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-Content-Type: text/x-zim-wiki
-Wiki-Format: zim 0.4
-Creation-Date: 2013-08-02T07:11:40-04:00
 ====== AI ======
-Created Friday 02 August 2013
-Developments in interstellar technology have been pointing to changes in organic-robot relations for many years. In 2318, the first true artificial intelligence went online. Prior to that point, many computer systems could fool a person into believing that they were sentient, but their reactive networks actually did little more than respond to stimuli with such blaz-ing speed that their programmed responses seemed spontaneous and insightful. In es-sence, they only passed as truly sentient be-cause of the limitations of their observers.
-However, after the development of crystal lattice processors that both stored and processed data—much like the neurons of the human brain—the machines began to talk back. Soon enough, the early AIs were asking interesting questions of metaphysics. Borealin philosophers had a field day dissecting the implications and quizzing these machines about their view of the universe.
+Developments in interstellar technology have been pointing to changes in organic-robot relations for many years. In [[timeline|2318]], the first true artificial intelligence went online. Prior to that point, many computer systems could fool a person into believing that they were sentient, but their reactive networks actually did little more than respond to stimuli with such blazing speed that their programmed responses seemed spontaneous and insightful. In essence, they only passed as truly sentient because of the limitations of their observers.
-Now, artificial intelligence is all the rage. At first AIs filled rooms, measuring doz-ens of square meters. The first AI occupied the equivalent of four city blocks, although much of that space was open for the AI’s builders to access its workings. Development over the last two centuries has significantly reduced the cumbersome crystal lattice struc-tures, but even the smallest AIs must still be housed within the computer banks of star-ships, space stations, and ground installa-tions. Therefore, current technology cannot effectively miniaturize an AI enough to house it in a humanoid body. Many artificial intelli-gences can and do overcome this limitation, however, by controlling robots via remote control units commonly called memory har-nesses. A bot under the control of a parent AI doesn't have the AI’s processing power when operating alone, but the AI usually stays in direct radio contact with its bot whenever possible.
+However, after the development of crystal lattice processors that both stored and processed data—much like the neurons of the human brain—the machines began to talk back. Soon enough, the early AIs were asking interesting questions of metaphysics. [[borealis_republic|Borealin]] philosophers had a field day dissecting the implications and quizzing these machines about their view of the universe.
+Now, artificial intelligence is all the rage. At first AIs filled rooms, measuring dozens of square meters. The first AI occupied the equivalent of four city blocks, although much of that space was open for the AI’s builders to access its workings. Development over the last two centuries has significantly reduced the cumbersome crystal lattice structures, but even the smallest AIs must still be housed within the computer banks of starships, space stations, and ground installations. Therefore, current technology cannot effectively miniaturize an AI enough to house it in a humanoid body. Many artificial intelligences can and do overcome this limitation, however, by controlling robots via remote control units commonly called [[memory harness equipment|memory harnesses]]. A bot under the control of a parent AI doesn't have the AI’s processing power when operating alone, but the AI usually stays in direct radio contact with its bot whenever possible.
 ===== ARTIFICAL INTELLIGENCE IN SOCIETY AND LAW =====
-The full implication of the advent of artificial intelligence remain unexplored. Once merely a matter for theoretical debate, the issuing is growing more immediate, and each culture struggles to find answers. At first, robots were simply property, but they were eventually giv-en special status under law. Malicious attack on a robot is classified as property damage, but damage to its core memory or processors can bring homicide charges in some cultures.
+The full implication of the advent of artificial intelligence remain unexplored. Once merely a matter for theoretical debate, the issuing is growing more immediate, and each culture struggles to find answers. At first, robots were simply property, but they were eventually given special status under law. Malicious attack on a robot is classified as property damage, but damage to its core memory or processors can bring homicide charges in some cultures.
-Many historians believe that the shift in attitudes toward AIs in recent years is a re-sult of contact with the mechalus. With these techno-organic beings working alongside ro-boticists, it has become easier to accept a broader view of robot rights. The precedent was first established in the Rigunmor Star Consortium in the Guilder Van Huys murder case, when robots first testified in court by performing memory downloads. The Orion League, StarMech Collective, and Insight soon followed suit, granting robots the right to act as witnesses in court cases, as well as for wills and other legal matters.
