Adventures in Time & Space OOC

[Dodgeson]

It's the OOC thread! There's a table here!



Player
Character
Story Points


davyjones
Professor Calico (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=25887602&postcount=6)
4/5


davyjones
Professor Calico's Sonic Screwdriver (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=25887602&postcount=6)
1/2


NontheistCleric
Pavillion (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=25886946&postcount=3)
6/6


Zelphas
Donald R. Jordan (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=25886952&postcount=4)
10/12


Ridai
Miles Marwood (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=25886966&postcount=5)
11/12



Story Points: 15

Attributes
Awareness 3
Coordination 3
Ingenuity 4
Presence 3
Resolve 4
Strength 3

Skills
Athletics
Convince
Craft 1
Fighting
Knowledge 8
Marksman
Medicine 1
Science 6 (Temporal Science)
Subterfuge 1
Survival
Technology 4
Transport 4

Traits
Clairvoyance (Major)
Face in the Crowd
Feel the Turn of the Universe
Psychic
Resourceful Pockets
Sense of Direction
Telepathy
Vortex

Systems Fault (Major)
Restriction (Tricky Controls, 6 Pilots)

Gadget Traits
Scan (x3)
Transmit
Forcefield (Minor)

Armour: 30

Speed: 12 (Materialised)

Damage: 6 (3)
Notes

[Dodgeson]

Better safe than sorry.

[NontheistCleric]

Pavilion!

Status: Conscious
Story Points: 6/6

Attributes and Traits (24 Base, +6 Bad Traits, +4 Experienced, 34 Total)

Attributes
Awareness 3
Presence 3
Coordination 4
Resolve 6
Ingenuity 6
Strength 2

Good Traits
Psychic Training 1
Technically Adept 1

Special Traits
Hypnosis 3
Alien 2
Vortex 1
Psychic 1
Telepathy 1
Experienced (taken twice) (-6 SP, +4 CP, +4 Skills)

Bad Traits
Alien Appearance (Eyes glow green) 2
Dependency (Penalty after no artron energy for 7 days, subject to circumstances) 2
Owes Favour (Life spared by Professor Calico) 2

Skills (18 Base, +4 Experienced, 22 Total)

Medicine 5 (Surgery +2)
Convince 5
Technology 3
Transport 3 (Time Travel +2)
Knowledge 1
Science 1
Subterfuge 1
Athletics 1

Technology Level
10

Story Points (12 Base, -6 Experienced, 6 Total)
6

The Short Version
Pavilion is more or less the same kind of thing as House, born in her own extrauniversal pocket, and up to a point, her story is similar as well. Scavenges things that fall in from the universe, makes people-puppets, lures in Time Lords to eat their TARDISes' artron energy, and eventually tries possessing a TARDIS to find her way out there.

Like would happen years later with House and a different Time Lord, the Time Lord and his TARDIS matrix managed to catch up and get back control, but the difference is that Pavilion brought enough minions on board that after it all came to a head, she had a body left to escape into instead of getting rubbed out entirely, and she was never actively malicious, just doing what she thought she had to do to survive, so when she got down on her knees and begged for her life, the Time Lord decided to let it slide.


"Now," Calico says as he circles the humanoid form Pavilion has effectively trapped herself in, "what are we going to do with you? Hm?"

He runs his sonic screwdriver over the form and looks thoughtfully at the readings. "Well, your artron-energy consumption is going to be much lower in that body - what my 58 bleeds off on a normal day should be, er, mostly enough, I think. And I hate to leave folks stranded - even if they deserve it; you're not exactly in a position to cause any more trouble than you already have, so...what do you say to travelling with me for a while?"

The Long Version
Pavilion knows that paradigms change. First you are the scavenger, then you are the predator, then you are the prey, and then you are the forager.

Or perhaps it's better to say they don't really change at all, because once you've been in those eleven-dimension circuits, even for the barest cubic inch of that frozen-liquid crystal you call a personal timeline–you understand that it was always going to happen this way–even if it wasn't always always going to happen this way.

Of all your brothers and sisters out there, each in their own little extrauniversal eggs, you were always going to be the one–or one of few–not to starve in your cradle, to have one of those wayward fleas on your back actually arrive with what you needed.

You were going to be clever–clever enough to stitch those lost things into your hands and eyes and ears, to fashion the remnants of that first meal into bait for more.

Clever enough to know that there was poison waiting in those terrible engines and how to crack their shells and drain it away before you ate.

But you were not going to be quite clever enough, because there are only so many drops of poison you can escape when the poison can scheme and see the future and when it comes with friends who are clever too.

It was never going to last forever. Bit by bit the trickle of nourishment was growing thinner and thinner. As though the Time Lords were all going off somewhere–as if they had found something better to do than blunder their TARDISes into your waiting gullet.

So you worried and plotted and learned some more–rootled around with your person-hands in the corpse-fields until you knew how to heave yourself out of your carapace of rock and into one of fine, intact Gallifreyan metal.

Then when that last Time Lord came you threw him and his poison out and loaded yourself and all your puppets onto that gray column of a ship–

–and you were off! Out of that damp little junk-hole, free of your womb, casting off the after-birth at last! A whole universe for Pavilion, full of flesh and fire and wonderful, sublime, artron energy–

–but you forgot–will forget–always forget–that a Time Lord is a Time Lord, and you don't take your eye off him until he's dead. You forgot that the thing that was supposed to live in your stolen body is a hundred thousand times bigger than you and together they can see and know and do things you could squat for a million more years on the edge of the universe and never imagine.

And when he is back in the control room again and she is chasing you out of her home, you realize that what saves you isn't all that artron energy, or how clever you were either.

You got to live because you weren't cruel or callous. You took all your minions with you because somewhere deep inside you did care about them and the memories of who they once were, so even when it was all over there was one last body left to leap into, to endure in just long enough to beg.

You were spared because you didn't lie or play sadistic games, and when you cried with glowing eyes that weren't yours that you didn't want to hurt anyone–but you needed what you needed to survive out there in that dark hole outside the universe–the Time Lord and his time machine believed you.

He let you live and you started to think that maybe–out here in this place where there are stars in the black and people live to do more than just carry on a little longer–what really matters is a bit of kindness.

