This one has been bothering me.

Does a Full Memory Wipe restore a Droid PC to entries level play ?

As I'm handling it, it's "reset to factory default settings".

I always assumed it sends them back to the stock numbers...

So this could either be extremely devastating or the best ability in the world depending on how its handled

1. You as a Droid PC could lose everything you have gained if you don't keep your XP.

2. could reset and respend all your XP on new talents and skills if you are allowed to keep your XP.

Memory wipes are... something of an undiscussed act of murder... aren't they?

2. could reset and respend all your XP on new talents and skills if you are allowed to keep your XP.

Why would you? Can you think of any reasonable explanation for that?

Like Max pointed out, the wipe is like destroying a living being's brain. It's not like some kind of weird machine amnesia.

2. could reset and respend all your XP on new talents and skills if you are allowed to keep your XP.

Why would you? Can you think of any reasonable explanation for that?

Like Max pointed out, the wipe is like destroying a living being's brain. It's not like some kind of weird machine amnesia.

Was not saying I agree with this or that I do this.

Just that if a GM wanted to he could erase all the gaines a PC Droid made in the campaign with one action.

Just that if a GM wanted to he could erase all the gaines a PC Droid made in the campaign with one action.

Well, he can do that to any helpless PC, can he not? Granted, it's somewhat messier with lifeforms, but there's no mechanical difference I can spot.

Try and see it like this: The wiped droid chassis is no longer a PC after the procedure, not anymore than the human's stiffening corpse on the floor.

There's a different issue, though, your post just reminded me of: Is it possible to upload improved skill software into a droid's brain?

If so, what is preventing a PC droid from buying XP for credits in that way?

If not, where do a brand new NPC droid's skills come from?

My not very satisfactory explanation, so far, has been that advancement by experience and advancement by programming are incompatible; any upload would erase all experience gains (technically a memory wipe).

What do you think?

I would treat memory wiping a PC droid the same as killing a regular PC.

Like Max pointed out, the wipe is like destroying a living being's brain. It's not like some kind of weird machine amnesia.

It is if you're HK-47

Makes me wince a bit every time one of the "good guys" casually suggests wiping a droid like you'd reset your phone.

Well in true what is a Droid but a smart toaster.

I have always been against Droids as PCs.

But since this is star wars and R2 and 3PO where played up like part of the crew instead of tools we have Droid PCs.

Like Max pointed out, the wipe is like destroying a living being's brain. It's not like some kind of weird machine amnesia.

It is if you're HK-47

Well, if you shoot someone in the head, they'll most probably die; sometimes they might survive and start acting weirdly. Better not switch off power during a proceeding wipe.

2. could reset and respend all your XP on new talents and skills if you are allowed to keep your XP.

Why would you? Can you think of any reasonable explanation for that?

Like Max pointed out, the wipe is like destroying a living being's brain. It's not like some kind of weird machine amnesia.

There is no other way, BUT weird machine amnesia! You redevelop your sensitiveness and rediscover what you are good at, anew!

I think its a cool trick, once in a few months/years, depending on the campaign, shan't it be abused.

A lot depends on how you feel that droids operate internally. If they start off with basic programming that is written into some sort of read-only memory (ROM), but if they use something like a positronic matrix or neural network programming, then they could train skills and talents over time. In that case, a memory wipe could eliminate the memory of how you got the skill or talent, but not necessarily the skill or talent itself.

In that case, think of it as a droid equivalent of amnesia — you don’t typically forget how to talk or walk, and there might be a certain set of things that you surprise yourself with how good you are at doing them, but only the higher level memories are wiped.

So, how do you want a memory wipe to work in your world?

Makes me wince a bit every time one of the "good guys" casually suggests wiping a droid like you'd reset your phone.

Of everything that one could grinch about in E1-3, the one thing that bugged me the most was the casual and off-handed murder of 3P0 at the very end of Sith. Yes, he's prissy and fussy - but he's a protocol droid. Discretion is mandatory in his line of work, surely he could keep his mouth shut about everything he's seen.

Exactly what I was going to say.

It would be plausible and even reasonable for the droid manufacturer to save all the ability data (his AI, targeting algorithms, combat software, knowledge database, personality,... including machine algorithms that improve these algorithms over time) in one memory instance while the actual memories would be in a second memory instance. This would allow the owner to wipe only the memories, something that has been done to HK-47 after each assassination mission if I remember correctly.