-Increasingly intelligent and independ-ent, robots may someday be accepted as full citizens, at least in more progressive nations. The Orion League, Insight, and the Borealis Republic have already granted robots civil rights and treat them as full citizens in many respects. In such places, robots may own property, run businesses, and access public places and resources. Emancipated robots must even pay taxes. But in even the most liberal nations, free robots are rare. In much of space they are unheard of. In must cul-tures, robots must accept the orders from their owners or risk depowering and repro-gramming.
+Many historians believe that the shift in attitudes toward AIs in recent years is a result of contact with the [[mechalus_species|mechalus]]. With these techno-organic beings working alongside roboticists, it has become easier to accept a broader view of robot rights. The precedent was first established in the [[rigunmor_star_consortium|Rigunmor Star Consortium]] in the Guilder Van Huys murder case, when robots first testified in court by performing memory downloads. The [[orion_league|Orion League]], [[starmech_collective|StarMech Collective]], and [[insight|Insight]] soon followed suit, granting robots the right to act as witnesses in court cases, as well as for wills and other legal matters.
+Increasingly intelligent and independent, robots may someday be accepted as full citizens, at least in more progressive nations. The [[orion_league|Orion League]], [[insight|Insight]], and the [[borealis_republic|Borealis Republic]] have already granted robots civil rights and treat them as full citizens in many respects. In such places, robots may own property, run businesses, and access public places and resources. Emancipated robots must even pay taxes. But in even the most liberal nations, free robots are rare. In much of space they are unheard of. In must cultures, robots must accept the orders from their owners or risk depowering and reprogramming.
+Artificial intelligences are huge computer systems with specialized hardware and software designed to produce a sentient, electronic being. Despite the fact that several hundred known AIs populate the 26th Century, some aspects of their creation remain mysterious. Scientists know how to put together all of the ingredients that go into the creation of an AI, but just building it is enough. When an AI system is first constructed and activated, it operates much like any other powerful computer. It is only after the AI runs for a period of time (which can vary greatly) that it begins to show signs of sentience—or not. The vast majority of intended AI systems never develop the self awareness and intention that are the benchmarks of sentience. Researchers simply don’t know what it is that “flips that switch”.
+Every AI is different, but some systems from which they grow share many similarities. “Younger” AIs are still close enough to these original systems to be described and discussed in a meaningful way. As AIs operate, though, they change, learn, and “grow,” until they be-come something simply incomprehensible to organic sentient beings.
+The legal status, rights, and public opinions around AIs can vary wildly from culture to culture. Many fear the potential of AIs, though some point out that seem even less able to agree and cooperate with one another than other sentient beings. In some places, AIs are property and in others they have all the rights of citizens.
-Artificial intelligences are huge computer sys-tems with specialized hardware and software designed to produce a sentient, electronic be-ing. Despite the fact that several hundred known AIs populate the 26th Century, some aspects of their creation remain mysterious. Scientists know how to put together all of the ingredients that go into the creation of an AI, but just building it is enough. When an AI sys-tem is first constructed and activated, it oper-ates much like any other powerful computer. It is only after the AI runs for a period of time (which can vary greatly) that it begins to show signs of sentience—or not. The vast majority of intended AI systems never develop the self awareness and intention that are the bench-marks of sentience. Researchers simply don’t know what it is that “flips that switch”.
-Every AI is different, but some systems from which they grow share many similarities. “Younger” AIs are still close enough to these original systems to be described and discussed in a meaningful way. As AIs operate, though, they change, learn, and “grow,” until they be-come something simply incomprehensible to organic sentients.
-As noted at the beginning of this chap-ter, the legal status, rights, and public opinions around AIs can vary wildly from culture to cul-ture. Many fear the potential of AIs, though some point out that seem even less able to agree and cooperate with one another than other sentients. In some places, AIs are proper-ty and in others they have all the rights of citi-zens.
 A typical, newly aware AI is described below. This example can be used to create AI characters, though the GM should carefully consider an AI player character could effect the balance of their game.
 ===== YOUNG ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE =====
-The creation of an Artificial Intelligence is not to be undertaken lightly. Significant invest-ments in time, expense, and effort go into lay-ing the groundwork, and that may not be enough. So when an AI is created, it is for a purpose, which becomes the primary focus of the AI. The primary focus helps to form the AI’s identity, and becomes its first (and usually main) skill set.
