How would I best make a holographic A.I. Helper for my character?

[TremorFang]

Apologies if this is in the wrong area. I'm new to these forums... and hero system. In any event, being new, I'm looking for help on how to design a holographic A.I. helper for a character of mine. 

 

The basic backstory for said character is that he was a pilot, got into an accident ending in a coma. While in coma, his pregnant wife signs a contract with a scientist in hopes to get husband back. Instead, scientist puts his brain into an Ultron-esque humanoid robot body. After breaking out of hospital / lab area, he goes home, wife freaks out and he doesn't see her again. A year or two later, robot / cyborg guy is approached with proposal to pilot a space ship to a far away planet (holding the other players) in order to colonize. He accepts and begins a (roughly) 400 year journey to the planet. Never sleeping, eating, drinking, etc... To spend the time and gain something to talk to, he teaches himself programming, robotics, mechanics and so on.

 

This is where the A.I. comes in. I'm hoping for my character to make a holographic A.I. helper who he modeled after the daughter he had, but never met (saw her picture online / through government agreement, etc..). Not sure if she should just be tied to the ship or portable via miniature flying projector. She'll have the personality of a kid, but have access to useful information that the ship would be able to analyze (radar of nearby area, security on ship, analysis of objects, creatures and beings that are within range and probably recorded data the ship would have knowledge or access too. This helper would be almost solely loyal to my character and capable of normal talk about things (sort of a personality).

 

So. Would it be best to see if my DM would allow a side "character" or is there a way to do this through talents, abilities and such?

 

Note this is for Hero System 6th edition.

 

P.s. Sorry for the "long winded" post. I try to be thorough, sometimes too much.

Edited December 12, 2014 by TremorFang

[Greywind]

First and foremost: what do you expect this helper to do?

[TremorFang]

My thoughts were primarily that the helper would tell me a targets possible weaknesses and strengths and act as a sort of early warning system, alerting me if unknown things enter the a proximity (whether that be the ship's proximity or the area of whatever device the helper uses to travel).

 

Maybe act as a sort of record keeper of what goes on around the ship, utilizing any on board cameras and mics to survey over time, recording it to its own personal memory as well as the ships.

 

It would be cool if it could be the ships autopilot too, useable with voice commands (and maybe mental commands if it doesn't make things cost insane points).

 

Doesn't have to be all of those things, but they would be preferred. 

[ghost-angel]

There are a few ways to build this, depending on how much control you want over each ability...

 

Build them as a straight Follower, making the AI an NPC for the GM to control with all the abilities. Or a Computer your character has on them.

 

Second, consider the AI a Special Effect of each ability you want, Danger Sense (proximity alarm); Skill Levels and Analyze Skill to represent finding weaknesses possibly, Detects for sensors.

 

The autopilot part is harder, the ship itself will probably have to be built with it's own Computer and activating Autopilot requires your AI to interact with it (i.e. you give it commands, it goes).

 

Start by defining each and every ability you want the AI to have in Mechanical Terms, and talk with the GM on the best approach of having all those on your character sheet somehow.

[TremorFang]

Will do. Thanks for the responses and ideas of how to possibly go about it. I think I'll ask the GM, how he feels about followers first and go from there. 

[Lucius]

 

 

The autopilot part is harder, the ship itself will probably have to be built with it's own Computer and activating Autopilot requires your AI to interact with it (i.e. you give it commands, it goes).

 

The autopilot part is easiest. There's no reason the AI can't BE "the ship's own computer."

 

Lucius Alexander

 

can I ride a holographic palindromedary?

[bigdamnhero]

I assume the holograph is visible to other people, not just your character? Building it as a Follower is probably the simplest, especially if you're new to the system. Give her Desolid - Always On, Analyze Skill, Eidetic Memory, and maybe Mind Link to the ship's computer & systems, and you're 90% of the way there.

 

One clarification: in this campaign, is your GM requiring you to pay points for equipment or not? If you get equipment for free (such as the ship) then your GM might not make you pay points for something that is in essence an extension of the ship's systems.

[Lucius]

Although I'm somewhat averse to using Perks, if the group is getting a space ship for free and what this character wants amounts to a special relationship to the ship's system, it might work as a Contact.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary buys Lucius Alexander as a contact

[TremorFang]

I believe we will be getting the spaceship for free. Not only is it going to get us to the planet, but it's going to act as our initial home base when we get to the planet. Or at least that's what I gatheredAll other gear (such as parts I wish to upgrade my cyborg self with [including not breathing, sleeping, eating, etc...]) and weaponry are not free. I had intended the hologram to be visible to everyone. 

