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The Dresden Files => DFRPG => Topic started by: Magickal_Grenadier on February 12, 2013, 09:24:07 PM
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First things first, I finally got my PDFs! Happy days are here again.
Anywho, I'm working on a new scenario for my Louisville, KY campaign and I was wondering how one would go about writing up The Doctor and the TARDIS from the BBC series Doctor Who? I was toying around with a few ideas in my spare time but I'm still getting back into the swing of things.
Just my ideas:
High Concept: The Doctor
Trouble: Last of the Time Lords
Other Aspects: Just The Doctor
Time Traveler
Bane of the Daleks
Ideas, critics, suggestions?
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Just the Doctor doesnt really do anything that The Doctor doesnt do. And being a timelord kind of implies that he is a time traveler. I would put something reffering to the TARDIS such as Maried to my Ship or something. I would probably stat the TARDIS as an IoP so having the aspect could be something that is required.
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The TARDIS needs no stats, it's purely a plot device that does specific things that are necessitated by plot.
The doctor, meanwhile, is best built with full Thaumaturgy and lots of Potion Slots plus a few Enchanted Items, all based on Scholarship and Craftsmanship not the normal skills, and representing his superscientific knack. He might also have Supernatural or even Mythic Recovery with a hell of a Catch and possibly Human Form [+2].
That's most of it. Aspects would vary by which Doctor, as would skills beyond Superb or higher at Craftsmanship and Scholarship.
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I've never seen Doctor Who, but I'm pretty sure that leaving the TARDIS unstatted is a bad idea. At least make it an Aspect. And if it has a useful effect that's used regularly find some way to model it with Powers.
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I've never seen Doctor Who, but I'm pretty sure that leaving the TARDIS unstatted is a bad idea. At least make it an Aspect. And if it has a useful effect that's used regularly find some way to model it with Powers.
It's a valid Aspect, yeah.
But as for powers: It can take you anywhere, is the reason the cast can speak any language, and is completely invulnerable. If they need to be trapped it's either inaccessible or can't be moved for some reason. Other powers occur at the speed of plot and no other. It's a pure plot device/genre convention, not a stattable thing.
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Item Of Power attached to a -1 Power that lets you speak all languages and a custom Power that lets you go anywhere. Plus an Aspect, of course.
That's not impossible to stat. In fact, it's not even hard to stat.
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Not necessarially true. It has time travel so that might be hard to stat out, but it has Mythic recovery, Undying, Mythic Toughness (mythics might even be a step higher). It wouldnt be that much harder to stat it. Obviously not a PC or something that could reasonably be an IoP owned by a low level PC but still statable. It is an intelligence after all.
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Wait, why would it have all that Toughness stuff?
I mean, it's already indestructible just because it's an IoP. And I thought the Doctor's durability was inherent.
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Wait, why would it have all that Toughness stuff?
I mean, it's already indestructible just because it's an IoP. And I thought the Doctor's durability was inherent.
Item Of Power attached to a -1 Power that lets you speak all languages and a custom Power that lets you go anywhere. Plus an Aspect, of course.
That's not impossible to stat. In fact, it's not even hard to stat.
Wait, why would it have all that Toughness stuff?
I mean, it's already indestructible just because it's an IoP. And I thought the Doctor's durability was inherent.
It kinda makes you completely invulnerable while inside it, too, and heals itself if it does somehow get damaged. And several other things. It's theoretically stattable...but doing so is silly. Like statting the city a game takes place in. I mean, you could give one Mythic Toughness, and other assorted stuff...but why would you?
You generally give something that's the whole premise of a series and not really destructible or effectable by conventional means some Aspects and call it good. The TARDIS very much falls into that category.
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Being totally indestructible and healing from damage that's somehow inflicted anyway is part of the basic IoP package.
Does standing in it actually make you indestructible or does it just put an indestructible thing between you and the outside world? If the latter, IoP includes that too.
As for why to stat it, because if you're actually going to use the Doctor in a game he needs to pay for the abilities he has.
The TARDIS is not part of the DFRPG's basic premise.
I'm gonna be honest, this whole plot device thing always kinda makes me groan. It's as if people are so impressed by something fictional that they want it to be awesome in a way that mere mortals cannot quantify. Even if it clearly isn't.
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I.m mostly focusing on the tenth Doctor.
So what I'm getting so far:
High Concept: The Doctor
Trouble: Last of the Time Lords
Other Aspects: Married to my ship
Bane of the Daleks
Skills:
Superb: Intelligence
Great: Lore, Craftsmenship?
