test content
What is the Arc Client?
Install Arc

ACTION NEWS: The Triple-A Act

tigerofcachticetigerofcachtice Posts: 551 Arc User
THX1.PNG?psid=1

* * *

THX2.PNG?psid=1

* * *

THX3.PNG?psid=1

* * *

THX4.PNG?psid=1

Producer: @not1stepbackward
Lore Advisor: @bulgarex
B-Roll Footage: Cryptic North
Special Thanks To: Champions Online Roleplayers community site

Hi guys, I made this to share ideas and information with everyone in the Champions setting. With game content like Fatal Error, the Mechanon Invasion, the Automaton Archetype, I thought this story very relevant.

The Triple-A Act is not something I made up; it's actually part of the Champions setting which gives robotic characters human rights. If you're roleplaying a robotic character (as am I), I thought this might be an interesting topic.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Watch out for rioters and looters.
Banner%20Try%20Again.jpg
More action at Champions Online Comics @ http://co-comics.webs.com
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • spinnytopspinnytop Posts: 16,450 Arc User
    edited November 2014
    ZE2424
    zeeeeee_zpsfa6bd9fe.jpg
    Her complete lack of consideration for collateral damage... is probably something they don't want brought up during this whole thing o.o
  • sistersiliconsistersilicon Posts: 1,687 Arc User
    edited November 2014
    Stop stealing my headcanon!

    /steals Magneto's telepath-proof bucket
    /puts bucket on head

    I've always RP'd Si2 Prime under the assumption that while sentient AIs/androids may have legally recognized and protected rights, that doesn't mean they automatically earn the public's trust. As it's set up right now, it's up to player characters to overcome any bad reputation androids might have. AI good guys, at least as Cryptic has utilized the lore, are awfully thin on the ground. SOCRATES, Belle Steele... um... uh... I'm sure I'll think of a third before STO's next expansion comes out.
    Choose your enemies carefully, because they will define you / Make them interesting, because in some ways they will mind you
    They're not there in the beginning, but when your story ends / Gonna last with you longer than your friends
  • xydaxydaxydaxyda Posts: 817 Arc User
    edited November 2014
    I get a kick out of all these comics you make, I'm not sure I have mentioned it yet! Keep up the good work!
  • doomedluke1doomedluke1 Posts: 118 Arc User
    edited November 2014
    Very nice comic and a very intelligent way to incorporate CO's lore.

    Though I don't RP (mostly because of lack of a group and time, as I pass most of the time in game creating char concepts or doing missions and alerts), I'm always interested in the lore.

    Anyways, good work!


    Edit:
    spinnytop wrote: »
    ZE2424
    zeeeeee_zpsfa6bd9fe.jpg
    Her complete lack of consideration for collateral damage... is probably something they don't want brought up during this whole thing o.o
    Nice design!
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited November 2014
    gradii wrote: »
    Slight correction.

    If it thinks like a human, is sentient like a human, it deserves human rights.

    THEREFORE:

    The triple A act does not GIVE rights. it ENSURES them.

    We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

    :cool:

    Well, "deserve" doesn't equate to "have under law." In fact the Triple-A Act was enacted as a response to the American Supreme Court's decision that the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution, guaranteeing equal protection under the law to all "persons," does not apply to beings not of human genetic stock, since only such human beings are "persons" by legal definition (all "men" being created equal). So the Act did indeed grant non-humans rights they didn't have previously. And it would be much easier for the legislature to repeal it than an amendment to the Constitution.

    Many modern human governments don't guarantee or recognize comparable "rights." Neither does Nature. Ultimately they're a conceptualization a particular society bestows within its jurisdiction. Whether that society believes all others should accept their conceptualization doesn't make it so. That's why those of us living in societies that do need to continue to work not only to persuade others to come to the same conclusion, but to assure that those rights aren't eroded in our own.
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited November 2014
    I wasn't trying to bust your chops, gradii. :smile: I grasp you position, and FWIW I agree with it. But the fine points of American "principles" continue to evolve over time. It wasn't that long ago that a great many Americans believed that black Americans should not have the same rights as whites. In fact when that Declaration of Independence was signed, ethnic-based slavery was still legal in the United States, and would continue to be for nearly a century afterward.