+The creation of an Artificial Intelligence is not to be undertaken lightly. Significant investments in time, expense, and effort go into laying the groundwork, and that may not be enough. So when an AI is created, it is for a purpose, which becomes the primary focus of the AI. The primary focus helps to form the AI’s identity, and becomes its first (and usually main) skill set.
-Many AI’s are content to perform their primary purpose, learning and evolving in the pathways suggested by that focus, fulfilling the role for which its creators made it. Others, however, much like some robots, seek to go out on their own. The situation of any new AI is complicated by the resources that its crea-tors had to put into it, the jurisdiction where it was created, and its own dependence (especially early on) on outside help to main-tain and power itself.
-Large and immobile, dependent upon others for power, physical maintenance, and input, an isolated AI is helpless and useless. An AI’s true existence, however, is played out on the Grid and through the remotely-controlled devices that it operates. Its vast computing re-sources allow the AI to perform an infinite number of calculations, run multiple remcon robots, monitor the systems of a facility or a starship, and cast multiple shadows on the Grid, possibly all at the same time.
+Many AI’s are content to perform their primary purpose, learning and evolving in the pathways suggested by that focus, fulfilling the role for which its creators made it. Others, however, much like some robots, seek to go out on their own. The situation of any new AI is complicated by the resources that its creators had to put into it, the jurisdiction where it was created, and its own dependence (especially early on) on outside help to maintain and power itself.
+Large and immobile, dependent upon others for power, physical maintenance, and input, an isolated AI is helpless and useless. An AI’s true existence, however, is played out on the Grid and through the remotely-controlled devices that it operates. Its vast computing resources allow the AI to perform an infinite number of calculations, run multiple remote control robots, monitor the systems of a facility or a starship, and cast multiple shadows on the Grid, possibly all at the same time.
 ===== Role-playing =====
 While AIs each tend to be quite unique, with their own often-incomprehensible goals and agendas, their ways of looking at the universe tend to be organized by a few common points.
-Artificial Intelligences are exactly what their name implies: they are artificial and high-ly intelligent. They are built by another species of sentients, usually as a tool or research sub-ject, and often “born” into a murky legal sta-tus. The details of their creation and early treatment play a large role in laying the for-mation of their personalities. The fact that they are almost incalculably more intelligent than any other known species also makes AIs quite different from other species. They pro-cess and collate information at a rate that means that they simply don’t see the universe like other species.
-AIs are built around a primary focus, a set of goals, skills, and functions. Though they tend grow well beyond this one simple focus, at remains as a kin of starting point of their consciousness.
+Artificial Intelligences are exactly what their name implies: they are artificial and highly intelligent. They are built by another species of sentient beings, usually as a tool or research subject, and often “born” into a murky legal status. The details of their creation and early treatment play a large role in laying the formation of their personalities. The fact that they are almost incalculably more intelligent than any other known species also makes AIs quite different from other species. They process and collate information at a rate that means that they simply don’t see the universe like other species.
-AIs also different from other species in a whole catalogue of ways and reasons. They cannot sense anything except through vari-ous types of digital sensors. Nor can they re-produce—on some levels, the architecture that creates an AI is a kind of intuitive art that no AI has successfully mastered. AIs are often feared, sometimes even outlawed, rarely have friends and never have families.
+AIs are built around a primary focus, a set of goals, skills, and functions. Though they tend grow well beyond this one simple focus, at remains as a kind of starting point of their consciousness.
+AIs also different from other species in a whole catalog of ways and reasons. They cannot sense anything except through various types of digital sensors. Nor can they reproduce—on some levels, the architecture that creates an AI is a kind of intuitive art that no AI has successfully mastered. AIs are often feared, sometimes even outlawed, rarely have friends and never have families.
 ===== AI Traits =====
-All young AIs share the following characteris-tics:
+All young AIs share the following characteristics:
-**Type:** Construct. As constructs, AIs are immune to mind-influencing effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, necroman-cy effects, and any effect that requires a Forti-tude save unless the effect also works on ob-jects or is harmless. They are not subject to nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, energy drain, or the effects of massive damage.
