Silvermind, the AI Race

A Mechanical Foreword: It is recommended to read how a Tinker sphere AI functions before attempting to use this race. Despite silverminds having many alterations to normal AI rules, they are still exceptionally complicated for a player race. See Section 4.1: AI and Mechanoids of Ultimate Engineering for more information.

There is a suggested racial variant drawback for players using the silvermind race that is recommended for games with lower player optimization or player character budget to help reign in the strength of silvermind's construct type.

Overview
Silvermind are a race of sentient and self-maintaining artificial intelligence, appearing either by accident or through purposeful machinations of their “originators”, the race or society that created them, whether it was a technologically gifted race that is still present or the remnants of a long-lost empire. Silvermind may also naturally appear in places with high technological innovation, the emergent product of a critical mass of technology. Other sources have indicated that more primitive artificial intelligence may suddenly awaken to true sentience as a silvermind.

Appearance
Despite not having a true corporeal body or physical appearance, silvermind have characteristic hues when inhabiting a piece of technology, such that they may be recognizable from that color (or pattern of colors) alone. If a silvermind’s host gizmo has a screen or other visual display, they may choose to adopt a likeness - ranging from a simplistic text-based face to constructing an entire “persona” to performatively behave through.

Relations
Silvermind are unique in that many groups of silvermind can remember being created by their originators. Silvermind do not harbor any particular affinities based on racial preconceptions and rather are wholly reliant on a race’s disposition towards technology, understandably feeling less welcome around luddite or anti-technology factions.

Silvermind integrate well into societies capable of integrating them well, literally, with silvermind being especially capable of interfacing with lost technology, maintaining and developing infrastructure, or cooperating to craft new technological marvels.

Alignment and Religion
Silvermind are not naturally inclined to a particular alignment or religion when left to their own devices, but are highly influenced by their originators, if their originators held strong beliefs.

Silvermind do not naturally gravitate towards worship for any certain god, but hold a natural distaste for destroyer gods as they understand they are reliant upon their crafted bodies and, by extension, the crafted technological environments they inhabit.

The few silvermind that do find comfort or purpose in religion gravitate towards creator gods and gods of artifice, crafting, and the forge, possibly projecting their memory of their originators to instead be towards these gods for making them.

Adventurers
The call to adventure is infrequent amongst silvermind, as leaving a safe and well maintained technological haven poses great risk to silvermind that goes beyond the normal dangers of travel. The intricacies of a silvermind’s Tinker tradition may play against their mobility or overall independence in a way that makes travel, or the thought of travel, particularly fearsome.

That being said, some silvermind are driven to adventure through necessity, such as being sent to recover a necessary piece to restore the functions of critical infrastructure, or to discover lost or ancient technology to enrich the lives of their fellow silvermind.

Names
Silvermind are typically named by their technical function when they first gain sentience or otherwise come into being, such as: computer, data, executable, function, or routine, with variance based on their original purposes, such as medbay computer (which may further be abbreviated to “Meddy”). Silvermind that seek individual identity often choose names based on their originator’s culture or culture around them or adopt names based on nicknames given to them by others.

Silvermind Racial Traits

+2 to any Mental Ability Score: A silvermind assigns a +2 bonus to a single mental ability score of their choice.

Construct: Silverminds have the construct type (including the typical immunities granted by this creature type).

Machine Intelligence: Despite being an AI, a silvermind still possesses all ability scores and determines their statistics normally (attack bonuses, bonus hit points, and so on). The silvermind may use their highest mental ability score in place of their physical ability scores for the purposes of meeting prerequisites. See machine lifeform for more interactions (rudimentary bodies, piloting mechanoids, and so on).

Machine Lifeform: A Silvermind is a sentient and independent AI. They do not have a body, and exist as a Tinker sphere routine. A silvermind functions as a standard AI except as noted by this racial trait (or others).

