Machine Spirit Personalities for Various Vehicles and Gear

[ElectricPaladin]

Land raiders. Fellblades. Rhinos. Typhon siege tanks. Most of them have machine spirits. Some, like a land raider's, are practically sentient. Some, like a super-heavies, probably are sentient. Some of them even already have fluff that tells us about them - like the story behind typhon siege tanks, which states that their machine spirits are surly, resentful, and hard to control. Others, like the rhino's, are barely there and barely mentioned in the backstory.

Nevertheless, based on the vehicle's background, purpose, and reputation, what do you think their machine spirits are like?

[DETHMOKIL]

Well in the new Guard codex, it mentions a bolt pistol that kills commissars for cowardice, before it happens. Clearly not because it fire heavy bolter rounds.

[Blood Shadow]

Well in the new Guard codex, it mentions a bolt pistol that kills commissars for cowardice, before it happens. Clearly not because it fire heavy bolter rounds.

I think you're doing something wrong Bro...

As for PoMS I'm pretty sure it's just autonomous targeting system, any implied "personality" is an anthropomorphic impression of the technical difficulty/ complexity of the system.

So a Rhino only has a simplistic limited capability, where as a Typhon's autonomous systems are highly complex making tinkering difficult and therefore "surly" no doubt these systems have servitor type voices which will add to the mysticism. But I like to think they're just technological, no ghosts in there.

[Mr Mystery]

Warlord Titans were described in Adeptus Titanicus as being programmed with a Bear like personality, whereas Warhounds had, appropriately, Wolf engrams and that.

[ElectricPaladin]

I think you're doing something wrong Bro...

As for PoMS I'm pretty sure it's just autonomous targeting system, any implied "personality" is an anthropomorphic impression of the technical difficulty/ complexity of the system.

So a Rhino only has a simplistic limited capability, where as a Typhon's autonomous systems are highly complex making tinkering difficult and therefore "surly" no doubt these systems have servitor type voices which will add to the mysticism. But I like to think they're just technological, no ghosts in there.

Eh… I seem to recall there being some fluff to the effect that many of these devices are so complex as to be sentient or semi-sentient and also there are shards of programming hidden in them from the Men of Iron who tried to enslave mankind. And also, some of the fluff about machine spirits having personalities comes from the rational anti-superstition Heresy-era works.

[Lord-Boofhead]

Warlord Titans were described in Adeptus Titanicus as being programmed with a Bear like personality, whereas Warhounds had, appropriately, Wolf engrams and that.

Titans are different they have a partially Organic cortex the the Princeps interfaces with.

[Lord Asterion]

Eh… I seem to recall there being some fluff to the effect that many of these devices are so complex as to be sentient or semi-sentient and also there are shards of programming hidden in them from the Men of Iron who tried to enslave mankind. And also, some of the fluff about machine spirits having personalities comes from the rational anti-superstition Heresy-era works.

I think in bigger things like tanks and titans, its mainly complicated automation routines that is misunderstood, so its seen to be aggressive because it picks out targets and fires or beligerent becuase it can drive itself and so its assumed to be the "machine spirit", given bigger machines have spirits, then is why things like Bolters and even Lasguns are said to have spirits, when you have no idea how something works, any temperamentality is going to be the work of spirits. I can't recall seeing anywhere that implied the spirits were ever an actual spirit or anything to do with the Men of Iron.

Even in the age of the Great Crusade, technology was a mystery to the Mechanicus, the Dark Age of Technology was thousands of years ago, they've not lost as much as they have by 40k, but the Mechanicum still don't understand HOW technology works, they're still just replicating and maintaining things from the past.

[Jmaximum]

Ok wow, I am missing something.
Who are the Men of Iron? Is this pre-unification?
Also, I remember reading a short story where a Predator tank during an Tyranid invasion that kept fighting after its crew were killed, and it kept going until its magazines ran dry, its lascannons melted from over use, and finally resorted to driving over the bugs until it ran out of fuel.

[ElectricPaladin]

Ok wow, I am missing something.
Who are the Men of Iron? Is this pre-unification?
Also, I remember reading a short story where a Predator tank during an Tyranid invasion that kept fighting after its crew were killed, and it kept going until its magazines ran dry, its lascannons melted from over use, and finally resorted to driving over the bugs until it ran out of fuel.

There's a Crimson Fists land raider that did the same thing to Orks, except that it's final ploy was to pretend to be abandoned, with its doors wide open, and then, once the warboss ran inside to claim it as a trophy, overloading its reactor and exploding, killing the warboss, all his nobs, and many of the other Orks who had gathered around to watch... all of this done by the "machine spirit" acting independently.