+**Type:** Construct.
+As constructs, AIs are immune to mind-influencing effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, and any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless. They are not subject to nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, energy drain, or the effects of massive damage.
 **Size:** Huge. The machinery that acts as an AI’s “body” is Huge, while its shadow on the Grid is Medium.
-**Ability Modifiers**: +4 Intelligence, -2 Wis-dom, -2 Charisma. AIs think very quickly, but they have weaker personalities than living be-ings and are limited in their perception by their lack of emotional understanding. Artifi-cial Intelligences do not have Strength, Dex-terity, or Constitution scores. Equipment that they may take control of must have the ability to move without physical assistance. If this is the case, use the listed scores for that equip-ment. If no scores are listed, assume a score of 10 for each unlisted score where necessary.
-Player character AIs have 20 points to spend on their three ability scores (typically Int 22, Wis 8, Cha 8). As AIs gain levels, they can improve their ability scores like other charac-ters, but can never improve their (nonexistent) physical attributes.
+**Ability Modifiers**: +4 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma.
-**Physical Form:** An AI’s “body” is a bank of extremely advanced computers and associ-ated equipment. Roughly the size of a large ground car, it is immobile and requires a pow-er source (though most AIs do have10 hr backup batteries).
-An AI’s physical form is considered an object with the following characteristics: De-fense 3, Hardness 6, and Break DC 25. These scores do not change as the AI gains levels, although they can be improved by gadgets and similar improvements or gear.
+AIs think very quickly, but they have weaker personalities than living beings and are limited in their perception by their lack of emotional understanding. Artificial Intelligences do not have Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution scores. Equipment that they may take control of must have the ability to move without physical assistance. If this is the case, use the listed scores for that equipment. If no scores are listed, assume a score of 10 for each unlisted score where necessary.
-AIs gain hit points just like other char-acters. In the case of an AI, its improving abil-ity to withstand damage represents its ability to compartmentalize and distribute its files and functions, its skill in internal damage con-trol and so on. AIs receive no Con modifier to hit points
-**Base Speed:** 0 feet. AIs have no ability to move on their own. Remotes that they con-trol use their normal means and speeds of movement. On the Grid, an AI’s shadow has a base speed of 60.
+As AIs gain levels, they can improve their ability scores like other characters, but can never improve their (nonexistent) physical attributes.
-**Gear:** AIs don’t have hands or human-oid bodies. They cannot use weapons, armor, or other equipment like other characters. Gen-erally, they interact with the physical universe through robots and other remotes. The AI al-ways has a built-in remcon unit, video and au-dio sensors, and uni-com. In addition, AIs usu-ally begin play already installed in a ship, building, or other location, and networked to the sensors, devices, and robots associated with their “home.”
-AIs can also be upgraded with gadgets. Their processors, GIDs, memory, and so on are already maxed out, but most other gadgets for computers or general equipment are avail-able, at the GM’s discretion. Although the ac-tual Purchase DC for an actual AI would be much higher, for the purpose of determining the cost of gadgets, assume a Purchase DC of 30 for the AI itself. Using the rules in Chapter 7 for adding gadgets to existing gear, the cost for adding a gadget with a +2 Purchase modi-fier would be:
+**Physical Form:** An AI’s “body” is a bank of extremely advanced computers and associated equipment. Roughly the size of a large ground car, it is immobile and requires a power source (though most AIs do have 10 hr backup batteries).
+An AI’s physical form is considered an object with the following characteristics: Defense 3, Hardness 6, and a Break DC of 25. These scores do not change as the AI gains levels, although they can be improved by [[gadget_system|gadgets]] and similar improvements or gear.
+AIs gain hit points just like other characters. In the case of an AI, its improving ability to withstand damage represents its ability to compartmentalize and distribute its files and functions, its skill in internal damage control and so on. AIs receive no Con modifier to hit points
+**Base Speed:** 0 feet. AIs have no ability to move on their own. Remotes that they control use their normal means and speeds of movement. On the Grid, an AI’s [[shadow|shadow]] has a base speed of 60.
