I am a Aor and EotE player. I will likely make it to FaD at some point, but that's down the line.

I recently picked up the adversary deck: Hunters and Force Users. In it I encountered a symbol that resembles what Jerry Seinfeld would describe as a "Black and White Cookie." I looked in the short chapter on the force in the AoR CRB, but could only find the solid white and solid black circles representing Light and Dark side points respectively. My initial guess is that a half black, half white circle represents either: meaning the character can draw from both the dark and the light side. Is this correct? I ask because I would like to use some of the NPCs before I pick up FaD.

That's right. When you see a Force pip that's half-dark, half-light, it means that you can use either side of the Force to activate it. What can be confusing is that the EotE and AoR core books usually only show light pips on the few Force powers they offer, when in fact they should also be half-dark, half-light.

3 hours ago, Nivrap said:

That's right. When you see a Force pip that's half-dark, half-light, it means that you can use either side of the Force to activate it. What can be confusing is that the EotE and AoR core books usually only show light pips on the few Force powers they offer, when in fact they should also be half-dark, half-light.

Basically this, part of the confusion is due to the publication structure. When the EotE stuff was published, they simply used the Light pips to convey "force pips" in general. Only with later publications did they split the icon to black/white.

Basically OP, unless the power description (and you should read the FULL description, not just the thumbnail in the tree), states "This can only be done with Light pips" or "Can only be done with Dark pips", or gives you 2 options on how to use the power based on the pip type, assume you can use both types interchangeably without any issue.

So a dark side user can use either and a light side user can do the same?

Sort of. Technically, you don't spend the white or black pips directly to fuel the power. You spend pips to get "Force points," which is the split symbol, and it's Force points that are spent to fuel powers and talents.

Normally, a Light-sider can only spend white pips to get Force points, while a dark-sider only spends black pips (and gains 1 Conflict for each pip so spent). However, both types of Force user can spend a Destiny Point to access pips of the other color as well, they just cost a strain to turn into Force points.

But the Ferret is correct: unless the power specifically says you have to (or can't) use a specific pip color to get your Force points, which color generated the points is irrelevant. There are also some rare talents and abilities that straight up generate you Force points without needing to get them from pips, but you don't have to worry about those until you dive into F&D a bit more.

Intriguingly, these abilities are worse for dark siders, because most Dark Side powers get better if you have spent a black pip to get a Force point, and a free Force point doesn't come from a pip so doesn't, by itself, help activate those effects. Light Side powers, on the other hand, get stronger if you don't convert black pips, and free Force points are pip-less, so still allow those abilities to trigger.

EDIT: Actually, I never noticed that bit of thematic flavor before. Light Side effects from powers are passive: they always happen unless you, the user, do something to get in their way (spend a black pip). Dark Side effects, meanwhile, are active: you have to do something specific (spend a black pip) before they activate. This fits really well with the depiction of the light side as passive and peaceful and the Dark as active an ambitious. Even more kudos are due to the designer than I thought!

46 minutes ago, Felswrath said:

So a dark side user can use either and a light side user can do the same?

Pretty much, along with what Absol said. One thing they each have to deal with, if using the alternate type of pip, is flipping a Destiny Point in order to use them. So if a Light sider wants to spend dark pips, they have to flip a DP, and the Dark sider has to spend a DP to use light pips.

This is the RAW, but I personally remove the restriction on requiring the use of a DP to use a Dark Side pip. Personally I think it's more thematic to have it be VERY easy to use those dark side pips, with it being the "quicker, easier, more seductive" type of the Force. But that's a house rule of mine. Per the RAW, either type user spends a DP when using the alternate pip type.

2 hours ago, KungFuFerret said:

This is the RAW, but I personally remove the restriction on requiring the use of a DP to use a Dark Side pip. Personally I think it's more thematic to have it be VERY easy to use those dark side pips, with it being the "quicker, easier, more seductive" type of the Force. But that's a house rule of mine. Per the RAW, either type user spends a DP when using the alternate pip type.

I used to do this as well before simply reworking Force Points, and I wholeheartedly encourage anyone who encounters friction with the system to toy with it to their heart's content. It is an RPG after all, created by imperfect meat bags.

I believe the OP meant "half moon cookies" just so we're using the technically correct term.