Good: ?
Fair: ?
Average: ?
Powers:
Mythic Recovery
Mythic Toughness
Human Form
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How much refresh is the ability to travel faster than speed of light worth, how much refresh is the ability to change time worth, how much refresh are shields that can with stand the force of an exploding planet worth (ok some times it can some times it can't), how much refresh would you charge for something that can phase through nearly anything. If you can figure that out then you can stat a tardis.
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Being totally indestructible and healing from damage that's somehow inflicted anyway is part of the basic IoP package.
This is true. Also the least of the TARDIS's abilities.
Does standing in it actually make you indestructible or does it just put an indestructible thing between you and the outside world? If the latter, IoP includes that too.
Technically? The second. For practical purposes since it's a building that can move anywhere and you can do anything from inside, and nobody can get in without permission? The first. Also, see below.
As for why to stat it, because if you're actually going to use the Doctor in a game he needs to pay for the abilities he has.
But that's the thing: Beyond getting him on scene and occasionally off again as an escape route, the TARDIS's potential capabilities are basicaly never utilized by the Doctor in any way. When and if they are it's because he worked out some way to do so that took as much time as any of his other technobabble solutions (ie: it's a use of Thaumaturgy).
The TARDIS is not part of the DFRPG's basic premise.
But it is a part of Dr. Who's. Indeed, a more major art than any city, and a very similar one in that it's only ever relevant to the plot very indirectly. Threatening the TARDIS happens, but in the same way that threatening the entire city happens in the Dresden Files, and the TARDIS enables the basic premises of a Dr. Who game the way a city does for DFRPG.
I'm gonna be honest, this whole plot device thing always kinda makes me groan. It's as if people are so impressed by something fictional that they want it to be awesome in a way that mere mortals cannot quantify. Even if it clearly isn't.
That's not at all how I use the term. I use 'plot device' specifically to refer to items that have widely varying capabilities that make no sense logically and work entirely based on what the plot demands, and are thus impossible to stat remotely accurately since, for any given episode, your stats are likely to make the whole thing make no sense.
The TARDIS fits this definition perfectly.
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Skills:
Superb: Intelligence
Great: Lore, Craftsmenship?
Powers:
Mythic Recovery
Mythic Toughness
Human Form
Intelligence isn't a skill. It's covered by the other two. And the doctor has no Toughness at all, much less Mythic.
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This is true. I dont think he would have human form either. None of his "powers" are ever gone. I would say that he has undying but there is the posiblity of him dying it just never hapens. So I suppose you could give it to him. He has regenerative properties but they ussually put him out for a while when he dies.
Additionally i would just stat the TARDIS as his workspace. It works thematically.
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Intelligence isn't a skill. It's covered by the other two. And the doctor has no Toughness at all, much less Mythic.
Been a long while since I've gone through the skills and such so I'm pretty rusty with the terms. Hindsight the toughness is something I didn't really think through.
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Being totally indestructible and healing from damage that's somehow inflicted anyway is part of the basic IoP package.
Does standing in it actually make you indestructible or does it just put an indestructible thing between you and the outside world? If the latter, IoP includes that too.
As for why to stat it, because if you're actually going to use the Doctor in a game he needs to pay for the abilities he has.
The TARDIS is not part of the DFRPG's basic premise.
I'm gonna be honest, this whole plot device thing always kinda makes me groan. It's as if people are so impressed by something fictional that they want it to be awesome in a way that mere mortals cannot quantify. Even if it clearly isn't.
See the problem is scale DFRPG is not scaled for space opera's which Doctor Who is one of. Mythic Speed is 0.1x(to the power off) 1,000,000 the speed of a tardis. So should the Tardis cost 10 to the millionth power refresh ?
It like asking exactly how many shift of damage the death star blast is doing (and to how many zones)?
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And the doctor has no Toughness at all, much less Mythic.
I'm not sure I'd agree. The Doctor regularly survives things that would kill regular people. I'd certainly consider him for Inhuman Toughness.
Examples: He thinks that he's the only one who has a "chance" to survive being hooked up to the computer in Forest of the Dead. In Aliens of London, he survives the electric shock that kills everyone else. There's probably a load more, but none of them leap out at me at the moment. This is true. I dont think he would have human form either. None of his "powers" are ever gone
The only time I'd consider Human Form is if he's using the watch he uses in Human Nature and Family of Blood - The one that literally turns him into a human. For those episodes, I'd stat him with human form. I'm gonna be honest, this whole plot device thing always kinda makes me groan. It's as if people are so impressed by something fictional that they want it to be awesome in a way that mere mortals cannot quantify. Even if it clearly isn't.
