Knowsoft 6 (John Johnson), Worth talking about Options

[WeaverMount]

Some styles of runners have more SINs than changes of cloths. What would you think about assembling knowsofts that help you impersonate someone. It's a heap of personal data, life story, knowledge of neighborhoods, favorite trivia, etc. Would it just be fluff for a Face/Hacker type? Would you let it give you bonus dice to impersonation. Would you let it justify switching SINs every 45 minuets and not getting confused?

[Cain]

Isn't that what Persona-fix BTL's are for?

[fatal2ty]

heres my thoughts though, if you go through a complete identity change everytime you switch SINs, wouldn't you run the risk of developing a multiple personality disorder and eventually forgetting which identity is your real one?

I could imagine entire story arcs where the player has to follow clues relating to who he actually is because he tried to maintain too many personalities and his subconcious couldn't handle it anymore. Actually, if written right, that could make for one helluva book.

[MaxHunter]

bang! I'm dead! ... I was about to post the same thing Cain! I guess it's the quick and the dead...

I still guess p-fixes include or should be complemented with the appropriate knowsofts... -"Dr Connor, you are needed in surgery" !

Cheers!

Max

[MaxHunter]

to fatal2ty: think "total recall" (Phillip K. dick's "we can remember you wholesale")

Cheers!

max

[fatal2ty]

to fatal2ty: think "total recall" (Phillip K. dick's "we can remember you wholesale")

Cheers!

max

true, but thats only 2 identities, imagine a dozen identities that the main charactor actually lived during several points in time in his life, they all have homes, they all have ex-girlfriends or ex-wives and friends, job histories. People in some areas greet him as if they've known him for years, in other areas people hunt him down.

imagine if you had a dozen lives, but you didn't know which one was actually yours, how would you pick, would you try to find the right one, or pick the one you liked most.

Edit: Apologies to WeaverMount, I think this qualifies as threadjacking

[KCKitsune]

Edit: Apologies to WeaverMount, I think this qualifies as threadjacking

I don't think so. Weaver was asking about if you switch your identity every 45 minutes would you get confused. You just took it to it's logical conclusion.

[Cain]

If you're using P-fix's, I doubt you'd get confused right off the bat. But using P-Fix's have their own set of problems.

[Heath Robinson]

The Knowsoft will add plausible supporting evidence to Con tests to persuade people that you're not the same person, and probably helps to avoid getting the negative modifiers to etiquette for wearing the wrong attire or wrong kind of look. Hopefully it will also help mitigate composure checks for being out of your depth and therefore avoid the "obviously nervous, agitated or frenzied" penalty.

[b1ffov3rfl0w]

true, but thats only 2 identities, imagine a dozen identities that the main charactor actually lived during several points in time in his life, they all have homes, they all have ex-girlfriends or ex-wives and friends, job histories. People in some areas greet him as if they've known him for years, in other areas people hunt him down.

imagine if you had a dozen lives, but you didn't know which one was actually yours, how would you pick, would you try to find the right one, or pick the one you liked most.

Edit: Apologies to WeaverMount, I think this qualifies as threadjacking

With cosmetic surgery taking a couple of hours (and costing less than a good ID) you might not have to deal with people recognizing you from "old lives".

And when your shadowy enemies do come for you, it's with an exploding barghest keyed to your pheremones and hair color...

[Edge2054]

This is one of the reasons my face has a mnemonic enhancer (the other being the language and knowledge bonus dice). Granted he only has two fake SINs but it's still best not to forget details when someone gets suspicious and starts asking you all sorts of odd background questions listed on your SIN. A nanoware implant could do the same for you.

I think Knowsofts would be a good ticket though a persona-fix might lead to a whole other mess of issues if you used to often.

Also keep in mind that social skill dice are capped at your language rating. For a face that knows more then one language a mnemonic enhancer is a great investment above and beyond the remembering who you're supposed to be today thing.

*edit* Of course by RAW the enhancer doesn't add to language rating and therefore doesn't technically let you roll more social dice when speaking another language but that seems pretty lame to run it like that.

[nathanross]

I'm totally with Cain on this. P-fix are great! RAS-override disabled of course. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[bibliophile20]

Heh. Reminds me of the issues Gara Petothel went through; at one point, she had two of her identities--her original, who she didn't want to be anymore, and her assumed identity, who she now wanted to be--arguing in her dreams.

[Lyonheart]

heres my thoughts though, if you go through a complete identity change everytime you switch SINs, wouldn't you run the risk of developing a multiple personality disorder and eventually forgetting which identity is your real one?

I could imagine entire story arcs where the player has to follow clues relating to who he actually is because he tried to maintain too many personalities and his subconcious couldn't handle it anymore. Actually, if written right, that could make for one helluva book.

No more then any actor

[WeaverMount]

No more then any actor

I asked about knowsofts and people quickly started talking about P-fix. P-fix i could easy see messing with you. I think that knowsofts would be just more like an actor switching rolls.

[mfb]

No more then any actor

haha, well, it's not like actors as a group are known for their rock-solid emotional stability.

in response to the original question, though, slotting a knowsoft just gives you information. i'd have you roll the knowsoft's rating to see if you 'remember' obscure details about the character's life, like that time he skinned his knee from falling off his bike, back when he lived at the house with the blue tiled roof. i wouldn't have it be confusing; there's never been anything written that i'm aware of about any ill effects from using too many knowsofts.