Author Topic: The Doctor and the TARDIS, how to stat?  (Read 6859 times)

Offline Magickal_Grenadier

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Re: The Doctor and the TARDIS, how to stat?
« Reply #15 on: February 12, 2013, 10:45:55 PM »
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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Offline ways and means

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Re: The Doctor and the TARDIS, how to stat?
« Reply #16 on: February 12, 2013, 11:44:36 PM »
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)? 
 
« Last Edit: February 12, 2013, 11:48:13 PM by ways and means »
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Offline Tarion

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Re: The Doctor and the TARDIS, how to stat?
« Reply #17 on: February 12, 2013, 11:46:01 PM »
 
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. 
« Last Edit: February 12, 2013, 11:48:56 PM by Tarion »

Offline Deadmanwalking

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Re: The Doctor and the TARDIS, how to stat?
« Reply #18 on: February 12, 2013, 11:57:02 PM »
  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.

Offline Hick Jr

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Re: The Doctor and the TARDIS, how to stat?
« Reply #19 on: February 12, 2013, 11:58:46 PM »
He can be killed, permanently, while he's regenerating.
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Offline Tarion

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Re: The Doctor and the TARDIS, how to stat?
« Reply #20 on: February 13, 2013, 01:34:47 AM »
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". 

Quote
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, 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.

Offline Taran

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Re: The Doctor and the TARDIS, how to stat?
« Reply #21 on: February 13, 2013, 02:00:11 AM »
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.
« Last Edit: February 13, 2013, 02:03:17 AM by Taran »

Offline Magickal_Grenadier

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Re: The Doctor and the TARDIS, how to stat?
« Reply #22 on: February 13, 2013, 02:17:36 AM »
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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Offline Lavecki121

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Re: The Doctor and the TARDIS, how to stat?
« Reply #23 on: February 13, 2013, 02:51:35 AM »
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.

Offline SkywardEyes

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Re: The Doctor and the TARDIS, how to stat?
« Reply #24 on: February 13, 2013, 04:18:39 PM »
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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Offline Deadmanwalking

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Re: The Doctor and the TARDIS, how to stat?
« Reply #25 on: February 13, 2013, 04:37:52 PM »
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).

Offline JDK002

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Re: The Doctor and the TARDIS, how to stat?
« Reply #26 on: February 13, 2013, 04:47:26 PM »
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.   

Offline Tarion

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Re: The Doctor and the TARDIS, how to stat?
« Reply #27 on: February 13, 2013, 05:58:06 PM »
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.   

Offline Lavecki121

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Re: The Doctor and the TARDIS, how to stat?
« Reply #28 on: February 13, 2013, 07:35:51 PM »
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

Offline Sanctaphrax

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Re: The Doctor and the TARDIS, how to stat?
« Reply #29 on: February 13, 2013, 11:27:19 PM »
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.)