The thing is, the TARDIS just doesn't have a set of abilities that are consistent. It's been used to wipe out entire races (See: The Parting of the Ways), create paradoxes (The Sound of Drums) and destroy and then re-create the Universe (The Big Bang). And despite this, it's virtually useless the vast majority of the time. It's major role is getting the Doctor to where he needs to be, and then keeping him there. It's powers and utility exist as they're required to by plot. It's a time-travelling, indestructible, bigger-on-the-inside deus ex machina, essentially. With a pool and a library.
Honestly, I'd be almost tempted to stat her as a character, rather than an item of power. Modular abilities, and some well phrased aspects might fit better than trying to write her as an Item of Power.
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I'm not sure I'd agree. The Doctor regularly survives things that would kill regular people. I'd certainly consider him for Inhuman Toughness.
Examples: He thinks that he's the only one who has a "chance" to survive being hooked up to the computer in Forest of the Dead. In Aliens of London, he survives the electric shock that kills everyone else. There's probably a load more, but none of them leap out at me at the moment.
That's always struck me as more Inhuman Recovery than Toughness. He's not any more bulletproof than anyone else, after all.
The only time I'd consider Human Form is if he's using the watch he uses in Human Nature and Family of Blood - The one that literally turns him into a human. For those episodes, I'd stat him with human form.
I was thinking the +2 version as part of his Regeneration, with Mythic Recovery...but much of it only while Regenerating.
Maybe something like:
Inhuman Recovery [-2]
Human Form [+2] effecting;
Mythic Recovery [-4]
Plus maybe a Catch of some sort applying to both...though I'm not positive what.
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He can be killed, permanently, while he's regenerating.
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He's not any more bulletproof than anyone else, after all.
That's true.
Having thought about it some more, the issue comes down to the Doctor not really fitting the Dresden Files. The Dresden Files are a fairly hard magic system, and the game represents that pretty well. Creature X has Power Y. Power Y gives benefits Z. Doctor Who, by contrast, is sci-fi as soft as soft-serve ice cream on a warm day.
The best way to represent the Doctor, for me, is going to be entirely through aspects, which are the softer side of the Dresden Files. He'd be entirely at home in FATE Core, really. The Powers section of the DFRPG doesn't really fit, because powers in Doctor Who vary according to the demands of plot. On the other hand, that's exactly how aspects work too.
The Doctor is just a character with a lot of Fate points, some fairly well-rounded aspects, and a tendency to take every compel that comes his way. His toughness is just him Invoking his "Timelord Biology" to shrug off things that would kill regular people. He can Invoke his "Sonic Screwdriver" aspect to open doors, mess with computers, as a sensor, or as virtually anything else the player can think of (But it doesn't do wood). He'd be frequently compelled to get involved with the troubles of other people - I'd be tempted to use "old, and kind, and the very last of his kind" (The Beast Below) as the Eleventh Doctor's Trouble, for example. It basically sums up the beginning of season 5. The end of Season 5 and throughout Season 6, his trouble would reference the fact that he's got a lot of people against him. I'd be tempted to go with "And all this in fear of him", as a reference to River's speech in "A Good Man Goes to War".
This was exactly you. All this, all of it. You make them so afraid. When you began, all those years ago, sailing off to see the universe, did you ever think you'd become this? The man who can turn an army around at the mention of his name? Doctor? The word for healer and wise man, throughout the universe. We get that word from you, you know. But if you carry on the way you are, what might that word come to mean? To the people of the Gamma Forests, the word "Doctor" means mighty warrior. How far you've come. And now they've taken a child... the child of your
best friends... and they're going to turn her into a weapon, just to bring you down. And all this, my love...in fear of you.
Having said all of that, I realise that this isn't too useful if you're actually wanting him in your game. But I think it's still a good starting point. And if you're in a sufficiently low power game, giving him a good spread of aspects and a ton of Fate points wouldn't be a bad way to play him. If he's getting into combat, something has gone wrong (but in terms of Social conflicts, I'd watch out. He's fully capable of breaking pretty much anyone By talking (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BreakThemByTalking), and frequently concedes physical conflicts in order to give him the opportunity), so quibbling over whether he has Inhuman Recovery or Inhuman Toughness is probably not too necessary.
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What's funny is I actually recommended this build for someone playing a scion of kronos. It works perfectly for the TARDIS
Iop: indestructable
+2 for being obvious
It must have an aspect related to a Time Lord and possibly related to randomly not working.