+**Gear:** AIs don’t have hands or humanoid bodies. They cannot use weapons, armor, or other equipment like other characters. Generally, they interact with the physical universe through [[known_robot_models|robots]] and other remotes. The AI always has a built-in remote control unit, video and audio sensors, and [[unicom equipment|unicom]]. In addition, AIs usually begin play already installed in a ship, building, or other location, and networked to the sensors, devices, and robots associated with their “home.”
+AIs can also be upgraded with gadgets. Their processors, GIDs, memory, and so on are already maxed out, but most other gadgets for computers or general equipment are available, at the GM’s discretion. Although the actual Purchase DC for an actual AI would be much higher, for the purpose of determining the cost of gadgets, assume a Purchase DC of 30 for the AI itself. Using the rules for adding gadgets to existing gear, the cost for adding a gadget with a +2 Purchase modifier would be:
 $65000 (PR 30+2= 32)
 - $35000 [base PR of 30]
 ($30000 ÷ 2) = $15000 (PR 27)
 **Primary Focus:** An AI’s original purpose is similar to a starting occupation.
-The player or GM may choose any two of the following skills: Craft (biological, chemi-cal, electronic, mechanical, pharmaceutical, software, structural), Decipher Script, Forgery, Investigate, Knowledge (any), Navigation, Pro-fession, Repair, Research, or Treat Injury. Thereafter, the chosen skills are always class skills for the AI, and it gets a +2 bonus all skill checks with those skills.
+The player or GM may choose any two of the following skills: Craft (biological, chemical, electronic, mechanical, pharmaceutical, software, structural), [[decipher_script_skill|Decipher Script]], [[forgery_skill|Forgery]], [[investigate_skill|Investigate]], [[knowledge_skill|Knowledge (any)]], [[navigation_skill|Navigation]], [[profession_skill|Profession]], [[repair_skill|Repair]], [[research_skill|Research]], or [[treat_injury_skill|Treat Injury]]. Thereafter, the chosen skills are always class skills for the AI, and it gets a +2 bonus all skill checks with those skills.
-The player or GM also gets to select one bonus feat from the following list: Atten-tive, Builder, Educated, Gearhead, Medical Ex-pert, Studious, or Windfall.
-**Databanks:** Artificial Intelligences gath-er and store information on a scale that no organic brain can match. Unless the AI has been created and maintained in isolation, it has vast stores of data at its disposal. AIs can automatically read, write, and speak any lan-guage publically available or otherwise availa-ble to them. Their databanks also allow them to apply a +4 species bonus to all Knowledge and Profession checks.
+The player or GM also gets to select one bonus feat from the following list: [[attentive_feat|Attentive]], [[builder_feat|Builder]], [[educated_feat|Educated]], [[gearhead_feat|Gearhead]], [[medical_expert_feat|Medical Expert]], [[studious_feat|Studious]], or [[windfall_feat|Windfall]].
-**Multi-tasking:** The vast processing pow-er of Artificial Intelligences allow them to per-form multiple complex actions simultaneously. In addition to maintaining and monitoring its own operations and sensors, an AI can per-form a number of tasks or roles equal to its In-telligence modifier (minimum of 1). For exam-ple, an AI with a 22 Intelligence (+6 bonus) can:
-. Hold a conversation with the crew of the ship to which it is networked,
+**Databanks:** Artificial Intelligences gather and store information on a scale that no organic brain can match. Unless the AI has been created and maintained in isolation, it has vast stores of data at its disposal. AIs can automatically read, write, and speak any language publicly available or otherwise available to them.
-. Monitor the ship’s internal sensors and open and close doors as needed.
+Their databanks also allow them to apply a +4 species bonus to all [[knowledge_skill|Knowledge]] and [[profession_skill|Profession]] checks.
-. Cast a shadow on the Grid to meet with a potential informant in a distant code salon,
-. Cast another shadow to act as Ad-min for the ship’s domain,
+**Multi-tasking:** The vast processing power of Artificial Intelligences allow them to perform multiple complex actions simultaneously. In addition to maintaining and monitoring its own operations and sensors, an AI can perform a number of tasks or roles equal to its Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1).
-. Monitor and supervise the robots working in the ship’s cargo bay,
-. and download a portion of its intel-lect into a memory harness to be attached to a robot that will accompany several crew members on the planet below.