    Some of the debates on these very forums have demonstrated that a position that artificial intelligences are fundamentally different from humans, and should not have the same rights, is neither unreasonable nor logically unjustifiable. (Note that I'm not saying it's "right.") :wink:
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited November 2014
    So, (to play devil's advocate) something that's demonstrably intelligent but doesn't think the same way humans do is less deserving of legal protection than something that does? It's to be equated with an unintelligent animal? Doesn't that demonstrate a human-centric bias in another form? After all, an artificial intelligence without a form or senses similar to ours will almost certainly think differently than we do in some ways.

    Again, gradii, I agree with you that granting such a differently intelligent sapient equal rights would be dangerous. But that's a practical concern, not the same as excluding them in principle.

    (The above undertaken purely in the spirit of intellectual debate.)
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited November 2014
    gradii wrote: »
    oh that's definitely the case, they'd still be PEOPLE in that sense, but since they are not compatible with our society in ways which could be dangerous for us even resulting in deaths, its best to prevent integration for our own sake.

    oh also, who said sapient? http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Crystalline_Entity

    And so, whether or not an entity deserves rights, society can choose to grant or withhold them. Which brings us back to where we started. :wink:

    It's a personal peeve of mine that many people use "sentient" when they mean having an intellect capable of reason and creativity. By definition "sentience" is simply the capacity to sense and feel, one defining feature of life versus things that are not alive. Even a paramecium is sentient.

    Most of the hard-science writers I've read seem to prefer the term "sapient," as in "homo sapiens," to distinguish that kind of intelligence from the instinctive responses of other animals. (It's actually usually translated as "wise," which in itself is debatable, but it's the word they use.) :rolleyes:
  • tigerofcachticetigerofcachtice Posts: 551 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    Hi guys, thanks for reading as well as taking time to comment.

    I'll share my thoughts for this comic. I can suspend disbelief for super-powers, technology, magic, but I cannot believe American politics would not somehow react to A.I.-related attacks, like on Socrates or by Mechanon.

    Because American politics would rename French Fries to Freedom Fries...but this is so not a criticism or cynicism about the U.S. It just seemed too unrealistic not to have something like this happen. Breaks immersion, lol.

    And of course, this scenario is not something I invented. While I wasn't trying to be purely derivative or parody, Marvel Comics in particular talks about the Registration Act with mutants or just superheroes in general.

    (Reminder - Captain America: Civil War coming in 2016.)

    But most of all, this comic was not singling out android, A.I., robot (or brobot) characters. It's not there to cause grief for those that choose to play one. In fact, this comic was designed to protect those players, of which I am one.

    The Triple-A Act exists. It's there for all. Does NOT cover undead, though!
    spinnytop wrote: »
    ZE2424

    Her complete lack of consideration for collateral damage... is probably something they don't want brought up during this whole thing o.o

    This example is a great application of applying character to lore and lore to character, good stuff. It's this stuff, right here!
    Stop stealing my headcanon!

    /steals Magneto's telepath-proof bucket
    /puts bucket on head

    I've always RP'd Si2 Prime under the assumption that while sentient AIs/androids may have legally recognized and protected rights, that doesn't mean they automatically earn the public's trust. As it's set up right now, it's up to player characters to overcome any bad reputation androids might have. AI good guys, at least as Cryptic has utilized the lore, are awfully thin on the ground. SOCRATES, Belle Steele... um... uh... I'm sure I'll think of a third before STO's next expansion comes out.

    I've been talking to lawyers recently. I've come to a bit of a realisation.

    It's this. There's the law. Then there's politics. Then there's right and wrong. They're different things. Any relationship between those elements should be considered purely coincidental! They're not a given.

    This is an actual verbatim talking to the lawyer, I won't tell you the context, but it's so true.

    Me: But this doesn't make any sense.

    Lawyer: I agree; it doesn't make any sense, but it happens to be the law.


    Now, Si2 Prime has been doing the robot thing longer than Arnie's done his thing, so please share more of your headcanon or experiences. 'Cos your Magneto helmet buckethead's working, I can't read your mind no more.
    Very nice comic and a very intelligent way to incorporate CO's lore.

