One of my players is playing an AI e-ghost and he's at the point where he really would like a body to go on a run. At present he is using a heavily modified Renraku Manservant (heavily armored, riggered for water operations, modular legs to use skimmer discs and a chameleon coating). Its actually served him quite well.
However as an e-ghost, he cannot "jack into" the body - thats reserved for AIs with the Piloting origin. As he is an e-ghost, his original body is on life support (the PCs think keeping it alive or in coma has some sort of bearance on him in reality).
We're at a stage in the campaign where the player would like a more permanent housing for his body that enables him to get around with the PCs a little more readily. Some might argue that is the price of that character option, but given where tech is advancing ingame, I don't think it has to be. Also there's been something of an issue with this player slowly losing interest and I suspect that this might be to do with a lack of interest in his character (this is a perceived issue I think). So I think creating some sort of personal quest for a body, providing some roleplaying for exploring what actually constitutes a soul along the way, might provide a bit of a refresh for the player.
Ideally, I'd like something that would at least enable him to pass for a human. I have a few ideas but wanted to bounce them off the forums for some feedback on viability by RAW, weighing in against RAI.
Some ideas I'm floating:
A customised Otomo unit, coated with human skin, kept "alive" by nanotechnology. (Think T-800).
Pros: Will pass visual inspection and touch test.
Cons: No Aura. Costly. Prototype territory. Blatant copy/paste of prior IP (Terminators). Will get hosed by airport security.
His original body, with a customised stirrup interface
Pros: Much more plausible by RAW. Doesn't give him a god-body.
Cons: Stirrup interface in humans don't exist (yet). Prototype territory again. Costly (although not as costly as the first). Having to deal with the pesky problem of a body currently kept alive by a life support system. Not sure how to deal with the whole Aura issue at all (i.e. does he have one?).
Any body, with a customised stirrup interface
Pros: Much more plausible by RAW. Doesn't give him a god-body. None of the pesky aura or lifesupport issues. Best idea so far...
Cons: Stirrup interface in humans don't exist (yet). Prototype territory again. Costly (although not as costly as the first).
Other ideas I'm still floating around (and these defy RAW somewhat but fit the flavor/team composition of my PCs very well) is potentially allowing AIs to consume other AIs (not entirely unlike Deus-Megaera or the MCP of Tron) which may allow the PC to acquire the Pilot Origins ability. This would work swimmingly with the stirrup interface.
[ Spoiler ]
My players are currently in Hong Kong, running through the adventures of Ghost Cartels FWIW so they won't get a lot of time off as it were for side ventures. So anything I introduce will have to be in drips and drabs anyway (that I want them to earn this thing). Anyway this thread is very much a brain dump but I hope to use my fellow DSers as a sounding board.
Any offers/advice/random musings people have been thinking of along this vein would be great.
- J.