.  And  so  on,  until  the
  characters  HLT has  reaches  0  (when  they  die),  or
  someone  performs  a  successful  First  Aid  task  of
  Difficulty X on the wounded character.
  A detailed example: A character with a HLT of 5 takes
  3 points of lethal damage to the head. For the wound to
  be eventually fatal, the character needs to roll a 4 or
  less on 1d10 (3 for the damage, +1 for the hit to the
  head). The character is unlucky, and rolls a 2. They are
  dying.
  
  2 minutes after they took the damage they will
  lose a point of HLT, dropping their HLT to 4. 
  
  4 minutes after the wound, they lose a second
  point of HLT (HLT is now 3). 
  
  At 8 minutes after the wound they lose a third
  point (HLT 2). 
  
  At 16 minutes after the wound they lose a
  fourth point (HLT 1). 
  
  At 32 minutes after the character received the
  wound, they have bled to death (HLT 0). 
  At any time during these 32 minutes, the bleeding can
  be been stopped by another character with a successful
  First Aid or Paramedic roll (in this example, it is a
  Difficulty 4 task).
  CM-07:  Why  do  small  wounds  bleed  faster  on
  average?...
  ...On page 49 it reads that an eventually fatal wound
  bleeds  at  the  rate  of  1  point  per  1d10  minutes
  (doubling the time to the next loss each time a point is
  taken), using the roll which determined the wound to
  be  eventually  fatal. So the  average  time  increment
  4 of 10
  
  CORPS Addenda
  would  be  smaller  for  smaller  wounds,  i.e.  smaller
  wounds bleed faster on average!? Isn't the formula 11 -
  (die roll) as the time increment for bleeding a better
  solution?
  [Answer paraphrased from Thomas N. Bagwell]
  Consider, for a moment, what the eventually fatal roll
  means. It means that the damage the character has
  taken was such that they are bleeding to death. As
  written, if a person takes 1 point of lethal damage,
  there  is  only  a  small  (10%)  chance  of  it  being
  eventually fatal. Normally the player will make their
  roll,  and  the  wound  will  only  be  a  minor
  inconvenience.  There  may  be  some  bleeding,  but
  nothing serious.
  However, occasionally (1 times out of 10) the wound
  will be eventually fatal - in other words, the character
  is dying. The most likely explanation for this is that
  something fairly major must have been hit (like an
  artery). If such a wound were to have a slow bleeding
  rate (like in the formula suggested above), in reality the
  wound most likely wouldn't be eventually fatal.
  There is a second (game mechanics) advantage to the
  rule as written. It minimizes dice rolls and generates an
  effect so that small weapons can generate fast bleeding
  injuries (like a wrist slash). The end result is that small
  wounds  that  are  eventually  fatal  are  always  fairly
  quick, while larger ones have a range from fast to slow.
  CM-08: A question on knockout rolls…
  When hit in a previously wounded place,  does the
  injured character have to make TWO knockout checks
  (one for the new and one for the old injury), or just the
  bigger one? 
  No, just a single check for the new damage.
  CM-09: Can you clarify how Pain Tolerance works?
  …
  Does Pain Tolerance  reduce impairment  from non-
  lethal hits by WIL aptitude (turning a +3 impairment
  into +1, for example), or does is it 'ignore hits up to
  WIL aptitude, with higher hits having normal effect'? 
  [Answer paraphrased from Greg Porter on the CORPS
  mailing list]
  It reduces the game effect on the character of a non-
  lethal hit. A hit for 3 would be felt like a hit for 1.
  CM-10: Who makes the roll when a pre-emptive
  action is attempted?…
  The description says the person being pre-empted, but
  the example says the person who is pre-emting.
  The person who is being pre-empted makes the (AWR)
  roll to notice that you are "setting them up" for your
  action. 
  03.Weapons
  WP-01: What do I do about underwater gunfire and
  explosions?
  [Asked  in  discussion  of  running  Blue  Planet
  (http://www.biohazardgames.com/) using CORPS]
  [Answer  by  Bertil  Jonell,  in  a  post  to
  rec.games.frp.misc]
  Do like in TimeLords: For concussion effects, treat the
  explosion as if it were closer, at half the range, but for
  fragmentation effects, treat the explosion as if it were
  farther away, at four times the range. The latter would
  do for guns too, together with whatever changes in
  refraction you get from the eye/water or air/glass/water
  interface (-2  at least). To be perfectly accurate you'd
  only multiply the range for damage purposes, not for
  aiming/number of fragments.
  All guns would get a sharp increase in malfunction
  chance, +3 or +4 to malfunction class, and just forget
  about using hollowpoints: they'll mushroom just after
  leaving the barrel.
  [Leif Magnar Kj|nn|y adds:]
  For a person not used to firing underwater, yes, but
  presumably not for someone who's lived most of his
  life (and learned to shoot) around, in and below the
  surface.
  > All guns would get a sharp increase in malfunction
  chance, +3
  > or +4 to malfunction class,
  This would presumably not apply to guns specifically
  designed to be safely fired underwater (well, I can
  imagine  some  specific  and  possibly  hard-to-
  workaround  problems  with  backpressure  and
  turbulence  and  whatever,  but  not  necessarily
  insurmountable ones).
  >and just forget about using hollowpoints: they'll
  >mushroom just after leaving the barrel.
  In  fact,  you  can  pretty  much  forget  about  using
  ordinary  firearms  underwater  except  in  weird
  emergency situations and such, since their range will
  forever suck. The water will slow down the bullets in a
  hurry; CORPS already accounts for this by assigning
  an AV of 1 per ten centimeters of water, which will
  stop pretty much all pistol bullets within a meter or so
  and  most  rifle  bullets  within  a  couple  of  meters.
  (Presumably, this AV rating is intended as a ballpark
  5 of 10
  