So, this is where we've gotten to, Pavilion.

That's how my story went, me.

Do you remember what we saw in those TARDIS circuits then? Did we see–will we see–are we seeing past this moment?

Do we see how I survive?

Yes. No. Necessarily. Contingently. Definitely and possibly–or maybe just 'maybe'.

One more leap into the vortex.

One more gulp of life.

[Zelphas]

Donald R. Jordan here! I think he'll speak in Bold Dark Green, if that works for people.

Status: Fine
Story Points: 12/12 (not 8/8 at the moment)

Stats: 18 Points
Awareness 1
Coordination 4
Ingenuity 2
Presence 2
Resolve 5
Strength 4

Good Traits: 12 Points
Another Lifetime (Major)

Grants: Time Lord, +4 Ingenuity
Face in the Crowd
Fast Healing
Lucky
Photographic Memory
Psychic
Telepathy
Tough

Bad Traits: -6 Points
Amnesia (Major)
Eccentric (Major; forgets that living creatures are living when under stress)
Slow Reflexes (Minor)
Unlucky

Skills: 18 Points
Athletics 3
Convince
Craft
Fighting 3
Knowledge
Marksman 3
Medicine
Science
Subterfuge 4 (Expertise: Sneaking)
Survival 2
Technology
Transport 2

Story Points: 12 (occasionally 8)

Once, there was a Time Lord who had the intelligence and curiosity of his species, as well as a disturbing tendency to forget about individual lives in the pursuit of greater systemic knowledge. This Time Lord was fond of using his Chameleon Arch to insert himself into societies on the cusp of some disaster, live among them for a short while, then come back to himself and chronicle his experience as the society crumbled. Unfortunately for this Time Lord, his Chameleon Arch began to wear down from repeated use. Even more unfortunately, this Time Lord was not the observant type, and did not notice the Arch’s problem until it was too late to fix…

Donald R. Jordan is not comfortable in his life. He is at the end of a string of failed jobs, which include Army private, mailman, warehouse worker, store clerk (several), and—most recently—truck driver. His friends describe him as the kind of person who would lose his head if it wasn’t screwed on… a true statement that has been the leading cause of his many failed jobs. Relationships are little better; the only time he knows someone is flirting with him is if he’s told by three other people after the fact, and he honestly doesn’t know what he’d do with himself if the situation progressed beyond that. He gets the feeling that he’s supposed to be doing something else, perhaps being someone else—but doesn’t every late twenty-or-early-thirty-something feel that way, every now and then?

Of course, the weird nightmares he occasionally had didn’t help. Neither did the ability to read minds, which he discovered wasn’t normal to humanity rather by accident one day and has been keeping quiet about it ever since. But so far, he just seems like a slightly odd younger man with no idea where he fits in the world—nothing much special to say, there.

Looks like it should be fun!

[Ridai]

Hello, Miles is here!

Status: Fine! But also a bit spooked
Story Points: 11/12

TL;DR version: Miles Marwood is a living cinnamon roll applying to Scotland Yard on sheer somewhat misinformed love for gentle(wo)men solving mysteries and crimes, high on enthusiasm but low on actual detective qualifications, actually gets the job as an assistant because of being so damn likeable and getting people to effortlessly spill their secrets, becomes well-liked among colleagues who kept bringing him along as an aide to deal with people or check for overlooked things, sees too much when he noticed Tech Gremlins are real and they hate being discovered, gets the boot because of Tech Gremlin shenanigans frying Scotland Yard equipment and being a very fast-running Screamer in scary situations, dreams shattered, rendered destitute by the vindictive Tech Gremlins, embarks on time-and-space adventures.


Longer version: Miles Marwood had a short and eventful career, fresh out of school applying at Scotland Yard because hey, might as well try and solving mysteries is great! His enthusiasm somehow managed to actually get him an interview, and while it quickly became clear Miles was not bringing the razor-sharp mind one should ideally have to solve difficult cases, in addition to having a rather idealized opinion of what Scotland Yard does, he did actually get his foot in the door. Because, you see, the interview went on longer than intended, the interviewers left the meeting feel great because Miles was just so damn pleasant to talk to, and they noticed they ended up answering more questions than Miles, at times bordering on spilling confidential tidbits. Miles was invited again, he was very excited to hear back from them, and more people were present this time. Soon after, while people didn't feel like he was any sort of detective material, he was hired as an assistant/trainee of sorts, because they felt like they could use his skillset after all.

Within a month or two, Miles was friends with most people at his workplace, knew most of their backgrounds, was frequently requested as an aide to look over stuff or handle dealing with people, and was generally seen as the trustworthy new guy in several departments. While Miles had to be reigned in at times because he was endlessly curious about various cases (seen as "Oh you" moments, because people had a hard time being mad at him), he earned nicknames like "Can-Opener", because people would just start talking to him about all sorts of things when they'd give most other colleagues the cold shoulder, despite Miles not really manipulating them to do that, and "Lucky Charm" and "Eagle Four Eyes" because he noticed things people seemed to miss. He did in fact notice so much that it became too much. Because he managed to earn the ire of the Tech Gremlins when he noticed them actually existing and going about their shenanigans.

Since then, technology would not agree with Miles at all, despite his earnest efforts and not actually being tech-illiterate. This got him increasingly in trouble when office or investigation equipment would cease working when handled by him, and it also didn't help that he was a screamer and runner when faced with scary situations. So when Miles was asked to take his proverbial hat and leave, his colleagues rallied to keep him around, citing that his unique screams alerted his colleagues of hidden dangers, and he wasn't a trained officer so he could not expect to handle dangerous situations, so it was actually the right thing for him to do to retreat and call for backup, and furthermore-

Didn't help, he got the boot, even if leadership wished him the best. There was also a strict order to cut communications with him, because of how much people at Scotland Yard would just blap need-to-know-basis information to him. Dreams shattered, and still haunted by Tech Gremlins, for they are vindictive little creatures, Miles was feeling pretty down. All those scary situations he lost his composure in made him feel quite embarassed about himself and he had to admit he wasn't particularly fond of running into those, but he wished he could still help with investigations somehow. Luckily, after the Tech Gremlins fried his bank account and leaving him rather destitute, he did get his chance for mysteries and discoveries. Just not in the way he thought he might.
Story Points: 12