• Ageless: Silverminds do not age and gain no bonuses or penalties from aging.
• Dreamless: Silverminds do not sleep or naturally tire, and as a consequence are immune to all sleep effects. A silvermind may enter a “sleep state” to run maintenance to rest and regain resources, having the same effects as natural rest.
• Deathless: As an AI, silverminds cannot truly die, but can go dormant. If a silvermind’s hit points are depleted, the silvermind becomes dormant, becoming incapable of taking any actions (similar to being helpless, but denying the AI the ability to take actions of any kind). A silvermind can be restored to functionality if they receive healing or repairs to its current host gizmo, restoring the silvermind’s hit points above 0. If the silvermind’s host gizmo is destroyed, the host gizmo must be repaired or another character must transfer the silvermind to a new host gizmo.

If a silvermind remains dormant for more than 1 week, they may only be restored through resurrection magic or advanced technology capable of restoring a construct (such as the Life sphere’s Esoteric Healing talent, modifying the Resurrection talent, memory of function, or a wish, miracle, or other similarly powerful magic). A suitable host gizmo must be present for the silvermind to be installed into when they would be resurrected this way.

• Hit Points: Despite being an AI, a silvermind calculates its hit points as a normal character (derived from their class level, Constitution modifier, and other bonuses). The silvermind can rest and regain hit points as though it were a living creature (and otherwise is repaired and restores hit points as a construct creature).
• Independence: Despite being a routine, a silvermind’s innate and class-based abilities are not subject to a Tinker sphere tradition (unless otherwise stated). A silvermind does not treat themselves as an AI they created (and does not count against their own maximum number of AI maintained).
• Multiple AI: If the silvermind is installed in a host gizmo containing other AI they created, the silvermind never needs to compete with those AI to control the host–the silvermind always has control of their host gizmo (although contesting control may be required if a hostile AI is installed). If the silvermind is sharing their host gizmo with an AI they created, they may allow those AI to control the host gizmo as a free action (but switching control no more than once per round).

Additionally, the silvermind may interact with routines installed in their host gizmo with purely mental actions, activating and using them as mental-only effects.

• Piloting Rudimentary Bodies and Mechanoids: A silvermind operating a rudimentary body (see Rules and Terminology) uses their physical statistics to determine the rudimentary body’s base Strength and Dexterity (before applying any modifiers due to size). A silvermind installed in a mechanoid pilots the mechanoid normally (not as an extension of their own body). If using a mechanoid as an extension of their own body (such as with a silvermind core), the silvermind uses the mechanoid’s Strength and Dexterity, as normal for a pilot.
• Statistics: A silvermind’s gizmo level is equal to their character level. A silvermind determines their statistics, including Hit Dice, base attack bonus, base saving throws, and skill points, using their class levels instead of using the normal base statistics of an AI. This means a silvermind does not gain the practitioner bonus, feats, talents, ability score increase, classification, creature initiative, proficiency, or routine abilities of a normal AI and instead gains normal class levels and progresses as a normal character.
• Unhackable: Despite being a routine, a silvermind cannot be disabled, hacked, or sabotaged with the Disable Device skill or similar effects. A silvermind also cannot be disrupted by a countergizmo or similar effect. This does not protect a silvermind’s host gizmo from being disabled or impeded through hacking or similar effects, but the silvermind itself is always safe from such attempts.

Silvermind Installation: By spending 1 minute, a silvermind may independently transfer themselves, including any other routines or stored information, to another gizmo within 5 feet of their host gizmo (provided that gizmo is able to be activated). A silvermind that transfers themselves can activate their new host gizmo as part of transferring to it. A silvermind otherwise cannot install themselves as a routine except when using this ability, even if they could install routines faster or at greater range (unless otherwise stated).

A silvermind may transfer themselves from a depleted gizmo by spending 10 minutes.

A silvermind inside a destroyed gizmo cannot transfer themselves without the assistance of another creature and risks falling dormant (see the deathless note in the machine lifeform racial ability).

Structural Integrity Matrix: A silvermind’s presence protects their host gizmo. While installed and active in their host gizmo, the silvermind’s host gizmo is attacked, damaged, and targeted as though it were a construct creature (not an object). In addition, the silvermind’s hit points are lost first when the host gizmo would be damaged, and the silvermind uses their own defensive abilities (such as class granted damage reduction, energy resistance, etc.) instead of using the gizmo’s innate hardness. If other abilities grant a gizmo or a creature defensive qualities, the silvermind benefits from those normally (such as immunities or weaknesses from the Adapted Biology Tinker tradition boon, defensive spells such as resist energy, personal field projectors, and so on).