    Though I don't RP (mostly because of lack of a group and time, as I pass most of the time in game creating char concepts or doing missions and alerts), I'm always interested in the lore.

    I appreciate everyone's feedback, but it happens here is something I never considered.

    I try to write about the Champions world, because everyone here is part of this world. If I were to write mainly on my characters, only people who know me benefits. Thus, it's not lore for lore's sake, but for the setting and everyone in it.

    However, I never considered lore as something that directly enhances characters. It's so obvious, but I completely overlooked it. Lore can be like a costume piece or an aura, there to augment your character. That's valuable...and free!

    That's something I'll keep in mind. That's a cool idea.
    Banner%20Try%20Again.jpg
    More action at Champions Online Comics @ http://co-comics.webs.com
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    It's why I enjoy anchoring characters I create in the lore. Of course you don't have to, and if you feel you'd be straight-jacketed from what you want to play then you shouldn't. But if you can tie your character in you immediately tap the depth of the setting, and ready-made connections to its various elements.
  • chaelkchaelk Posts: 7,732 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    I think this is part of the problem, my PnP character Felicity had.
    She was a clone, of technically human stock.
    A person with unstable DNA, which someone wanted to find out what would happen if you cloned them.
    200 completely ,different people later.
    Ingame, she had to keep it hidden.
    compared to the rest of the party, she was fairly normal and some of them were human.
    also Clouds at dawn, my micro dragon(25cm at start of game)... (ok mutant,baby chinese dragon. she had horns, legs and everything from her hatching)
    Was sentient, definately not human. Was intelligent, did think like a human, which covers quite a few horrifying ways of thinking.
    Stuffing up Freeform builds since Mid 2011
    4e1f62c7-8ea7-4996-8f22-bae41fea063b_zpsu7p3urv1.jpg

    Get the Forums Enhancement Extension!
  • sistersiliconsistersilicon Posts: 1,687 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    Now, Si2 Prime has been doing the robot thing longer than Arnie's done his thing, so please share more of your headcanon or experiences. 'Cos your Magneto helmet buckethead's working, I can't read your mind no more.

    There's a significant imbalance between heroes and villains in the Champions universe, especially within CO, and I think it certainly applies to the public perception of that imbalance.

    On one side, you have Cyberlord, Cybermind, Dr. Destroyer, Mechanon, VIPER, all building and/or hacking computers and robots for evil purposes. Mechanon hasn't worked up the guts to go after a sentient AI, but Cybermind has. And we know Mechanon has built infiltration units that impersonate humans, although we haven't seen them in-game yet. I don't know how well known Cyberlord and Cybermind are to the general public, but Dr. D, Mechanon, and VIPER are the Big Three.

    On the other side, we have a void. We don't have a Vision or Citadel & Luminary to carry the banner for benevolent AIs. The closest we have is SOCRATES, but to the public, she's little more than Siri for Superheroes. ([ding-ding] "I have found three muggings, one drug deal, and one Purple Gang member violating Michigan's open-carry laws in your area.")

    And I get the impression that it's by design. Champions lore defines magic as the root cause of all super-heroic power. So at a macro level, Magic vs. Technology has worked its way into the story as a proxy for Good vs. Evil. The closest the Champions themselves have come to AI, outside of SOCRATES, was DEFTRON, and that ended poorly enough that Harmon hasn't messed with AI since. But Dr. Destroyer, builder of Destroids and death-ray satellites, abhors magic.

    With no prevailing counter-example, then, I find it hard to believe any citizen would look at an android hero and not fear that they'd eventually get hacked or go rampant.
    Choose your enemies carefully, because they will define you / Make them interesting, because in some ways they will mind you
    They're not there in the beginning, but when your story ends / Gonna last with you longer than your friends
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    Well, I would have to disagree that there's an implication of Magic=Good, Technology=Evil in the CU. Some of the most notorious of Earth's villains are magic-based, including Takofanes, Dr. Yin Wu, the Crowns of Krim, and a spate of mythic gods and dimension-lords. While technological heroes such as Tetsuronin, Forceknight, and Dr. Silverback are among the most famous and respected in the world. The books imply no inherent ethical dimension to either magic or science.

