Hive Memories

[BobGreenwade]

I'm trying to design an alien species with a hive memory.

This is not the same thing as a "hive mind." The individuals all have their own sense of self, and their own thoughts. They keep their own memories through their own lifetimes. When they die, however, their memories pass on to the next generation.

My question is, how would you write this up? My first inclination is to go with some form of Clairsentience, but I'd like to see what other minds come up with.

(If there are any questions about more specifics on the species, I'll be glad to fill in whatever I can. I'm only holding back now because I'm using a borrowed computer and this non-ergonomic keyboard hurts my hands.)

[BobGreenwade]

An addendum... any given individual receiving memories doesn't get all of the dead individual's memories. Any given specific memory (or part of one) only goes to one younger individual.

[Talon]

I would buy the effect. Characters of this race have KS: Past Life Memories 14- and whatever relevant skills (knowledge or otherwise) may have been passed along. Decide on an appropriate number of points to spend (at some point the individuals probably get "skill overload"). Could include extra INT/PRE/EGO and Skill Levels as well, to represent collected wisdom and balance.

You'd then buy some sort of Telepathy or Mind Link to transmit memories from a dying individual -- depends on the specifics of the race.

[DocSubtlety]

I had a racial memory power in the last game I played in. Wasn't quite the same deal, but it was close: I absorbed memories from dead people.

Bought it as a Slavishly Loyal Organizational Contact (Concentration 1/2 DCV), for when I wanted a specific memory or experience. (Under this writeup, finding just one image in the archive was very, very time consuming.)

I also picked up some Overall Skill Levels to represent how having that much information and experience at my fingertips made me universally competent.

[Talon]

Heh...I bet you would have had more responses if these aliens used light sabers.

[pinecone]

Retrocognition:Bloodline only? I have a character that is "imortal" as a personality that is continually being reborn...I went with the cheesey KSast lives....after all after a while recalling a specific thing might get real hard...

[Celt]

It really all depends on what you expect the racial memories to do. Retrocognition/Clairsentience is one route. The KS suggested is another way but may be too broad.

This could be used as the special effect for Cramming, the character having to spend some time in meditation to reflect on past life experience.

Along the lines of Contact suggested you could describe the perk Computer Link as being Information Link, the character having an alternate information source to use for research.

[BobGreenwade]

Based on your suggestions, I think I'll go with the KS: Past Lives and +1 OSL. I won't bother with a Power to pass the memories on, since this happens at death and the memories are passed on to a younger generation just being conceived; I'll just call that a part of the natural reproduction process.

Thanks, everyone! I'll still check on any further replies in this thread in case anyone else has a cool suggestion for this idea.