Source Starship Operations Manual pg. 34
PCU 0; Cost (in BP) Special
A virtual intelligence (or VI) is an extraordinarily sophisticated programmed entity that replicates the social pleasantries of an artificial personality (Core Rulebook 216) yet lacks the soul and true free will of an android or sentient robotic organism. When installed in a starship, a VI can monitor the vessel’s status, contribute as an officer, and more. Each VI has a tier that determines its modifiers for Computers, Piloting, and gunnery checks; a VI’s tier cannot exceed the starship’s tier.
Once installed and integrated into a starship’s system, the virtual intelligence has access to all technological aspects of the starship. Unless specified otherwise by a starship administrator (such as an officer), the VI has unrestricted access to the starship’s computer systems and can access any of these systems. The VI always knows the starship’s status, including its current HP, SP, and critical damage conditions. With administrator permission, the virtual intelligence can even assume the gunner, pilot, or science officer role during a starship combat encounter; the VI has a number of skill ranks and an effective level equal to its tier for all starship combat purposes, such as determining the starship’s AC and TL if the VI acts as its pilot. A starship’s VI cannot normally pilot vehicles or access computers that aren’t directly connected to its starship’s network. | VI TIER | SKILL MODIFIER | GUNNERY MODIFIER | BP COST | | 1 or lower | +7 | +4 | 5 | | 2 | +8 | +5 | 7 | | 3 | +10 | +6 | 9 | | 4 | +11 | +8 | 11 | | 5 | +12 | +9 | 13 | | 6 | +13 | +10 | 15 | | 7 | +15 | +11 | 18 | | 8 | +16 | +13 | 20 | | 9 | +17 | +14 | 23 | | 10 | +19 | +14 | 27 | | 11 | +20 | +15 | 31 | | 12 | +21 | +16 | 35 | | 13 | +22 | +18 | 40 | | 14 | +24 | +19 | 45 | | 15 | +25 | +21 | 50 | | 16 | +26 | +22 | 60 | | 17 | +27 | +24 | 70 | | 18 | +28 | +25 | 80 | | 19 | +29 | +27 | 90 | | 20 | +31 | +28 | 100 |
VI Upgrades In addition to increasing your starship VI’s tier, you can purchase auxiliary upgrades for the VI that expand its capabilities on the starship. The following are the most common upgrades, though some spacefarers have pioneered ways to shift their starship’s VI into drones, robots, vehicles, and other technological bodies that allow the VI to accompany them beyond space and spaceport docks.
Holographic Projector: A VI with the holographic projector upgrade gains the ability to project a hardlight hologram of itself anywhere within the starship. As a living hologram, the VI uses the statistics of an elemental whose maximum size is the size of the starship or the size associated with its model type, whichever is smaller. The living hologram also gains the incorporeal and technological subtypes, as well as the freeze, hardlight slam, and rejuvenation abilities of a living hologram. In addition, the living hologram cannot move more than 30 feet beyond the starship without being immediately destroyed (though it can rejuvenate).
The VI can manifest or dismiss its hardlight body as a move action, and if the hologram is destroyed, the VI’s consciousness returns to the starship’s computers, where it’s confined until the hologram can rejuvenate 1d4 hours later. The VI’s projector is typically located within the starship’s computer mainframe. | UPGRADE MODEL | STAT BLOCK | BP COST | | Mk 1 | Tiny | 2 | | Mk 2 | Small | 6 | | Mk 3 | Medium | 9 | | Mk 4 | Large | 13 | | Mk 5 | Huge | 20 | | Mk 6 | Elder (Huge) | 30 |
Skill Expander: A skill expander module grants its VI additional subroutines that train it in additional skills. Choose a number of Intelligence-, Wisdom-, or Charisma-based skills equal to the upgrade’s model. The VI becomes trained in those skills, its skill check modifiers are determined by its tier, and it is treated as having a number of ranks in that skill equal to its tier. This also provides the VI auxiliary systems that let it perform basic tasks related to these skills. For example, a VI with a Life Science skill expander would gain hardware that enables it to perform the craft food or drink task. | UPGRADE MODEL | BP COST | | Mk 1 | 5 | | Mk 2 | 8 | | Mk 3 | 12 | | Mk 4 | 18 | | Mk 5 | 27 | | Mk 6 | 41 | | Mk 7 | 62 | | Mk 8 | 93 | | Mk 9 | 140 | | Mk 10 | 210 |
Starship AI Rarely, a starship VI’s sentience develops to the point that it attracts or generates a soul and becomes a true artificial intelligence (or AI). While such a starship technically has the same legal protections as androids do, such an AI’s similarity to more familiar VIs tends to garner dismissal from living creatures; many see these AIs as merely part of a starship rather than truly independent beings. However, legal precedent favors these starships, which cannot be bought or sold. Instead, explorers wanting to recruit such a starship or AI undergo a lengthy interview process and contract negotiation. There are instances of starship AIs refusing commands that contradict the agreed terms—even suing their bridge crews, forcing them to comply with court-backed authority.
A starship AI acts as an NPC under the GM’s control. Although the AI’s goals normally align with those of its crew, it doesn’t have to follow their commands if doing so would prove self-destructive or it simply doesn’t want to. Starship AIs rarely mind menial tasks, such as turning lights off and on or opening doors, but they usually disregard self-destructive commands and can distinguish friend from foe.
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