Literally building a TARDIS

[Lord Gamemaster of Gizzle]

So I had an idea for a character backstory where they built a TARDIS from the scraps from old TARDI, models from 5-56. This happened in the Undercroft, for those of you who read Engines of War. Anyway, I was wondering what sort of stats and SP I would need to have and spend to get this to be actually plausible. He was helped by the combined sentience of the other TARDI, so this is a very similar scenario to the Doctor's Wife. So far, my character has a +16 bonus (ING 8, Tech 6, TL Engineer) to ING+Tech rolls, which is what I assumed would be the roll. I also have Vortex Born, if that helps the roll. Would it? I was also assuming the difficulty would be around 33 (this stuff's crazy). Does anyone know anything about ow to handle this? I just want to know how it cold be possible. Would I roll for each separate component that I'd need to build, then roll to combine them all? Or would I do one supermassive roll to just say that I dd it all? How many SP would  need to spend just to make it a possibility? What sort of TARDIS would it be? Any help y'all could give would be great. Thanks!

[Marnal]

A normal TARDIS is grown [with 'wombs' and 'cribs'] so putting one together out of dead or dying TARDISes is basically the equivalent of what Victor Frankenstein did. This sounds creepty, but TARDIS culture is not human culture so they might be fine with it [its up to the GM].

Three key parts...

1. The first Heart: The Main Space Time Element found inside the console that connects the TARDIS to the Vortex. A small component seen in "The Arc of Infinity." It needs to match the Type of the TARDIS but if your TARDIS has no definitive Type number then some jury-rigging is in order.

2. The second Heart: the copy Eye of Harmony that acts as a power collector / reservoir for the whole TARDIS. Seen in "Journey to the Center of the TARDIS" and the 1996 TV movie. If your story takes place before the end of the Time War then it also connects your TARDIS back to Gallifrey's Prime Eye of Harmony.

3. The Protyon Core: The big tree thing located in the Architectural Reconstruction Room seen in "Journey to the Center of the TARDIS." Central Cortex is the brain of the TARDIS. If the TARDIS has a personality then this is where you will find it.

There are of course lots of other parts to a TARDIS but the above bits pretty much define its identity as a life form.

For loads on how TARDIS are traditionally grown [and illegally Cloned] see Chapter 1 of my TARDIS Technical Index
docs.google.com/file/d/0B6zjenFzzQn1MF9xeHNNS1M1akU/edit?pli=1

[Marnal]

As for rolls... The easy way to treat the TARDIS like some fantastic gadget. Just have the PC make one massively difficult roll [probably a 36] and spend 20 storypoints [the story point value for most TARDISes]. Tell them it takes a month or something.

Alternately you could make a list of systems and they need to repair/construct/install each part. This has the fun of giving the PCs choice over which components they want to prioritize and which systems they feel they can live without. And they can continue the assembly over secondary systems over several adventures, slowly getting up to fully operational.

If you go that route, here are some suggestions...

Note: These were adapted from my personal TARDIS repair rules. You might want to reduce difficulties and times just for play-ability. You might also want to lump related systems together to reduce the total number of rolls the PCs have to make.

* Major System repair/install/construct: Diff of 24. Takes 2D6 days.
(see next post for list of Major Systems)

* Minor System repair/install/construct: Diff of 21. Takes 2D6 hours.
(see next post for list of Minor Systems)

* TARDIS Manual (Tech Index 151, TTC 102)
Roll Aware+Tech, Difficulty of 21. Takes 1D6x10 minutes to read. The TARDIS Manual adds +3 for every Level of Success to one TARDIS roll.

TARDIS REPAIR SKILL CHECKS
2d6 +Ingenuity +Tech Adept +Tech +Specialization +Modifiers (see below)

Disastrous System Failure to that sub-system
No Doesn’t work AND 1D6 points of TARDIS Damage
No But Doesn’t work AND 1 new point of Damage
Yes But Fixed, BUT there is 1 new point of Dam and +1 Misalignment
Yes Fixed
Fantastic Fixed and is done in 1/2 the time.

