Cortical Datastack (Augmentation) from Altered Carbon

[Imnotgoodwithnames]

I recently just finished watching the Netflix show Altered Carbon and was inspired to see if I could adapt the cortical datastack to the Starfinder Universe or at least adapt Starfinder ruleset to create the Altered Carbon universe. Here is the Cortical Datastack augmentation and a couple of extra envoy improvisations:

CORTICAL DATASTACK (Augmentation)
System Neck

Model
Cortical Datastack Mark I: Level 1; Price 0
Cortical Datastack Mark 2: Level 5; Price 4,500; Negate Level Damage
Cortical Datastack Mark 3: Level 10; Price 21,350; Astrogation Charts
Cortical Datastack Mark 4: Level 16; Price 171,800; DHF Backup

Mark 1 Cortical Datastacks “stacks” serve as a receptacle for the human consciousness or Digital Human Freight (D.H.F.). Stacks are small discs that fit inside the human body at the base of the skull, taking the place of a single cervical vertebra. All citizens within the Protectorate have a stack implanted when they are one year old and upon death of their body, the DHF may be transferred to a new body called a “sleeve”. Destruction of a cortical datastack is Real Death.

The cost for a new sleeve is between 100 and 50,000 credits.
Used Sleeve: This worn out and/or uninhabited body cost 100 credits if you can get permission from the Protectorate.
Fresh Sleeve: A newly grown sleeve (randomly generated on the reincarnation spell chart) costs 1,000 credits. For 10,000 credits the buyer can choose the species of the fresh sleeve, which can also be customized for an additional fee.
Clone: Clones of individuals are grown at great cost and can be manufactured for 50,000 credits.
This process it treated like the spells reincarnation and raise dead for permanent effects like negative levels and ability score recalculation.

Mark 2 Cortical Datastacks are upgraded with more efficient software for maintaining memories and abilities of the individual. These Stacks do not inur permanent negative levels when resleeved.

Mark 3 Cortical Datastacks are upgraded with astrogation charts mapping several habitable planets within the galaxy. Cortical Stacks were originally developed as a means of interstellar travel to reach these planets. By downloading the human consciousness they were able to transmit it to a waiting body or "Sleeve" on a distant planet. This method of transmitting consciousness off-world, called Needlecasting, allowed instant travel to anywhere in the Settled Worlds that otherwise would take centuries to reach by traditional means.

Mark 4 Cortical Datastacks are upgraded with a D.H.F. backup service. This is a very expensive service for the wealthy, remote D.H.F. backup, that holds and updates a duplicate of the client's consciousness to a separate remote Cortical Stack held in a secure vault. Every so often an update sends the most recent memories and experiences of the client from their current Cortical Stack to their backup stack via the process of Needlecasting, ensuring that even if their current stack is destroyed they have a backup in a secure location with all their memories leading up to the most recent update. These backups are only placed in a sleeve when the original stack is destroyed.

Additional Rules

Sleeve sickness
Transferring DHF to a new body is a trying process for an individual and being transferred into anything other than a clone causes sleeve sickness. Being transferred to another sleeve of the same species causes the sickened condition for 1d4 days. And being transferred to another sleeve of a different species causes nausea for one day and the sickened condition for an additional 1d10 days.

Personality Frag
When a cortical datastack is transferred too many times, it can lead to “personality fragmentation” and mental decay. This is decay follows the Mental Disease Track. Every time an individual is resleeved, in a body other than their clone, there is a chance they will incur personality frag. They must make a will save DC equal to 15 + their current level.

ENVOY IMPROVISATIONS

Resleeve Specialist (Ex) 4th Level
You receive a +4 to saves against personality frag and negate sleeve sickness.

Superior Will (Ex) 6th Level
You can spend 2 Resolve Points to roll your expertise die and add the result to a will saving throw against compulsion, mind-affecting, or illusory effects either technological or magical.

