Transhumanism in Golarion

[BishopMcQ]

While reading about the Androffan foundries, I thought about "sufficiently advanced technology" and the Reincarnate spell.

Reincarnate places an existing soul into a brand new body -- the ritual doesn't really delve into some of the psychosocial changes that could cause for an individual, their self-image vs the reflected image in a mirror, familial relationships, etc.

If the Androffans have the technology to create wholly sentient beings, then the technology likely also exists to create organic shells without a soul. These would be similar to clones or simulacra and serve as a vessel to receive a reincarnated soul or the use of magic jars. We've had spells which could mirror much of this in previous editions, so the Androffan technology feels sufficiently advanced to function as the magic. Having a premade vessel feels like it would be easier to stitch the soul back into, rather than needing the magic to create one fully within the ritual.

Obviously if this was being done to create immortality and prevent the soul from being judged, Pharasma and other powers would likely get involved. But for swapping one organic sleeve for another, how would the lore get impacted? My premise is from empty shells specifically designed for the purpose, not stealing another person's body.

[keftiu]

The Jistka were way ahead of this; Automatons are functional immortality for the human souls animating their Cores. If that arcane science was understood over 7,000 years ago in the setting, then I'm sure it's been replicated since.

[BishopMcQ]

With the Jistka Imperium, my understanding was that the transfer was a single time and then they stayed within the automaton. Many of them then left Golarion entirely. (Please jump in here if I'm misremembering)

I'm curious about the ability to switch between organic sleeves based on purpose and activities. Especially since the Androffans have shown the ability to create sleeves built for specific purposes -- having neural pathways pre-laid down for combat abilities, language, art, etc, so that the consciousness who joined in would have those basic functions. Similarly, the reincarnate ritual rewrites the ancestry abilities and modifiers.

[Sibelius Eos Owm]

It's worth noting that iirc Androffan androids were never meant to be sapient/have a soul. It is unknown how the android came to be a soul-bearing vessel, so while they were designed as soulless entities, creating one which could bear a soul is an unknown process. On the other hand, Androffa was a magicless world, so with the help of some necromancy they could almost certainly ave achieved it... Albeit their android creation technology is lost to Golarion except in a few functioning but mysterious examples... Again, if my offhand recollection is accurate.