Michael Hopcroft Posted January 12, 2004 Report Share Posted January 12, 2004 Since we've had svereal Doctor Who discussions, one thing I'm wondering is how you would build a TARDIS in HERO. The most obvious thing to know about a TARDIS is that it can go anywhere in Time and Space. Usually, however, it is restiricted to a single universe (it would have to pass through some sort of phenomena to get into a different universe), it takes real time to get from place.time to place/time, its course can be altered mid-flight, and it can materialize anywhere. The extrerior can be made to look like any phsycial object (unless the Chameleon Circuit is broken as in a certain Type 40 of our intimate acquiantance). In any event, the exterior look of the TARDIS, whatever its shape, is MUCh smaller than the interior of the ship. Although a crew of one can fly one, it has a potential carrying capacity of hundreds. You could jettison a quarter of its interior mass and still have a phenomenally large ship. It's very easy for people not familair with the interior to get lost, and the configuration changes eveyr so often so maps are no good. Most TARDISes (TARDII?) come equippped with both utlitiarian food synthesizers 9that produce food that can taste like anything but looks like a gummy white stick), but also have full kitchens and well-stocker larders. A ATDRIS generally has enough food and drink stored aboard it SOMEWHERE to operate indefinitely, although you'll want to restock to suit your indivdual tastes. Figuing out how to work the kitchen equipment is probably a chore for any Earth person who happens to find themselves aboard a TARDIS and having to live there. There are innumerable rooms of various sizes that can be used for a wide variety of purposes. A well-equuipped TARDIS has a very large wardrobe full of clothing for every occasion that most Time lords are too eccentric to really use more than once or twice an incarnation. (Companions, on the other hand, can go through the clothing like fiends.) No matter what size a companion is, or what kind of body a time Lord regenerates into, they can always find SOMETHING that fits (I like to think that Colin baker's choice of garb was partly inspired because it was the first thing he could throw on that fit that he liked and that if he had tried on a few more outfits he could have found something at least remotely approaching sane.) As for bedrooms and baths, there are an innmerable number of those. Everyone aboard a TARDIS can easily have their own room, and nobody needs to share quarters unless they want to. 9As to whether anyone WOULD want to.... no comment. ) The principal problem with TARDISes is that they're persnickety. especially the oilder models. Even when treated with endless TLC they have an alarming tendency to dump you where you didn;t want to go. No matter how many times you want to go to that popualr seaside resort, it'll reliably dump you someplace like telos in the middle of the Cyberman invasion. Something in the machines seems to be attracted to trouble. And even if you do get where you want to go, it's unliekly to get you there at a particularly peaceful moment. You could go to the shopping mall, and sure enough the moment you arrive it will come under alien attack. It also has an uncanny ability to just miss meeting improtant historical figures you want to pay a social call to. Unless of course that important hisotricla figure is Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart (for whom it seems to have a homing beacon....). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Sarcastic Posted January 12, 2004 Report Share Posted January 12, 2004 Check out the "Chrono-portation Box" in the ultimate vehicle book. It's extremely close to a Tardis...at least that's what I'd use in a Dr. Who game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hopcroft Posted January 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2004 Originally posted by Darth Sarcastic Check out the "Chrono-portation Box" in the ultimate vehicle book. It's extremely close to a Tardis...at least that's what I'd use in a Dr. Who game. it is indeed close, but I'd make two changes: 1. I'd double the interior size, if not triple it; the TARDIS is big enough that you can easily get lost in the interior. 