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If a PC can be become a Full-conversion 'Borg, with a few modifications, why can't they have their mind transferred into a Glitterboy, Triax robot, Naruni 'Bot, or any combat transport?

Or for that matter into a main frame that controls multiple drones in support of front line troops.

While there may be some initial psychic feedback, it wouldn't be any worse than a 'Borg.

Triax does some experimenting with this, with their reservations seemingly more more about ethics than engineering. See WB5 pp 168-70 for specifics.

Curbludgeon wrote:Triax does some experimenting with this, with their reservations seemingly more more about ethics than engineering. See WB5 pp 168-70 for specifics.

Thanks, I'll check it out.

I think partly because nobody has any clear way to do it (it happens but it's always some accident that isn't repeatable) and because there's serious quality of life concerns (as in you now have no way to treat them if something goes wrong and you're entering entirely uncharted waters if they have emotional issues).

"it wouldn't be any worse than a borg" sounds nice but as even tiny changes to how the brain is working has caused people massive issues to the point of dementia and death, taking the mind out of the meat and wedging it into a slab of metal and lightning sounds several orders of magnitude worse than a brain in a jar in terms of complications to me.

In terms of TI itself, see Source Book 1's Robot RCC (either original or revised). Basically if the technology is around it is very experimental or alien (which is carried over in WB5).

Now using a 'bot/pa/vehicle as a frame for a FCB is certainly possible (Triax does it), but seems to be something that is very rare. Something to keep in mind though is how would these essentially FCBs relax and handle repair work and maintenance. I would think dedicated FCB frames take this into consideration, but a converted unit can't easily consider these things. Then you have the psychological issues (possibly even being magnified here than if one is dealing with a traditional FCB)

As for controlling drones, not many factions use drones AFAIK.

IMO if someone had reliable transferred intelligence capability, the best answer would be something like the "bad guy" in the novel Apocalypse Troll, by David Weber
or the "shell People" series of novels by Anne Mccaffrey.
IE the transferred intelligence "brain housing/Computer" has a standard interface (and possibly some redundant (backup) sensors on the "brain. then it gets inserted into some standard series of "bodies"
off hand I would expect: Cyber Humanoid (or equivalent), Light combat, medium combat, heavy combat, "modified" power armor: robot vehicles, tanks etc.

my reasoning the cyber humanoid body (if the transferred intelligence core is small enough to fit) gives the transferred intelligence as close to a "normal body" option as possible. this could be both for down time, and retirement purposes. most of the other chassis option would be combat, and or possibly industry related.

I been creating a TW wizard use transference of essence & intellect. Though not what your looking for.

Blackwater Sniper wrote:If a PC can be become a Full-conversion 'Borg, with a few modifications, why can't they have their mind transferred into a Glitterboy, Triax robot, Naruni 'Bot, or any combat transport?

Or for that matter into a main frame that controls multiple drones in support of front line troops.

While there may be some initial psychic feedback, it wouldn't be any worse than a 'Borg.

Top of the order...the title. Just to let it be known, the term transferred intelligence has a specific meaning within the PB lexicon. It is when the person's consciousness/self/mind is transferred into a cybernetic/AI brain.

As to why a Borg char just can't have a Borg body based on a glitterboy (or any PA) Power Armor? As a quest item...nothing but a GM letting them get one built. However, there is no canon text that allows this at char creation, so it is up to GMs to ether allow or disallow in their games as they see fit.

If you were using the TI term as per PB lex. then the problem is that there is no mechanic in the Rifts game to make a TI char, in the Rifts core book and it would require the use of the RSB1 to make a TI char.
Triax MOMs...those are remote controlling a robot body. Not a transferred intel. Note that there is a 'control van' where the char's body stays, in an unconscious state while controlling the not so far off robot body. There are rules covering this for when controlling non-humanoid bodies in the MiO ATB/Rifts sourcebook.


There is a HU hero that has many bodies that if one is beaten to scrap he just controls the next, in the century station sourcebook. However, to control multiple bodies would to be to divide the mind's attention. The NB core book has a NB talent (the unique racial power of NB) where the char is controlling two bodies and the side they are paying less attention through get -2 combat rolls and -20% skills. (Splitting image) The human mind does not do multitasking very well. (this is something scientifically proven. those that say they can multi-task well are just are able to switch back and forth with relative ease between the tasks. For normal people it takes about 20 mins to get back 'on-task' after being interrupted.)

Now if the char is a AI char....then it is possible for the AI to control multiple bodies within theory. But within he game rules they...AIs.. have the same limitations as flesh and blood people. So it would be structured better if the parasite bodies have their own control systems (computers or AI brains) that take direction from the main body. This can be seen in the anime Macross II with their slave combat drones. Which are detailed with PB game stats in the M2 gamebooks. (E-bay or ask around to barrow the books.)

Psychic feedback????
Generally speaking, once a char becomes a TI they are immune to the same psychic powers as AI / Androids are immune to. It would take an act of GM to make than able to be use Psi powers or to be effected by them.