  CORPS Addenda
  average figure for small/fast projectiles such as bullets
  from smallarms; hydrodynamic drag should be more or
  less proportional to the square of an object's velocity as
  well as to its surface area (given constant shape and
  orientation; there's some stuff about Reynolds numbers
  and so on in here somewhere, but it's been four years or
  so since I did any fluid mechanics whatsoever and this
  knowledge has gone rather stale); together with the
  obvious square-cube relation between mass and surface
  area, this would the situation a lot better for a bigger
  and slower projectile).
  Thus, the projectile weapon of choice designed for
  underwater use will, just like today, be a harpoon or
  spear gun. Using 3G3, such a weapon would fire a 10:1
  (or longer) projectile of maybe 10mm to 15mm caliber
  at a modest speed (probably a good deal less than 100
  m/s); a high-density material would be very preferable
  for  the  projectile.  Muscle-powered,  chemically-
  propelled, compressed-gas-propelled and possibly even
  electromagnetic versions might be feasible. As a simple
  fix, you might assume that a weapon with that kind of
  projectile loses one point of DV per meter (or two, or
  three) underwater; this may not be entirely correct but
  would at least be a playable ruling, limiting weapons to
  credible lethal ranges maybe around 20 or 30 meters
  (underwater visibility isn't all that much to write home
  about in most situations anyway, so there'd be little
  need  for  more  range  than  that).  Against  high-end
  threats, look at explosive-tipped harpoons (similar to
  those used in whaling), or even tiny torpedoes (guided
  or  not;  some  might  be  small  enough  to  use  as
  ammunition  in  pistol-like  launchers,  while  larger
  versions would be equipped with homing sonars or
  bluegreen lasers or something and might be used much
  as man-portable antitank or air defense missiles).
  WP-02: What does the E mean after some damage
  values on page 129?
  Example: RPG-7; 427/7E 
  The number modified by the E (7 in the example)
  represents  an  explosion:  whole  body  concussive
  damage, as per the explosion discussion on page 70.
  WP-03:  What is the damage  of  a thrown  melee
  weapon?
  [Answer paraphrased from Greg Porter in personal e-
  mail]
  A thrown melee weapon does its normal damage. For
  example, a knife that does STR/4+1 still does STR/4+1
  when thrown. The GM may wish to apply minuses for
  distance, etc.
  WP-04: Are the damages for spears in Dreamtime
  correct? They seem a bit, well, ineffectual.
  [Answer paraphrased from Greg Porter, in a message
  to rec.games.frp.misc.]
  Remember that the tech level in Dreamtime is low. A
  Dreamtime spear is a stick with a sharp rock attached
  to it. A metal spear (TL 4 or 5) would probably do
  STR/4 +3 instead of +2.
  04.Character creation and conversion
  CC-01: If an advantage or disadvantage says AP or
  SP, can I split between them?
  Yes.  For  example,  if  you  take  a  psychological
  limitation level 3 (Ailurophile), you can split the 6
  points as 3 AP and 3 SP, or 6 AP and 0 SP, or any other
  way you want.
  CC-02: How do you convert from TimeLords to
  CORPS?
  From 'Organizations Book 1' for CORPS 1ed, page 28:
   CORPS  TimeLords
   