Skill Modifiers
+2 for a Sonic Screwdriver
+2 per helper (with Tech skill)
+2 for taking twice as long
+3 for every level of success with TARDIS Manuel (Diff 21)

Time Modifiers
x2 Taking your time to get a +2 to roll
x½ Using a Sonic Screwdriver
x½ A Fantastic Roll

[Marnal]

Note: Page numbers are for my TARDIS Technical Index
Can be viewed/downloaded here… docs.google.com/file/d/0B6zjenFzzQn1MF9xeHNNS1M1akU/edit?pli=1


MAJOR SYSTEM LIST

Fluid Links 76 (See Notes Below)
Temporal Orbit Drift and Alternate Time 26
Curiosity Circuits 28 (+2 to Repair)
Recall Circuit 32
Interstitial Antenna Communication Array 124
Absolute Tesseractulator 59
Symbiotic Relationship Circuits 37
Passenger Adoption Scanning Terminal (PAST) 39
Vortex Shields 58
Directional Unit 55 / Bounce-Back Circuit 226
Digital Time/Place Orientation Printout 60
Estimated Time of Arrival(ETA) 58/Jibbert Cathocode Timepiece 61 (+2 to Repair)
Helmic Regulator 59
Mean Free Path Tracker 59
Governing Circuit 56 (+2 to Repair)
Telepathic Induction Circuits 126 / Voice Integrator Translator 129
The Eye of Harmony Copy 66 (Auto Self-Repair)
Amaranth 68
Dematerialization Circuit 76
Zyton-7 71
Transpower System 68
Dynamorphic Power 77
Time Column/ Rotor 78
Main Space-Time Element/ Heart 73
Automatic Defense Mechanism/Banshee Circuits 102 (+2 to Repair) (Auto Self-Repair)
Cloister Bell 102
Exo-Chronoplasmic Shell 104 / Atrium Circuits 108 (Auto Self-Repair)
Defense Force Field Prisms 109
Chameleon Circuit 106 (+2 to Repair)
Main Door Locking Mechanism 114
Perception Filter: aka Distraction Field 108
Main Doors 112
Fault Locator 99
Molecular Stabilizers 100
Time Vector Generator 82
Architectural Configuration Program 87 / Grey Prints 87 (+2 to Repair)
Relative Dimensional Stabilizers 82
Life Support Systems 96
Atmosphere Monitoring Subsystem 96
Auto-Gravity System 97
The Ancillary Power Station 98 / Transducer Power Cells 98
Protyon Core: aka Power Room #5, Central Cortex Element 85 (Auto Self-Repair)
Control Sphere 143 / Primary Control Room 46 / Switch Room 48
Secondary Control Room 47
Wardrobe 146
Living Quarters 144 / Sleeping Quarters 145
Food Dispenser Room: aka Rest Room 145
Bath Room 146
Sick Bay / Medical Bay 147 /Sleep Room 147
TARDIS Laboratory 149
Utility Room 148 / TARDIS Tool Kit 148
Workshop 148
Infinity Chamber 149
Dimensional Induction Chamber 149
Artron Mainframe 121 (+2 to Repair)
Library 150 / TARDIS Manual Room 151
Zero Room 152
Cloister Room 153
Storage Holds 153
Armory 153
Memory Storage Area 154 (+2 to Repair)
Shell Room 154
1Catch-All Area 154