AS fun as it might be, I always figured that transferring into a combat robot or vehicle, as opposed to a purpose-built bionic chassis would have a big letdown In the lack of TACTILE senses.
Even with diminished touch, a purpose-built 'Borg is likely to have tactile patches all over to give them a sense of body feel and positioning sense(like leaning against a rock, or brushing against something).
Unless you're willing to do something similar(or modify the sensor systems to give equivalent and proportional stimuli)to your production-model 'bot, to accommodate the organic tactile sense, the human brain is going to go a little nuts dealing with the lack of stimuli(yeah, I saw the ADPolice episode "The Man Who Bites His Tongue").
You might be free of the slings and arrows that come with being able to sense minor pain, but you also lose out on awareness. It would be like trying to drive your car around your house without hitting anything, or walking around with your skin numbed by topical anesthetics.

Of course, MYSTIC transferrals might have some sparkling magic bull$#!+ to compensate, like ectop[asmic tactile sheathing or something(GM's prerogative).

one thing to keep in mind is that when a person becomes a borg, they are not moving their consciousness. it remains in the same squishy meat brain. a borg just moves that brain out of the flesh and bone cranium and into a tank inside the mechanical body. in theory you could probably convert a robot or power armor to become a borg body by hooking up said "brain in a tank" to the vehicle's control computers and rigging up mounting points to carry said brain-tank and its life support systems inside. (the NGR actually does this sometimes, see WB5 pg168-169 "brain transplant")

a Transferred Intelligence however moves the consciousness out of the flesh brain and converts it into a computer program running on processors. it becomes a "ghost in the machine" with no organic parts. this is why it is classified under the rules as a form of Artificial intelligence alongside neural intelligence (classic "the computer woke up" type AI, seen in stuff like Commander Data, Skynet, etc. in media, and ARCHIE-3 in Rifts)
as mention by others, no society we've been given details on in the game is capable of making a Transferred Intelligence on a regular basis, not even as an unreliable experimental procedure. all the examples we have had in Palladium's game lines so far have been basically accidents of superscience or one off mad-science experiments that couldn't be duplicated. nor do we have any magic that allows for it, though there are a handful of spells that a kind GM might allow to pull off something similar.

what might be interesting is somehow doing both: you have your brain transplanted into one Glitter Boy, but can project your consciousness from that brain into a 2nd Glitter Boy

Axelmania wrote:what might be interesting is somehow doing both: you have your brain transplanted into one Glitter Boy, but can project your consciousness from that brain into a 2nd Glitter Boy

A glitterboy borg body *nods* See my above post.
Controling a remote robot body.....within the rifts rules....there are the triax MoM implants (as mentioned above) and the moon colony's VR system in MiO (as mentioned above). If there are other remote control systems within the rifts rules/canon text will someone mention it?

As such both fall into a 'Not at char creation w/o a GM okaying the outside rules mods' for the GB body and the controlling system.

Blackwater Sniper wrote:If a PC can be become a Full-conversion 'Borg, with a few modifications, why can't they have their mind transferred into a Glitterboy, Triax robot, Naruni 'Bot, or any combat transport?

Or for that matter into a main frame that controls multiple drones in support of front line troops.

While there may be some initial psychic feedback, it wouldn't be any worse than a 'Borg.

See source book 1. (transferred intelligence robots are a thing)
See Japan
see Triax and NGR.

drewkitty ~..~ wrote:If there are other remote control systems within the rifts rules/canon text will someone mention it?

Naurni's drone systems in Mercenaries (pg126-30) has the piloted NE-300 OMAV Combat Pod to control a (small) unit of drones. Their NE-MD1000 (DB8pg85-88) also utilizes NE drones under its command.

at the end of the day, I would say that a transferred intelligence should essentially be treated as a borg with the understanding that at the end of the day the only difference is that the borg conversion keeps the organic brain and some of the spine. (think original robocop ) or the criminal from robocop 2

a transferred intelligence replaces the last scraps of flesh, with a non biological processor core although if you include the option of transferring the mind to another biological processor... you get movies like selfless, freejack, the 6th day, but a better transferred intelligence as in rifts terns would be the movie chappie, Anima, DR who the forest of the dead episode, the tv series upload, or the ghost in the shell.

one thing that you have to decide is after you you have the "brain in the box" what do you use as the body.

at this point the first question is what is the minimum size of the processor/brain as this will significantly factor into the minimum "body" size needed to house the mind. also is remote or teleoperation feasible. and how much "focus" is needed to operate the body/bodies

Could the process of transferring intelligence be used to create multiple non organic copies of the original intelligence?

Could said intelligences be linked in a radio hive mind.

Under the canon "There can only be One" to quote a movie.

Hive Mind...player side...nah. thou if a GM cooked it up for his or her game sounds like it would be an interesting idea for an opponent(s).

Blue_Lion wrote:Could the process of transferring intelligence be used to create multiple non organic copies of the original intelligence?

Could said intelligences be linked in a radio hive mind.

don't we already have a race of utterly insane cyborg monsters bent on killing everything else?

because that's pretty much what you end up with when you link hundreds of identical copies of someone's brain together and put them all in robot bodies.