AI senses and base sensor Clairsentience

[Utech]

5ER page 459 explains that Computers and AIs don't get senses for free. One needs to buy senses for them and/or hook them into the senses at a base or in a starship.

 

I have a player working on an AI build. He checked out a couple of published AIs (Plato and Socrates for Ravenswood and the Champions) and found they were hooked into base sensors built as Clairsentience. The AIs do not have senses of their own.

 

5ER page 140 explains that purchasing Clairsentience only allows him to perceive at a distance using any Senses he already possesses that belong to that Sense Group.

 

Which of these is correct:

1) Senses should have been bought for Plato and Socrates. As written they cannot actually use the Clairsentience base sensors.

2) Plato and Socrates were built correctly. An AI hooked into Clairsentience base sensors can use those sensors as though it has the senses bought with the sensors.

3) Something else.

 

Thanks!

[Steve Long]

Re: AI senses and base sensor Clairsentience

 

If a Computer is bought as part of a Vehicle or Base, and is “hooked into” the Senses possessed by the Vehicle/Base via a Program (typically one phrased as “Monitor Sensor Systems, Report Anomalies” or something along those lines), the Computer gets to use the Vehicle’s/Base’s Senses “for free,” without having to also pay for those Senses as part of its own character sheet. In the case of a Vehicle/Base that only has Clairsentience, that provides the Computer with the basic Sense for all Sense Groups covered by the Clairsentience (such as Normal Sight for the Sight Group).