A Dice Pool is the collective Die Results and Modifiers used to determine the outcome of a pending Check, Attack, Save or Test. This is done by comparing the Total of the Dice Pool to a DC or relevant table.
For how exactly a Dice Pool is constructed and works see the following:
A Primary Die refers to either a D20 or D100, each being the central Die of their respective Dice Pools.
Bonus Die are any non-D20 or non-D100 Die that are added to the Dice Pool of a pending Check, Attack, Save or other outcome determined by chance where Appropriate.
These Die include, but are not limited to, the D4, D6, D8, D10, and D12.
See Bonus Die for more on gaining and modifying these Die.
A Result is the number showing face up on a traditional polyhedral Die after being rolled. Some Die such as the D4 may display their Result along the base of the Die touching the rolling surface, whatever the case may be, be consistent and clear on where you are reading your Result from.
Example: Nigel rolls 2D6. One D6 is showing a 5 on its face up side and the other is showing a 3 on its face up side, Nigel therefore has Results of 5 and 3 on his 2D6.
Static Modifiers are any number added to a Dice Pool that is not a Result of a rolled Die. The most common Static Modifiers encountered in play include Skills and Ratings, but can also be found in Abilities gained from Races, Jobs or Items.
Example: Brock the Oricalcai has had a rough Encounter and is currently generating an Injury. Oricalcai have a Static Modifier of -10 to Injuries from their Sturdy and Rugged Traits given by Nigh Invincible, so as Brock rolls a Result of 22 they would add that together with their Static Modifier of -10 to get a Total of 12.
A Total is the final number used by the game, calculated by combining all relevant Ranks, Results, bonuses, penalties and other modifiers. The term is used in many places, such as determining a Characters Total Job Ranks or to communicate the Total of a Dice Pool.
The Total of a Dice Pool is the combined number of all Results and Static Modifiers within that Pool. The Total of a Dice Pool is then used to determine the outcome of a pending Check, Attack, Save or Test.
Example: Terrance the Technomancer is asked to take a Tech Check of DC 24.