2. is there a way to make Teleport or EDM take up etxra time? The way the Hero writeup is done travel from spot to spot is instant. while it is extremely variable how long it takes, a TARDIS spends a great deal of time in "the Time Vortex" in between destiantions. how much time depends, of course, on the needs of the plot, so it's difficult to write up for game purposes; the TARDIS has been instant when it needed to be, but usually it takes some time to de-materialize, travel to the destination, and re-materialize. the TARDIS can even be attacked by anything else that happ[ens to be in the Time Vortex at the saem time, and in at least one story the TARDIS doors were opened into the Time Vortex with an effect simialr to explosive decompression (teh villain, who was in the TARDIS at the time, was sucked into the Vortex and killed). (reference: "Enemy of the World"). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Anomaly Posted January 26, 2004 Report Share Posted January 26, 2004 I know the formatting on this is going to be screwed up, because I had this in a WordPerfect document and not in HeroDesigner, but here's my design for a TARDIS. [Edit: Okay, I punched them into Hero Designer and got some proper formatting for them.] I created it in two parts...a vehicle (the police box) and a base (the interior rooms). Be prepared for a shock on the price tag: 169 TARDIS (vehicle) 652 TARDIS (base) This means that if a character were to buy a TARDIS like this using the divide by 5 rule for bases and vehicles, it would still cost that character a grand total of 166 points. Of course, if the character can't replace it on their own, you could save a bundle of points by making them Independent, but that's a big risk! Note that some of the Disadvantages assume this TARDIS has either been stolen, or is in the possession of a renegade (hence the 'Hunted by the Time Lords'). The Doctor's TARDIS was swiped off the repair line, so to simulate this you could also reduce the effectiveness of some of the labs, remove some equipment all together (like the Chameleon Circuit), give some of the other equipment Activation Rolls, or make the Activation rolls for some of the equipment pools harder (to reflect the TARDIS may have been in need of resupply when it was taken). You could also add another two Physical Limitations: "Floor plan occassionally changes on its own" and "Shorts can develop in internal spatial matrix that result in closed loops (rooms or sequences of rooms linking back to themselves)" Opinions? TARDIS (vehicle) Val Char Cost 20 STR 0 10 DEX 0 15 BODY 3 2 SPD 0 0" RUN -12 0" SWIM -2 0" LEAP 0 Characteristics Cost: 23 Cost Power 26 Temporal Invulnerability: Desolidification (affected by Temporal Effects), Inherent (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2); OAF Bulky Unbreakable (-1 1/2), Still Tangible (-1) 10 Dematerialization: Extra-Dimensional Movement (to 'dematerialized' state where the TARDIS can travel to any time or place but can still be affected by some real-world effects) (Any Dimension, Any Location), Travel Through Time; Extra Time (Varies; Average 1 Hour, -3), OAF Bulky (-1 1/2), Requires A Tardis Operation Roll (-1/2) 33 Chameleon Circuit: Shape Shift (Sight Group, any shape), Imitation, Instant Change, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2); IAF Bulky (-1) 2 Hovering: Flight 2", Persistent (+1/2); OAF Bulky (-1 1/2), Linked (Dematerialization; -1/2) 75 Defense Screens: FW (20 PD/20 ED; 6" long and 2" tall), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2); IIF Bulky (-3/4), No Range (-1/2) Powers Cost: 146 Total Character Cost: 169 Pts. Disadvantage 10 Distinctive Features: Time Lord Craft (Easily Concealed; Major Reaction) 15 Hunted: Time Lords 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Mildly Punish) 20 Hunted: Enemies of the Time Lords 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish) 15 Hunted: Those who want the secret of time travel 8- (As Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish) 15 Reputation: Time Lord Craft, 11- (Extreme) 10 Unluck: 2d6 Disadvantage Points: 85 Base Points: 0 Experience Required: 84 Total Experience Available: 0 Experience Unspent: 0 TARDIS (base) Val Char Cost 10 BODY 8 Characteristics Cost: 92 Cost Power TARDIS Standard Systems/Equipment 40 Variable Floor Plan: (+1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2); Requires