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Synthmorph for Hedonists

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Sat, 2012-10-06 00:53

Erenthia

Synthmorph for Hedonists

So I was thinking about the whole Synthmorph vs Biomorph issue, and I realized a big reason people have an issue with Synthmorphs is that they believe being a synthmorph is somehow an inferior existence...that being a synthmorph means not having the same sensation or emotions as a biomorph. And while you can argue with these people all day and talk philosophy...this is sci-fi. We answer our questions here with hard science and technology. So I was thinking about a synthmorph similar to the Steel Morph, but with the synthetic mask standard (and minus the Uncanny Valley trait) that not only perfectly simulates hunger/sleep cycles (and they would be able to eat and sleep) but also ramps up sensory input to "High Definition" levels. After experiencing life in this synthmorph going back to a biomorph would feel dull...empty. You would have to "come down" from the experience and being in a regular biomorph would feel almost like depression during that time. My plan for this is to have a player of a biochauvinist characters get sleeved into one (whether by mistake or through bribery) and not realized they are in a synthmorph for several days. I wouldn't mind help fleshing out the idea though (or assigning game mechanics)l

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The end really is coming. What comes after that is anyone's guess.

Sat, 2012-10-06 05:31

OneTrikPony OneTrikPony's picture

I'm not sure I understand.

I'm not sure I understand. You're proposing some specialized pieces of equipment or specialized version of synthetic mask that accomplishes these things in a way that is somehow superior Xperia or simulspace? as far as I understand the reasons it sucks to be a synthetic morph are primarily; -30 to tactile perception tests. (p. 143) Uncanny valley (for Synths) Clanking Masses (for all synthetics) the -30 on kinesics tests that all character's have when communicating with a synth morph (p.181) Synthetic mask might help with the clanking masses social stigma but doesn't do anything to mitigate the other issues. I'm sitting here at 3 am wishing I could sleep, aching from a bout of flue, my stomach is gurgling, my toes are cold and my right buttock itches for some reason. Simulating all that would require building a really impressive amount of specialized modification and hardware to a synthetic frame. But why would you want to? Is it possible that your biocon nemesis would be just as amazed and offended by having his consciousness transferred to a really sweet paradise simulspace? Sleeving them into an simulmorph would probably just as cruel but much simpler. :)

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Mea Culpa: My mode of speech can make others feel uninvited to argue or participate. This is the EXACT opposite of what I intend when I post.

Sat, 2012-10-06 09:18

GreyBrother GreyBrother's picture

OneTrikPony wrote:-30 to

OneTrikPony wrote:
-30 to tactile perception tests. (p. 143) Clanking Masses (for all synthetics)

The former only goes when you deactivate the tactile sensors (for example, when you took damage) and the latter only applies to the cheaper and common models. I for my part view synthmorphs as a viable option for hedonists. Sensorywise, they have the same capabilities of biomorphs (no disadvantages listed in the sensory department), the Kinesics penalty is more a penalty for biomorph user and if it is something that irks the inhabitant of the synthmorph, well than its specific to that person.

Sat, 2012-10-06 16:00

OneTrikPony OneTrikPony's picture

GreyBrother wrote:The former

GreyBrother wrote:
The former only goes when you deactivate the tactile sensors (for example, when you took damage)

you read that differently than I do then. The filter is not selectable, its always "on" requiring a perception test to notice damage in the first place. It's pretty clearly not a chicken/egg type of causality. My bad about applying clanking masses to all synthetics. I've been playing a campaign on luna.

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Mea Culpa: My mode of speech can make others feel uninvited to argue or participate. This is the EXACT opposite of what I intend when I post.

Mon, 2012-10-08 04:43

Jane the Bane Jane the Bane's picture

It should be possible to

It should be possible to equip synthmorphs with lots and lots of additional sensors. Whether this would result in tactile sensations that are indistinguishable from (or even "superior" to) biological ones, however, is debatable. It's mostly a question of what this sensory input feels like to the mind. What *should* be possible, however, is supplying a synthmorph with the same fine motor skills as a biomorph, allowing for a similar range of facial expression. It might be expensive, but it's not impossible.

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Mon, 2012-10-08 05:36

Decivre

OneTrikPony wrote:you read

OneTrikPony wrote:
you read that differently than I do then. The filter is not selectable, its always "on" requiring a perception test to notice damage in the first place. It's pretty clearly not a chicken/egg type of causality.

