Help Me Build Certain Objects

[JohnnyAppleseed098]

For You Whovians out there, I ask you to help me construct a TARDIS from the series. This is for one of my party members in a mash-up of series. If it helps, he chose the Tenth Doctor.

 

In Addition, another one of my party members asked for help building a Death Note from the series "Death Note", as he said he was a making a "Light Yagami". I haven't heard of Death Note or Light Yagami, so I was hoping someone here did!

 

 

 

As Words Die, Doctor Who Meets The Light.

[Hyper-Man]

One way to do it that lets you define everything in detail would be to build it as a Vehicle using the INSIDE storage capacity as the SIZE and then purchasing Shrinking (which will automatically affect ALL passengers without the need for UBO) to get its external size back to that of a standard British Police Box.

[薔薇語]

The solution to both of your problems is the same: don't. There is a big difference between Media and Game acceptability. McGuffins in TV like the TARDIS and the Death Note are okay because they don't have to consider more than a single protagonist nor worry about game play enjoyment. 

The TARDIS would allow an even half way decent player to overcome any issue with no issue. The Deathnote, especially if paired with the TARDIS means that they could kill anyone - even Dr. Destroyer level threats with a single pen stroke. Thus they would really curb your ability to put forth an enjoyable game. 

Since you said you didn't know about Death Note, allow me to explain the basic premise. There exists literal Gods of Death who can kill essentially anyone at a whim. Part of this is that they keep a notebook in which they inscribe the names of their victims. The principal God of Death (Shinigami) gave his Death Note to a person named Light Yagami. Light is now invested with the full power to cause someone to die, his only requirement being that he needs to know the name and face of his victim. By writing their name in his book and thinking of them while doing so, the victim falls dead of some mundane natural cause within a minute. Yagami can also compel his victim to do other actions leading up to their death, too: stab someone else, call someone, wire all their money somewhere, etc. He may also choose the method of their death if he wants: heart attack, suicide by CO2 poisoning, car accident, etc. The only additional limitation he actually has is also a protection of him: Shinigami death notes do not work on Shinigami nor people vested with a death note - so Light Yagami can not kill or be Killed by other Death note users. 

There are of course ways to build all of those things (TARDIS and DN) but each would be rather expensive and game breaking. If you desire them to have modified versions of them, perhaps that would be more acceptable but I still think even limited versions of those things would be terribly game breaking. 

 

Soar. 

[Maccabe]

The way I originally made up a TARDIS was that I used the rules for BASES from Champions 2 and had the exit door linked to the Police box by means of teleportation. Extradimensionally.

[Surrealone]

My own approach would be identical to Hyper-Man's regarding the Tardis -- as I feel it makes the most sense built as a vehicle with shrinking, ED movement, etc.  I just think this is cleaner than building it as a base, but that's probably because I tend to think of bases as fixed location and vehicles as mobile...

 

Regarding the Death Note -- I'd just say 'no' as a GM.

[Hyper-Man]

My own approach would be identical to Hyper-Man's regarding the Tardis -- as I feel it makes the most sense built as a vehicle with shrinking, ED movement, etc.  I just think this is cleaner than building it as a base, but that's probably because I tend to think of bases as fixed location and vehicles as mobile...

 

Regarding the Death Note -- I'd just say 'no' as a GM.

 

The Vehicle/Shrinking approach is also a good way to define the defenses and carrying capacity of Bags of Holding and Portable Holes.

[薔薇語]

When it comes to the TARDIS, why build it with shrinking at all? Just build it with the size as normally defined (the inside) and then a EMD gate for an entrance. The Gate is the Blue Box.

 

Soar. 

 

[Hyper-Man]

When it comes to the TARDIS, why build it with shrinking at all? Just build it with the size as normally defined (the inside) and then a EMD gate for an entrance. The Gate is the Blue Box.

 

Soar. 

 

 

 

Extra Dimensional Movement is just a movement Power (one that the TARDIS would likely have as a means of Time Travel) that would have no effect on the outward appearance of a vehicle built with it.  If the concept is to transport someone who enters the Police Box to another place (the inside of the TARDIS) then you are effective building 2 different vehicles/bases which doesn't fit the source material since attacks vs. the Police Box have been shown to affect the occupants. Shrinking is a simpler approach as it just changes the outward appearance of the vehicle and anyone who enters it thereby giving them access to its true size.  The Shrinking would be built as an Always On effect.

[薔薇語]

Hyperman, I think you are misunderstanding my point. 

You build a static base - one that does not move in time, space, nor dimension. This base is locked away in an alternate dimension that generally can't be interacted with. The only way to enter this dimension is through the EDM door that the TARDIS creates. The TARDIS is capable of 'moving through time and space' by simply choosing a new point for its EDM doorway to reside in but IT, the Base itself, isn't actually moving. There is no mechanical need for the Base to ever move or interacted with in any way from the outside except via the Box. 

So, I would build the base with all the bells and whistles that would be normally desired PLUS:

EDM - Travel to any place or time, 77 base points with UBO, OIF (The Blue Box) and Limited power "Travelers may only travel TO the TARDIS Base (if not already inside) or TO the current location of The Blue Box (if already inside). 