a Skill Roll vs. Tardis Operations (-1/2) for up to 60 Active Points 21 Tardis Main Door: Extra-Dimensional Movement (Interior of TARDIS Vehicle), x4 Increased Weight, Area of Effect: 1 Hex (+1/2), Continuous (+1); OAF Immobile (-2), Gate (-1/2) 5 TARDIS Emergancy Exit: Same as TARDIS Main Door (duplicate equipment rule) 7 Life Support Systems: LS (Eating Character does not eat; Safe in High Pressure; Safe in High Radiation; Safe in Intense Cold; Safe in Intense Heat; Safe in Low Pressure/Vacuum; Self-Contained Breathing); OAF Immobile (-2) 3 Wardrobe: Cosmetic Transform 2d6 (Any Clothing), Improved Target Group (+1/4), Usable By Other (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2); OAF Immobile (-2), Extra Time (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12), -1 1/4), Limited Target Limited (-1/2), Gestures (Requires both hands; -1/2), Requires a Perception Check to Find Desired Clothing (-1/2) 18 Zero Room: +30 Mental Defense (30 points total); OAF Immobile (-2), Partial Coverage (-2) plus Desolidification , Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2); Partial Coverage (-2), OAF Immobile (-2), Still Tangible (-1), Always On (-1/2) 16 Library Computer: Universal Traveler 18-; OAF Immobile (-2), Requires A Computer Programming Roll (-1/2) plus Universal Scholar 18-; OAF Immobile (-2), Requires A Computer Programming Roll (-1/2) 1 Chronometer: Absolute Time Sense; OAF Immobile (-2) 1 Computer: Lightning Calculator; OAF Immobile (-2) 2 Data Recorders: Eidetic Memory; OAF Immobile (-2) 10 Holographic Imager: Sight and Hearing Groups Images Increased Size (4" radius; +1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2); OAF Immobile (-2) 24 Auxilliary Power: Aid 4d6, Can Add Maximum Of 40 Points, To Any TARDIS System, One at a Time (+1/4), Transdimensional (+1/2); OAF Immobile (-2), Requires A Tardis Operation Roll (-1/2) 7 Remote Link to Real-World Interface Vehicle: Mind Link , One Vehicle, Any dimension, Psychic Bond; OAF Immobile (-2) TARDIS Sensor Array 6 Temporal Positioning System: Detect Local Temporal Position 18- (Unusual Group), Transdimensional (+1/2); OAF Immobile (-2) 6 Spatial Positioning System: Detect Local Spatial Position 18- (Unusual Group), Transdimensional (+1/2); OAF Immobile (-2) 10 Visual Scanner: Clairsentience (Sight Group), Single Dimension, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2); OAF Immobile (-2), Fixed Perception Point (-1), No Range (-1/2) 6 Communications Gear: HRRP (Radio Group), Transdimensional (+1/2); OAF Immobile (-2) 2 IR Cameras: IR Perception (Sight Group), Transdimensional (+1/2); OAF Immobile (-2) 2 Nightvision System: Nightvision, Transdimensional (+1/2); OAF Immobile (-2) 2 UV Cameras: UV Perception (Sight Group), Transdimensional (+1/2); OAF Immobile (-2) 11 TARDIS Sensors: Detect Environmental Conditions 18- (Unusual Group), Discriminatory, Analyze, Transdimensional (+1/2); OAF Immobile (-2) 11 TARDIS Sensors: Detect Spatial/Temporal Conditions 18- (Unusual Group), Discriminatory, Analyze, Transdimensional (+1/2); OAF Immobile (-2) 17 Cloister Bell: Danger Sense (self only, any danger, Function as a Sense), Transdimensional (+1/2); OAF Immobile (-2) 18- TARDIS Stores and Supplies 42 TARDIS Equipment Lockers: Variable Power Pool (Gadget Pool), 30 base + 12 control cost, No Skill Roll Required (+1); Tools and Equipment Only {no weapons} (-1/2), Only Change in Lab (-1/2), Must be at least OIF (-1/2) 37 TARDIS Workshops: Variable Power Pool (Gadget Pool), 30 base + 7 control cost, Only Change in Lab {Gadgeteering or Inventor Skill} (-1/2), Must be at least OIF (-1/2) 60 TARDIS Arsenal: Variable Power Pool (Gadget Pool), 45 base + 15 control cost, No Skill Roll Required (+1); Must be at least OAF (-1), Weapons Only (-1/2), Only Change in Arsenal (-1/2) 56 TARDIS Resources: Variable Power Pool (Cosmic), 45 base + 11 control cost, all slots Activation Roll 14- (Can you find what you're looking for?; -1/2), Burnout 13- (using Perception or KS: TARDIS Layout) (Have you run out of it?; -1/2) 4 TARDIS Vault: Money: Filthy Rich; OAF Immobile (-2), Activation Roll 14- (Do you have the right currency?; -1/2) TARDIS Sick Bay 7 Medical Scanner: Detect Condition, Health, Injury, and Illness of Living Being 18- (Unusual Group), Discriminatory, Analyze; OAF Immobile (-2) 18 Medical Equipment: