I think these rules look like a nice and straight forward AI rules. I think I might use some version of these at my table the next time an AI character comes up.
And as a counterpoint to your nice clean rules set I offer a rules patch I wrote for my table a while back. I wrote it like an errata document for the AI chapter in Data Trails. Far more convoluted because I tried to stick close to what was already there. Eitherway, here it is:
AI House Rules
p. 145: After “This familiarity with the Matrix grants them a +3 dice pool modifier to all Matrix Perception test” add “,or Matrix actions made in full VR.” (NOTE this is either a replacement for the normal +2 from Hotsim, or in addition if you’re feeling nasty)
p. 145: After the last paragraph under the heading “More Than A Mook” insert “AI characters reduce all lifestyle costs by 50%.”
p. 147: On the “AI Variant Attribute Chart” add “Low-Profile” to all “Racial:” entries.
p. 151: After “;any other type of vehicle must be controlled remotely using the Control Device action” add “,or piloted directly using the corresponding active skill when occupying a program slot.”
p. 152: In the sentence “An AI can survive on a grid for a number of hours equal to its Depth rating before it must make a Willpower + Charisma [Depth] Success Test to resist permanently losing one point of Essence.” Replace “permanently” with “temporarily.” Then add the following, “Essence lost in this manner will regenerate in 10 - Depth days, unless the AI suffers a permanent loss of Essence for any reason during this period; in this case the temporary Essence loss will also become permanent. If the temporary loss of Essence would result in an Essence of 0, the AI will cease to exist.”
p. 153: Replace “The value of the chosen rating is then immediately added to the character’s Overwatch Score, and the action is attempted at a negative dice pool modifier equal to (Rating / 2, rounded up)” with “Half the value (rounded down) is then immediately added to the character’s Overwatch Score, and the action is then attempted with a negative dice pool modifier equal to (Rating / 2, rounded up).”
p. 153: Replace “The gamemaster should still add the defender’s hits to the AI character’s OS afterwards” with “The gamemaster should add the half the defender’s hits (rounded up; see Low-Profile p. 149) against Emulation Actions to the AI character’s OS afterwords.”
*Note* General house rule ignores negative impacts of failing attack and Sleaze checks. See p. 153 Data Trails and p. 231 Core
p. 154: Delete the last sentence under the heading “Depth Actions” before the heading “Emulate (Variable Action).”
p. 154: Under “Emulate (Variable Action)” replace “The chosen rating is immediately added to the AI’s Overwatch Score.” With “Half the chosen rating is immediately added to the AI’s Overwatch Score.”
p. 154: Delete “Spending an Edge to Push the Limit of this action increases the AI’s Overwatch Score by the total number of hits it gets on its chosen test, not the action’s rating.”
p. 154: Under the heading “AI Matrix Combat” Replace “AI’s don’t have any overflow boxes; filing either of their Condition Monitors causes them to Immediately be disrupted” with “The Core Condition Monitor has a number of overflow boxes equal to Depth, but the Matrix Condition Monitor has no overflow boxes. If the Matrix Condition Monitor is filled the AI is immediately ejected from the device, losing all marks and entering Realignment. At the end of each combat turn (including the turn in which the AI was ejected), the AI character must make a Willpower + Charisma [Depth] Test. Success on this test brings the AI out of Realignment. If the Core Condition Monitor is filled the AI is immediately disrupted and enters Restoration (p. 156).”
p. 154: Delete “If an AI’s Matrix or Core Condition Monitor is filled up, the AI is immediately disrupted.”
p. 155: Replace all text outside of the text box with:
“When an AI is disrupted, but its overflow boxes are not exceeded the AI character must make a Willpower + Depth [number of boxes of overflow damage], or immediately lose one Essence. If the AI was running on a device that was not bricked Essence loss may be resisted with Willpower + Firewall + Depth. If all overflow boxes are filled or exceeded the AI character automatically loses one Essence.
The Disrupted AI also loses one advanced program chosen at random. The advanced program may be relearned, but it must be repurchased at full Karma cost. AIs take on the Fragmentation quality every time they lose a point of Essence, but only once per event, not once per point lost. AIs may choose to replace lost Essence by decreasing their Depth (to a minimum of 1). Essence replaced with Depth is a one for one exchange. This exchange can only be made during Restoration.
If an AI’s Essence is reduced to 0, its core becomes too corrupted to properly restore itself. The AI’s code is still dispersed throughout the Matrix, and pieces of it may get collected into other AIs or used in other ways, but for all intents and purposes the character should be considered dead.”
p. 156: Delete the first full paragraph on this page beginning with “Bricking the AI’s device…” and ending with “…that may never be regained.”