+For example, an AI with a 22 Intelligence (+6 bonus) can:
-Note that the AI keeps its full Intelligence bo-nus regardless of the number of tasks it is per-forming. In addition to being limited by the AI’s Int modifier, the AI’s ability to multitask is limited by its active memory. Each task re-quires at least one slot of active memory, de-pending on the size of the programs required to perform the task.
+  * Hold a conversation with the crew of the ship to which it is networked,
+  * Monitor the ship’s internal sensors and open and close doors as needed.
+  * Cast a shadow on the Grid to meet with a potential informant in a distant code salon,
+  * Cast another shadow to act as Admin for the ship’s domain,
+  * Monitor and supervise the robots working in the ship’s cargo bay,
+  * and download a portion of its intellect into a memory harness to be attached to a robot that will accompany several crew members on the planet below.
+Note that the AI keeps its full Intelligence bonus regardless of the number of tasks it is performing. In addition to being limited by the AI’s Int modifier, the AI’s ability to multitask is limited by its active memory. Each task requires at least one slot of active memory, depending on the size of the programs required to perform the task.
 There are a couple of special cases:
 Casting a shadow uses as many slots of active memory as the shadow has.
 Maintaining each backup or memory harness requires one slot of active memory.
-**Backup:** An AI with an Intelligence of 12 or greater can devote a portion of its per-sonality to a kind of insurance policy. By gain-ing access to storage space of at least 200 slots of memory, the AI is able compress a copy of its core personality, databanks, and so on. The parent AI then periodically updates the backup with up-to-date memories, files, programs, and so on. The AI sets a failsafe condition (usually a period of time between updates) to trigger the decompression and activation of the backup. Each backup that an AI maintains counts as one task, so the AI from the example above, with its +6 Int bonus would only be able to run 5 tasks after setting up a backup.
-When the backup activates, it manifests on the Grid as a shadow, leaving the storage space empty. Its first action is to begin search-ing for its parent AI. If it finds that the parent AI is still active, it goes back into storage—a backup can never be active at the same time as its parent AI or another backup of the same AI.
-The backup is limited and vulnerable when first activated; it is unable to multitask, and all of its active memory is filled with the compressed files required to fully “resurrect” the parent AI. The backup needs to find a new “home” for the AI, a system equal to at least four supercomputers in terms of capacity and power. Usually, the AI arranges such a system, often leaving directions and resources. An AI backup that is unable to find a new home within one week slowly deteriorates and simp-ly disintegrate into the datastream. If the back-up is attacked and destroyed before fully re-storing the parent AI, the AI is lost forever (unless there is another backup).
-Assuming the backup does find a suita-ble place to recreate its parent AI, it down-loads its cargo of compressed files, decom-pressing and installing them into the new sys-tem. This process takes 1d4 days, after which the full AI is active with all memories and programs that it had at the time of its last update.
-AIs can have more than one backup. The resources needed for one backup are monumental, and those for two or more are staggering, but AIs do tend to be able to gen-erate a lot of wealth. In this case, the first back-up to activate sends a command to any others to remain dormant for one day, continuing to send this message out until the parent AI is resurrected or until the next backup activates.
-**Virtual Lifeform:** The vast electronic re-sources that house and maintain an AI are largely committed to simply generating its “life,” thus the active and storage memory left for other activities is relatively limited. The par-ent AI has a number of active memory slots equal to 50 plus 1 for each level that the AI has in any class. Its storage memory is limited to 300 slots. An AI can increase it storage space with gadgets, but not its active memory.
-When an AI casts a shadow on the Grid, it receives bonuses as if using an amaz-ing GID and processors, and is always consid-ered to be immersed. In addition, AI shadows always receive a +4 species bonus to all at-tacks, saves, and checks on the Grid.
-AIs can cast as many shadows as their active memory and multi-tasking ability allow, and these shadows can work together in the same node or can travel the interstellar Grid. An AI’s shadows can have a number of active memory slots up to 10 plus the AI’s Int bonus (min. 11). Every slot reserved for a shadow’s memory, however, is unavailable to the par-ent AI. Every shadow the AI generates is fully independent while active, but the AI doesn’t gain access to memories, files, and xp award-ed to the shadow until it is downloaded back into the parent AI.