World Walker: It can go into the NeverNever and take you anywhere else. It might cost more than normal world walker if you want to take it out of the dresden genre and let it take you into other dimensions that are not based on earth.
Demense: This power lets you automatically succeed on declarations about things in your demense. Things like, it has medical supplies, communication devices, weird computer-like thinga-mabobs. Also, you can declare that time goes slower, or faster, or backwards. Thus, it can take you through time. You step into it for 2 minutes and step out of it 200 years later!
Recovery: While in it, you have access to a recovery power. Catch +0 Unknown. Maybe there is a catch, I'm not too up on Dr. Who. I haven't watched it for 20 years.
I mean, this is just a rough draft of basic powers...but it's a start.
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I have absolutely no intentions of putting The Doctor in any form of combat at all. I've been toying with a few ideas over the day but none of them are fully formed yet. I'm mostly considering him as a sort of consultant for the PCs who, in true Doctor fashion, arrives just in time to help the PCs to find a way to take down a powerful alien conspiracy.
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I would give him high presence and scholarship. Probably give him maybe one or two stunts and probably that benefits of experience power that dead man and Sancta were working on.
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All of his social skills should be superb. I mean, how many times does he keep his enemies (all of which know NOT to let him ramble on and one) standing there listening to him while his plan completes itself?
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All of his social skills should be superb. I mean, how many times does he keep his enemies (all of which know NOT to let him ramble on and one) standing there listening to him while his plan completes itself?
That's really just Rapport and maybe Deceit, though, not everything. His actual Intimidation should actually be pretty low (though he has high Presence and occasionally seems to have Weight of the Reputation).
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Okay I just attempted to do a write-up of The Doctor at Submerged and scrapped the whole thing. Even at that level as a PC he suffers a massive power-down, particularly with stats. Trying to properly stat block him with 35 skill points and keep true to the character seems like it will just turn him into a rather ho-hum techno oriented detective who's powers don't really facilitate much difinitive mechanical bonuses.
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That's really just Rapport and maybe Deceit, though, not everything. His actual Intimidation should actually be pretty low (though he has high Presence and occasionally seems to have Weight of the Reputation).
It depends on the Doctor, I think. As NewWho goes on, Weight of the Reputation is more and more relevant. I mean, the overarching plot of Season 5 and 6 is that the Doctor is so terrifying that multiple superpowers are aligning to deal with him (although he loses it for Season 7). The "I'm the Doctor... look me up" speech of Forest of the Dead is the epitome of Weight of the Reputation, to my mind, and the speech at the end of Eleventh Hour (The one that ends with "Hello. I'm the Doctor. Basically. Run.") is another great example.
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I feel that could be represented with a series of stunts. Also his combat skills are high (they just dont show them because he is haunted by the war)
EDIT: And I just realized that that is a good aspect for Doctor #10. Probably a good trouble
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See the problem is scale DFRPG is not scaled for space opera's which Doctor Who is one of. Mythic Speed is 0.1x(to the power off) 1,000,000 the speed of a tardis. So should the Tardis cost 10 to the millionth power refresh ?
It like asking exactly how many shift of damage the death star blast is doing (and to how many zones)?
Remember the Teleportation Power? The one written by you and edited by me? It lets you travel anywhere instantly between scenes if fully upgraded.
It'd need some modification, but something like that could work.
The thing is, the TARDIS just doesn't have a set of abilities that are consistent. It's been used to wipe out entire races (See: The Parting of the Ways), create paradoxes (The Sound of Drums) and destroy and then re-create the Universe (The Big Bang). And despite this, it's virtually useless the vast majority of the time. It's major role is getting the Doctor to where he needs to be, and then keeping him there. It's powers and utility exist as they're required to by plot. It's a time-travelling, indestructible, bigger-on-the-inside deus ex machina, essentially. With a pool and a library.
Most of that is Aspect stuff, since it's not consistent.
But the "getting the Doctor to where he needs to be" is a consistent effect, right? So that should be a Power.
Anyway, Aspects are a type of stat. Making something into an Aspect is a way of statting it up.
That aside...
Judging by second-hand accounts, I'd give the Doctor the following Powers:
Marked By Power [-1]
Undying [-0]
Inhuman Recovery [-2]
Item Of Power (TARDIS) [-1?]
Mythic Experience [-6] (If you think Experience is balanced enough to use.)