[Bigred]

I may be mistaken but I believed the Machine spirits of all types are part of the same "family tree" at the legio cybernetica - ie there must be at least some small organic component at the core of the machine to guide it. So in effect a living brain of some capacity slaved to other mechanical components that then interfaces with a larger machine to control it.

Now whether that brain is from a cockroach, or a large animal like a bear could determine its capability, and innate "character".

It's a 100% non-organic artificial intelligence that is the giant no-no of the Mechanicus in the post Men-of-Iron era.

[Wolfshade]

Just to expand on the men of iron.

The Men of Iron were legendary sentient humanoid machines created by humans during the Dark Age of Technology. Until shortly before the Age of Strife, the Men of Iron were loyal only to Mankind, and served as their army. They came after the Men of Stone, but before the advent of servitors. Eventually, they turned on their Human masters, believing themselves superior to the Humans who relied on the Men of Iron to do virtually everything for them. In the end, the Men of Iron were destroyed by Humanity. In the Gaunt's Ghost novels, the Connel-Commisar discovers an STC for them and destroyed it before it could fall into the hands of schemers

[Katharon]

The "Priests of Mars" series by Graham McNeill is a good place to see some more examples of machine spirit personalities.

[Jmaximum]

The "Caban Machine' is a good short story about how the Mechanicus is totally against sentient machines.
I have never heard any of the stories of the Men of Iron or Men of Stone. Is this in the Heresy novels? What's the source?
I could see this as a possibility: the ancient war machines (M30 or older) were probably created with a some form of silicate AI, and in some cases may have become self-aware, like in my brief recollection above about the Predator and the story about the land raider. But in most cases, such as titans and frikkin spaceships, which probably have the best/most powerful AI, they still need a human component to work properly. haven't heard any stories of Titans going off on their own without a crew. I think the 40K-verse treats pure AI as relics, and thus ascribes personality to them, where as more modernized stuff (post-heresy) requires an organic component, i.e. servitors with brains for processors, instead of robots. hell, there's even a story out there of a robot becoming an honorary legionnaire for its actions in combat (Can't remember the book, though.)

[Ankhalagon]

Sicaran battle tanks machinespirits are a little scary.

[Charon]

there's even a story out there of a robot becoming an honorary legionnaire for its actions in combat (Can't remember the book, though.)

The first heretic

[MajorWesJanson]

Sicaran battle tanks machinespirits are a little scary.

I'd imagine because they probably have a similar level of machine spirit as the Land Raiders, but stripped of the "instinct" to protect the troops it carries around. A Sicaran is a proper main battle tank, not a hybrid heavy tank/troop transport.

[Thornblood]

I imagine the vanilla, godhammer pattern land raider would be pretty cynical. I like the idea of a sarcastic land speeder.
A depressed, defeatist vindicator upset because hes been transported across the galaxy and spends most of his time stationary and consequently dosn't get to see the places he visits. Not that he visits anywhere nice. The assault marines don't appreciate the freedom they have.
A pacifist passive aggressive razorback. "Oh no I've missed again, oh well I guess they may not see us as a threat and possibly we can settle our differences in peace?"
An angry mother type Rhino? "You and your friends take your boots off when you come inside! Im not having you railing blood across the floor. Is the commander with you? I dont like the commander hes a bad influence! Always shouting. Always demanding. You know who I blame? His parents."
Agrophobic whirlwind? Just stays back in a building or copse of trees, dosn't want to go out in the open...

Well, I entertained myself at least...

[This Dave]

It's not actually a 40K story but a long time ago I read a book called "Bolo" about AI controlled futuristic tanks that seem to be a lot like Baneblades except throwing tactical nuclear weapons around sometimes. It's a collection of short stories about them but one stood out in particular about the origin of the things.

It came online right as a global war started where pan-Chinese forces were invading North America through Alaska. So it was assigned to a Virginia regiment and sent out to stop them. It looked up in its database about the regiment and said it had a long and glorious history. Out on the ice plains it confronted the entire enemy army and fought it to a standstill despite being hit repeatedly with tactical nukes. Just when it was about to stop functioning the enemy decided they had enough and retreated. After several months they were able to recover its computer core from the radioactive hulk and the generals started asking it why it refused to retreat even though every tactical manual and self preservation they programmed into it said it should. Its reply?

"For the honor of the regiment."

That's kind of how I've always seen Land Raiders acting ever since.