 

Desolid seems a must if it is a follower. I was planning on there being a little flying drone that projects the hologram so that it can go outside or around the ship as it decides. So perhaps that little drone could be a 

 

I'd be down for it just being the ship's A.I. that my character went in and tweaked and gave an "identity" to, maybe just make that drone I mentioned and synced it to the ship's computer.

Thanks for all the input everyone. Good stuff.

[Lucius]

I believe we will be getting the spaceship for free. Not only is it going to get us to the planet, but it's going to act as our initial home base when we get to the planet. Or at least that's what I gatheredAll other gear (such as parts I wish to upgrade my cyborg self with [including not breathing, sleeping, eating, etc...]) and weaponry are not free. I had intended the hologram to be visible to everyone. 

 

Desolid seems a must if it is a follower. I was planning on there being a little flying drone that projects the hologram so that it can go outside or around the ship as it decides. So perhaps that little drone could be a 

 

I'd be down for it just being the ship's A.I. that my character went in and tweaked and gave an "identity" to, maybe just make that drone I mentioned and synced it to the ship's computer.

Thanks for all the input everyone. Good stuff.

 

I believe we will be getting the spaceship for free. Not only is it going to get us to the planet, but it's going to act as our initial home base when we get to the planet. Or at least that's what I gatheredAll other gear (such as parts I wish to upgrade my cyborg self with [including not breathing, sleeping, eating, etc...]) and weaponry are not free. I had intended the hologram to be visible to everyone. 

 

Desolid seems a must if it is a follower. I was planning on there being a little flying drone that projects the hologram so that it can go outside or around the ship as it decides. So perhaps that little drone could be a 

 

I'd be down for it just being the ship's A.I. that my character went in and tweaked and gave an "identity" to, maybe just make that drone I mentioned and synced it to the ship's computer.

Thanks for all the input everyone. Good stuff.

 

I wouldn't even consider Desolid.

 

The follower would either be:

 

1) A very small character (use either size template or Shrinking Always On, whichever the person running the game prefers) probably with the Automaton Takes No Stun Power, High DCV, and High Concealment Skill bought Persistant, which represents the little hovering drone, and the hologram is either Images, or just the defined "special effect" of her other Powers (i.e. the reason the drone is so well Concealed all the time is that she projects this much bigger and more interesting hologram that everyone and everything notices instead.)

 

2) An AI, assumed to be resident in the ship itself, that has certain Powers such as Clairsentience with both Physical Manifestation (the drone) and Perceptible (the hologram) again, possibly with Images (especially if you want her to be able to project something different sometimes, which could be useful and makes sense for her to be able to do.)

 

That's assuming of course you don't buy a suite of Powers for your character with Unified Power and Physical Manifestation to simulate Holly the Holographic Helper.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

And a reifier of palindromedaries

[TremorFang]

I'm definitely liking your 1st idea there Lucius. Is it possible for one to mental link to a computer? Like say mental link the drone to the ship computer? Not sure if that'd be at all useful of course...

[bigdamnhero]

Is it possible for one to mental link to a computer? Like say mental link the drone to the ship computer?

Absolutely. Mind Link is actually a fairly common way of building advanced radio links like that.

[Lucius]

I'm definitely liking your 1st idea there Lucius. Is it possible for one to mental link to a computer? Like say mental link the drone to the ship computer? Not sure if that'd be at all useful of course...

Possible at least three different ways I can see by Rules as Written.

 

Most obviously, you can define a Mind Link. In fact, your character, the drone, and the ship's AI, can all be linked. My first choice I think.

 

You can cobble together something from the Radio options under Enhanced Senses.

 

You can use the Perk called "Computer Access" if I recall correctly. My last choice, but probably cheapest (and least useful.)

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary isn't sure this post is useful

[TremorFang]

Yeah. I think if my GM is down with it I'll try to mind link up to the drone / hologram helper and the ship's A.I. (which is technically the hologram helper too, but a different "body"). I might make another helper drone meant more for battle or scouting than the hologram helper, so I'm thinking something like:

 

10 (Can link with one group of minds [in this case man made human A.I.s]) + 10 (Four mind's at once [2 would have sufficed, but I may make another special drone or two]) + 5 (Unlimited Range in this dimension [so that if for some reason he's floating around in space far away he could call for them]). 

 

Not sure about limitations yet, but something like that seems potentially useful. 

 

Thanks again everyone.