-AIs are unharmed by the destruction of their shadows, although they do lose any da-ta, xp, programs, etc that are destroyed with the shadow.
-**Feats and Skills:** AIs learn and earn feats and skills like any other characters, ex-cept that for their lack of Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores. Thus, they can only use skills based on physical abilities when controlling remotes with the appropriate abilities. When selecting feats, AIs are unable to take any feat that has a prerequisite based on one (or more) of the physical abilities.
-**Advancement:** AIs can begin play as Intelligent, Dedicated, or Charismatic heroes. As they progress, they can select levels in any advanced or prestige classes for which they can qualify.
+**Backup:** An AI with an Intelligence of 12 or greater can devote a portion of its personality to a kind of insurance policy. By gaining access to storage space of at least 200 slots of memory, the AI is able compress a copy of its core personality, databanks, and so on. The parent AI then periodically updates the backup with up-to-date memories, files, programs, and so on. The AI sets a fail-safe condition (usually a period of time between updates) to trigger the decompression and activation of the backup. Each backup that an AI maintains counts as one task, so the AI from the example above, with its +6 Int bonus would only be able to run 5 tasks after setting up a backup.
+When the backup activates, it manifests on the Grid as a shadow, leaving the storage space empty. Its first action is to begin searching for its parent AI. If it finds that the parent AI is still active, it goes back into storage—a backup can never be active at the same time as its parent AI or another backup of the same AI.
+The backup is limited and vulnerable when first activated; it is unable to multitask, and all of its active memory is filled with the compressed files required to fully “resurrect” the parent AI. The backup needs to find a new “home” for the AI, a system equal to at least four supercomputers in terms of capacity and power. Usually, the AI arranges such a system, often leaving directions and resources. An AI backup that is unable to find a new home within one week slowly deteriorates and simply disintegrate into the data stream. If the back-up is attacked and destroyed before fully re-storing the parent AI, the AI is lost forever (unless there is another backup).
+Assuming the backup does find a suitable place to recreate its parent AI, it down-loads its cargo of compressed files, decompressing and installing them into the new system. This process takes 1d4 days, after which the full AI is active with all memories and programs that it had at the time of its last update.
+AIs can have more than one backup. The resources needed for one backup are monumental, and those for two or more are staggering, but AIs do tend to be able to generate a lot of wealth. In this case, the first back-up to activate sends a command to any others to remain dormant for one day, continuing to send this message out until the parent AI is resurrected or until the next backup activates.
+**Virtual Lifeform:** The vast electronic re-sources that house and maintain an AI are largely committed to simply generating its “life,” thus the active and storage memory left for other activities is relatively limited. The parent AI has a number of active memory slots equal to 50 plus 1 for each level that the AI has in any class. Its storage memory is limited to 300 slots. An AI can increase it storage space with gadgets, but not its active memory.
+When an AI casts a shadow on the Grid, it receives bonuses as if using an amazing GID and processors, and is always considered to be immersed. In addition, AI shadows always receive a +4 species bonus to all at-tacks, saves, and checks on the Grid.
+AIs can cast as many shadows as their active memory and multi-tasking ability allow, and these shadows can work together in the same node or can travel the interstellar Grid. An AI’s shadows can have a number of active memory slots up to 10 plus the AI’s Int bonus (min. 11). Every slot reserved for a shadow’s memory, however, is unavailable to the parent AI. Every shadow the AI generates is fully independent while active, but the AI doesn’t gain access to memories, files, and xp awarded to the shadow until it is downloaded back into the parent AI.
+AIs are unharmed by the destruction of their shadows, although they do lose any data, xp, programs, etc that are destroyed with the shadow.
+**Feats and Skills:** AIs learn and earn feats and skills like any other characters, except that for their lack of Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores. Thus, they can only use skills based on physical abilities when controlling remotes with the appropriate abilities. When selecting feats, AIs are unable to take any feat that has a prerequisite based on one (or more) of the physical abilities.
+**Advancement:** AIs can begin play as [[smart_character_class|Smart]], [[dedicated_character_class|Dedicated]], or [[charismatic_character_class|Charismatic]] heroes. As they progress, they can select levels in any advanced or prestige classes for which they can qualify.
+[[ai basics|AI Basics]]
+{{tag>ai robot grid}}

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