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Old 03-15-2017, 10:00 PM   #1
Otaku
 
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Default [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#36): Digital Mind

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[Basic]


Digital Mind (p. B48-49) is an Exotic, Physical Advantage that costs 5 CP. This trait is interesting for a few reasons, one being that it actually affects how your character's mind works but the basis is physical. Your mind is a self-aware computer program, instead of... well, I'm not 100% clear on why this needs to be different. The text explains it can represent a true AI or a real mind somehow copied or converted into a computer program. If you take Digital Mind, your body must contain a computer that has a Complexity equal to at least half your IQ.

This trait comes with blanket immunity to Telepathic abilities, spells meant to affect living minds, etc. The trade off is that computer viruses and (of course) abilities meant to work with Digital Mind (instead of "living" minds) will affect you. You can also be taken offline, and are easier to store as unconscious data; this can give someone with Computer Programming or Hacking a chance to mess with your mind, from reading it to possibly altering.

There are several related traits that not required, but may be appropriate for those with a Digita Mind, such as the Automaton or Machine Meta-Traits, Compartmentalized Mind, Duplication (with the Digital Limitation), Enhanced Time Sense, Extra Life, Modular Abilities (Skills gained by running programs), Possession (with the Digital Limitation), Puppets, or Reprogrammable.

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Digital Mind shows up many times in Powers, focusing on how Digital Mind can be the focus for a Power, interacts with other traits, etc.

Useful Links

I will add them as they are suggested. Just to show I really am trying, I'm including one of the threads about Digital Mind that I did read in its entirety... because Transformers.
Discussion Starters

Have you ever taken Digital Mind for one of your PCs, or (if the GM) an NPC? How'd it work out? Does the price seem right? Does this seem like more of an Unusual Background style of Advantage to anyone else?
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Last edited by Otaku; 03-24-2017 at 05:50 PM.
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Old 03-15-2017, 11:38 PM   #2
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#36): Digital Mind

What I've wondered about for some time is if there's a way for a character to have both Digital Mind and a regular analog mind, either with Switchable Digital Mind, or with digital and analog compartments running in parallel. Either would make for some exotic character concepts, but I might be able to come up with ways to make them work.
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Old 03-16-2017, 03:38 AM   #3
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#36): Digital Mind

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Originally Posted by Otaku View Post
Have you ever taken Digital Mind for one of your PCs, or (if the GM) an NPC? How'd it work out? Does the price seem right? Does this seem like more of an Unusual Background style of Advantage to anyone else?
Sure, on my Ghost character. The problem was that it didn't do much by itself - it indeed acted more like an UBG.

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Originally Posted by whswhs View Post
What I've wondered about for some time is if there's a way for a character to have both Digital Mind and a regular analog mind, either with Switchable Digital Mind, or with digital and analog compartments running in parallel. Either would make for some exotic character concepts, but I might be able to come up with ways to make them work.
In Eclipse Phase, unlike THS, it's possible to convert a Digital Mind of a Ghost back into an analogue one, writing it onto a brain by rewiring its neuron connections etc.

I'm still unsure whether their Pods are meant to be bioshells, or bioshells where a mind is running half-digital half-bio. The descriptions I've encountered so far seemed vague.
(FYI, Eclipse Phase is available under Creative Commons, i.e. you can download and read it for free if you're curious. It's a conspiracy and horror transhumanistic setting.)
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Old 03-16-2017, 10:16 AM   #4
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#36): Digital Mind

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Sure, on my Ghost character. The problem was that it didn't do much by itself - it indeed acted more like an UBG.
Digital mind is simply an unusual background. It describes exotic traits you may have access to in the description.

There is a case for it being "Immunity to mind control", but the extra vulnerabilities to hacking and viruses weigh against that possibility in my mind. I'd simply call it an unusual background and be done with it.
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Old 03-16-2017, 11:43 AM   #5
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#36): Digital Mind

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Digital mind is simply an unusual background. It describes exotic traits you may have access to in the description.

There is a case for it being "Immunity to mind control", but the extra vulnerabilities to hacking and viruses weigh against that possibility in my mind. I'd simply call it an unusual background and be done with it.
The ability to be taken offline and restored as well as to be copied or instantiated in other hardware is something that meat brains can't do, and is worth points.
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Old 03-16-2017, 11:55 AM   #6
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#36): Digital Mind

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The ability to be taken offline and restored as well as to be copied or instantiated in other hardware is something that meat brains can't do, and is worth points.
But copying and re-activation on other hardware are covered by Extra Life, Duplication and Possession.

Now, storage is most likely a Feature just like shutting down is for Machines.
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Old 03-16-2017, 12:19 PM   #7
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#36): Digital Mind

I've generalized Digital Mind into $fnu Mind (Elemental, Spirit, Demonic, whatever): you are not immune to mind control (nor resistant) - what you are is less accessible.

Someone wishing to use Influence skills on you needs either an appropriate Empathy advantage (e.g. Spirit Empathy) or needs to make a successful skill roll on a relevant skill for each Influence attempt (Psychology: AI or Computer Programming for an AI, Hidden Lore: Demonic for a demon, Hidden Lore: Elder Thing for squid monsters). People with an appropriate Empathy advantage don't need extra rolls.
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Old 03-16-2017, 12:44 PM   #8
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#36): Digital Mind

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But copying and re-activation on other hardware are covered by Extra Life, Duplication and Possession.
Only if those copies are PCs or in the case of Duplication, Allies.
Quote:
Now, storage is most likely a Feature just like shutting down is for Machines.
This is more than a feature. Humans can't shut down and be restarted, and being able to go into suspended animation requires Metabolism Control. Sapient machines without Digital Mind don't necessarily survive shutdown either.
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Old 03-16-2017, 01:23 PM   #9
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#36): Digital Mind

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Originally Posted by whswhs View Post
What I've wondered about for some time is if there's a way for a character to have both Digital Mind and a regular analog mind, either with Switchable Digital Mind, or with digital and analog compartments running in parallel. Either would make for some exotic character concepts, but I might be able to come up with ways to make them work.
Where some brain section or even entire hemisphere was fixed/replaced with a computer?
Some ultra tech nano-virus that slowly replaced the meat brain, cell by cell?

I had an idea for a character with cyberware who had an unusual response to dimensional hopping. Oz particles transformed some of her flesh into technomagical cyberware. It wasn't cleanly delineated but more interpenetrating and weird, perhaps with parts of her nervous system and brain replaced with magico-inorganics.
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Old 03-16-2017, 01:40 PM   #10
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Default Re: [Basic] Advantage of the Week (#36): Digital Mind

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Originally Posted by vicky_molokh View Post
In Eclipse Phase, unlike THS, it's possible to convert a Digital Mind of a Ghost back into an analogue one, writing it onto a brain by rewiring its neuron connections etc.

I'm still unsure whether their Pods are meant to be bioshells, or bioshells where a mind is running half-digital half-bio. The descriptions I've encountered so far seemed vague.
(FYI, Eclipse Phase is available under Creative Commons, i.e. you can download and read it for free if you're curious. It's a conspiracy and horror transhumanistic setting.)
Not strongly. I'm more wondering how you would do this in GURPS. And what I'm envisioning is not so much writing from digital back to analog, but either (a) having a brain that can configure itself to emulate a digital system and then change back to its base configuration or (b) having a brain with a two-way A-to-D interface or possibly (c) having a brain with the superpower of being able to interface directly with a computer.
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