We had a huge debate over it in one of our earliest games at my table. It's because the writers used the words "can ignore wounds", and the fact that they call it a "Pain Filter" rather than simply saying they have reduced tactile sensation (which is effectively what it is if always on). We ended up making it switchable, but this is something that probably needs some clarification.

Jane the Bane wrote:
It should be possible to equip synthmorphs with lots and lots of additional sensors. Whether this would result in tactile sensations that are indistinguishable from (or even "superior" to) biological ones, however, is debatable. It's mostly a question of what this sensory input feels like to the mind.

It also depends on the mind. There are plenty of people today who think they are connoisseurs of music, and believe they can honestly tell the difference between a high-quality digital recording and analog record... despite all scientific evidence saying that the human ears are incapable of perceiving the subtleties. Just knowing that you're in a synthmorph might make the senses [i]feel[/i] wrong, even though they're fidelity makes them near-perfect simulations of human senses with a <0.00000000000000000000001% degree of error.

Jane the Bane wrote:
What *should* be possible, however, is supplying a synthmorph with the same fine motor skills as a biomorph, allowing for a similar range of facial expression. It might be expensive, but it's not impossible.

It already is possible. It has to be, otherwise the synthetic mask implant is rather useless.

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Transhumans will one day be the Luddites of the posthuman age. [url=http://bit.ly/2p3wk7c]Help me get my gaming fix, if you want.[/url]

Mon, 2012-10-08 19:06

Erenthia

sorry I haven't been back to

sorry I haven't been back to my own thread. Lemme clear a few things up: 1) the player in question is not a biochauvinist, only the character and he knows where I stand on this issue, I wouldn't call him my "nemesis" 2) I had never even considered that the pain filters apply a -30 to tactile senses all the time, which seems like a bizarre reading to me since they can be turned on and off.

Decivre wrote:
There are plenty of people today who think they are connoisseurs of music, and believe they can honestly tell the difference between a high-quality digital recording and analog record... despite all scientific evidence saying that the human ears are incapable of perceiving the subtleties. Just knowing that you're in a synthmorph might make the senses feel wrong

And this is the crux of my entire scenario. Biochauvinist sleeves into a morph he doesn't realize is a synthmorph and has the most sensual experience of his life only to realize that he's been in a synthmorph all along. I've thought about what I'm going for, and other than the Synthetic Mask I only need two things really. HD Sensory Array: +30 to tactile sensations or -0 when pain filter is on. (Robotic Enhancement Only) and Morpheus Module: This computer is a dedicated micro-simulspace generator able to create only a single simulspace instance at a maximum of x10 acceleration. It can host no more than a handful of participants unless those participants are also using a Morpheus Module as well, in which case they are able to network. If installed in a Biomorph, a Morpheus Module can induce REM sleep while in use. (Cyberware. Any Morph) I'm not sure what the cost categories should be, but I'm probably going to make them "quest rewards" for my players at some point since I'm the one who wants them to have them.

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The end really is coming. What comes after that is anyone's guess.

Wed, 2012-10-10 01:44

leviathan626 leviathan626's picture

I would see the HD Sensory

I would see the HD Sensory Array as low (-0 when pain filter is on) or moderate (+30 to tactile sensations) and the Morpheus Module as low. As a rule of thumb for cost categorys I make anything that doesn't give any bonus apart from ultra specific or RP advantages as low, a bonus in specific conditions or a small bonus would be moderate and so on.

Wed, 2012-10-10 10:29

Decivre

Erenthia wrote:HD Sensory

Erenthia wrote:
HD Sensory Array: +30 to tactile sensations or -0 when pain filter is on. (Robotic Enhancement Only)

I might recommend making it so that this implant cannot be active at the same time as the pain filter. It makes no sense to simultaneously dumb-down and amplify your tactile sensations. Also, perhaps it should double wound penalties while active. Because you are going to be [i]feeling[/i] those injuries.

—

Transhumans will one day be the Luddites of the posthuman age. [url=http://bit.ly/2p3wk7c]Help me get my gaming fix, if you want.[/url]

Wed, 2012-10-10 18:39

#10

Erenthia

Very true, for that matter it

Very true, for that matter it might increase wound penalties in some way (maybe double them?) I'm also toying with the idea of a penalty for Deception rolls due to a narcoalgorithm based increase on the "volume" of their emotions, also eliminating the Kinesics penalty when used on them.

—

The end really is coming. What comes after that is anyone's guess.