[The Dalesman]

I was wondering when someone would take a crack at this. Very nice :)

Your Friendly Neighborhood Dalesman
"Bringing Big D**n Justice to the Bad Guys Since 1369 DR"

[Losobal]

I like it. Gets a little wonky on the metaphysical though. Like unlike 'conventional life' in the AC setting where the whole "Does the Soul really exist?" it does in Starfinder.

So if you die, but your stack remains...but what happens to your soul, do you go get judged and the copy is just a copy? Is the stack like a 'magic jar' for your soul? meaning you don't actually die until the stack is destroyed too?

[Metaphysician]

Don't see why it couldn't be that latter, or even that it would need to be. Note that the souls of people destined to be resurrected basically get to hang out in a Boneyards waiting room until they actually are revived. So, if you have a cortical stack, it doesn't need to contain your soul, it just needs to facilitate revival.

So, why record the mind state? Easy: because recording the mind state makes resurrection easier. Its effectively a really, *really* strong sympathetic connection to the decedent, facilitating the restoration. Hence why, instead of requiring a high level spell with five figure costs to raise someone, you just need a spare "empty" body and an intact ( relatively cheap ) stack.

[Imnotgoodwithnames]

I agree with Metaphysician that the Stack is more of a way to facilitate revival and bring back the soul from the Boneyard. In fact, the television show has a subplot of people refusing to be Spun Up again for fear of what happens to their soul. That could be taken even further in the Starfinder universe. Some Gods may disapprove of corrupting the soul by putting it in another body where as others like, Triune, might think its pretty cool, and Pharasma might just be a little more than annoyed.

[Metaphysician]

I suspect most gods would largely be irked by the social changes, more than the metaphysical ones. Its not like there aren't species that are really long lived, after all, and even universal cortical stacks only reduce your annual probability of death, they don't eliminate it. Eventually, pretty much everyone is going to have the bad luck to die from something bad enough to prevent revival ( stack destroyed, stack lost, etc ). This might be ten or twenty times longer than the prior lifespan, but meh.

[Metaphysician]

Bit of a necro, but something I just thought of that vastly minimizes the influence of cortical stacks in this scenario: individual volition. Which is to say. . . the other requirement for revival from death is "the spirit must be willing". If the decedent doesn't want to come back, they don't come back ( barring high level, extremely evil necromancy, anyway ).

Thus, cortical stacks would be great at preventing unexpected premature death. However, the longer a person lives, the greater the chance that they just stop caring overly much about continuing to live, due to boredom or detachment from others or such. Wouldn't necessarily be a high chance on a year by year basis, but, absent an obvious compelling motivation to live forever? There'd be a certain non-trivial "failure rate" for cortical stack revivals, due to 'the decedent is fine with passing on'.

One likely social consequence of this: a newer, modified strain of the traditional idea of "living your life with an eye on eternity", with people using stacks to live. . . not forever, but until they believe they have perfected their own desired afterlife status. On the Good side of things, this might involve redeeming all acts of weakness, fulfilling all responsibilities, and paying forward all generosities, until even your own death is a noble act, delivering refined spiritual materia to the Upper Planes. On the Evil side of things. . . this may involve doing whatever it takes to ensure you have as much power as possible after death, thus ensuring your own ( relatively ) comfortable and successful status in the Lower Planes.

[s0ulrider]

Loved Altered Carbon (book and series)
One of my favorite games is Eclipse Phase deals with this a lot. Personally I feel the gods could care less. The "Soul" travels with the Ego/consciousness. In my games consciousness is required for a Soul. Consciousness is required for free choice or we'd all be Neutral alignment like the wild beasties.

The stack just extends life and doesn't make one immortal in any real sense. Death comes to visit all, including the elves.

anyway my 2 credits.

Interesting article about Eclipse Phase and Altered Carbon. It includes a link to Eclipse Phase rule book for free. The rule system is bulky, but one can just pick and choose what one likes and adapt it to SF.

https://geekandsundry.com/eclipse-phase-is-an-altered-carbon-rpg-resleeved/