Character Templates: Time Student

So we come to the final character template, the one that's essential in a game like this, even if only as an option. I have found that the character isn't as popular as one might expect, probably because players realise that the ability to control a time machine isn't terribly relevant in a one-off convention game that's likely to have only a single setting. Which is why, in fact, it isn't essential for anyone to pick this character, or even the time agent... the TARDIS is a means to get characters to the plot and they don't really need to be able to steer the thing. Or, at least, not in anything I've written so far, since possibilities clearly do exist for such a scenario.

DWAITAS has mechanisms built in to balance Time Lord characters against regular humans - essentially giving them high skills at the expense of limited plot points - but here I've made that more apparent by making this particular Gallifreyan a student who's basically on an unauthorised gap year. So, while she does have some clear advantages, she's not a fully qualified Time "Lord" yet (though she might claim otherwise, depending on how the player interprets her) and shouldn't overshadow the others, or take a clear leadership role.

Background

Your studies at the Academy were getting a bit boring, so you decided to “borrow” a TARDIS and take a break to travel around the galaxy instead. However, not having actually finished your studies and obtained your time travel proficiency license, it turns out that you aren’t quite as good at steering it as you had thought. (But who cares? It’s all travel experience, right?) Shortly after leaving Gallifrey, you made the rookie mistake of being caught in a time rift and ended up on Earth in the 21st century. Discovering that the rift had been picking up random people from across Earth’s history, you teamed up with them to close it and defeat an invasion by the Gelth. Unfortunately, that still left them trapped in the year 2022! Offering them a ride, you are now travelling through time and space either to try to get them back home, or simply to explore together.

DWAITAS stats

Concept: Time Student

Awareness  3	Coordination  2	Ingenuity  7
Presence  4	Resolve  3	Strength  1

Skills: Convince-1, Intuition-2, Knowledge-5, Medicine-1, Science-3, Technology-5, Transport-2

Distinctions: Time Lord                    Equipment: TARDIS, psychic paper

Focus: Travel            Story Points: 8

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Since we're using Doctors & Daleks, 5E already allows for Gallifreyan characters. Since we already have a scientist as one of the other templates, here we'll go for "computer" as the archetype, although we'll apply a higher CHA than would be typical for such a character. We'll also apply some quips that at least partially rely on charm as well as smarts. It's notable, incidentally, that, because the system doesn't have plot points to balance things out, the attributes and skills don't end up quite so remarkably high as in DWAITAS... but, again, this makes sense when the character is a student, not an experienced Time Lord.

It's difficult to get novice characters to superhuman levels in Savage Worlds for obvious reasons, but we can put more points into Smarts than a novice would normally have by dialling back on the physical attributes. This also allows for some high skills, if not to the equivalent levels in DWAITAS. For hindrances, we'll focus on the fact that the character looks young enough not to consistently be treated as an adult, treating this as Outsider rather than Youth, since they aren't under 16. Fitting with the themes of the show, we'll give her Pacifism, and an unthreatening appearance (a geeky, if attractive, sixteen-year old girl) adds to the mix. We can't directly simulate her Time Lord abilities using standard powers, so we'll add a couple, stipulating that one allows control of time machines and awareness of the flow of time, and the other grants her thirteen lives (which is probably overpowered but hopefully won't crop up too much).

With BRP, we'll tag the regeneration ability on as a Power, even though it technically unbalanced the character; we'll remove some of the default skills in compensation, although this inevitably has to be arbitrary. In terms of the other abilities, we can once again boost INT by reducing physical statistics and focus on academic skills rather than those of more practical use. We could ignore the usual limit of 75% for a character in a standard game, but, in order to get a good range of skills without exceeding the budget, there isn't much point to this - the INT and EDU are already high which has a significant effect in this game. Adding Operate Time Machine as a technical skill can cover the other aspect of being a Time Lord - and note that she isn't supposed to be very good at it.

In GURPS, the available powers are flexible enough that we don't need to add anything new. Many of the character points go on the high IQ and TL, but we can get decent skill levels for a single point each, so we can provide a good spread of abilities. Pacifism and low physical statistics also make this easier while, as in Savage Worlds, the apparently younger age also gives social disadvantages that can counterbalance the rest.

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5E - Time Student

3rd level Thinker

STR 8 (-1)	DEX 10 (+0)	CON 14 (+2)
INT 17 (+3)	WIS 12 (+1)	CHA 15 (+2)

Saving Throws: Con +4, Int +5

Armour Class: 10         Plot Points: 19

Speed: 30 ft.         Tech Level: 10

Quip Bonus: +5 Motivation: Pupil

Skills: Engineering +7, History +5, Persuasion +4, Science +5, Stealth +2

Tools: Artist's Tools, Computers, Games, Mechanic's Tools +2

Features: Consider This, Inspiring Failure, Technological Instincts, You Cannot Win, Playing the Odds, Dismissed, Regeneration, Respiratory Bypass, Vortex Sensitive

Quips: Emotional Argument, Logical Argument, Parley, Thoughtful Argument, Jelly Baby, Protective Plea, Rational Repartee

Telepathy: Message, Augury, Detect Thoughts, Sending

Savage Worlds - Time Student

Agility: d4	Smarts: d10	Spirit: d6
Strength: d4	Vigour: d6

Skills: Academics d10, Athletics d4, Common Knowledge (all of time and space) d6, Electronics d6, Notice d4, Persuasion d4, Research d4, Science d6, Stealth d4, Weird Science d6

Hindrances: Mild Mannered, Outsider (Minor), Pacifist (Major)

Edges: Attractive, Charismatic

Powers: Vortex Sensitive, Time Lord Regeneration

Pace: 6                  Parry: 2                Toughness: 5

BRP - Time Student

STR 6	CON 11	SIZ 8
INT 17	POW 12	EDU 16
DEX 10	CHA 12
Hit Points: 10	Move: 10	Fatigue: 17
Base SR: 5	Damage Bonus: -1D4

Skills: Anthropology 54%, Appraise 35%, Computers 35%, Electronics 35%, History 75%, Insight 25%, Listen 45%, Operate Time Machine 20%, Persuade 45%, Physics 65%, Planetology 65%, Research 70%, Robotics 35%, Sense 30%, Spot 45%, Stealth 30%, Xenobiology 65%

Powers: Time Lord Regeneration

GURPS - Time Student

ST 8	DX 9	IQ 16	HT 10
Speed: 4.75	Move: 4	Thrust: 1d-3	Swing: 1d-2

Advantages: Attractive, High Tech Level, Unkillable (Reincarnation)

Disadvantages: Curious (12 or less), Distractible, Pacifism (Cannot Kill), Social Stigma (minor)

Skills: Astronomy/TL12-14, Biology/TL12 (Earthlike)-13, Chemistry/TL12-14, Electronic Operations/TL-12 (scientific)-15, Electronic Operations/TL12 (sensors)-15, Electronic Operations/TL12 (temporal)-15, Engineer/TL12 (Electronics)-14, Expert Skill (Xenology)-14, Geography/TL12 (Earthlike)-14, History (galactic)-14, Mathematics/TL12 (applied)-14, Mathematics/TL12 (pure)-14, Physics/TL12-13, Research/TL12-15