Attributes (23 CP)
Awareness 6
Coordination 4
Ingenuity 3
Presence 5
Resolve 3
Strength 2

Skills (18 SP, 0 CP)
Athletics 3 (Running)
Convince 5 (Charm)
Craft
Fighting 1
Knowledge 1
Marksman
Medicine 1
Science 1
Subterfuge 3
Survival
Technology
Transport 1

Traits (1 CP)

Animal Friendship (minor good)
- Can attempt to build good rapport with animals on first meet with Presence + Convince + 2
Code of Conduct (minor bad)
- Do good most of the time, never harm anyone unless it is absolutely necessary and for the greater good
Empathic (minor good)
- Checks to to empathise with or read people (such as Awareness + Ingenuity to tell if someone is lying) gain +2
Feel the Turn of the Universe (minor good)
- Detect Plot time-space weirdness with Awareness + Ingenuity + 2
Impaired Senses [wears glasses] (minor bad)
- Checks relying on sight, while not wearing his glasses, take -2
Insatiable Curiosity (minor bad)
- Ooh, what does that button do? Resist with Ingenuity + Resolve - 2
Run for your Life! (minor good)
- Speed +1 (so Coordination+1) when tactically retreating/defensively repositioning/running for his life screaming and flailing his arms
Screamer! (minor good)
- Do a glorious movie scream when threatened or scared (costs 1 SP, unlike regular screaming). Stuns everything in the room, making them unable to act on their next turn, ideally followed by Miles running away. Miles can never gain bonuses vs getting scared.
Technically Inept (minor bad)
- All checks involving fixing tech or using complex tech take a -2. The GM can also make a tech item fail at a dramatic moment.

[davyjones]

Professor Calico will speak in Navy

Gavatorialicos, aka Professor Calico
308-year-old Time Lord Male of the Iniex Chapter (a lesser chapter)
TL - 10 (other familiar TLs - 4, 5)
Story Points - 5

Attributes
Awareness - 2
Coordination - 2
Ingenuity - 5
Presence - 3
Resolve - 4
Strength - 2

Traits
Iniex Chapter Traits - Time Lord (special good), Brave (minor good), Code of Conduct (minor bad)
Brave - The Brave trait provides a +2 bonus to any Resolve roll when the character could get scared or need to show their courage.

Code of Conduct - Code of Conduct means that the character should try to do good at most times, and are unable to harm another being unless it is absolutely necessary and for the greater good.
Other Good Traits - Boffin (Major), Charming (Minor), Experienced Time Lord x2 (incl. Time Traveller x2, choose other PCs' tech levels)
Boffin - This trait allows the character to create Gadgets through the fine art of ‘Jiggery-Pokery’. Your average Joe can try to open their household appliances and wire them together to try to make something – though they’ll probably only gain an electric shock or worse. Only a Boffin can create a useful device that can scan DNA, crack a safe or disable Dalek forcefields. More details on creating Gadgets can be found in the
Jiggery-Pokery rules on pg. 113.

Charming - When the character is trying to charm their way through an encounter, they receive a +2 bonus to the roll. Useful for talking your way out of being killed, but not always suitable for every social situation.

Other Bad Traits - Insatiable Curiosity (Minor)
Insatiable Curiosity - It is usually unhelpful, but the character simply has to know what is going on, why something is happening or how it works. It may put their life at risk, but it doesn’t make them suicidal. If the character tries to fight the urge to press that button or open that door, the player can make an Ingenuity + Resolve roll, with a -2 modifier to resist.

Skills
Athletics - 2
Convince - 3
Craft - 3
Fighting - 1
Knowledge - 4 (Alien Cultures +2)
Marksman - 0
Medicine - 1
Science - 4 (Mathematics +2)
Subterfuge - 0
Survival - 0
Technology - 4
Transport - 2

Equipment
The old family Type 58 TARDIS, or, as he likes to call it, home
I had this idea for the TARDIS interior. I spelled out Iniex in Gallifreyan script (https://flic.kr/p/2pyqBqB), and I figured that would be a coded way for him to build the internal layout of the ship.

Instead of a circle, the word is built on a sine wave, left to right. All of the lines and circles are the corridors of the ship, and the rooms are connected to them.

The first "I" is a ring that bisects the sine wave, with a spoke that arcs from its lower edge to the sine wave slightly downstream. The control room and dimensional interface are on the terminus of the sine. Crew and guest cabins are in along the spoke, wardrobe is just off the control room.

"NI" are concentric circles just off the inside of the positive arch of the sine wave (just before the inflection point). Both the N and the I have a spoke, and the I (which is the inner of the circles) spoke is a straight corridor that crosses the outer circle to intersect the sine wave. The N spoke is just offset of the I spoke, and intersects the sine wave near the inflection point. The area in the center of the I is the Cloister Room. Next to it, attached to both the N and I rings is the Zero Room. Engineering spaces fill the rest of the circles there.

The E circle intersects the negative part of the sine wave, but has no spokes. The upper side of the E ring (above the sine) are the professor's study, lab, and workshop. The area between the underside of the E ring and the sine wave is Auxiliary Control. Next to that is what the Professor calls the "Storeroom" (but what others might call his "Junk Room"); thanks to dimensional engineering, it's accessible from both control rooms (you just have to remember which side of the door you open from the inside to get to which control space). (The dimensional interface is also accessible from auxiliary control; the TARDIS knows which control room is in operation, so she controls which room you enter when you come in from the outside.)

The X circle intersects the terminus of the wave. It has two spokes, which arc around to meet the two spokes from the NI combo on the sine wave. These corridors house most of the recreational sections of the ship, and they're the most modular spaces. He had a nine-pin bowling alley in there at one point (when he was living in the 19th Century), but that's been replaced by a small movie theater, complete with a 1966 Bell & Howell film projector. It hasn't seem much use lately...in about 50 years or so. The Bath is in this area, of course. And previous companions have had personal recreational facilities over the years. One even wanted a full Athenian gymnasium; they compromised on something less...natural...