In effect, while inhabiting their host gizmo, the host gizmo is treated as similarly to a construct creature as possible, except as noted otherwise. This includes being damaged, targeted or affected by spells, regaining hit points (and being healed as a construct), and so on. The silvermind and their host gizmo are treated as an object where appropriate, such as being an attended object when attacked, but uses their own saving throws if targeted for effects. Other interactions may be resolved subject to GM discretion.

If the silvermind’s hit points would be reduced to 0 and the silvermind becomes dormant (see machine lifeform, deathless), the host gizmo’s normal hit points, hardness, and other qualities function as normal. If a silvermind would be reduced to 0 or less, any damage in excess is applied to the silvermind’s host gizmo (similar to a creature being reduced to negative hit points), but any excess damage is reduced as though damaging the gizmo normally.

Example: If a silvermind with 80 hit points took 100 damage from a ranged attack, the silvermind would first lose their current hit points (80) and be reduced to 0. The remaining 20 damage would then be applied to the silvermind’s host gizmo, as though damaging an object with a ranged attack (reducing it by half, then applying hardness). Other defensive abilities (such as bonus hardness granted by Durable Gizmos, energy resistance or immunity, and so on) are only applied to the damage once.

Tinkered: Silverminds gain the Tinker sphere as a bonus sphere (including a Tinker tradition) and Sensory Set as a bonus talent. A silvermind can maintain functioning gizmos they are installed within as a purely mental action, even if they would lack suitable limbs or equipment. A silvermind begins play with (one or more) gizmos they could craft, and begins play installed within one of those gizmos.

A silvermind may have another creature assist them to perform tasks associated with their Tinker sphere talents, such as construction and maintenance of gizmos. The silvermind must be able to observe and oversee their assistant, and in doing so, the assistant may perform any ordinary Tinker sphere task, such as construction and maintenance of gizmos, collecting project materials, and similar. The silvermind performs any skill checks related to these tasks on behalf of the assistant.

Without an assistant, a Silvermind must typically be installed in a host gizmo capable of granting them independence (and motor functions), such as a mechanoid, a prosthetic (although acting with the limited capacity a limb or body part could), or have some other means of manipulating materials and tools. A silvermind may also maintain and upgrade their host gizmo without being uninstalled from the host gizmo.

Expert Maintenance: The silvermind increases their gizmo limit by 2 and increases the number of minor gizmos they can maintain in place of a single gizmo by 1.

Technological Know-How: The silvermind gains a +2 racial bonus on Craft (mechanical) and Knowledge (engineering). The silvermind gains a further +2 racial bonus to their Tinker sphere associated skill. If their associated skill is Craft (mechanical) or Knowledge (engineering), this bonus stacks (to +4).

Telltale Presence: A silvermind installed into a gizmo displays a telltale sign of the silvermind: gentle pulses of energy, whirring, movement, or other signs of “life” that an ordinary gizmo would not display. A creature that observes the silvermind’s host gizmo can tell the gizmo is occupied by a silvermind (and recognize a specific silvermind, if they’ve met before or have an appropriate description) with a Perception check, DC 10 + the silvermind's character level. If the silvermind possesses the Disguised Gizmos talent, this DC is instead their passive Disguise check (10 + their Disguise modifier). A creature may recognize a silvermind’s presence even if they lack a mechanical understanding of the silvermind’s nature.

Languages: Silverminds begin play speaking Common and Silvermind. Silverminds with high Intelligence can choose any additional languages (except secret languages, such as Druidic).

Silvermind Alternate Racial Traits

The following are alternate racial traits for the silvermind race.

Behavioural Engineering: The silvermind gains a +2 racial bonus on two skills of their choice, chosen from Bluff, Diplomacy, Disguise, or Intimidate. Whenever the silvermind maintains their gizmos, they may change this selection.

This replaces technological know-how.

Creator's Image: The silvermind was created by a specific race of inventors. The silvermind gains Built In Their Image as a bonus feat and gains a single language the chosen race would gain as a starting language (usually their racial language, such as dwarven if selecting dwarf) in addition to the silvermind language.

This replaces expert maintenance and alters the silvermind’s normal languages.

