The Associated Worlds - technicalities

Are balloons viable combat shells?

Examine your assumption

Amorphs are going to be kinda squishy

Under the vast majority of combat situations, if they can get close enough to squish you you've lost. Game over. For the rare situations it's not, that's what military grade power armour exists for

Then how come not everyone is a blob?

Why haven't you covered your body in piercings and tattoos?

Because it would be painful?

04:04

They are not augments

If you wants to be a blob in the Imperium you can be a blob.

But physics-wise, why not?

There's no penalty to it. Just as there is no penalty to being a biped. Or a giant wolf. Or a dinosaur

04:07

Body shapes are a mixture of personal preference and task suitability. There's a canonical character who is an eldrae at home and a mechasquid at work. And that's not considered odd

A blob at home, a cybernetic eagle at mercenary work?

04:09

So, there is no "ultimate form"?

Of course not.

@Unknown there are still fundamental material limits as to how much bullet a certain amount of armor is going to protect against

[bionics] Enh, the most likely limiting factors are probably energy consumption and thermal management. But I cannot help but think that spending too much time and effort accounting for this sort of thing -and, to a certain extent, excessive concern for balance in general - rather goes against the awesome-people-being-awesome genre. (edited)

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17:59

So I say let people turn themselves into walking tanks if they want to. The "balance" for that is that you're weirdly overspecialized, have probably traded away enough abilities (like most of your sense of touch) that your life isn't actually that enjoyable any more, and made the world stereotype you as "unsubtle, unimaginative thug who shouldn't be invited to any of the good parties".

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On the other hand they guy with a walking tank shell that he is comfortable in probably gets invited to all the best parties (edited)

(Also, to really reflect the genre, INT, WIS, and cycles-per-second-accessible are your killer stats. Mister walking-tank-guy should therefore expect to be pwned hard by someone who spent more money on processor time and less on looking badass to people who've watched too many bad movies.)

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What about cybernetic soldiers?

18:02

solider cyborgs

18:02

with two arms

18:03

and weird looking tactical helmets

for "best parties" measured in "quantity of live fire discharged during said party"

18:03

@Unknown when everyone is cybernetic the term ceases to have much meaning

Oh, you don't want a party, you want a par-tay.

I mean't to say: Really cybernetic sophont soldier mercs (edited)

it isn't a party until someone starts using the empty kegs for improv targets

Of which there are none.

18:45

There's a reason I talk about nanocyborgs. That's because there is basically nothing that your stereotypical cyberpunk chromeboy can do that can't be done better by (a) a drone, or (b) a suit. And the latter has the distinct advantage that you can take it off .

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Ghost in the Shell kind of covered the "artificial limbs are stronger" myth in the manga.

There's probably still some merit in internal macro-implants, for special forces if nothing else.

that is called a custom shell

Still, "after-market" mods might be more cost-effective in some situations.

@Overmind I beg to differ

I feel like you'd need to rework the standard mental stats for a world where everyone is deeply linked to the weave by default.

02:42

Something more like FLOPS, bandwidth, and latency, maybe?

Sure Tron, but why not instead of implants in your main body, why not just build a purpose-built shell you wear to work and don't care how it looks in a tailcoat, and keep your flashy flamboyant and dashing party shell tucked away in a nice cozy nutrient bath at home?

How do you even switch bodies without "dying"?

05:34

Do you come out the other side, with a memory of the previous action, or do you die and get replaced by an exact copy of your mind-state? (edited)

Memory of previous action

How the hell does that even work?

05:52

Aren't you dead?

05:52

is some quantum magic at work?

05:54

does your mind get sucked out of your brain?

I smell the blood of a continuity theorist.

(insert vampire quote here)

The Empire—and most of the Worlds—subscribe to pattern theory.

So if I initiate mindcast, I die?

Your question of "do you come out the other side […] or get replaced by an exact copy" is a null question in pattern theory.

05:58

Because an exact copy, by merit of being indistinguishable from you, is you.

are you dead?

Maybe—that depends on whether it was a destructive read.