His Trusty Sonic Screwdriver, which may be a bit long in the emitter crystal - Traits: Open/Close, Restriction (Cannot open Deadlock Seals, Tricky Controls), Scan, Transmit, Weld. Story Points: 2
19mm-diameter by 130mm-long gunmetal primary cylinder (aka handle), accented bronze (ridged on/off/standby switch is set 80mm from base; transaxial selector dial sits at 100m from base); twin probe blades, each 3mm thick by 6mm wide by 70mm long, 4mm apart along centerline, with bridges at 10mm, 20mm, and 30mm from handle; each blade width tapered from outer edge to 1mm at crystal end; 3mm square by 25mm long ARC (aquamarine resonance crystal) emitter suspended between blades via isomagnetic field

Background
Born in Old Harbour on Gallifrey, Gavatorialicos grew up on the exploits of the renegade Time Lord known as the Doctor. Like many of his generation, he came to idolize the Doctor, and sought to emulate his dashing protection of time from marauders. He and several other members of Iniex Chapter founded an "intervention society," calling themselves "the Interns," dedicating themselves to working to protect the timeline and innocents around the universe from marauders like the Daleks and Cybermen.

Maintaining the strict code of conduct that had successfully (possibly to their detriment) kept the Iniex Chapter out of Time Lord politics, the Interns swore to "First, do no harm," in their intervention efforts, seeking to avoid physical conflict or unethical acts (like coercion, subterfuge, and skullduggery) to achieve their aims. Each member also took on an alias that reflected sagacity, wisdom, or healing. Gavatorialicos decided on the name Professor Calico.

His first regeneration (190 years ago) happened during....TBD

His second regeneration (88 years ago) occurred when...TBD

He has most-recently been "incognito," teaching maths at the London Met (1968-2016), but is ready to get back into the action. (He also taught maths at London Met's predecessor City of London College (later City Polytechnic) (1863-1900) earlier in his 3rd incarnation. He was his own "grandfather.")

Appearance - Calico is not entirely unhandsome, but he's not terribly exciting, either. His current form is a bit slight (he says it seems to be a constant trait of his), though not proper skinny. His face is round-ish and weathered, with gray-green eyes that betray a sharp wit and determination within. He usually wears a comfortable tweed or worsted wool suit (depending on the weather), but has been known to don "outdoor gear" (khaki shirt and cargo trousers/shorts, with an expedition jacket and wide-brimmed hat) when out on an excursion. (Think Sean Pertwee as Alfred in "Gotham.")

His Second Incarnation was more "sporty," he likes to say...Calico was tall, slim, attractive, brown haired, and appeared in his 30s. (Think Nick Hendrix from Midsomer Murders)

His First Incarnation...he remembers himself as average in height, slim, average in looks, auburn haired (loved that hair, really), and perpetually "young" (teenaged). "Well, I was just...young, really." (Think Jake Bongiovi...yes, John Bon Jovi's kid)

Personality - He has a friendly, inquisitive personality that tends to set others at ease. It's not that he seems harmless to others; instead, he comes across as a helpful sort (he'd say that he's just mellowed with age). He can easily fall down the rabbit hole, and sometimes needs a prompt to return to the task at hand. He has a tendency toward polite understatement. When faced with danger or a crisis, however, he becomes resolute and inexorable.

His Second Incarnation was also more "sporty" in the personality department, though, looking back, he thinks he came across too strong sometimes...(more TBD)

His First Incarnation was just full of youth and exuberance; he would say he was "always excited and excitable, an unfortunate combination"...(more TBD)

[davyjones]

Now, the Prof has two additional Tech Levels with which he's familiar.

Dogdeson, will we be gaming at a specific TL for a while?

On the companion front, would Miles and Donald be in the same time period, perchance? I could make that my other TL.

FYI, I'm on vacation right now (10th Anniversary trip with the missus...gone to Vegas to see the NASCAR races this weekend. :) ); I do have time to check posts, but I may be a bit slow on the response.

[NontheistCleric]

Dodgeson, what do you think would be a good time limit on Pavilion’s Artron Dependency? I was thinking 5-7 days depending on physical activity levels before the penalties start to kick in, so they won’t bog down every adventure but will matter if she has to spend longer periods away from an energy source.


Status: Fine!
Story Points: 12/12

This is a useful status-tracker; hope you don’t mind my copying it.

[Dodgeson]

Now, the Prof has two additional Tech Levels with which he's familiar.

Dogdeson, will we be gaming at a specific TL for a while?

As is tradition the first adventure will be set in TL5 (Late 20th through 21st Century), which is just a smart TL to have if you're a time traveller, let's be fair.


On the companion front, would Miles and Donald be in the same time period, perchance? I could make that my other TL.

Likewise I had been assuming that both Miles and Donald were TL5 natives Rida & Zelphas speak now or forever hold your peace!


FYI, I'm on vacation right now (10th Anniversary trip with the missus...gone to Vegas to see the NASCAR races this weekend. :) ); I do have time to check posts, but I may be a bit slow on the response.

No worries, have fun!


Dodgeson, what do you think would be a good time limit on Pavilion’s Artron Dependency? I was thinking 5-7 days depending on physical activity levels before the penalties start to kick in, so they won’t bog down every adventure but will matter if she has to spend longer periods away from an energy source.

Man I wish the sourcebooks were clearer on what level of Dependency aliens had, that would totally make this judgement call easier but I can still dig it baring like heavy exertion or some funky stuff you might do with Story Points but we can cross that bridge when we get there.

[NontheistCleric]

Man I wish the sourcebooks were clearer on what level of Dependency aliens had, that would totally make this judgement call easier but I can still dig it baring like heavy exertion or some funky stuff you might do with Story Points but we can cross that bridge when we get there.

In that case, I’ll just note it down as 7 days, but with the understanding you can impose the penalty at any earlier time if you think it’s appropriate. After all, the GM is supreme.

[Zelphas]

Likewise I had been assuming that both Miles and Donald were TL5 natives Ridai & Zelphas speak now or forever hold your peace!

This makes the most sense to me! Do what you will with the fact that the as-yet-unnamed Time Lord that Donald sort of is always inserted themselves into times that were about to undergo a major cataclysm of some sort...

