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Ghostrider Module and upgrades?

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Thu, 2012-07-26 06:35
#1
Lorsa Lorsa's picture
Ghostrider Module and upgrades?
I have a question or two regarding the ghostrider module. First, does a morphs cortical stack also save the ego in the ghostrider module or will it be much more vulnerable? And if so, is it possible to have two cortical stacks in one head? Also, can you buy augmentations for your ghostrider module such as Multi-Tasking? I guess also it would be nice to know how big a ghostrider module actually is and if you can have two or even three...
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Thu, 2012-07-26 07:10
Decivre Decivre's picture
Lorsa wrote:I have a question
Lorsa wrote:
I have a question or two regarding the ghostrider module. First, does a morphs cortical stack also save the ego in the ghostrider module or will it be much more vulnerable? And if so, is it possible to have two cortical stacks in one head? Also, can you buy augmentations for your ghostrider module such as Multi-Tasking? I guess also it would be nice to know how big a ghostrider module actually is and if you can have two or even three...
It can theoretically; the implanter probably determines how it is configured, at the behest of the purchaser. Most would probably have the ghostriding ego backed up in the cortical stack, but it isn't necessary. That said, it's likely not necessary as the ghostrider module probably contains its own storage memory, and that storage memory acts for all intents and purposes as a cortical stack. In fact, all digital versions of the brain, thanks to digital storage, are effectively "cortical stacked" without ever needing a cortical stack attached to them. As for augmentations, it's a tough call. So far, there hasn't been much coverage regarding the modification of infomorphs, and a ghostrider module is effectively an infomorph container. I would allow it in some cases while the rules continue to avoid the topic (mostly with regards to mental augmentations), but would be very careful about it.
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Thu, 2012-07-26 14:31
DivineWrath DivineWrath's picture
Your mesh inserts can run 1
Your mesh inserts can run 1 ego grade program at any given time (plus a number of less resource demanding programs). Such ego grade programs can be an AI, Muse, or Infomorph. A ghost rider module seems to increase this capacity by 1. I wouldn't be against allowing a character to add additional ghostrider modules to their morph (2 or 3 doesn't sound too difficult), but if they seem to be trying to abuse the rules or my judgement, I might apply penalties or rule that it simply can't work. Most computer technology in Eclipse Phase seems to be more durable than it is today. Computers don't seem to lose data when you shut them down wrong, and they boot back up just fine after 3 action turns. Likewise, computers are well protected from damage from an EMP grenade (but not the radio components). As such, an infomorph character in a ghostrider module will probably be safe so long as the module itself isn't destroyed. Though the trick might be to get the rescuers to bother to extract the ghostrider module along with the cortical stack. Most people know the importance of cortical stacks and where to look for them, but ghostrider modules are not so common. Anyone riding in a ghostrider module should be prepared to be overlooked, or be hidden someplace not easily found. The rules for backing up information other than your ego is not very clear. There is no mention of what happens to your muse or other important files should you die. The rules do say that cortical stacks are intentionally kept separate from the mesh inserts and other implants for security purposes, so the infomorph is probably out of luck. Mind you that infomorphs tend have to make do without cortical stacks anyways... You could always ask a doctor or engineer if you could have a spare cortical stack that would be connected to the ghostrider module. The core rulebook does mention that it can't cover every possible device or object that can be found in the game. The GM should be ready to allow the characters to find something not listed in the books. That, or the players could try design their own tech.
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Thu, 2012-07-26 15:07
Xagroth Xagroth's picture
I think there was a mention
I think there was a mention somewhere about a morph or brain housing 2 egos, with a special cortical stack capable of backing up both, but if resleeved into a morph without the "dual ego" part, they would require two different morphs. In fact, now I found it: pg 301 core rulebook (3rd printing): Multiple Personalities augmentation. Anyway, I tend to use the ghostrider modules as housing for extra forks (usually generated by the Multi-Tasking implant). My "combo" could be read as: generate one or two forks that will do something (they have 1 complex action each), housed in the ghostrider module. An ego inside a Ghostrider module is an infomorph => +2 speed (total: 3 actions), and an ego stored inside the ghostrider module should not interfere with the body's reflex booster and/or neurachem. Please notice that, while this SOUNDS prefectly legal, rule-wise, it can lead to massive problems for the group of player characters (to be precise: a player spends more than five minutes saying what he is going to do with his up to 10 actions/turn... even if 6 of those are mental ones), but it can lead to interesting antagonists (specially considering they can make the fork beforehand and keep it loaded, but not running, in their ghostrider modules) able to face a group of enemies. Also, it can be useful for a game where there is only one player for whatever reason, or where each player controls one of the egos (the same way back in Ars Magica where a player would run his magus, while the other players would be playing grogs -normal humans allied with the mage- in "personal" missions). Of course, there is no real need for using the Multi-Tasking implant if you have a fork already prepared in ice to be loaded in your Ghostrider modules and then started, it just speed things up to avoid those pesky rolls to determine if the fork is insane or operative ^^
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Thu, 2012-07-26 15:38
Decivre Decivre's picture
I tend to assume that the
I tend to assume that the cortical stack does not need to be merely used as an ego store for the brain. That is its primary purpose, but not the only thing it can achieve. Effectively, I assume it is a black box system for the mind and all of its tools. Not just the ego, but the software contained within the mesh inserts, any other egos that might be present, and plenty more can be stored there. The only restriction is that, unless a specific implant is designed to do so, nothing can be extracted from the cortical stack without removal from the head. So any other egos that might exist, whether in a ghostrider module or whatnot, can be uploaded to the cortical stack. Software and blueprints can also be uploaded to a cortical stack, along with any other relevant data (mnem-aug recordings, for instance).
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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]
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