   STR    Strength/2 (down)
   AGL    Dexterity/2 (down)
   AWR    (Intelligence+Perception)/4 (down)
   WIL    (Willpower+Bravado)/4 (down)
   HLT    (Constitution+Stamina)/4 (down)
   POW    Power/4 (down)
   
   Skill  Skill/2 (down)
   
   DV     DV/3 (nearest)
   AV     AV*2/3 (nearest) (1)
  Appearance is converted to a reaction mod (ie 'fame')
  of (Appearance-10)/2 (down).
  (1) Soft armors split the result 1:1, while hard armors
  split  it  4:1  (nearest).  For  example  a  TimeLords
  bulletproof  cuirass  of  ACW-vintage  (TL8)  AV 11/5
  becomes 11*2/3=7.333, which rounds to 7, split 4:1
  (because it is a hard armor) it becomes 5.6/1.4, which
  in turn rounds to a final CORPS AV of 6/1. The same
  for  a  soft  armor:  the  classic  mail  vest:  AV 10/2.
  10*2/3=6.67 which rounds to 7, split 1:1 (it was soft)
  3.5/3.5, I chose to put the odd point at the conversion
  side: CORPS AV 3/4. One point off from what CORPS
  2ed says.
  CC-03: Are there any other conversions?
  Various  people  have  written  about  doing  different
  conversions.  Conversions  for  characters  that  are
  available on the web (known of at this time) are:
  6 of 10
  
  CORPS Addenda
  
  GURPS  ->  CORPS  (by  John  McMullen)
  (http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Chamber/2
  838/convert.html#gurpscorpsconvert) 
  
  HERO  ->  CORPS  (by  John  McMullen)
  (http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Chamber/2
  838/convert.html#herocorpsconvert) 
  