No need to build strange build arounds to shrink or grow everything. The Mechanical function of the TARDIS is to allow travel through time. So the most salient build should be one that focuses on that. Everything else is just an afterthought (sensors, equipment, beds). 

 

Soar. 

[JohnnyAppleseed098]

O.K. Now That I know What Death Note Actually Is, I will give Jason (That's the guy who suggested it) A Dirty Look The Next Time I See Him, and Thanks For The Suggestions For The TARDIS. And Yes, I Want The TARDIS's Abilties In My Campaign. I'm Prepared For The Consequences.

 

 

 

 

As Words Die, I Discover That Light Yagami= OP

[Hyper-Man]

Hyperman, I think you are misunderstanding my point. 

 

You build a static base - one that does not move in time, space, nor dimension. This base is locked away in an alternate dimension that generally can't be interacted with. The only way to enter this dimension is through the EDM door that the TARDIS creates. The TARDIS is capable of 'moving through time and space' by simply choosing a new point for its EDM doorway to reside in but IT, the Base itself, isn't actually moving. There is no mechanical need for the Base to ever move or interacted with in any way from the outside except via the Box. 

 

So, I would build the base with all the bells and whistles that would be normally desired PLUS:

 

EDM - Travel to any place or time, 77 base points with UBO, OIF (The Blue Box) and Limited power "Travelers may only travel TO the TARDIS Base (if not already inside) or TO the current location of The Blue Box (if already inside). 

 

No need to build strange build arounds to shrink or grow everything. The Mechanical function of the TARDIS is to allow travel through time. So the most salient build should be one that focuses on that. Everything else is just an afterthought (sensors, equipment, beds). 

 

Soar. 

 

I understood what you meant in the original post. I don't think it models what has happened in the show.  I remember episodes from the 80's where the TARDIS Police Box was traveling through normal space and attacked by conventional spaceships.  The control room INSIDE the TARDIS was affected by these attacks.  How do you define the defenses, normal space operations, etc. of the Police Box if it is JUST an EDM entry point?  No matter how you do it, you'll effectively be creating a VEHICLE to go along with the interior BASE.

[薔薇語]

I didn't answer that very well in my follow up but there is no rrason you can't just handle that the same way you would handle the destruction of a normal focus. Assign it a defense and body related to the base/vehicle design. As the focus takes damage you can see the effects on the base.

 

Of note, it is a rare instance in the show that the TARDIS suffera attacks directly. It is normally a rare and thematically intense moment, thus having a design that tries to capture all rare possibilities is unadvised. For example, as the TARDIS ages, its ability to maintain its size fails and it balloons up to real size. Should we thus also build it so that the Tardis shinks everything and self grows? What about when it self shrinks the Blue Box to parcel size but leaves all the inhabitants the same size so that when they reach out their arms can't even fit out the door?

 

There are just too many one offs to account for everyone. That should be left to the GM to decide on appropriate outcomes as they arise without needing to prebuild them into a more generic McGuffin.

 

 

Soar.

[Steve]

Wasn't a TARDIS-like vehicle built in Ultimate Vehicle?

[Surrealone]

The vehicle approach accounts for direct attacks and can even be made to account for ballooning up to real size as it ages.  The use of shrinking on the vehicle, itself, to get the exterior size down while the interior size remains the same ... already accounts for occupants ... and more of the same approach can be used for parcel size.

 

If you can easily model it with existing and common rules ... without introducing un-necessary complications ... why NOT do it? 

 

Of note, it is a rare instance in the show that the TARDIS suffera attacks directly. It is normally a rare and thematically intense moment, thus having a design that tries to capture all rare possibilities is unadvised. For example, as the TARDIS ages, its ability to maintain its size fails and it balloons up to real size. Should we thus also build it so that the Tardis shinks everything and self grows? What about when it self shrinks the Blue Box to parcel size but leaves all the inhabitants the same size so that when they reach out their arms can't even fit out the door?

There are just too many one offs to account for everyone. That should be left to the GM to decide on appropriate outcomes as they arise without needing to prebuild them into a more generic McGuffin.


Soar.

[tombrown803]

Wasn't a TARDIS-like vehicle built in Ultimate Vehicle?

 

Yes. Its solution was to first using the vehicle rules build it as it appeared to the outside as for abilities. Then add a custom power of how much bigger you wanted the inside to be with the power modifier: invisible power effects

[JohnnyAppleseed098]

Alright, now this is getting tricky. I like the vehicle idea better, sorry 薔薇語. Thanks for the help guys

 

 

As Words Die, I Find Out I Need Ultimate Vehicle!

[薔薇語]

Nothing I proposed is violating the RAW. There are already explicit rules for creating foci and breaking them. There also exist rules regarding damage assignment across writeups with Multiform and such lims as "takes proportional damage" appear in a variety of guardian golem builds and is part of the vehicle rules.

 

Again, solving explicitly for the altering sense of size on the Tardis I think is just best done by divorcing the box and the vehicle.

 

 

If all you want is a time traveling box, then a simple vehicle build works perfectly.

 

Soar.