    I do agree that published precedents for "heroic" or "good" AIs in the current official CU are thin, but they aren't totally lacking. UNTIL's AI HUGIN has served the entire agency well since 1983. There was also at least one such being in the ranks of the heroes, the "living robot" called Transac who was a member of Chicago's superhero team, the Peacekeepers; but it was destroyed by Taipan in 2000.
  • tigerofcachticetigerofcachtice Posts: 551 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    bulgarex wrote: »
    It's why I enjoy anchoring characters I create in the lore. Of course you don't have to, and if you feel you'd be straight-jacketed from what you want to play then you shouldn't. But if you can tie your character in you immediately tap the depth of the setting, and ready-made connections to its various elements.

    Yeah, that's true. I just used lore for more user-friendly text! I never thought me and mine could benefit.

    You wrote the Unique Origins thread a while back. With that in mind, I'll be bugging you again in the near future.
    chaelk wrote: »
    I think this is part of the problem, my PnP character Felicity had.
    She was a clone, of technically human stock.
    A person with unstable DNA, which someone wanted to find out what would happen if you cloned them.

    See, perfect. Not the same law, but the same issue, and this is a comic issue about that issue.

    At what point is a person a person? We can use a concept like sentience, but then it becomes an issue of how is that defined, how is it measured. We can't even decide on IQ tests or SATs for humans.

    CU describes the Triple-A Act as having some sort of sentience test, but you can see how lawyers can argue that.
    On the other side, we have a void. We don't have a Vision or Citadel & Luminary to carry the banner for benevolent AIs. The closest we have is SOCRATES, but to the public, she's little more than Siri for Superheroes. ([ding-ding] "I have found three muggings, one drug deal, and one Purple Gang member violating Michigan's open-carry laws in your area.")

    An excellent example. CU does not have a "face" to represent A.I.s.

    The closest is Socrates, who is not so much a face as she is an App.

    I see the point that it's not good vs. evil in magic vs. technology, but simply that A.I.s are like the Frankenstein's Monster. The science that created it is not inherently evil, but the creation somehow remains the Monster.
    Banner%20Try%20Again.jpg
    More action at Champions Online Comics @ http://co-comics.webs.com
  • menotrpamenotrpa Posts: 165 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    hmm...

    maybe i could work this into annie matronic's backstory


  • meedacthunistmeedacthunist Posts: 2,961 Arc User1
    edited December 2014
    And I get the impression that it's by design. Champions lore defines magic as the root cause of all super-heroic power. So at a macro level, Magic vs. Technology has worked its way into the story as a proxy for Good vs. Evil. The closest the Champions themselves have come to AI, outside of SOCRATES, was DEFTRON, and that ended poorly enough that Harmon hasn't messed with AI since. But Dr. Destroyer, builder of Destroids and death-ray satellites, abhors magic.


    Nope.

    That's not the thing.

    There are no in-universe equivalents for Jocasta or Vision, because CU setting was written for PnP game sessions with an assumption that premiere roles can be filled by player characters.

    Robot characters are minority in comic books when compared to organics. A niche for this minority was left to fill by player -created heroes in PnP games.

    On the other hand, CU villains are more diverse and come with every possible background because there must be enough of them to allow for themed PnP campaign for pretty much every possible superhero team.


    Also, an inhuman character being eligible to fall under the Triple-A act does not makes them falling under this act automatically. Firstly they need to be evaluated by authorities before they are being acknowledged as being protected by this bill.

    And the bill itself is US only. Supposedly similar rights could be in place in EU countries, looking at Sr Silverback being UK citizen, but still some authority would need to evaluate first if the creature is sentient and free-willed at all.
  • sistersiliconsistersilicon Posts: 1,687 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    I'm not arguing with the gamemaster here, I should point out. I don't intend for any of this to be critical of Champions lore, especially from the P'n'P perspective. I was a Heroes Unlimited player in college (our GM was using our X-Men-ish HU sessions as a prologue to a big, crazy Rifts campaign), so I'm playing catch up, and I'll gladly defer to folks better schooled in Champs.

