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Hey I was wondering since the hologram can change shapes and sizes how is it and even turn off its hardlight projection how is it supposed to carry its gear? I was thinking that it could be that instead of purchasing gear they purchase schematics that they can then choose to use when projecting the body but instead of bulk (since it’s hard light) but the have a limited ssd that acts as bulk. Or is it that the grave or at least the armor they buy covers the core itself and not the hardlight body. Thoughts? I feel like if they just have to drop everything whenever they shift to their core form that really kneecaps the race. Plas can they move at all (even roll) in their core form?
I also need to know the answer to these questions
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A lot of your suggestions would be decent homebrew ideas to justify some things, however since this is the rules forum i will do my best to clarify how this works as desribed in the rules. Also note that per FAQ it functions similarly to the change shape universal creature rule. Note that while in it's core form it can only take mental actions, or form its hardlight body. This is stated under the size and type portion of the statblock.
How can they carry gear? The hardlight body functions like a small or medium humanoid creature with two arms and a speed of 30. They can carry gear in all the same ways that a human can carry gear, including backpacks or their arms.
How do they wear armor? Because it functions like change shape, you will need to protect the hardlight body with armor if it's manifested. This requires armor sized and fitted for the small or medium form you have taken. While you could also wear armor fitted for your diminutive core, it would not function when your hardlight body is active. It's also unclear what happens to it when you activate the hardlight body, although i would assume it simply falls to the ground.
Does it drop everything they are carrying when reverting to core form? I believe that a very precise reading of the rules as written would indicate that they could continue carrying all their gear. Creatures are assumed to have two arms unless noted otherwise, and their carrying capacity is not determined by size. However since they can't take any physical actions it wouldn't make much sense.
Can they move in their core form? No, unless they can do so using purely mental actions. I vaguely remember hearing that every character has an assumed land speed of 30ft if their race doesn't state otherwise. That would imply that the core has that speed too. However they cannot use any physical actions, which includes move actions to move your speed.
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I'd argue that you could buy armour sized for a diminutive creature (which, unlike with weapons, doesn't cost extra) and say the armour is worn around the core, not the hardlight body.
Sure, technically, you probably couldn't project hardlight through armour, but: there's enough "super-science" stuff in existing armours that it's not a stretch to hand-wave it and say "some tech allows it to happen." Even for a real stickler GM, there's things like clearweave, echelon fashion, and shiftskin that would still work, even with a strict reading.
Re: can you move or hold things without your hardlight body - I'd say no, since the size & type entry for holograms specifically says "while in its natural core form, a hologram can take only mental actions or project its hardlight body." Movement, or holding things, sound like not completely mental actions, so. /shrug
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I'd argue that you could buy armour sized for a diminutive creature (which, unlike with weapons, doesn't cost extra) and say the armour is worn around the core, not the hardlight body.
Sure, technically, you probably couldn't project hardlight through armour, but: there's enough "super-science" stuff in existing armours that it's not a stretch to hand-wave it and say "some tech allows it to happen." Even for a real stickler GM, there's things like clearweave, echelon fashion, and shiftskin that would still work, even with a strict reading.Re: can you move or hold things without your hardlight body - I'd say no, since the size & type entry for holograms specifically says "while in its natural core form, a hologram can take only mental actions or project its hardlight body." Movement, or holding things, sound like not completely mental actions, so. /shrug
I'd just like to point out that donning armor isn't a 'mental action' so a hologram character in its 'natural' form couldn't actually put diminutive armor on in the first place...
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AC and HP are both very abstract concepts, I'd just have the hologram buy armor (a cell phone case) for their core and be down with it. Maybe the cost of armor covers the cost of a core armored case and program upgrade that makes their hard light harder/armored. Maybe hits to the hard light portion of the hologram do stamina damage by draining energy from the core unit to maintain the hologram, and HP damage is considered to be hit to the core. Personally, I'd rather let a hologram look like a hologram, and not look like animated armor.
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Not a rules answer, but that's already been covered as best as it can I think. So I'll interject with a homebrew solution.
I'm playing a hologram right now, and the GM and I worked out a solution to this where Holograms gain the ability to spend 10 minutes "Digitizing" an item to add it to its holographic data. A digitized item is destroyed with no way to bring it back, but the item is made part of the Hologram and appears and disappears along with the Hardlight Body. Weight, handedness, as well as draw and stow actions are still tracked as normal despite digitized items being just data. Works really well so far!