There are three levels of indoctrination: Infected, Compromised, Corrupted.

RULES:

The ground rules of indoctrination in the PV are as follows:

ANY level of indoctrination will eventually progress to full level three. The mean time until this happens is a function of species, materials, cybernetics, and time.

Indoctrination cannot be ‘repaired’ or ‘fixed’, only delayed. Tho’ian spores can destroy the picotech infection element but the mental and psychological damage is still there, although it will not progress further. Even so, any exposure to further Reaper tech that generates an Indoctrination field will immediately continue the process.

Leviathans can remove Indoctrination, but the same rules apply — additional exposure will pick up almost exactly where it left off.

Indoctrination is damaging to mental stability, reasoning, and sanity, while boosting raw intellect and high-order mathematical ability in early stages. As it progresses the subject becomes less and less capable of intellectual thought, free action, or logic.

There is no ‘safe’ level of indoctrination. Once exposure crosses the threshold for level one, even if the subject is no longer exposed to Reaper tech of any kind, infection STILL proceeds at 100X the length.

MEAN TIME TO INFECTION:

The time it takes to become indoctrinated varies based on four factors:

Species: each species in the PV has a varying level of resistance, of how long they can be exposed to qualifying Reaper tech before level one indoctrination sets in. These times are CUMULATIVE, not ADDITIVE.

Non sentient life: twenty minutes to one hour
Salarians: four hours
Volus, Quarians, Elcor: eight hours
Asari: Nine hours
Humans: ten hours
Turians: twenty hours
Yahg, Krogan: twenty five hours
Drell: Thirty five hours
Vorcha: twenty days
Hanar: Six months (roughly)
Tho’ian Thralls (non-Vorcha) : Fifteen months
Tho’ian Thralls (vorcha) : three years
Geth and most AI systems: forty five years
Adaptive AI (EDI, EVA, Vigil) : six to seven decades
Inusannon, Tho’ians: centuries
Beings under Leviathan Influence: Immune
Leviathans: Immune

Cybernetics: Any level of cybernetics increases the mean time to conversion, as the picotech that reformats beings has to adapt to both biological and technological systems.

For each 10% that a being is cybernetically converted, they gain another two hours of exposure, up to 70% at 14 hours. Full conversion cyborgs (above 70%) get a flat 20 hours of resistance.

Nanoware Immune Systems: a nanoware immune system booster adds another five hours of safe exposure.

Field Strength: The strength of the infection source counts as well:

Reaper hull material, buildings, and husks are not infective.

Reaper technology of any kind: twice the listed speeds.

Direct contact with a Reaper (distance of one mile or more): 1.5x the listed speed

Direct contact with a Reaper (within one mine but not inside the Reaper): listed speed

Direct contact inside a Reaper: 75% of listed speed

Direct contact inside a Greater Reaper: 50% of listed speed

Direct contact (touch) with an Eternal Pyramid: instant, if the pyramid is activated. Otherwise, 50% of listed speed.

MEAN TIME TO PROGRESSION:

Times above are doubled for Level Two and quadrupled for level three.

EXAMPLE:

A salarian researcher with no modifiers studies Reaper CPU tech directly. As this is just tech, he would be indoctrinated to level 1 after eight hours, level 2 after an additional sixteen hours, and level three after an additional thirty two hours, for a total time of 56 hours.

A human full conversion cyborg with a nanoimmune booster implant and studying the same tech would suffer level 1 at 70 hours, level two at 140 hours, and level 3 at 280 hours, for a total time of roughly twenty days.

A turian with 50% cybernetics reaches level one indoctrination and then is removed from all Reaper influence. He would reach level two automatically in 250 days and level three in about a year and a half. (In canon, this is what happened to Rana Thanoptis, albeit more slowly).

LEVEL ONE: (Whispering)

The first level of indoctrination is one of mental vulnerability. The victim is plagued by whispering voices and unexplained urges, emotional instability, and a feeling of helplessness.

Those infected are unable to effectively attack Reapers directly, although they can still give orders counter to Reaper wishes and combat husks and other war forms.

Level one indoctrination benefits hand-eye coordination, and deadens pain response to some degree. As a side effect, the picotech infection tends to kill any non-beneficial infections in the host, even late stage cancers. In the past, Reapers have used this as a method to indoctrinate populations slowly with ‘miracle cures’.

Level one indoctrination usually allows a being to go about their daily lives with only a minimal disruption, although they will be very short tempered.

LEVEL TWO: (Lost)

The second level begins converting the structure of the infected. They tend to become highly irrational, paranoid and unwilling to interact with non-Indoctrinated personnel.

At this phase, they are unable to resist Reaper direct commands, and will work towards Reaper goals. Reapers can override their physical actions if they are within line of sight.

Level two infected always have a voice urging them to do certain tasks, and a Reaper can communicate directly with the infected if they are within fifty light years.

Level two infected are increasingly difficult to work with for normal people, as paranoia and mental instability begin to be a problem.

LEVEL THREE: (Corrupted)

Onset of level three usually comes with violence, mental breakdowns and instability. After a few days, this calms, and the being’s last free will is now gone. They are little more than a disguised husk, totally in thrall to the Reaper.

Once level three is achieved, the picotech element of the infection begins converting the body of the infected. If a Reaper wishes, the victim is converted into the husk form of their race within seventy-two hours.

Level three infected are vulnerable to EMP disruption, which damages their nervous system, which is now almost entirely Reaper.

THE INFLUENCE:

The Leviathan version of indoctrination is much more benign, although far more insidious in control. It also progresses almost immediately : even full conversion cyborgs and vorcha can only resist for two hours.

The Influence only has one level of control. Once in place, the affected has no ability to disobey the Leviathan in any way (although they may offer opinions counter to Leviathan wishes if they truly believe them to be in the Leviathan’s best interest).

The Influence makes a being believe that Leviathans are gods, that they are worthy of worship, and that anything that opposes them is wrong.

A Leviathan can take over any being under the Influence, regardless of range, and either speak through them or puppet them completely. Due to this, they are effectively immune to torture.

Beings under the Influence CANNOT be indoctrinated, controlled by Inusannon mind-control, or infected with Tho’ian Spores.

What of the aliens that evolved to be indoctrinated due to a reaper corpse on their homeworld? Were they one of the three levels, or were they entirely unique given their evolution?