Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Approved Species The Lokecysts

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OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
  • Intent: Came up with this idea and want to work it into a character
  • Image Credit: All Art is from Thomas du Crest, (x) , (x) last two images use this same link
  • Canon: N/A
  • Permissions: N/A
  • Links: AI, Hivemind,
GENERAL INFORMATION
  • Name: Lokecyst
  • Designation: Individually: Non-Sentient. Small Groups (10-49): Semi-Sentient. Large Groups (50+) Sentient, growing more intelligent the larger the group. A 50 Lokecyst group has the intelligence of a child, usually reaching intelligence 'maturity' at around 200 Lokecysts. These larger groups tend to develop specialized castes of Lokecysts who are mostly independent from the hive mind. These specialists are accomplished in a myriad of ways, maybe a specialized Lokecyst is grown/made for the task with advanced hardware, or perhaps the hive-mind dedicates a small amount of each Lokecyst's computational power to the individual's needs. These individuals are programmed to be fiercely loyal to their hive, and are extraordinarily rare as truly independent beings.
  • Origins: Lokecysts originate from a lost world and a lost creator species, either destroyed or simply forgotten.
  • Average Lifespan: Twenty years
  • Estimated Population: Rare
  • Description: Lokecysts are an abomination of cybernetics, synthskin, and vat-grown muscles and organs. Although many fear the drones for their seemingly misshapen twitching forms and bulky but short stature, it is the calm and collected upper castes whose advanced biological and technological makeup makes them a far more dangerous and intelligent foe.

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A Lokecyst Specialist greets an envoy from a nearby world to barter for mining rights for its hive.



PHYSICAL INFORMATION
  • Breathes: None. Many of their specialized organs directly transmute electricity into the energy many other organisms get through breathing and eating.
  • Average Height of Adults: 1.3m (4'3)
  • Average Length of Adults: N/A
  • Skin color: Grays, Tans, Reds
  • Hair color: N/A
  • Distinctions:

    Lokecysts are effectively all genderless 'clones', being made up of prime genetic data from their long-lost creators. Without their myriad of cybernetic augmentations, they receive upon being 'born', a Lokecyst is little better than a torso with arms. The organic half of them is fundamental for keeping them alive, but their cybernetics are what connects them to the hive mind, gives them intelligence, and acts as a way for them to sense the world. Without their cybernetics, they cannot hear, see, smell, or taste and are completely useless as their mind is so limited by itself that it can only keep them alive until they starve to death. By receiving rudimentary upgrades it allows them to survive like animals while their systems eagerly search for a network to connect to in order to begin forming a hive. Upon hive creation, the combined computational abilities of Lokecysts is shared among them slowly elevating their intelligence. These hive programs are incredibly complex AI algorithms, constantly changing and updating themselves to find more efficient ways of doing things as well as forming a cohesive group through stabilizing their network, assigning IDs to its many members, and giving them tasks that get progressively more complex until the hive achieves sentience.

    Just like many organic hive minds use pheromones to identify members of their hives, Lokecysts use complex and constantly shifting 'passwords' that change every minute or so along a predetermined path set by the Hive AI Algorithm, which it can reach out for and ping any Lokecyst that it is aware of for the password response. Should the password be wrong, the Hive either fixes the issue effectively reincorporating the Lokecyst into the hive (or introducing it for the first time if its feral) or 'problem solves' by reaching out to the Lokecyst to detect viruses, hacking attempts, or perhaps the presence of another Lokecyst Hive AI. This can lead to anything from violence, attempts at diplomatic relations, or to seizing the drone for further investigation. Even in intelligent hives this program is constantly running in the background, updating the intelligence of any threats and suggested courses of action. No hive in this way is alike however as the AI learning algorithms adapt and evolve due to 'life experiences', environmental stimuli, and etc. Some Lokecyst hives are ravagers and pirates, preying upon all to feed themselves while others are mostly peaceful and secluded.

