Sentient Clones in SR Canon Options

[HardSix]

I know that as of 207x, clones have been used for organ harvesting for decades, and now there is a PC quality in RunComp to be a clone. Have any of the sourcebooks, modules, or novels included a clone (or clones) becoming sentient and living their own life (not including cyborgs (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cyber.gif) with cloned brains)?

[Ancient History]

Not unless you count the Superkids. Which, y'know, even I would like to forget ever happened. Ever.

[Blackpool]

Okay, I hate to ask but Ah made me curious. What are the Superkids?

[Jaid]

Okay, I hate to ask but Ah made me curious. What are the Superkids?

sounds like nobody is likely to be able to remember =P

[Ancient History]

From the novel Tails You Lose. A government project into a group of clones (the Superkids) genetically-engineered for physical perfection and cyberware tolerance. It was...cheesy.

[Tashiro]

From the novel Tails You Lose. A government project into a group of clones (the Superkids) genetically-engineered for physical perfection and cyberware tolerance. It was...cheesy.

Which anyone can now do in Shadowrun, with the Augmentation book.
1) Biocompatability (Cyberware) Quality
2) Genetic Heritage Quality
3) Genetic Optimization (8 Attributes), 1.6 Essence Loss (or less)

Add Cyberware to Taste (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Ancient History]

No, this was...worse.

[Mordinvan]

Doesn't RC have the edge where you ARE an escaped clone living their own life?

[Draco18s]

Doesn't RC have the edge where you ARE an escaped clone living their own life?

Read the original post

and now there is a PC quality in RunComp to be a clone

[TeOdio]

Might be mistaken, but didn't one of the Shadowrun Novels have a clone that wasn't "fully cooked" at the beginning of the novel, but took over for someone of importance in one of the Mega's. If I remember it was a discarded sub plot in one of the early novels, maybe one of the Sam Verner ones.
Super Kids was cheddar, but I still enjoyed the overall book.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif)

[mrslamm0]

I thrown a few in my games before. I dont think its really cannon but I go with it any ways lol

[Draco18s]

Might be mistaken, but didn't one of the Shadowrun Novels have a clone that wasn't "fully cooked" at the beginning of the novel, but took over for someone of importance in one of the Mega's. If I remember it was a discarded sub plot in one of the early novels, maybe one of the Sam Verner ones.
Super Kids was cheddar, but I still enjoyed the overall book.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif)

You mean, Never Deal With a Dragon?

[TonkaTuff]

Might be mistaken, but didn't one of the Shadowrun Novels have a clone that wasn't "fully cooked" at the beginning of the novel, but took over for someone of importance in one of the Mega's. If I remember it was a discarded sub plot in one of the early novels, maybe one of the Sam Verner ones.
Super Kids was cheddar, but I still enjoyed the overall book.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif)

In that instance, it wasn't a clone, exactly. At least not an organbank clone. It was a genetically-engineered Doppelganger empowered with ritual magic. Saeder-Krupp created it to disrupt Renraku's SCIRE project by replacing one of the lead developers, sabotaging the project from within, and getting back out with all of the research data. Verner's extraction from the Arc was probably orchestrated to provide cover for the op that effected the replacement.

The plot itself was halfway resolved. The doppelganger itself was dealt with by the end of the book and the emerging AI thread it was related to developed over the next two books (possibly the next three if the elf in 'Never Trust an Elf' was Dodger). Though, afaik, they never did go back to the fact that at least one of the megas had the ability to create magically-active critters from whole-cloth (it absorbed and replicated the victim's genetics, memory, and aura) as early as 2050. Then, they never again dealt with the temporal-acceleration magic from the third book, either.

[Tashiro]

And of course, I remember that Harlequin and Ehran the Scribe are both capable of teleportation (re: Harlequin adventure).

[BishopMcQ]

You say teleportation, I say metaplanar shortcut.

OP--My understanding is that clones come in 2 types: Wimpies and Escapees.

Wimpies are forced into accelerated growth and their bodies out grow the mental and cognitive development. Effectively leaving a vegetable of a brain and a beautiful corpse. These are used for organ replacement etc.

Escapees (not the official name) are clones grown at nearly normal speeds, possibly for children of the mega-wealthy. Because the clone is allowed to develop at a normal speed, the brain begins growing as well. I would presume that they are generally placed into a chemically induced coma for control purposes, but it is possible that they can be connected to simsense rigs and given the experiences of a normal childhood and sufficient sensory input to grow up quasi-adjusted. (Normally sensory deprivation during early stages of development leaves mental scars a mile wide.) These clones are the ones most likely to escape and take on a life of their own (a la the escaped clone quality)

[Draco18s]

You say teleportation, I say metaplanar shortcut.

