So I'm working up this character for a game a friend is running that is an AI trapped (unintentionally) in a cloned body.

Story wise, the body is gene'd, bio'd, and cyber'd up, and has an experimental cyber unit (which I am calling an Aleph Node) replacing much of the frontal cortex. The body was designed to be run by a Pilot program, but the AI, seeing a way to escape the confined system (which was generating Pilot programs for the clone bodies) and get out decided to shoulder its way in. Its goal was to hijack the body, get out of the research lab, and then upload into the Matrix and be free. However when it downloaded into the body the experimental connectors of the Aleph Unit fried, trapping the AI in the body.

Stat wise, I am building this as a normal character, the only special I am giving it is the Aleph Unit which is considered a deltaware modified commlink which also houses the AI consciousness and allows it to interface with the body. The AI takes up most of the commlinks capability, so it is lowest end where stats are concerned, save for max encryption and black ice which protect the AI consciousness. Everything else, from stats to qualities to skills (mostly groups representing knowledge the AI was able to bring into the body with it) is bought with the standard BP method.

Thoughts?

Would you, as a GM, allow this, both story and construction?

Looks workable at a quick glance, you may need to define what exactilly you mean by "AI" as the term can run the gamut from Deus and his ilk down to high rating agents.
I'd be prone to removing the "comlink" funtion from the Aleph Unit if only to prevent someone hacking in and forcing a system crash or similar "OH NOEZZ!" . I seem to recall some skill limitiations on "Cyborgs" from Augmentation you may want to take a look at, "the cloned brain that has never had outside EXP's" - basically you get hosed in background skills cause you were "born" in a box to do a specific task. this would result in a character who is good at what they do but will require assistance going to the bathroom the first few times ("I've heard mention of this "hunger" but why does it HURT so much?"... "When did you last eat?"... "Eat?"). I would also suggest you deside if the AI is a Resonance entity or not - whether or not may not effect the PC per se in the short run, but I'm going to guess the plan is to get out of this discusting "meatbag" and into a proper clean wireless matrix again.

No. The best way to run this would be to have the Stirrup Interface from Augmentation, some more cyber, bio and genetech.

Aye, I have to agree with Neraph on this one, Biodrone is the way to go, although personally I'm not sure that I buy the idea that the AI would remain "trapped" long enough for it to really matter.

I'd stat it up as a regular AI and ask your DM about the costs and stats of a human biodrone and buy your body with nuyen... Might need DM permission to bend the resource limits, but it doesn't seem like an unreasonable request to me.

Okay, didn't see the stirrup interface and that looks good, but I still want the AI to be trapped in the body for story, perhaps when it jumped in it overloaded the stirrup system and locked itself inside it?

Actually I just read over the rules for the Stirrup and the CCU, and neither is exactly what I am looking for story wise. I don't want to have to deal with all of the rigging stuff, and just want to run the character as any other, the only difference being that his driving consciousness is an AI. So I am thinking of retconning the CCU to be my Aleph Unit, but in reverse, making the exact opposite of a cyborg. An AI who (due to story) is unable to make use of his AI properties and must function trapped within a living body (following all the rules of a "normal" character). I think it will be much easier this way.

You're welcome to do that, and there's nothing really wrong with it, but be advised that you leave the realm of the rules at the door when you do. It seems like a needlessly complex way to create a character that can be attained by equally satisfactory alternatives though.

As you've metioned thus can just be "A PC with mysterious cyberware" only he knows what the cyberware is and is trapped in this... thing... (sorry I just see an AI being repulsed, at least initially, by at this BIOLOGY). Balance wise it looks fairly tame and it your game man.

Build the character form the ground up, I'd limit the background skills hard. Determine well in advance what this thing will be able to do once it "escapes" back onto the martix, I would suggect, if this is going to be build as "just a guy" otherwise that it be NPC time for this character once they are out (after helping out "one last time" if the rule of awesome applies). What reason would it have to Shadowrun anymore? Why would it need money etc. etc. etc. This would save the headache of an AI in the party (one with a BIZZARE skill set I might add, unarmed combat, athletics and survival all come promptly to mind).

If I were building this character I would jus make "the body." Basically just make a normal character, human or whatever, with all the cyber you were planning. Then get a 50-60 BP "latent" AI quality.

What would happen is you would roleplay as an AI trapped in a body, but as far as game mechanics you would just be the body. Then once the story progresses and you find a way out you would transform your character into an AI. Don't have any books with me but I imagine that you would gain all the AI powers and just ignore your physical stats, but you would still have the body as your home node.

That's my thoughts.

Another take that you could go is that the character only thinks that it is the original AI trapped in a human body when in fact the AI's method of "escaping" involved writing itself to one of the clone's actual brains via experimental P-Fix technology.


Then you have a "normal" character with a really good excuse for an AI Contact.

Sometimes I feel like an AI trapped in a cloned body.

Nah, you're a brain in a jar that is being kept in a virtual enivorment.

I must have been a spell checking software in another life. Explains why spelling mistakes annoy me.

I revel in them.