Boring7's bad ideas: the shell in the ghost

[boring7]

So while meddling around with Techno-wizardry and bionic implants I asked myself, "what happens when you take an AI computer, TW it to the point it doesn't damage PPE/ISP, and stick it inside the head of a creature with natural magical abilities?"

For that matter, if you do this to a Daemonix, can the new intelligence which has patience and sanity learn magic?

[drewkitty ~..~]

Off hand , No it could not.
It is still a soulless entity like the PW Machinepeople.

Thou, thinking beyond that. It could have attached TW magic items that are built for mundane use put within it's use. This could mimic a spellcaster's abilities to the ignorant.

Then thinking more....
If the AI was really a Living Magic, then they would have one spell within it's ability to cast.

[taalismn]

Agreed...No.

Then again, we have ARCHIE-3, who has an ISP signature, but he's a special case. Give him another several hundred years of soaking in a PPE-rich environment and convince him (after the Mechanoid incident) that magic isn't the worst idea ever, and maybe.....

[ShadowLogan]

So while meddling around with Techno-wizardry and bionic implants I asked myself, "what happens when you take an AI computer, TW it to the point it doesn't damage PPE/ISP, and stick it inside the head of a creature with natural magical abilities?"

For that matter, if you do this to a Daemonix, can the new intelligence which has patience and sanity learn magic?

Tech-AI/Computer w/PPE power source (ala Robot R.C.C in SB1o/r)? No to learning magic. Using TW items is a bit more complex and dependent on the device in question (as some devices can be made to work for anyone). Natural magical abilities is likely a maybe (see WB5 pg96-7 EIR-50) depending on what they might be.

A TW AI Device is going to likely depend on what spells are used in its construction to determine if it can learn to use magic. This is a big maybe, the only "TW AI" I can think of is the Glittermount, it can't learn magic but it can cast pre-determined magic, but its "AI" just might not be sophisticated enough to "learn" so its out (granted the TW could create it with necessary knowledge). So you could TW-engineer in the proper spells to mimic natural abilities for sure, but "learning" full magic is going to require the proper spell chain (which might not even be possible).

[Mech-Viper Prime]

So while meddling around with Techno-wizardry and bionic implants I asked myself, "what happens when you take an AI computer, TW it to the point it doesn't damage PPE/ISP, and stick it inside the head of a creature with natural magical abilities?"

For that matter, if you do this to a Daemonix, can the new intelligence which has patience and sanity learn magic?

I like this idea, while some enjoy sucking the fun out the room , but hey each to their own I guess, I would love to see what you finally come up with as a character.

[Slight001]

So while meddling around with Techno-wizardry and bionic implants I asked myself, "what happens when you take an AI computer, TW it to the point it doesn't damage PPE/ISP, and stick it inside the head of a creature with natural magical abilities?"

For that matter, if you do this to a Daemonix, can the new intelligence which has patience and sanity learn magic?

I like this idea, while some enjoy sucking the fun out the room , but hey each to their own I guess, I would love to see what you finally come up with as a character.

Agreed. I'd enjoy dealing/interacting/learning with/about one/several of these things. I can almost see an entire 'species' of TW 'borgs running around looking for better biology.

[eliakon]

I would say the answer is "that will depend on a few key issues that the GM will have to decide how they want to handle for their game"
Nothing major just the nature of magic and the nature of souls

Basically as I understand it there are a few steps here. Each step asks a question and the answer to that question is "it depends"

Step 1 "take an AI computer"
Okay, so first off. The GM will have to decide how they want to handle AI in their game. What is the ultimate level of AI? Can it become truly 'alive' or is it only ever just a 'clever machine'. The issue is not trivial because it will have ramifications for things such as The Machine People, and any other robotic races as well as for concepts such as digital intelligence.
If they can become alive then do they have souls. And if they do... then where do those souls come from. This is again not trivial. It may seem like a pointless exercise... until you realize that if you can create true AIs that possess souls, at will. Then you have established that it is possible in your world for mortals to manufacture souls. There are implications and ramifications to that sort of thing. If only some AI's 'wake up' then the question is why, and where do their souls come from. While the in universe philosophers my ponder these issues it helps if the GM has a good idea. If only "AIs that have reached a certain complexity threshold have the chance to form a binding matrix for a spontaneously generated soul, those that do so 'wake up'."

Step 2 "TW it to the point it doesn't interfere with PPE/ISP"
This requires the GM to decide on how they want magic to work in their game.
In canon there is no "point" at which technology stops interfering with PPE. Or more specifically looking at the next step, there is no point at which bionics do not interfere. There are unique exceptions, but they are just that... exceptions. HOWEVER, the canon on TW is purposefully left rather vague. Thus if a particular GM wishes they are fully with in their rights to decide that there is a point at which something stops 'being tech' and thus will no longer interfere. Again there are implications to this though. One of which is that it will mean that it will be possible for other TW bionics to be created that have no PPE/ISP limitations. This can result in hybrid Cyborg/Mages and the like. This will change the flavor of the game. It is an interesting flavor to be sure, and there is nothing wrong with it, but I feel that a GM should know at the outset what the consequences of their actions will be, rather than getting surprised when the PCs come back and want to exploit a ruling later (Knights of the Dinner Table would call this the Brian Effect).

Step 3a "Stick it in the head of something with Natural Magical Abilities?"
Assuming that point #2 has been dealt with then you now have a creature that has both magical abilities and a computer implant that hosts an AI (of what ever flavor the GM ultimately decides they want to have) and possibly some TW upgrades (or possibly just a TW computer implant that has as its 'feature' the ability to be safely implanted. Either works.)

Step 3b "For that matter, if you do this to a Daemonix, can the new intelligence which has patience and sanity learn magic?"
This has a few answers.
The Daemonix can't learn magic, even with an AI in its head. The race has no ability to learn magic and simply putting a computer in its head wont change that (unless the GM wants it to of course)

The AI though... well if the GM has decided that AIs can have souls (either that they can be artificially created on demand, that they can be magically created via ritual, that they 'just happen'... what ever) then it will have PPE. And being intelligent and possessing PPE there is the possibility of learning magic. However I would note that there are some races that possess PPE and can not learn magic, thus just because a creature is intelligent and possesses PPE it does not automatically follow that it can learn magic. Even magical creatures do not automatically get to learn magic... the Daemonix being a case in point.

If the two merge into some sort of gestalt intelligence... then at that point you are so far beyond baseline that the official canon on the subject is, I believe, "what ever is best for your game".


Regardless of the outcome it is an interesting thought experiment and, at least to me, it helps to demonstrate some of the issues and complexities surrounding magic.
I hope my response wasn't too dry and boring.