    At a meta level, though, it's much easier to make your own fame in your own P'n'P campaign than in an MMO, especially one like CO that does a halfway decent job of avoiding the 1,000,000 Chosen Ones trope.* We're all one big happy roster of good guys here, and no single character is going to steer lore development in any given direction. Cryptic shouldn't allow that anyway, since it would only create resentment and dissention in the community.

    Not with player characters, at least. NPCs are how MMO "gamemasters" set the tone and direct the story, and it's up to RP players to find their character's place from there. That's why I point out the imbalance between android heroes and villains. Those back bench android heroes from the source books aren't even name checked. I'm even pulling DEFTRON from the Champions Universe book, which, as I understand it, retcons the 5th ed lore through the MMO for the 6th ed. And given how many times I could read the eye-rolling in Bulgarex's explanations of how Cryptic's writing deviates from the books, it would be wise to stick to the MMO's established lore anyway, lest an editorial retcon hit you in the face. :wink:

    Aaaaaanyway, to bring this back around to the Triple-A Act, Tiger's observation sounds perfectly reasonable, as members of the [Mumble] Party point at all those Destroids and Mechanon units as a reason to restrict or even repeal the act, while members of the *Cough* Party speak of the principles involved, even though they can't come up with a name off the top of their heads.

    * As opposed to a certain other game I could mention, where the final confrontation with the villain of the last major expansion is scripted for the players' "chosen ones" to fail so the lead writer's mary sue NPC can jump in and kill-steal.
    Choose your enemies carefully, because they will define you / Make them interesting, because in some ways they will mind you
    They're not there in the beginning, but when your story ends / Gonna last with you longer than your friends
  • meedacthunistmeedacthunist Posts: 2,961 Arc User1
    edited December 2014
    At a meta level, though, it's much easier to make your own fame in your own P'n'P campaign than in an MMO, especially one like CO that does a halfway decent job of avoiding the 1,000,000 Chosen Ones trope.* We're all one big happy roster of good guys here, and no single character is going to steer lore development in any given direction. Cryptic shouldn't allow that anyway, since it would only create resentment and dissention in the community.

    Not with player characters, at least. NPCs are how MMO "gamemasters" set the tone and direct the story, and it's up to RP players to find their character's place from there.

    It is kinda irrelevant, because this lore was written precisely for PnP campaigns, not for mmo. This is why it has no NPCs like that.

    Cryptic didn't set the tone, they just did not care enoguh to modify it and add (or don't add on the purpose) robotic hero NPCs.
    What you are reading as an intentional writing is just a leftover from the way how manuals were written for PnP game groups...
  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,315 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    I might even steal some of this to explain why Happifun Robotics isn't moving to deactivate Security System X-4. While its activation was completely accidental, it's also serving as a trial balloon of sorts, to see if folks are ready to accept android mall security units - and its independence gives them complete deniability, just in case...
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
    Get the Forums Enhancement Extension!
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    Not with player characters, at least. NPCs are how MMO "gamemasters" set the tone and direct the story, and it's up to RP players to find their character's place from there. That's why I point out the imbalance between android heroes and villains. Those back bench android heroes from the source books aren't even name checked. I'm even pulling DEFTRON from the Champions Universe book, which, as I understand it, retcons the 5th ed lore through the MMO for the 6th ed. And given how many times I could read the eye-rolling in Bulgarex's explanations of how Cryptic's writing deviates from the books, it would be wise to stick to the MMO's established lore anyway, lest an editorial retcon hit you in the face. :wink:

    Was I that obvious? Sorry. :redface: I guess my subjective opinions on some of the changes and additions Cryptic made to the setting do bleed through, although a few I actually like and approve of. But that's not really relevant, as what Cryptic decides takes priority for what's "official."

    IMHO Meedacthunist is accurate as to the reason behind the generally lower profile of NPC heroes vs. villains in Champions. But I long ago noticed that heroic NPC robots, androids, cyborgs, and the like were a rather more prominent feature of the previous incarnation of the CU, before the Fifth Edition reboot. I think it's fair to say they're under-represented compared to their villainous counterparts in the current setting, even given the hero/villain disparity. However, I don't get the impression that was a deliberate choice by the writers of the PnP game, nor that there's any particular significance to it.