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Not only that but I just was looking at the custom power list and saw compartment. That works well for the TARDIS
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By no means is this complete, but it might be a decent start.
Lore +6 (represents advanced science, knowledge of aliens, etc...)
Discipline +6
Craftsmanship +5
Conviction +5
Deceit +4
Rapport +4
Scholarship (represents Earthly Knowledge) +4
Athletics +3
Endurance +3
Fists +3
Driving +3
All Other Skills at Fair or Average
Stunts:
Pilot (Time Travel Devices +1, TARDIS +2)
Honest Lies
No Pain, No Gain
Doctor
Powers
Mythic Recovery -6
Inhuman Toughness -2 (represents bonuses from extra heart)
The Catch: Plot Devices +0
Respiratory Bypass System -1 (Treat it like Amphibious, but for vaccuum)
Thaumaturgy (represents Galifreyan Scientific Knowledge/Gadgetry and Mental Disciplines such as telepathy, astral projection, clairvoyance and hypnosis) -3
Item of Power TARDIS +1 (anyone trying to use a TARDIS must have 3 Refresh free. Pure Mortals would have to give up their +2 bonus as well)
grants the following:
World Walker -2
Demesne -1
Item of Power Sonic Screwdriver +2
grants the following:
Evocation w/Elements: Spirit (Force) -3 (or Channeling (Force) -2)
Sonic Screwdriver uses Discipline/Conviction to set power as it is powered by his mind.
4 slots for Focus Items/gadgets, some of which are broken down into "enchanted" items and potions
19 Refresh, at least 57 skill points
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Nitpicks:
Mythic Recovery costs 6, not 8.
Respiratory Bypass System isn't a Power, or if it is it's not one I've heard of.
You can only have 1 IoP rebate.
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Thanks. I've made corrections. I based Respiratory Bypass on the Amphibious power, using vaccuum instead of water..
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Iop: indestructable
+2 for being obvious
It must have an aspect related to a Time Lord and possibly related to randomly not working.
World Walker: It can go into the NeverNever and take you anywhere else. It might cost more than normal world walker if you want to take it out of the dresden genre and let it take you into other dimensions that are not based on earth.
Demense: This power lets you automatically succeed on declarations about things in your demense. Things like, it has medical supplies, communication devices, weird computer-like thinga-mabobs. Also, you can declare that time goes slower, or faster, or backwards. Thus, it can take you through time. You step into it for 2 minutes and step out of it 200 years later!
Recovery: While in it, you have access to a recovery power. Catch +0 Unknown. Maybe there is a catch, I'm not too up on Dr. Who. I haven't watched it for 20 years.
I mean, this is just a rough draft of basic powers...but it's a start.
TARDIS [-7]
Description: The TARDIS is a time traveling device known to be in the shape of a blue police box used by the Doctor.
Musts: You must have an aspect related to your possession of this item. additionally anyone trying to use a TARDIS must have 3 Refresh free. Pure Mortals would have to give up their +2 bonus as well.
Skills Affected: None in particular
Effects:
[-0] It Is What It Is. It's a time-machine.
[-0] Unbreakable. As an Item of Power, this item cannot be broken except with a magical ritual that opposes its nature.
[-0] Takes the Doctor to where he needs to go. The TARDIS is said to be conscious and thus may sometimes disobey the directions input by the doctor taking him to where it feel he needs to go.
[-0] Bigger on the inside. Being of Timelord design the TARDIS is bigger on the inside than its external physical dimensions.
[+2] One-Time Discount. although it maybe a clever disguise in 1900's England, most of the time this device isn't too camouflaged.
[-3] Enhanced World Walker: It can go into the NeverNever and take you anywhere else. It is enhanced beyond the normal world walker by its ability to be taken out of the dresden genre universe and be put into other dimensions that are not based on earth.
[-4]Demense: This power lets you automatically succeed on declarations about things in your demense. Things like, it has medical supplies, communication devices, weird computer-like thinga-mabobs. Also, you can declare that time goes slower, or faster, or backwards. Thus, it can take you through time. You step into it for 2 minutes and step out of it 200 years later!
[-2] All Speak: Once psychically linked with the TARDIS you can communicate with all creatures in all languages for an extended time before the power fades
Here is my crack at it
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[-4]Demense: This power lets you automatically succeed on declarations about things in your demense. Things like, it has medical supplies, communication devices, weird computer-like thinga-mabobs. Also, you can declare that time goes slower, or faster, or backwards. Thus, it can take you through time. You step into it for 2 minutes and step out of it 200 years later!
Demense is a -1 power.