  Kult  ->  CORPS  (by  Erik  Growen)
  (http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Zone/2259
  /corps.html) 
  Jason  Anderson  has  started  a  conversion  of  the
  Empathic powers from Dark Conspiracy to CORPS
  (http://www.antcrc.utas.edu.au/~jason_ga/corps/powers
  .html)
  There have also been suggested conversions for Blue
  Planet and Dark Conspiracy (URLs?).
  CC-04:  How  would  you  best  represent  the
  disadvantage of being in a discriminated
  group?
  As an extreme example, how would one design a dog
  character  with  a  disad  reflecting  the  social
  disadvantages  to  being  a  dog  in  a  humanocentric
  world (no legal rights, the inability to get into the
  better restaurants, etc).
  [Answer  paraphrased  from  Steve  Rennell  on  the
  CORPS mailing list]
  Probably  the  best  way  to  represent  this  is  using
  negative Fame. The level will depend on how easily it
  is to be recognised as belonging to the discriminated
  group, and how much the discrimination is (given a
  hard  time  when  trying  to  go  all  sorts  of  places,
  sometimes they're imprisoned for no reason, have to
  carry ID at all times, etc).
  CC-05:  What  is  the  best  way  to  represent
  banned/illegal skills?
  After all, people can still practice such skills (even
  with the risk they could be sent to jail).
  [Answer paraphrased from Greg Porter on the CORPS
  mailing list]
  There are a couple of ways to do this:
  1.
  Make  it  a cultural  psych  lim against  such
  acitivities that has to be bought down first (eg:
  you're too nervous that you'll get caught to
  pick the lock well...). 
  2.
  Characters  require  a  certain  character
  background (Level 1 Police Enemy because of
  a prior arrest  record),  or people you know
  (Contacts with criminal elements whom you
  owe favors to). 
  3.
  Go the normal route, which is to set fixed
  limits like for weapon skills, and require an
  unusual background to exceed them. 
  05. The Environment
  EN-01: What does the number in brackets after the
  AWR value of animals mean?
  [Answer paraphrased from Greg Porter on the CORPS
  mailing list]
  The  value  given  for  AWR  is the  animal  ability  to
  see/hear/smell  you.  The  number  given  in  brackets
  represents the animals cognitive or reasoning ability.
  EN-02: How do I handle different gravities from a
  game mechanics point of view?
  [Answer paraphrased from Greg Porter on the CORPS
  mailing list]
  I just made this up while writing it, so take it with a
  grain of salt.
  I  think  the  simplest  solution  is  the  linear  one  for
  strength, with a reciprocal AGL penalty for any kind of
  fine work because of the inertia factor. You want to use
  that effective +2 STR because of lower gravity, you
  take a -2 AGL for the actual manipulation.
  For  leaping  distance  and  running,  I  think a  linear
  increase works. You can run faster and leap farther,
  gaining both STR and velocity bonuses for leaping
  distance.
  The actual  adjustments would best  be done with a
  table. Take your normal lifting capacity, adjust it for
  gravity and see if the result gives you a better STR.
  Example - STR 5 has a normal lift of 25kg. In .7g, they
  have a lift of 25kg/.7g = 35.7kg.
  Coincidentally enough, this is about the STR 6 lifting
  capacity (36kg). So, in .7g, a STR 5 person could lift
  and leap like a STR 6 person, though they take a -1 to
  AGL when using STR at this new limit. In .7g, a STR 5
  person could run 1/.7 = 1.4 times as fast and leap like
  they had STR 6, but take the -1 AGL penalty whenever
  using that STR or exceeding normal movement, and
  perhaps -2 to AGL if trying to do both at once (the full
  speed longjump).
  EN-03: Can ASPs be used to save a character from
  a situation they don't know about?
  It is up to the GM -- there is nothing in the rule book
  that says the character has to be aware of the situation
  7 of 10
  
  CORPS Addenda
  (a sniper, for example) to be able to use an ASP to save
  themselves.
  Just remember that what applies to PCs should also
  apply to NPCs. So, if the players ambush a major NPC,
  they can expect the NPC to be able to use ASPs to get
  out of the situation.
  06.Paranormal Powers
  PP-01: How do I do magic?
  All special effects in CORPS, be it magic, psionics or
  cyberware, are worked out using the Paranormal Power
  section (pp.95-115). At first glance this chapter can
  seem a bit daunting (I know I thought so, anyway). But
  with practice, like most things, it becomes easy.
  The first thing to do when designing a power is to work
  out exactly what it does (heal someone by touching
  them, open a gate to another universe, etc). The clearer
  your idea at this point the easier it is (usually) when it
  comes to working out the mechanics of the power.
  Once the description is done, look for a Power (pp.104-
  110) which could cover the desired affect.
  [more to come]
  PP-02: The "Others" power option isn't clear...
  On page 95, the description says: "A self power can
  only be used on the person the power belongs to, while
  an others power can in addition be used on or loaned
  to other willing or unwilling subjects." However the
  cyberware  rules  on  page  112,  and  the  powers  in
  Dreamtime,  imply  that  "Self"  means  the  power  is
  usable only by yourself, whereas "Others" would be a
  power you can enable someone else to use.
  [Answer paraphrased from Greg Porter on the CORPS
  mailing list]
  The intention of the "Others" category is that the owner
  of the power can loan the use or beneficial ability of
  the power to another person. If I gave myself a no-
  range Blast with self-only and called it "claws", this
  just means I am the only recipient of the power and
  can't loan my claws to someone else. If I have a self-
  only  healing  ability, this  doesn't  mean  I  can't  heal
  others, just that I can't loan the ability to someone else
  and go read a book. A person with a self-only healing
  ability that they could use only for healing themselves
  would buy it cheaper (no range, limited power "only to
  heal self", etc).
  PP-03: I'm unsure about the cost of time multipliers
  for "cheap" powers...
  If I create a power which has a calculated cost of -1
  SP, and I wish to have a time multiplier for the power,
  is the total purchase cost worked out as:
  
