This post is intended to improve AI characters with a slightly different reading of the rules and by adding a minimum of house rules to make them more playable characters (I'm fascinated by them, but discovered that they are nowhere up to par with other characters)

This is supposed to be a form of communal project and so it's convenient to start out with differentiating what you state is creative reading or a a house rule (mark your text with CR or HR)


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AIs have no need for sleep. Meaning that they can spend every minute of their days doing something.

(CR) Extended Tests of 1 Day, 1 Week and 1 Month actually means Days of 8 hours of work, Weeks of five (or maybe six) Days, and Months of four (occasionally five) Weeks.

That would at the very least give some increase to the capacities of an AI. Given enough time he can program everything he would need, just like a fleshy being, only faster.

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AI's are fully virtual beings and do not fatigue. They have a total of 3 initiative passes.

(CR) If I'm not mistaken the Rules as Written don't have much in the field of mental fatigue without starting to house rule stuff.
(CR) Due to being so permanently virtual, there is no downside to running at that maximum speed constantly. Meaning that the AI can occupy himself with three different things at the same time. In effect operate as three different characters with only their default Initiative pass. This means he could do a lot more in the same time.


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And that's my Creative Reading parts.

As for Houserules on my 'table' there are a few in general, but only one affects the Creative Reading sections before.

(HR) Every form of Stun Damage that is the result of a mental activity (such as spellcasting, damage from Matrix Combat, some results of spellcasting) is damage from fatigue, which can only be regenerated through rest.
(HR) Every form of physical damage (Stun and Physical) when healed becomes damage from Fatigue.

At this point things go back to normal fatigue damage (page 164 SR4A)

(HR) At six boxes of Fatigue you need to make your Body + Willpower (2) Test to do any strenuous activity, until you rest.


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Houserules that would make AI's better

(HR) Give an AI the equivalent of an Essence rating, called Stability and allow the AI to code pieces of integrated software that function just like Ware. Either he has to trust someone to code this for him, or he has to code it himself. Damage from Augmentation also applies as per surgery. Costs in Essence are the same, Cost in Nuyen is the listed price.


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Anyone else wants to add things or ideas ? Or just shoot mine down because they don't work ?

A couple things which have been previously discussed are:

1) Software emulation of cyberware to allow AIs to purchase the same things as their meaty competitors.
2) Removal of Natural Maximums for post-creation development (since AIs are in no way Natural.)

But AIs do have their unique advantages. Stuff like immunity to biofeedback and some very nice unique Positive Qualities (for instance, the combination of Code Flux and Rootkit makes an AI untraceable and really hard to spot so therefore really really hard to kill.)
Another thing to remember is that they can use any level of autosoft without any need for skill-wires or such. That means that they can buy all their social skills up to face-level quality with no problems at all.

You know, I never gave it any thought with regards to multiple initiative passes and extended tests. Wouldn't a meat body be able to get things done faster via extended tests if they are making use of multiple IPs? Interesting...

I suggested the emulation of Cyberware and a virtual Essence rating = AI's rating several months back. Thanks for reminding me. I'll probably need that in a game I'm running.

Only if they have the 'Piloting Origin' quality which costs 10BP.



Biofeedback Immunity is nice, but on the other hand they aren't immune to the most common of all attacks. Code Flux is indeed nice, but Rootkit, while functionally interesting doesn't necessary make it harder to kill.

Then again, it's a vague thing about Stealth programs (and things like Rootkit). Personally I go by the rule (not sure if it's a houserule) that as soon as your presence is detected, you don't have to make new Perception tests until the situation drastically changes.

Well, yeah, if we're talking about physically active skills like shooting or running, but an AI doesn't need to interact with machinery in order to make a phone call or design hardware/software. Anything which can be handled digitally doesn't need pilot capabilities. At least in my games




Well, Rootkit gives anyone trying to spot the AI a -5 DP disadvantage, basically making it inherently invisible to anyone but a pro-level hacker using pro level tools. Even then, it's an opposed test still stacked in the AI's favor. And, if someone does notice the AI, all they can do is use Attack. With no Biofeedback, you can't keep an AI from just bailing out, disappearing into the digital mists and coming right back again. If the hacker tries to trace the fleeing AI, he's SOL because of the Code Flux. Maybe he's even chasing one of the AI's agents which is spoofing a trail into a heavy IC trap off system. Meanwhile, the AI just re-accesses the node with a new Access ID, and has to be spotted again with that same -5. That's pretty rad IMO.

AIs are good but they will never be as great as a TM or hacker can be. That's the price you pay for near immortality and untraceability. You can't have it both ways.

- J.

By raw, I agree, AI's won't be as good as flesh and blood, which is why some of us feel the need to tack on some house rules. It doesn't make sense to me and several others, that a mind which can process data at 2/3 the speed of light or faster would be out done by a mind can manage at best 10 m/s, and given the current trend in computer processing, mortal minds should be obsolete by 2070.