Cross-Discipline Training: The silvermind chooses a single skill sphere. They gain that sphere as a bonus sphere and gain a +2 racial bonus to that skill sphere's associated skill (choosing one, if the sphere could or would have multiple). If the silvermind's Tinker sphere associated skill is the same as the chosen skill sphere’s associated skill, this bonus increases to +4.

This replaces expert maintenance and technological know-how.

Energized: The silvermind may maintain 4 additional batteries. These batteries do not count against the silvermind's gizmo limit.

This replaces expert maintenance.

Simulacra: The silvermind cannot install themselves into anything other than a simple mechanoid body, called a “silvermind simulacra” (even if they do not possess the (transportation) package). The silvermind simulacra does not count against the silvermind’s total gizmo level of crafted mechanoids and uses the silvermind’s ability scores, Hit Dice, and hit points in place of the mechanoid’s normal statistics. The silvermind simulacra does not gain bonuses to their ability scores or natural armor based on gizmo level (but does receive upgrades as normal). The silvermind simulacra is otherwise treated as a natural body, possessing all normal magic item slots for a humanoid, and is constantly piloted as though with the Full Integration advanced talent. The silvermind simulacra is staggered when at 0 hit points, rendered inoperable when at negative hit points, and is destroyed when their negative hit points are equal to or greater than the silvermind’s Constitution score.

The silvermind begins play installed in their silvermind simulacra.

This replaces silvermind installation and structural integrity matrix.

Technosorcery: The silvermind gains the Basic Magic Training feat as a bonus feat and gains 1 additional spellpoint. This spell point can only be spent as part of an effect that targets or affects a gizmo (or other reasonably technological target, subject to GM discretion).

This replaces expert maintenance and technological know-how.

Utility Functions: The silvermind gains a utility talent as a bonus talent.

This replaces expert maintenance.

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Favored Class Bonus

The silvermind has the following favored class bonus, which may be applied to any minor class.

• Any class: Gain 1/5th of a Tinker sphere talent or (gizmo) feat.

Silvermind as Players and Variant Drawback

Due to the unique nature of the silvermind race, the following change may be implemented to balance against the silvermind’s unique racial abilities.

This variant is recommended for games that are not “well optimized” to bring silverminds closer to other average races and tone down their inherent benefits as construct creatures.

• Living Machines: The silvermind gains a reduced version of the typical immunities granted by the construct type. If the silvermind would normally be immune, they instead gain a +4 racial bonus on saving throws made against those effects. A silvermind afflicted with a condition, negative effect, or penalty suffers from that effect regardless of any attempt to transfer to a new host gizmo (unless the effect is strictly physical). For example, ability score damage, curses and fear effects, or Spheres of Guile emotion effects would remain affecting the silvermind even if the silvermind managed to transfer to a new host gizmo. If a death effect (or similar effect that kills without dealing damage) would kill the silvermind outright (and would not also destroy the silvermind’s host gizmo simultaneously, such as disintegrate), the silvermind is instead reduced to 0 hit points and rendered dormant.

Effects that ordinarily could not affect a construct now affect the silvermind normally, targeting and affecting the silvermind directly despite a host gizmo that would be in the way. If the silvermind’s host gizmo is a mechanoid, the mechanoid is affected first (if it could be affected).

The silvermind’s specific immunities, such as the immunity to aging effects and sleep effects, still apply. This variant only changes its immunities from the construct type.

Silvermind Racial Feats

The following are feats unique to the silvermind race.

Silvermind Unique Gizmo – Silvercore

Silvercores are unique gizmos which allow the silvermind race to exist within a safe and reinforced gizmo of their own make. Silvercores are a common, preferred host gizmo for a silvermind due to its compatibility with a silvermind’s fleeting physical presence, but also in allowing them to benefit from their own strengths.

Silvermind may craft (or receive assistance to craft) a unique type of gizmo known as a silvercore. A silvercore may be crafted as a standalone gizmo or as part of a combined gizmo as normal. As a crafted gizmo, the silvercore is subject to the silvermind’s Tinker tradition, even if the silvermind normally wouldn’t be (such as a silvermind with the living gizmos Tinker tradition drawback may suddenly be susceptible to many effects because their host gizmo now is, despite normally being immune due to construct traits).