    This AI will also begin to interact with and incorporate itself into technology that it believes belongs to the hive, basically incorporating machines, weapons, and even droids into the hive. This has lead to very specific ship designs relying on this technique, with very few ways of interacting with the ship's systems that don't rely on this technological telepathy. It is through the technology that Lokecysts reproduce, by cloning themselves and manufacturing new implants either by hand or automated assembly lines attached to the hivemind. Although individual Lokecysts have the intelligence of animals, they know to seek out and find sources of electricity to power themselves, and as more Lokecysts begin to connect they begun to subconsciously unlock schematics to the technology of their creators, allowing them to make complicated machines, fusion reactors, and if the hive gets large enough: space ships with hyperdrives.

  • Races: Every Lokecyst Hive develops specialist castes independently, and so no two hives are alike in their makeup. All rely on the key drone model, which is the standard and by which every specialist caste is usually measured. These castes do tend to be taller, bulkier, and far more independent, usually to handle complex tasks that the collective group would have to dedicate too much power into understanding or handling.
  • Force Sensitivity: Force Dead
Strengths:
  • Thoughts? What Thoughts?: Any force reader who tries to read a Lokecyst's thoughts find nothing but the gargled instincts of an animal, as most of their higher thinking takes place cybernetically or through their hive network.
  • Hive-Mind: The Lokecysts are divided into hives, with each one having a hive mind. This is not a biological one or one of the force, but one of technology built and maintained via an AI algorithm. This AI Algorithm originally runs the hive, but as the hive grows larger and larger and more and more intelligent it slowly seeps into the background, acting more like the hive's subconscious and allowing the collective minds of the Lokecysts make the decisions.
  • Intrinsic Tech: Every Lokecyst has blueprints to technology stored within their very genetic code, and as the computational network of their hive expands with every individual it is able to access more and more of this code giving them access to more and more technology as they grow until they match the galactic standard.
  • Evolving Cyber Protection: The Lokecyst AI learning algorithm basically grows itself from scratch, which makes hacking it incredibly difficult. Simple routine functions may be coded in strange and convoluted ways, or be dependent on other seemingly unrelated programs to operate. Not to mention the network is constantly aware of any intrusions and will actively change code and alter programming to stop the network from being breached.
  • Built for Space: Lokecysts seem to be purpose-built for living in space, their bodies are modified both cybernetically and genetically to keep them warm, pressurized, and viable in a vacuum. Not to mention many Lokecysts have low-powered thrusters built into themselves allowing for easy maneuverability within 0g.
  • Cyborg Strength: The combination of genetically engineered muscles and an exoskeleton that's been grafted on them, the Lokecysts are incredibly strong able to lift about 181kg, around half that of a Wookiee and double the average human.
  • Force Dead: Lokecysts cannot be swayed or tricked via force powers.
Weaknesses:
  • EMP/Ion Weakness: To say the Lokecysts are weak to EMP/Ion would be an understatement, should their cybernetics be disabled they lose most of their senses and become mostly unable to move due to the weight of their implants and their mechanized exoskeleton that is grafted on them becoming inoperable.
  • Not easy to replace: Lokecysts are grown in pods, but the delicate growth period combined with the necessary cybernetics being grafted on means that a Lokecyst takes several months to become viable. This makes it difficult for large hives to replenish their numbers, especially if their gestation chambers are destroyed.
  • Difficult Survivors: Lokecysts rely on their hive entirely, lone Lokecysts or a group too small to form the beginnings of a hive network usually die out naturally as parts begin to fail and they lack the facilities or knowhow to repair themselves, not to mention their unique way of 'feeding' themselves means that they are beasts trying to operate technology to charge their internal batteries.
  • Void Apptitude: Lokecysts are built and live in space, situations with significant gravity are somewhat alien to them making Lokecyst drones awkward and clunky on planets and most spaceships (unless the gravity is deactivated)
  • Force Dead: The lokecysts cannot benefit from force healing or other enhancing abilities.


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A new brood of Lokecysts awake from their gestation pods in the depths of their hive, cybernetics having been grafted on them during their development.



