Social Engineering questions for Transhuman Space

[vicky_molokh]

Greetings, all!

Several questions that concern playing a 'Face' sort of character in Transhuman Space:

1. Empathy and definitions of remoteness
(Mostly a RAW/interpretation question.)
Empathy requires a face to face meeting to function, unless you add the Remote enhancement. Now, obviously that precludes use of Empathy when teleoperating a shell. Supposedly it also precludes using it on an avatar of a human visiting a digital kindom. However, how does it interact with infomorphs? Obviously if two infomorphs are sitting in a bar in their shells and chatting, this is considered a face to face meeting. But what about gypsies and otherwise net-resident infomorphs? Would residing on a single cluster be considered the digital equivalent of being in the same room? Same physical server?

2. Indomitable, Computer Programming (AI), and the optional Machine Empathy
(Mostly a preference question.)
Changing Times offers to optionally split off AIs into a new category for purposes of Indomitable/Empathy. Do you prefer to treat AIs as other sapients, or to limit Influence skills to the level of CP (AI), or do you use the optional Machine Empathy advantage/category?

3. Fashion Sense
(RAW question.)
Is the normal version of Fashion Sense applicable to avatars in the specific cases when avatars can wear customisable, realistic clothes (think the EVE level of realism, but appropriate to TL10 and with much, much greater variety/customisability)?
Can Fashion Sense apply to accessories, paint job etc. of an obviously non-human cybershell? (Now I'm imagining an Emkiss behaving like Dredger from Sherlock Holmes.)

4. Social Software
(Miscellaneous question.)
Any good social software write-ups? Programs for overriding involuntary functions of a bioshell to penalise Body Language etc.?

Thanks in advance!

[vicky_molokh]

5. Animal Empathy, Empathy and Uplifts
Is there any overlap for Animal Empathy and Empathy for Uplifts, given that they can have a rather wide IQ range, and they still qualify as animals in some senses?

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

5. Animal Empathy, Empathy and Uplifts
Is there any overlap for Animal Empathy and Empathy for Uplifts, given that they can have a rather wide IQ range, and they still qualify as animals in some senses?

Either they're sapient or they aren't.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Either they're sapient or they aren't.

Not really, or at least that depends on what you mean by sapient. Two self aware individuals of radically different species would not think or feel the same way at all. Look at how two humans from radically different cultures can sometimes seem like mutual aliens, and multiply that by 1000.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

5. Animal Empathy, Empathy and Uplifts
Is there any overlap for Animal Empathy and Empathy for Uplifts, given that they can have a rather wide IQ range, and they still qualify as animals in some senses?

Realistically, I would like a mix like bonuses from both types of empathy averaging out depending on how far away from base an uplift is.. But that might be too middling. Definitely GM decided.

[Sunrunners_Fire]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Not really, or at least that depends on what you mean by sapient. Two self aware individuals of radically different species would not think or feel the same way at all. Look at how two humans from radically different cultures can sometimes seem like mutual aliens, and multiply that by 1000.

If they are non-sapient, they have IQ 5 or less and are valid targets for Animal Empathy. If they are sapient, they have IQ 6 or higher and are valid targets for Empathy. Absent advantages or disadvantages to the contrary. (Like, say, Digital Mind.)

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by Sunrunners_Fire

If they are non-sapient, they have IQ 5 or less and are valid targets for Animal Empathy. If they are sapient, they have IQ 6 or higher and are valid targets for Empathy. Absent advantages or disadvantages to the contrary. (Like, say, Digital Mind.)

For Gurps general, maybe. But THS has the concept of low sapience in between non and full sapience. Uplifts would fall in that grey area.

[Sunrunners_Fire]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

For Gurps general, maybe. But THS has the concept of low sapience in between non and full sapience. Uplifts would fall in that grey area.

In terms of setting fluff? I complete agree.

In terms of game mechanics? Nope. Either you are subject to influence skills without an enabling advantage or you are not. If you are subject to influence skills without an enable advantage -- such as Animal Empathy or Machine Empathy -- then you a valid target for Empathy and an invalid target for Animal Empathy.

I took Vicky's question to be about the mechanics. If I am mistaken in that, then I'm wrong and I'll happily admit it.

[jeff_wilson]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

However, how does it interact with infomorphs? Obviously if two infomorphs are sitting in a bar in their shells and chatting, this is considered a face to face meeting.

It's not obvious to me, since they may be consciously deciding what to do with their faces, or even letting some animatronic routine do it for them.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Sunrunners_Fire

If they are non-sapient, they have IQ 5 or less and are valid targets for Animal Empathy. If they are sapient, they have IQ 6 or higher and are valid targets for Empathy.

Well, I'm just asking if perhaps some traits, such as Stress Atavism, Bestial and/or Presentient would make one's emotional state discernible to Animal Empathy even if IQ6+. (For the record, while Empathy clearly states IQ6+, Animal Empathy is more vague on what counts as an animal.)

Originally Posted by Sunrunners_Fire

In terms of setting fluff? I complete agree.

In terms of game mechanics? Nope. Either you are subject to influence skills without an enabling advantage or you are not. If you are subject to influence skills without an enable advantage -- such as Animal Empathy or Machine Empathy -- then you a valid target for Empathy and an invalid target for Animal Empathy.

I took Vicky's question to be about the mechanics. If I am mistaken in that, then I'm wrong and I'll happily admit it.

My question was on mechanics. But I am aware that fluff can influence mechanics. E.g. two entities with the same trait set (which includes Insubstantiality etc.) can fall under Empathy or Spirit Empathy whether their biography states that they're a human super who can become insubstantial, or a spirit who can materialise.

Originally Posted by Sunrunners_Fire

Absent advantages or disadvantages to the contrary. (Like, say, Digital Mind.)

Uh, Digital Mind by itself doesn't seem to do anything. Ghosts belong to whatever Empathy group they did before the upload, while AIs fall under a category that depends on your answer to one of the questions in the OP.