I would therefore rule it like this: there are two types of memory wipe.

1. Wipe only the memory for events and persons the droid has encountered. This would leave his Attributes, skills, talents and maybe even the motivations (if they are hardcoded and not something that the droid came up with because of events in the game).
2. Wipe the personality core with all algorithms and databases. This kills the droid completely. You will have an useless collection of spare parts until another core is inserted/ installed, resetting the droid to starter level or whatever.

A lot depends on how you feel that droids operate internally.

Exactly what I was going to say.

It would be plausible and even reasonable for the droid manufacturer to save all the ability data (his AI, targeting algorithms, combat software, knowledge database, personality,... including machine algorithms that improve these algorithms over time) in one memory instance while the actual memories would be in a second memory instance. This would allow the owner to wipe only the memories, something that has been done to HK-47 after each assassination mission if I remember correctly.

I would therefore rule it like this: there are two types of memory wipe.

1. Wipe only the memory for events and persons the droid has encountered. This would leave his Attributes, skills, talents and maybe even the motivations (if they are hardcoded and not something that the droid came up with because of events in the game).
2. Wipe the personality core with all algorithms and databases. This kills the droid completely. You will have an useless collection of spare parts until another core is inserted/ installed, resetting the droid to starter level or whatever.

I could get behind this but, I dont think droids should have motive.

That to me seems to be what memory wipes are intended to prevent.

Why shouldn't droids, especially those with higher mental functions, have motive?

Seems very callous for a society to create actual thinking beings and then repeatedly erase them for convenience. Many of the droids depicted show clear signs of genuine emotions, concern for others, etc.

Why shouldn't droids, especially those with higher mental functions, have motive?

Seems very callous for a society to create actual thinking beings and then repeatedly erase them for convenience. Many of the droids depicted show clear signs of genuine emotions, concern for others, etc.

R2 being the main, where they have stated it was due to him not being memory wiped.

C3PO clearly has an emotional attachment to R2 in the original movies, despite their bickering.

So much of what someone is, is their memories... every time a droid is "wiped", all that is gone.

C3PO clearly has an emotional attachment to R2 in the original movies, despite their bickering.

So much of what someone is, is their memories... every time a droid is "wiped", all that is gone.

If your referring to the Organa wipe, that has been quite a while before Episode IV. And, he isn't attached to the Skywalkers anymore.

C3PO clearly has an emotional attachment to R2 in the original movies, despite their bickering.

So much of what someone is, is their memories... every time a droid is "wiped", all that is gone.

If your referring to the Organa wipe, that has been quite a while before Episode IV. And, he isn't attached to the Skywalkers anymore.

No, I was pointing out that R2D2 is NOT the only canon example in the original trilogy of a droid who is clearly more than just a "glorified iPhone".

I could get behind this but, I dont think droids should have motive.

That to me seems to be what memory wipes are intended to prevent.

But if memory wipes are intended to prevent a droid from having motives... wouldn't this prove that the droid would be able to develop motives over time, if his memory is not wiped? It would be very difficult to make the droid intelligent, creative and able act on his own will (and some droids seem to do this, right?) without allowing him to show some kind of motives after some time. Motives could also be part of the droids programming. Maybe a droid is programmed to assist the empire? He would try to do so as much as he could and this would probably prevent him drom developing anti imperial motives (unless someone is altering his programming).

I could get behind this but, I dont think droids should have motive.

That to me seems to be what memory wipes are intended to prevent.

But if memory wipes are intended to prevent a droid from having motives... wouldn't this prove that the droid would be able to develop motives over time, if his memory is not wiped? It would be very difficult to make the droid intelligent, creative and able act on his own will (and some droids seem to do this, right?) without allowing him to show some kind of motives after some time. Motives could also be part of the droids programming. Maybe a droid is programmed to assist the empire? He would try to do so as much as he could and this would probably prevent him drom developing anti imperial motives (unless someone is altering his programming).

I would say memory wipes are to stop the development of motive independent of base programming.

like R2 can lie to his owner if it furthers his goal.

now i would say to serve your master and do no harm would be wired in to the bios of the droid.

That said if allowed to go without the wipe you can get droids like R2 who can act above there programming.

Which is where i would place PC Droids, with npc droids being motiveless drones.