[davyjones]

All right, I think I will go with TL4 & TL5 for my other familiar TLs. Clearly, Calico spent a lot of time on Earth...it's quite possible that a Professor Calico taught mathematics at university in the 19th Century, and then his lookalike "grandson" or "great grandson" also taught maths at the same place... :)

Now, I would say Pavilion has been traveling with Calico for a bit. (Given where we're starting, it would make sense.) That said, does our first adventure begin with Donald and Miles not having met our time travelers yet? I could see that with Donald, at the very least (because I'm sure Calico would start to wonder about Donald's true origins the longer they travel together). It's possible that Miles has already been picked up as a companion, and I have no objections either way.

[Ridai]

Likewise I had been assuming that both Miles and Donald were TL5 natives Rida & Zelphas speak now or forever hold your peace!

Peace?! In this Whovian economy?! My brother in Dalek, how da- Yeah, Miles is from current day Somewhereshire, UK. Miles is flexible in terms of having been picked up or not. He's happy to be along for the ride, and far less destitute aboard a TARDIS.

[NontheistCleric]

Question: Which rules are we using for Space-Time Navigation? The Gamemaster's Guide says it's Ingenuity+Technology (page 104), but the Time Traveller's Companion says Ingenuity+Transport (page 65 for general time travel, 76 for TARDISes).

Mostly asking because I put points into Transport (Time Travel) to represent Pavilion's ability to operate a time-travel device, but now I'm not sure if that was the thing to do (and if I should put them into something else if that's not what they'll be representing in this game).

Also, if we are using the Time Traveller's Companion rules, can we use the TARDIS rooms detailed there? Things like the medical room and wardrobe and so on, which can give bonuses to certain rolls.

[Dodgeson]

Question: Which rules are we using for Space-Time Navigation? The Gamemaster's Guide says it's Ingenuity+Technology (page 104), but the Time Traveller's Companion says Ingenuity+Transport (page 65 for general time travel, 76 for TARDISes).

Mostly asking because I put points into Transport (Time Travel) to represent Pavilion's ability to operate a time-travel device, but now I'm not sure if that was the thing to do (and if I should put them into something else if that's not what they'll be representing in this game).

Also, if we are using the Time Traveller's Companion rules, can we use the TARDIS rooms detailed there? Things like the medical room and wardrobe and so on, which can give bonuses to certain rolls.

We'll go with what the Time Traveller's Companion says, it is the time travel book after all so I'm happy to say that it supersedes the Core Book, unless we run in to something in there that's really out of whack, I'm totally down for using the rules for TARDIS rooms too, honestly I just really like that book.


All right, I think I will go with TL4 & TL5 for my other familiar TLs. Clearly, Calico spent a lot of time on Earth...it's quite possible that a Professor Calico taught mathematics at university in the 19th Century, and then his lookalike "grandson" or "great grandson" also taught maths at the same place... :)

*Files away for The Two Calicos*

Also we are live! (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?661195-Adventures-in-Time-amp-Space-IC&p=25888366#post25888366)

[NontheistCleric]

Pavilion is trying to conceal her glowing eyes behind a pair of green glasses, so I'm going to roll Ingenuity (6)+Subterfuge (1)+Wardrobe Room (2) to see how good the disguise is...

[roll0]

[Zelphas]

Oh, depending on when the TARDIS materialized, I can totally see Donald walking directly into it before he realized it was there, if you need a way for us to bump into each other.

[davyjones]

It would be just Calico's luck that the TARDIS materialized as a small shop... (and, since it is a TARDIS we're talking about, I think it's appropriate for the GM to determine what the chameleon circuit shaped the outer shell into, especially since the good prof wasn't expecting to have to land, and doesn't often think of such things before landing...)

[Dodgeson]

Just doing some housekeeping and getting some information in to the OP, I've taken the liberty of stating up a Type 58 TARDIS, it starts with [roll0] points of damage and davyjones you get an additional [roll1] skill points to distribute for it as you see fit.

[davyjones]

I like it! And it gives the prof something to work on when he's idling...

[davyjones]

NontheistCleric, I was just thinking that Calico may have given her a "call name" when dealing with paranoid, insular alien cultures (like 21st Century Earth :smallbiggrin: ). My first thought drifted to "Miss Pavilion" (even though it seems a bit odd, it still sounds like it could be an actual surname).

Did you have something in mind for that regard...or, perhaps, they haven't come to that, yet, and the good professor gets to wing it?

[NontheistCleric]

My thinking was that if a cover was really needed, she could just pretend to be the Professor's sister or cousin, or some other relative, so she'd also be 'Miss Calico' if surnames became relevant.

If he wants to have separate covers, though, she'll go along with whatever he cooks up. Roleplaying-wise, I'm thinking her 'Owes Favour' manifests as something similar to 'Code of Conduct' but more oriented towards obeying the Professor instead of any moral code (of course, he has his own Code of Conduct).

Pavilion's not the most probable surname, but it does sound like one of those unusual given names some parents like to give their children.

[davyjones]

I like the idea of introducing Pavilion as his niece or a cousin-once-removed (he probably changes it up a bit here and there, just because he forgets what he said the previous adventure).

"This is my niece, Pavilion. And, no, you don't want to know how she got her name. My sister-in-law thought she was being a bit clever..."

[Ridai]

Oh boy, Miles' first fear contest! (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=25891783&postcount=13) He's great at those! He's not allowed to ever get any bonuses to those!

[roll0] Beansed it by 1 point! You know what that means!

[Ridai]

Trying that roll again. Note to self: don't use parentheses or pluses in roll tag descriptions.

Coordination 4 + Athletics 3 (Running) [roll0]

[NontheistCleric]

GM, can we hear Miles's scream from where we are?

[Dodgeson]

GM, can we hear Miles's scream from where we are?

Between the music, the building and just the distance involved I'd say that Calico and Pav don't hear it.

[NontheistCleric]

Rolling Resolve (6)+Ingenuity (6) to telepathically communicate with Calico:

[roll0]

[Ridai]

I'll just check if Miles would even see Donald and go from there.

Awareness 6 + Ingenuity 3 [roll0] Straight no result, that makes things rather clear.