  -1 SP for the power, -1 SP for the multiplier
  (total  of  -2  SP),  so  the  power  costs  the
  minimum of 5 SP. 
  
  Powers can't have negative costs, so make
  them cost 0 SP (again for a total cost of 5 SP).
  
  A multiplier is a seperate power, so both will
  cost the minimum of 5 SP (for a total of 10
  SP) 
  [Answer by Thomas N. Bagwell on the CORPS mailing
  list]
  The last option is the correct choice. If you decide that
  the  time  multiplier  is  cumulative  (the  longer  you
  concentrate, the longer the spell lasts), then the total
  cost is 10 SP.
  If you decide the time multiplier is not cumulative,
  then you have to pay for each one individually... that
  would  get  really  expensive.  Probably  not  the  best
  choice in this instance.
  PP-04: How does a "requires x seconds" limitation
  affect a time multiple and the power the
  multiple has been bought for?
  For example, assume a power has a requirement that
  the user must concentrate for 5 seconds before the
  power activates. A Time Multiplier is then added with
  the  intention  that  the  power  will  last  for  several
  minutes. If the description of the time multiple also
  says  "requires  5  seconds",  does  that  mean  that  it
  requires  the  same  5  seconds  as  the  power, or  an
  additional 5 seconds (for a total of 10 seconds to use
  the power). Additionally, does this initial concentration
  time count towards extending the length of time the
  power is active?
  [Answer paraphrased from Thomas N. Bagwell on the
  CORPS mailing list]
  If you put 'requires 5 seconds' in the main power and
  the  multiple,  then  you  have  a  base  of  10  seconds
  required. That's only for one multiple, though, which
  means the power will last a total of 2 seconds after the
  10 seconds of contentration (not very useful).
  For the power to last 20 minutes (for example), you
  would need 6 multiples (see table on p.107). You can
  either pay for 6 multiples for the power to last 20
  minutes with 10 seconds of concentration (expensive),
  or you can concentrate for (6*5=30) additional seconds
  plus the 5 seconds for the power... taking a total of 35
  seconds to activate the power (which will then last for
  20 minutes). The second option is only available if the
  GM allows cumulative time multiples.
  8 of 10
  
  CORPS Addenda
  PP-05:  If  a  power  has  a  special  effect,  do  any
  multiples on the power also need to have
  the special effect?
  To a large extent it depends on what the special effect
  is, and how expensive the GM wants powers to be in
  the campaign. In general, no.
  07.Credits
  Most  of  the  credit  for  this  FAQ  belongs  to  John
  McMullen, who took the time to compile information
  from  previous  messages  to  rec.games.frp.misc.
  Answers  contributed  by  or  swiped  from  (in
  alphabetical order):
  