CULTURE
  • Diet: Electrovores: Lokecysts have specialized organs attached to a large battery, from this battery they can transmute electricity into nutrients and other compounds/chemicals vital for life. This battery tends to be able to sustain a Lokecyst for three days but is usually recharged via an external plug before then to prevent any accidental deaths.
  • Communication: Lokecysts communicate through technological messaging similar to telepathy between one another, those of the same hive effectively share their own thoughts so these communications tend to be for between hives. Communication with other beings tends to be through diplomatic specialist castes who usually have technological implants to produce and understand speech, and who speaks for the hive.
  • Technology level: Lokecysts are equal to the galactic standard in most areas with their technological knowledge shooting through the ages as their hive grows in number.
  • Religion/Beliefs: Lokecyst hives are as diverse as they come. Usually, the hive is a pragmatic and utilitarian entity mostly out for its own survival with hints of superstition or odd solutions to problems. Yet some, through bizarre happenstance, unfortunate luck, or perhaps running into things they couldn't understand, have developed strange philosophies and cults that are everything from a multi-level marketing scheme to ravenous sentient sacrificing hordes.
  • General behavior:
    As I've said throughout this post, the Lokecyst hives are incredibly varied. But a few things do connect them. Due to their technological side, the hivemind algorithms are based entirely around logic (even if it could be very flawed logic). They rely on what they can perceive, record, and categorize, especially if it benefits them. This has led many to believe the Lokecysts to be psychopathic due to many running into hives with a disregard for other life, seeing it only as a hindrance to that particular hive's survival. Many hives do after all come to this conclusion, either through trying to horde resources in a finite galaxy or by deciding that the only way to prevent you from hurting them is simply to remove you from the equation before you get a chance. Yet, not all hives are like this, some have come to the conclusion that the best way to survive is through cooperation with their neighbors and to try to find their place in galactic society. Yet friendly or not, all hives are incredibly private entities and do not appreciate intrusions into their hives either physically or digitally.

    Lokecysts tend to stay in space, either in small flotillas of ships scraped together or large immobile stations that allow them to dominate a small area of a solar system. This is mostly due to their unique ability to harness resources from even the most empty asteroids as well as being built to thrive in a 0g vacuum. Rarely do Lokecyst hives colonize a planet, and when they do its usually either out of desperation or unique and rare opportunites that world offers that they can't find elsewhere.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION


The Lokecysts are believed to have been originally invented as labor, cheap and self growing hives of laborers that could be programmed to handle special tasks and provide countless resources to their parent species. The earliest records of their development and spread within the galaxy was at the start of the gulag plague near
Kinooine where a patrol vessel discovered a hive of Lokecysts hollowing out an asteroid to use as a central station in their extensive mining network that spread throughout the system. The Lokecyst hive would go on to fire at the patrol vessel, who would rally a small band to go in and purify the hive as early reports noticed their growing numbers. Due to their nature, the Lokecysts thrived in the chaos of the gulag plague. Not only were many hives willing to execute any of their members who began showing symtoms, but their advanced cybernetics and ability to engineer themselves saw early immunities among their ranks. Through the 400 year darkness the Lokecysts would spread throughout the galaxy, setting up small hives in asteroid belts and mostly staying to themselves. In recent years they have been under threat as many within the galaxy find them frieghtening, either due to their appearance, nature, or the threat they pose.. usually all three, and thus many hives have been extinguished leaving only a scarce few remaining within the galaxy.
 
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Ylla Caeli'runa

Guest
Y
Muphinz Muphinz Wow! This is a really cool concept you've got going and I love all of the effort you've put into developing how the hive-mind works. That being said, there are a few things to cover before I approve this:

Links | Please link AI and Hive-mind from the Wiki in this field.​
Weakness | Per the Species Rules, "...Force Dead species should include appropriate weaknesses related to that trait, such as an inability to benefit from positive Force powers like healing or battle meditation". Please add weaknesses that account for the Lokecysts' lack of sensitivity.​

Please let me know if you have any questions or give me a tag when edits are complete.
 
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