@Zelphas: Please give me a heads-up whether you would like Donald to stay hidden or not.

[Zelphas]

I'll post something today, hopefully; Donald's going to pop out, but I want to play through his mental state for a moment before doing so, if that's all right.

EDIT: All right, post up.

[davyjones]

And just FYI, Pav's question is exactly what the professor would've asked, so he's letting her drive the conversation, so to speak.

[Dodgeson]

If pressed, he would admit he prefers them warm in the Yorkshire style

Truely an alien. :smallwink:

[Ridai]

Requested Coordination + Craft (-2 since no ranks) [roll0]

[Dodgeson]

And we are back! Sorry that took a little longer than I would have liked but I've been having some work done on my house and I just haven't had the time to sit down and write something out. Still, that's in the past now so full steam ahead!


Requested Coordination + Craft (-2 since no ranks) [roll0]

Okay that is currently a Bad result (I'm pegging this at Difficulty 15) so you didn't manage to get a picture of the thing chasing you but your phone isn't broken or anything like that. You can of course alter this with Story Points if you think it's that important.

[davyjones]

I think I forgot to assign the four discretionary skill points for the TARDIS.

Craft 1
Medicine 1
Subterfuge 1
Transport +1

The idea is that she's really good at flying herself...and Calico trusts her to do that...probably too often. He's programmed some fabrication capabilities into her systems, as well as a basic "auto-doc." The point in Subterfuge? Well, that was her reaction to having to deal with Pavilion. She learned how to use a little skullduggery to defend herself and her pilot.

[davyjones]

And, on a side note...why do I feel like Calico should be played by Sean Pertwee?

[Dodgeson]

Well now I have to run a werewolf adventure.

[Zelphas]

Ah, I completely forgot to make the joke that "All the werewolves should really be in the city, shouldn't they?" (Werewolves of London is a somewhat old song that exists)

[davyjones]

Geez...I just sit down to talk to somebody and everyone else runs off.... :smalltongue:

[Zelphas]

Tell me about it; Donald is supposed to get information from someone, and I have now realized that he has precisely zero people skills...

[NontheistCleric]

Does his Time Lord persona have any? Though unleashing it all to interrogate one old lady might be a bit much...

[Dodgeson]

Tell me about it; Donald is supposed to get information from someone, and I have now realized that he has precisely zero people skills...

On the plus side, getting a drunk person to keep ranting about something they were already talking about isn't exactly a herculean task.

[Ridai]

So from the looks of it, Miles currently is unaware the Borker of Birchmoor is present and approaching Pavilion, given neither made much of a loud sound?

And while this isn't technically the first time meeting it, would Animal Friendship apply?

[NontheistCleric]

I suppose it depends on whether this thing counts as 'an animal'.

I guess technically almost anything is an animal...

[Dodgeson]

Beast of Birchmoor Resolve+Ingenuity [roll0]

Huh, they can't actually resist Pav's telepathy, well we're here now and a valiant effort nonetheless.

As for the whole Animal Friendship thing I would think it works on anything that would be like sub-three INT in D&D terms, sheep, dinosaurs, a stigorax but not like a Catkind or a werewolf from the planet Vulpana.

[davyjones]

Sorry to take so long with the post. Was trying to decide how to weave the two prompts together.

[Dodgeson]

Okay I want there to be a little delay before Calico and Donald reach the church but I don't want you guys feeling like you have to sit around and twiddle your thumbs. So given that I've been kinda vague about distances and that this is one of those things that would definitely work better at an actual table than on pbp I'm thinking to give Pav and Miles another go round before having you arrive.

That sound good?

[davyjones]

Sounds good. I was thinking about having Calico take an artron energy reading with his sonic screwdriver along the way...

[Zelphas]

No objections here!

[NontheistCleric]

Can I do Coordination+Athletics instead of Coordination+Fighting? The book says Athletics is for dodging while Fighting is for blocking.

Nevertheless, it doesn't actually matter because Pavilion's modifier, even with Athletics, is +5, so that's an auto-fail vs 18. I'll roll it anyway, and just subtract 5 (-1 for having 1 less skill point in Fighting, and -4 for not having any skill in Fighting) if it has to be Fighting and not Athletics.

Coordination (4) + Athletics (1): [roll0]

Ingenuity (6) + Knowledge (1): [roll1]

[Dodgeson]

Sounds good. I was thinking about having Calico take an artron energy reading with his sonic screwdriver along the way...

Go for it! That's Awareness+Knowledge with a +2 for the Scan trait.


Can I do Coordination+Athletics instead of Coordination+Fighting? The book says Athletics is for dodging while Fighting is for blocking.

Do you have a ref for that? The version of the corebook I've got says that dodging a physical attack is Coordination+Fighting (Page 60 - Learned Skills and Instinct in the hardcover and the same on page 45 of the softback Players Guide) so that's what I'm going to go with for the moment, so as it stands with that this would be a Disastrous result and not only would Pavilion be caught by the Beast of Birchmoor but she is knocked unconscious!

However since we might still be straightening out some issues here not only can you use Story Points to improve the result as per normal but just this one time I'll also let you spend a Story Point to retroactively add an additional two d6 to your roll.

[NontheistCleric]

Oh, I see. My version is the 11th Doctor version, where under the Athletics skill (Gamemaster's Guide page 30) it says 'Dodging a blow is an Athletics rolls, but blocking a punch would use the Fighting skill (paired with Coordination)."

However, I also have a copy of the limited edition, which upon inspection lacks that language and backs up what you said under Learned Skills and Instinct (page 61 for that version). So it must have been updated. I guess that's on me for using an outdated rulebook to build my character—I'd definitely have put a point in Fighting if I realized this sooner. Never mind, I'll just modify my tactics in future confrontations. I'll take the unconsciousness, no point spending story points too early when Pavilion only has 6...

[Dodgeson]

Oh, I see. My version is the 11th Doctor version, where under the Athletics skill (Gamemaster's Guide page 30) it says 'Dodging a blow is an Athletics rolls, but blocking a punch would use the Fighting skill (paired with Coordination)."