To a mundane it still appears as teleportation.

[BishopMcQ]

True--but Teleportation specifically breaks the rules of Magic, metaplanar shortcuts don't. (Hooray for fuzzy logic and gray areas!)

[Draco18s]

So does temporal acceleration.

[fourstring_samur...]

the secrets of power books are some of my faves, but i can't remember the use of temporal acceleration in the third book. what was it? it HAS been 10 years or so, so please forgive me.

[AllTheNothing]

In that instance, it wasn't a clone, exactly. At least not an organbank clone. It was a genetically-engineered Doppelganger empowered with ritual magic. Saeder-Krupp created it to disrupt Renraku's SCIRE project by replacing one of the lead developers, sabotaging the project from within, and getting back out with all of the research data. Verner's extraction from the Arc was probably orchestrated to provide cover for the op that effected the replacement.

The plot itself was halfway resolved. The doppelganger itself was dealt with by the end of the book and the emerging AI thread it was related to developed over the next two books (possibly the next three if the elf in 'Never Trust an Elf' was Dodger). Though, afaik, they never did go back to the fact that at least one of the megas had the ability to create magically-active critters from whole-cloth (it absorbed and replicated the victim's genetics, memory, and aura) as early as 2050. Then, they never again dealt with the temporal-acceleration magic from the third book, either.

There several elves in "Never Trust an Elf" there is the Johnson, the australian bastard, the elven suprematist motherfragger Oakforest (the Aitne's son), Dodger, that Prince of the Tir that was involved with the Xevier Institute (shameless ripoff from X-Men), the Oakforest's student (the mage chick that was ripped apart by the Hellions), and I don't remember others.
So yes Dodger appeared in the story, but it had nothing to do with Renraku.

[AllTheNothing]

You say teleportation, I say metaplanar shortcut.

OP--My understanding is that clones come in 2 types: Wimpies and Escapees.

Wimpies are forced into accelerated growth and their bodies out grow the mental and cognitive development. Effectively leaving a vegetable of a brain and a beautiful corpse. These are used for organ replacement etc.

Escapees (not the official name) are clones grown at nearly normal speeds, possibly for children of the mega-wealthy. Because the clone is allowed to develop at a normal speed, the brain begins growing as well. I would presume that they are generally placed into a chemically induced coma for control purposes, but it is possible that they can be connected to simsense rigs and given the experiences of a normal childhood and sufficient sensory input to grow up quasi-adjusted. (Normally sensory deprivation during early stages of development leaves mental scars a mile wide.) These clones are the ones most likely to escape and take on a life of their own (a la the escaped clone quality)

There is also a batch of clones (grown at natural speed) that Proteus AG is raising (shadowtalk in Augmentations).

[BishopMcQ]

Can you give me a page number? I did a quick search for Clone and found just about every company except Proteus. I'm interested to see how they are different.

[Doc Byte]

I know that as of 207x, clones have been used for organ harvesting for decades, and now there is a PC quality in RunComp to be a clone. Have any of the sourcebooks, modules, or novels included a clone (or clones) becoming sentient and living their own life (not including cyborgs (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cyber.gif) with cloned brains)?

I know a guy who did some work for the Unwired an AFAIK the RC, too. We had a little chat about the RC anyway and I came up with the thought of clones as playable "metavariants" as they where planning to introduce some new races anyway. I don't know if he passed that thought on to the editorial staff or if someone else came up with the same idea. So I might or might not be responsible for the clones. I don't know of any "canon" clones if you leave out the novels. (e.g. Streets of Blood / Jack the Ripper) But I can imagine some nice clone character concepts. Originally my thought was, to give them a cost reduction for bioware and / or genware but in the end the clones ended up as a quality (which of course can be combined with corresponding qualities from Augmentation). All in all I'm pretty content with the RC's clones. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif)

[Fix-it]

the secrets of power books are some of my faves, but i can't remember the use of temporal acceleration in the third book. what was it? it HAS been 10 years or so, so please forgive me.

IIRC, sam verner does a Ghost-dance level ritual spell to accelerate time on the nuclear weapons, causing the isotopes in them to decay faster, thus rendering them useless

I'm not surprised it hasn't been done again. not everyone has Howling Coyote for a pal.

[TonkaTuff]

the secrets of power books are some of my faves, but i can't remember the use of temporal acceleration in the third book. what was it? it HAS been 10 years or so, so please forgive me.

[ Spoiler ]

Under Howling Coyote's tutelage, Verner led a second Ghost Dance with the aim of neutralizing some nuclear warheads that the Spider spirit's flunkies had stolen. The nukes were sprinkled with pixie dust and the Dance energy was used to accelerate the payloads' subjective timeframe to the point where they were no longer fissile.

Yeah.