MINOR SYSTEMS

Autonomous Control 27 / Automatic Emergency Landing 27
Emergency Unit 28 / Dreamtime 33
Time Control Unit 31
Trans-Replicator Mode 32 /Time-Link 100 /Compulsion Facility 223
Remote Control 32 / Remote-Parallel Mode 31 / Stattenheim Control 32
Tertiary Control Room 48
The Navigator 49 (+2 to Repair)
Astral Map 53
Fast Return Switch 57
Psycho-Telemeter 57
Pause Control: Hand Brake 57 / Emergency Stop: Free-Float 27
Time-Path Detector: aka Time-Curve Indicator 60
Emergency Displacement System (EDS) 28 / Emergency Demat Switch 58
Extreme Emergency Lever 61/Fail-Safe 62 /Emergency Emergency System 62
Emergency Power Booster (+6 Repair Diff) 79
Power Outlet Socket (+6 Repair Diff) 79
Automatic Systems Override 62
Desktop Theme: Environmental Metaphor 90
Autocleaning Systems 97
Internal Scanner 99
Stand-by Mass Converter 226
Warp Ellipse Cutout Circuit 103
HADS 111 / Defense Indefinite Time-Loop Option (DITO) 112
Early Warning System 116 / Internal Monitor 116 / Biological Barrage 118
Safety Precaution Switch 103
State of Temporal Grace Circuits: aka Internal Weapons Deactivation System 117
Remote TARDIS Security System 116
Limbo Atrophier 118
Quantum Foam Manipulators 223
Isomorphic Security/Anti-Theft Protocols 118
The Record of Rassilon 124
Relational Information Syst 122 (+2 to Repair)
Space-Time Telegraph: aka Analogue Cross Time Telephone 125
Emergency Transceiver 126
Microphone /Projection Sys 131 /Printer 131
Paradox Machine 225
Gravity Tractor Beam 138
Scanner 132 / Surveillance System 134 / Temporal Instability Detector 134 / Poly-
Directrix Lenses 134 / Time Scanner 134
Fabrication Dispenser 134
Chameleon Arch 136
Farquazi Force Field 227
Hover Mode 135
Environment Governor 135 /Time Lock 136 /Reality Inhibitor 227 /Sonic Booster 137
Time Safe 135

[Lord Gamemaster of Gizzle]

Holy crap. I wasn't expecting a dissertation. Thank you!

The reason I ask is because I had this idea for a Time Lord who helped create a Time War weapon and saw the error of their ways, so they went unto the Undercroft and assembled a makeshift TARDIS with the help of the remnants of the TARDI that died there. Of course, he had to pay some massive prices, but he got out of Gallifrey.

But knowing that he would have help from the dead TARDI, would that mske it easier? Also,what type of TARDIS would it be? I made a quick write-up for a crapped-out Ancient. Would that be right?

Also, what sorts of Traits and stats would they need beyond what was shown above? I was considering Block Transfer Specialist, but it would put me way over the point limit. Thanks!

[Lord Gamemaster of Gizzle]

May 19, 2017 15:53:00 GMT Marnal said:

This sounds creepty, but TARDIS culture is not human culture so they might be fine with it [its up to the GM].

I'd say it doesn't matter what normal TARDIS culture is like, if you'd been holed up in the Undercroft, you'd want to get out bsd enough to be fine with it.

(This is also my first time using quotes- does it look okay?)

(Also, I don't know how to use multiple quotes in one post. Tech help, please!)

[Lord Gamemaster of Gizzle]

Oh shoot- just looked at my last post and saw that I didn't end the quote. How do you do that?

[Marnal]

Originally TARDISes were stripped of spare parts and allowed to shuffle off to a multi-dimensional TARDIS graveyard [the location of which is a mystery to most Time Lords]. That changed when the Time War started up [probably because the Time Lords didn't want their enemies getting their hands on dying TARDISes]. From that point on the dying and deceased were kept in the Undercroft. Given that, I wouldn't expect to see many TARDISes older then a Type 50 in the Undercroft. Earlier models would have been decommissioned before the War started up. The Type 70 was incredibly popular in the century or so leading up to the Time War so its quite possible that there would be a LOT of Type 70's down there.

Tech Adept, and Boffin would be essential traits. A really high Tech skill with a Doctorate (+3) AoE in Dimensional Engineering would help with making the rolls. One could argue that Block Transfer Specialist would be essential for this Frankenstein's TARDIS your Time Lord is trying to build but its really up to the GM.

And yes if the TARDIS can telepathically help a human like Grace re-wire the TARDIS in the 1996 TV movie then I'd expect that several of them would provide at least a +4 to any rolls made to assemble the TARDIS. They might also be able to donate a story point or two [if the GM is feeling generous].

The resulting TARDIS could take any TARDIS traits it could afford but would probably have to buy lots of 'eccentric and tends to break down a lot' style traits to reflect all the components that weren't meant to work together.