Healing BODY 6d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2); OAF Immobile (-2), Gradual Effect (1 Day; -1 3/4), Requires A PS: Doctor or using the Medical Scanner Roll (Variable RSR; -1/4) 15 Medical Equipment: Healing (Simplified) 2d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2); OAF (-1) 6 Cellular Regeneration Vault: Major Transform 1d6 (Radiation-damaged living being into same living being without radiation damage), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Partial Transform (+1/2); OAF Immobile (-2), Extra Time (5 Minutes, -2) 4 Broad-Spectrum Antitoxins: Suppress vs. Toxins 1d6, vs. Any 1 Toxin at a Time (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Uncontrolled (+1/2), Continuous (+1); OAF Immobile (-2), No Range (-1/2) 4 Broad-Spectrum Antipathogens: Suppress vs. Disease 1d6, vs. Any 1 Disease at a Time (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Uncontrolled (+1/2), Continuous (+1); OAF Immobile (-2), No Range (-1/2) Powers Cost: 481 Cost Skill 3 SS: Biology 15-; OAF Immobile (-2) 3 SS: Botany 15-; OAF Immobile (-2) 3 SS: Chemistry 15-; OAF Immobile (-2) 5 Electronics 15-; OAF Immobile (-2) 3 SS: Forensics 15-; OAF Immobile (-2) 3 SS: Geology 15-; OAF Immobile (-2) 5 Mechanics 15-; OAF Immobile (-2) 5 Medicine 15-; OAF Immobile (-2) 3 SS: Physics 15-; OAF Immobile (-2) 3 SS: Robotics 15-; OAF Immobile (-2) 3 SS: Zoology 15-; OAF Immobile (-2) Skills Cost: 39 Cost Perk 40 Location: Distant; Modifier Another Dimension Perks Cost: 40 Total Character Cost: 652 Pts. Disadvantage 10 Distinctive Features: Bigger on the inside than the outside (Easily Concealed; Major Reaction) 15 Hunted: Time Lords 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Mildly Punish) 20 Hunted: Enemies of the Time Lords 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish) 15 Hunted: Those who want the secret of time travel 8- (As Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish) 15 Physical Limitation: What affects the vehicle affects the base (Infrequently, Fully Impairing) 10 Unluck: 2d6 Disadvantage Points: 85 Base Points: 0 Experience Required: 567 Total Experience Available: 0 Experience Unspent: 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asperion Posted January 28, 2004 Report Share Posted January 28, 2004 While Dr.Anomaly's TARDIS sounds like it would make a good working model, the actual TARDIS from the series seemed to be more of a plot device that the writers would use if there was no other method to get the great and egnimatic Doctor into trouble. looking at the TARDIS in that manner I would make it so that it is actually not written up in any form and make the GM in control of the design at any given time. Whatever the format, provisions, gear, etc are at any given time will be determined at the time that it is desired, what it is desired for, commonness, and other factors that apply. This can mean that today there will be the sonic screwdriver that the Doctor loves will be in the mech lab but tomorrow it could be in the bio lab if it is there at all. In addition while the operator might make a successful roll to tell it to go to London on 23 Aug 1698 it actually will pop on the Enterprise during WWII, or some place not on the Earth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Anomaly Posted January 28, 2004 Report Share Posted January 28, 2004 You're absolutely right, of course, about it being a Plot Device in the show. I tend to want things written up & nailed down, though. I've been told by many and varied people that I tend to over-analyze and over-engineer things. So...if you want to do it "show style" and use it as a Plot Device, perhaps you could have the character buy it as a Perk? 50 Perk: TARDIS 8- ...where the 8- roll indicates how likely it is that the PC will be able to pilot the thing to the time & place of their choosing. Perhaps they can buy Skill Levels in TARDIS Operation to make their roll better, say at 5 pts. per level? I know 50 points is a LOT for a Perk, but seeing as what it gives the PC, I don't think that's too outlandish. And a lot of the benefits are offset by people wanting to find/capture it for their own use, the general "bad luck" that seems to plague most TARDISes (TARDi?). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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