  Jason Anderson 
  
  Thomas N. Bagwell 
  
  Bertil Jonell 
  
  Leif Magnar Kj|nn|y 
  
  John McMullen 
  
  Greg Porter
  
  Steve Rennell
  08.House Rules - New rules for initiative
  The order of action in a given round is based on the
  value of the highest skill used plus 1d6 (or 1d10/2(u)
  for those who would rather CORPS stay a d10 only
  system). Non-skill actions like walking or running are
  based on the characters AGL + 1d6 (the value, not the
  aptitude), or AWR in the case of paranormal powers.
  Characters act from highest initiative to lowest. Equal
  initiatives are determined by the highest AGL of the
  characters involved, or a die roll if the AGL is equal.
  Those with higher initiatives may "hold action", and
  wait  until  later  in  their  round  before  having  their
  action.
  The  maximum  number  of  actions  a  character  can
  perform in a round is unchanged (it is still skill/2(u)).
  However, sequencing  (the  amount  of  time  between
  each action)  is changed. Instead of a minimum of 2
  points of initiative between each action, there is now a
  minimum  of  3.  Penalties  for  multiple  actions  are
  unchanged.
  Held actions now get a +3 instead of a +2 to initiative.
  Characters  can  only  make  one  "move"  action  each
  round (as per the existing rules).
  Combination manoeuvres are unchanged.
  Example - If a character had a skill of 4, and rolled a 4
  for initiative on the d6, their first action would occur
  on Initiative 8 and their second (and last) action on
  Initiative 5 (with a skill of 4, a character only has 2
  actions a round).
  Example - A character has a Pistol skill of 3, and a
  AGL of 6. They roll a 5 for initiative on the 1d6. Their
  first action would be at Initiative 8 if they were going
  to shoot first, and Initiative 11 if they were going to
  move first in the round (their second actions would
  occur at 5 or 8 respectively).
  09.New Advantage - Up to the Challenge
  Original  GURPS  version by  S.John  Ross,  and  is
  ©copyright 1998 by him. Modifications for CORPS by
  Jason Anderson.
  Cost: 35 SP
  Your talents are boundless, and your experiences are
  rich. You've been trained by the best, tested by the
  baddest, and came through smiling. And it seems that
  every new adventure shows off yet another impressive
  skill.
  Whenever you want a skill that isn't already on your
  character sheet, you can just take it - at  APT+1 or
  APT+2 
  (your  choice).  The  skill  is  recorded
  permanently on your character sheet, and the price of
  the skill becomes an immediate debt against any SP
  you earn in the future. During future adventures, the
  skill can be improved normally: It's yours now. There
  are, however, a few restrictions:
  Necessity Is A Mother: There needs to be a REASON
  for the skill to pop, retroactively, onto your list of
  abilities. There should be a plot-related challenge to
  overcome, or at least a potential romantic partner or
  employer to impress. It should also fit your character
  concept (of course, if your character can justify even
  HAVING this advantage, that won't be a problem very
  often).
  Earn What You Learn: If you haven't paid off SP debts
  from previous sessions, this advantage is "frozen" until
  the skills are all paid for. Debts accrued earlier in the
  SAME session are no problem.
  Thou Shalt Not Steal Thunder: If the PCs are together
  when the problem crops up, and somebody in the party
  already has the skill you want, or can already handle
  the problem in some other way, then he gets his chance
  first. This advantage  can  never be used to rob the
  spotlight from another PC. On the other hand, it CAN
  be used to Keep Up With the Joneses. If everybody in
  the group knows Scuba and goes for a dive, you won't
  get left high and dry on the quayside unless you decide,
  for  character  reasons,  that  you  don't  want  to  have
  known  the  skill  (whether  you  can  suddenly  know
  Scuba in a future adventure is then a GM's call, since
  that kind of consistency is only a requirement in some
  cinematic genres).
  9 of 10
  
  CORPS Addenda
  Maintain Thine Idiom: If there is another character in
  the group  with this advantage  that  would be  more
  appropriate  for dealing with the problem than you,
  once again you are required to hang back and give him
  his shot. If you're the Combat grunt and he's the Tech
  geek and the skill that's needed involves rescuing a
  crashed hard drive, the geek gets to go first. (Special
  note for Black Ops campaigns: when there is no clear
  "appropriate" PC in the party, the Secop always gets
  first crack at it, since the Secops have access to the
  broadest curriculum in the Academy).
  Tech Levels and other campaign-based restrictions still
  apply: This advantage won't let you "learn" any skill
  you couldn't learn otherwise. This advantage will never
  grant  manoeuvres,  psi  skills,  spells,  or  other
  supernatural abilities.
  10 of 10
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Corps/CORPS 2e Unofficial Addenda.pdf