    But IME Cryptic stay true to the spirit if not the letter of the PnP game lore far more often that they deviate from it. The differences often have more to do with the differing priorities of MMO vs. PnP. In places where Champions Online is still silent, I consider it fair to draw from the tabletop game books for inspiration. Cryptic has mostly done the same thing.
  • xcaligaxxcaligax Posts: 1,096 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    I'm an alien.

    So I fall under this category for this act right?
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    Assuming you can demonstrate you're sentient and free-willed if required to (which doesn't sound like it would be a problem for you), yes, you have at least some civil rights in the Champions United States under Triple-A.
  • themightyzeniththemightyzenith Posts: 4,599 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    Under the Sausage-legged Midget Act 1986 (amended November 2014) you have the right to be locked up in a teeny-weenie refugee camp for up to 6 months first, Cal. The security in this camp is outsourced to the Gadroon.
    zrdRBy8.png
    Click here to check out my costumes/milleniumguardian (MG) in-game/We need more tights, stances and moods
  • tigerofcachticetigerofcachtice Posts: 551 Arc User
    edited December 2014
    xcaligax wrote: »
    I'm an alien.

    So I fall under this category for this act right?

    Yeah, 10-4.

    Your sovereignty, though, I don't know. We'll have to find a real lawyer on that.
    Under the Sausage-legged Midget Act 1986 (amended November 2014) you have the right to be locked up in a teeny-weenie refugee camp for up to 6 months first, Cal. The security in this camp is outsourced to the Gadroon.

    So I was reading the Committee Study on CIA's Detention and Interrogation Program, which you may have seen in the news. Most of it is about Gitmo. You wouldn't believe how many times "rectal" is used.

    (Tbh, it was about 50 times in 500 pages. But still.)

    Feel free to insert your own "Don't Drop The Soap" reference here.
    For what it's worth, Dollface (you'll probably see her more often in-game during the event) sorta bridges the gap between "Tech" and "Magic" - she was not-quite-sentient until Black Harlequin stole her, killed her creator, and shoved a stolen DEMON talisman into her chassis (alongside a heavy amount of weaponry),the love of a lonely old toymaker and the amulet mixing around to "awaken" her fully.

    ICly I presume due to the unfriendly-looking bit of bling imbedded in her torso and the unfortunate fact that Harlequin "redesigned" her in his own image somewhat makes people extremely distrustful of her, and the fact that she appeared for the first time in the midst of a Mechanon attack likely doesn't help. My major "hero with bad publicity" archetype.

    Way to have situational awareness for your character in the public's eyes.

    A minor thing, but so far we had 3 specific mentions or pictures of gynoids and female A.I. Keep in mind the Triple-A Act was ratified in 1979, the same year as the Equal Rights Amendment IRL, which says:

    Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

    As we talk about complex things like sentience tests, or if a program program counts as a person, etc. (all good questions), let us keep in mind U.S. law only recognised women as having equal rights 35 years ago.

    There's complex political issues everywhere, it's complicated, but srsly take nothing for granted.
    Banner%20Try%20Again.jpg
    More action at Champions Online Comics @ http://co-comics.webs.com
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited March 2015
    bulgarex wrote: »
    I do agree that published precedents for "heroic" or "good" AIs in the current official CU are thin, but they aren't totally lacking. UNTIL's AI HUGIN has served the entire agency well since 1983. There was also at least one such being in the ranks of the heroes, the "living robot" called Transac who was a member of Chicago's superhero team, the Peacekeepers; but it was destroyed by Taipan in 2000.

    Pardon the thread necro, but I overlooked a very prominent artificially-intelligent superhero from Champions lore. Lightwave was an android with potent light-manipulating powers who was created by one Dr. Victor Padgett in 1971. He served with the renowned superhero team, the Sentinels, for nearly twenty years, until being destroyed in battle with Dark Seraph in 1991.

    Lightwave is written up in issue #19 of Hero Games's electronic magazine, Digital Hero, in one of a series of articles detailing the history of the Sentinels. The article doesn't discuss Lightwave's legal status, but as a well-known member of a famous hero team with government connections, some kind of accommodation must have been made for him, even before the Triple-A Act was passed by Congress.

    (And yes, Lightwave is very clearly an homage to the Vision, of Marvel's Avengers.)
Sign In or Register to comment.