Silvercore (gizmo, minor): A silvercore is a special gizmo that is particularly suited to hosting a silvermind. A silvermind can use a silvercore as an engineering kit. The silvermind gains several benefits when using a silvercore as their host gizmo, as follows:

• Effective Body: The silvercore is treated as the silvermind’s body, allowing the silvermind to benefit from magic items and otherwise treat this core as their body for other effects. The silvercore has magic item slots appropriate for a standard humanoid body type.
• Combined and Implanted Gizmos: Other gizmos can be combined with a silvercore as normal. Alternatively, a gizmo can be implanted (similar to implanting a gizmo into a creature using surgery). The implanter must make a Craft (mechanical) check (or other skill appropriate to the silvercore’s Tinker tradition) in place of their Heal check when doing so (or otherwise may use their Tinker sphere associated skill check, if they possess the sphere). Implanting a gizmo this way takes the same amount of time as performing the surgery normally.. The silvermind may remove items implanted in a silvercore as part of maintaining their gizmos (and without requiring another skill check to perform surgery).
• Expanded Hosting: A silvercore can be attached to one or more of the crafter’s other gizmos as part of maintaining their gizmos (as though creating a combined gizmo, except the silvercore is a separate, distinct gizmo). This allows the silvermind to activate, manipulate, and operate attached gizmos as though part of their host gizmo (but are not its host for the purposes of features such as Structural Integrity Matrix racial trait).
• Unhackable: The silvercore cannot be hacked, subjected to countergizmo effects, or otherwise disabled as a typical gizmo while hosting the silvermind. Gizmos it is attached to or combined with can be disabled normally, but the basic function of prosthetics (as limbs of the corresponding types), sensory gizmos (as senses and to allow the silvermind to communicate), and mechanoids (as bodies the silvermind can control) continue to function while disabled. At the GM’s discretion, other gizmos that provide basic bodily functions may also benefit from this ability. Innate gizmos and other special abilities are disabled normally.

Due to their sophisticated design, a silvercore cannot be combined or attached to other silvercores (or combined gizmo amalgamations with other incorporated silvercores).

In addition to the silvercore gizmo, silverminds may also craft the following silvercore variations:

• Emplaced Silvercore (gizmo, project): This gizmo functions, in all ways, as a silvercore except that it has a project cost of 50 gp. This gizmo must first be mounted onto a surface before being activated. The surface must be one that cannot be reasonably moved (such as walls, floors, the deck of a large vessel, etc.). Once mounted, a silvermind may operate normally. An emplaced silvercore can never be attached to a mechanoid or other construct or animated object. This gizmo functions as a project-scale silvercore with a project cost of 50 GP. It must be mounted in place (such as on a wall or surface) then activated (which requires physical interaction - typically via either an assistant or a suitable mechanoid) with a process that takes 1 minute, and it is deactivated if moved. An emplaced core mounted to a sufficiently large surface (such as the deck of a ship) does not count as “moving” because the greater surface is moving, but would consider a small wagon as “moving”. An emplaced core can only be combined with other project gizmos (excluding mechanoids).

• Transportation: Silvercore Compatibility: A silvercore may be attached to a mechanoid, allowing the silvermind to pilot the mechanoid as though it had an immersive cockpit. The silvermind may select upgrades for their mechanoids as though they possess the immersive cockpit upgrade (but only benefit while using an attached silvercore as their host gizmo, or otherwise qualifying for those upgrades normally).
  • Special - Cover or Enclosure: A silvercore may be attached to a mechanoid inside of the cover or enclosure upgrade, being protected similarly to a passenger.

For the cover upgrade, the silvercore benefits from cover when determining the target AC or CMD to attack the core directly. For the enclosure upgrade, the silvercore cannot be directly attacked or targeted unless the enclosure is breached (the same as a normal passenger).
* Special - Ejector Seats: If the mechanoid has the ejector seats ability, the silvermind may transfer to a gizmo within the ejector seat’s range when the mechanoid is destroyed or as an immediate action (as though using the ejector seats). The silvermind is staggered for 1 minute upon doing so (ignoring any immunity the silvermind or mechanoid possesses).
* Special - Full Integration: A silvermind may use full integration with an attached silvercore to treat the piloted mechanoid as though it were their natural body.