However, I also have a copy of the limited edition, which upon inspection lacks that language and backs up what you said under Learned Skills and Instinct (page 61 for that version). So it must have been updated. I guess that's on me for using an outdated rulebook to build my character—I'd definitely have put a point in Fighting if I realized this sooner. Never mind, I'll just modify my tactics in future confrontations. I'll take the unconsciousness, no point spending story points too early when Pavilion only has 6...

Cool beans, if you want to juggle some points around now that we've sorted this then go right ahead, also I'm gonna slide you a Story Point for taking the unconscious. Mostly because I've never seen anyone do that before.


What would you like me to roll?

That's Awareness+Knowledge with a +2 for the Scan trait.

[NontheistCleric]

Cool beans, if you want to juggle some points around now that we've sorted this then go right ahead, also I'm gonna slide you a Story Point for taking the unconscious. Mostly because I've never seen anyone do that before.

No, it's fine. I built what I built. I'll probably take a point in Fighting if we ever get any new skills, but it's not like it makes Pavilion unplayable, I just need to use different tactics against enemies.

[davyjones]

Calico Awareness + Knowledge+2 (scan) = +8
[roll0]

[Dodgeson]

Little bit of housekeeping before I forget! Calico (The Professor? I haven't decide which flows best yet) gets a story point for his rad sonic screwdriver, but remember boys and girls and variations thereupon, any story points over your character's max do not carry over between adventures, so be awesome!

Also I wonder how cyberconversion would actually affect and/or effect Pavillion? The emotional inhibitor and what have you presumably runs through the brain but her consciousness isn't in her brain, she's an oogly extradimensional space thing inhabiting that body. Would the conversion process override that leaving her stuck as an observer in a puppet body or would she be unaffected in a sort of Kroton situation? If The Professor ever gives up his renegade ways and returns to the Citadel there's probably a paper in it.

[NontheistCleric]

I think she'd probably be unaffected, unless the cyberconversion hijacks the brain structure to create a new consciousness, like the Doctor with Mr. Clever. In that case, they might have to battle for dominance.

[Dodgeson]

Can I get an Awareness+Technology roll from the Professor?

[davyjones]

Calico Awareness + Technology = +6
[roll0]

[NontheistCleric]

Just a thought: Pavilion probably dropped the TARDIS medical kit when she was knocked out, so if anyone wants to pick it up, it might come in handy (reduces Medicine difficulty by 1).

[Ridai]

@Dodge: Did the medical kit drop outside?

[Dodgeson]

Yeah, makes sense that Pavillion would have dropped it when she fell unconscious but I'm cool if one of you wants to say they picked it up on the way in

[Ridai]

In that case, if no one else picks it up, we can assume Miles does so. He is an experienced gopher.

[davyjones]

Sounds good. I tried to contribute a Cooperation action to Miles' roll. Hopefully, that's allowed.

[Dodgeson]

Okay I've looked at both the 12th Doctor Corebook and my copy of Aliens and Creatures and there seems to be at least some crossover between Hypnosis (Special) and full fat Possession, even if it's kinda vague about it. So here's what we'll do NontheistCleric, we can either play closer to Hypnosis rules in which case Pav won't need to bodyhop but it's slightly easier for the target to break out if she tries to make them do something too against their nature or we can lean towards Possesion in which case you'll get that +4 on top of everything else but she will need to leave the original body.

Your call

[NontheistCleric]

Hm... I'm wondering if it would be possible to do a sort of hybrid—that is, she can choose whether or not she leaves her body, and if she does, she gets the bonus if applicable? It makes a kind of sense, since going fully into a different body seems like it would be more powerful, and it's not always going to be that much more powerful anyway because it only ever applies to first possessions.

If that's not possible, let's just do the full possession bodyhop version. If it is, though, I think she will not go for the bodyhop in this case.

[Dodgeson]

Kicking it about, lets call it straight bodyhop possession for now. I'm not saying that the hybrid version is completely off the table, maybe it's something that Pav could learn or pick up later on down the line but since this the first time I've run for a character with this ability I want to play it as by the book as possible right now. Time to go read those Possession rules!

*Five Minutes Later*

Beast of Birchmoor Resolve + Strength [roll0]

That's a Bad result for the Beast of Birchmoor! It will spend two of its SP to bump that up to a Success and resist Pav, unless you want to spend a story point to push it back down to a Failure.

[NontheistCleric]

Yes, I’ll spend that point to make it a Failure.

[davyjones]

Okay, I have a couple thoughts on what to do, but I want to make sure the trusty sonic can perform said functions. Both are predicated on the professor encountering Cybermen before and knowing a little about them...

1. Using the Weld function of the sonic to short out the vicar's connection to the local cyber command & control (for lack of a better term). The questions this brings to mind are:
a. Range of said function?
b. Does he need to see the circuit he's fusing together? Or,
c. Would he be able to use his technical understanding of how such a connection would be made to a brain and dial in his sonic to "know" where to find it if it points it at a person?

2. Using his sonic to disrupt the communications link between cyber command & control and the parishioners by emitting a resonance on the transceiver frequency. The goal here would be to disorient the crowd long enough for the trio (and potentially the possessed cur) to make off with Pavilion's body and escape to the safety of the TARDIS. :)

In fact, I'll probably go with the second option, if it's allowed, but I'd like to know if the first option is available to him and, if so, by what parameters it would work.

And, clearly, both are considered DOING something, putting him the third category.

[Dodgeson]

Okay, I have a couple thoughts on what to do, but I want to make sure the trusty sonic can perform said functions. Both are predicated on the professor encountering Cybermen before and knowing a little about them...

1. Using the Weld function of the sonic to short out the vicar's connection to the local cyber command & control (for lack of a better term). The questions this brings to mind are:
a. Range of said function?
b. Does he need to see the circuit he's fusing together? Or,
c. Would he be able to use his technical understanding of how such a connection would be made to a brain and dial in his sonic to "know" where to find it if it points it at a person?

Lets take it from the top! I don't want to give a specific range on this because well DWAiTaS simply isn't that kind of game, however to my knowledge when we see the Doctor Weld things with his screwdriver it's usually at pretty close quarters though I am more than happy to hear counter-examples (or to take 2 Story Points and we just say the Professor's is a different make/model so it can do things that the Doctor's can't). That was wacky nonsense, as long as you're in the same room and not say the football pitch, I'd say you're good. I'd also say that he would need to be able to see the system that he was messing with or at least know exactly what kind of cyber system he was trying to short but that's nothing that a Scan with the sonic or an Ingenuity+Knowledge roll couldn't solve.


2. Using his sonic to disrupt the communications link between cyber command & control and the parishioners by emitting a resonance on the transceiver frequency. The goal here would be to disorient the crowd long enough for the trio (and potentially the possessed cur) to make off with Pavilion's body and escape to the safety of the TARDIS. :)

No notes, perfectly functional and not just because that's what they do in my favourite cyberman comics collection. Ingenuity+Technology.

[Dodgeson]

Bad news davyjones with a 14 that is a Bad result unless you want to burn some Story Points on it the Cult of the Cybermen (which is totally the adventure title) will be uneffected. Also to make things smoother when people are deciding whether to spend Story Points going forward I'm going to stop concealing difficulty numbers for stuff because while it only take a few seconds of back and forth at a real table it's just clunky in PbP.

[Zelphas]

Would scooping up Pavilion and booking it out the door be a Do or a Run check?

Also: If there's time, I was planning to have Donald throw open the doors, since he was standing next to them. Does that require a roll of any kind?

[davyjones]

I have 5 SP, and I'm happy to spend as many as it takes to get a Success.

[Dodgeson]

Would scooping up Pavilion and booking it out the door be a Do or a Run check?

That'd be Do


Also: If there's time, I was planning to have Donald throw open the doors, since he was standing next to them. Does that require a roll of any kind?

Nah you're good


I have 5 SP, and I'm happy to spend as many as it takes to get a Success.

Cool, I'll take those 3 off your total for now but if you want to use some of the Story Points in Calico's sonic I'll just make the edit.

[davyjones]

Cool, I'll take those 3 off your total for now but if you want to use some of the Story Points in Calico's sonic I'll just make the edit.

Ooh, I forgot about those. Let's use 1 from the sonic and 2 from Calico.

[Dodgeson]

Cool beans, I'll change up the tracker and then it looks like we're just waiting for Pav but it is Christmas so I'm not really expecting anything any time soon.

Merry Christmas everybody!

[Dodgeson]

Not power outages nor storms nor floods can keep me away! How's everyone doing? You still out there NontheistCleric?

[davyjones]

Doing well. We had our own little power outage this morning, though we think it was a stealth rolling blackout that the st00pid state of California likes to do (they called it an equipment failure, but our neighboring city was blacked out last night for an hour or so).

[Dodgeson]

No more waiting around, we are back! If NontheistCleric pops their head back in they you guys still have Pav's body so no problem or if the curse of PbP has befallen us then I'm sure I'll think of something.

Happy new year y'all!

[davyjones]

I don't think we established what form the TARDIS' chameleon circuit took when we arrived. (I glossed it over.) I was hoping you'd pick something appropriate as a surprise for us, Dodgeson, but I'm happy to pick the forms when needed.

[Dodgeson]

Walking out of the time ship and on to the grass of the green, the scene that greeted the two time travellers was almost picturesque, from its duck pond to its small rustic play equipment and the red phone booth that the chameleon circuit had decided would be a perfectly inconspicuous disguise just added to the image (it was either that or a hedge), there was even a little shop.

Got you covered :smallcool:

[davyjones]

You did, thanks! (Sorry, don't know why I didn't remember that...)

[Dodgeson]

Ba-bump

You still out there Zelphas?

[davyjones]

Is it just me, or does the site seem sluggish lately...?

[Dodgeson]

It's not just you man, apparently the site staff are aware of it though so we've just got to sit tight.

[Dodgeson]

Okay so a portable Artron detector looks something like this:

Artron Detector (Minor Gadget)
Lets the user detect and pinpoint sources of Artron energy with a Awareness+Science roll at +3 Bonus
Traits: Scan (Artron Energy Only)

It'll take an Ingenuity+Technology roll with a difficulty of 15 & a story point to make it.

[davyjones]

Well, if we're going to do this, we're going to do this right. With the TARDIS dematerialized, we can take a bit of extra time to complete the build. Spending two hours to construct for a +2 to the roll.

Professor Calico Jiggery-Pokery (creating an artron energy scanner using Boffin trait)
Ingenuity + Technology + extra time +11 vs. TN15.
[roll0]

[davyjones]

Attempting to locate the source of the artron energy spike using new Artron Energy Locator:
Awareness + Science + 3 = +9
[roll0]

[Ridai]

Coordination 4 + Subterfuge 3 to do the sneaky-sneak down into the miney pit [roll0]

[Zelphas]

Coordination 4 + Subterfuge 4 + Sneaking Proficiency 2 to sneak in: [roll0]

[Dodgeson]

??? Awareness+Ingenuity [roll0]

[Dodgeson]

To Miles & Donald any looming silver juggernaut was probably the same as any other but not for you, this wasn't the clunky box like shape of a primitive Cyberman or even the more advanced mechanical form the Mondasians would take as they continued to improve their conversion process, this was the sleek cutting edge form of the Cyberiad. The sort of Cyberman that wouldn't (or shouldn't) exist for hundreds of years...

[Zelphas]

In case I don't get an IC post together...

Coordination + Subterfuge + Sneaking Expertise: [roll0]

[Dodgeson]

Cyberman Sentry Awareness+Ingenuity [roll0]

[Zelphas]

Ingenuity 2 + Technology 0 - 2 for Sonic Screwdriver: [roll0]

[Dodgeson]

The ship defintely has tell tale signs of human design but there are also elements that are distinctly Mondasian. It could be based on the design of that earlier captured time machine or it could simply be an example of parallel design and evolution, certainly wouldn't be the first time that sort of thing had happened with the Cybermen. One thing's for certain it comes from a little later in the timeline than the 26th Century, probably from the same era as the Cyberman that was guarding the mineshaft.

[davyjones]

Calico Sonic B&E - Ingenuity 5 + Subterfuge 0 - 4 (unskilled) + 4 bonus = +4
[roll0] - If Technology mitigates the penalty to -2, result is instead 12.