You get an Archinist-style Dwarf!

[Me2005]

You wake up one day to a convoluted backstory and somehow end up in possession of a being calling itself a Dwarf, nearly exactly as described in this Archinist scenario. This Dwarf is completely obedient to you, and for kicks, also only perceptible to you.

It is capable of building just about anything, given raw materials and time. It can look at a drawing or image of a thing and build a good nearly-100% accurate three-dimensional model of the thing. If shown moving images or given a good description before building, it can make the thing work as it should - even things that don't work or are impossible IRL. Yes, it makes up the parts that aren't in the information given it from nothing as if by magic. It will work with the materials given it, not the materials required, though it can filter bulk material and forge/mix/etc. materials to create the needed alloy or mixture or whatever. It will make its own tooling.

Assume it can work through a few to a dozen tons of material a day; less for more complex stuff and more for less complex stuff. Also assume you have 1 year before a random, horrifyingly devastating Archinist scenario occurs/appears one block from you. Being the only person on Earth who knows this scenario will be unfolding, and also the only one who'd ever believe it, what do you do?

[Esquire]

Self-replicating automated solar-powered joint (nutritionally-balanced) food dispensers, education centers, and health terminals capable of providing sustenance, skills, and primary medical care for free, slowly expanding decent social policies across the world, one block at a time. After those are pretty well-established... I don't know, atmospheric carbon-to-eco-friendly-fuel converters, similarly self-replicating? And something that perfectly predicts winning lottery numbers and sports bets; I might as well make a profit on this, after all.

Then, for the catastrophic Archinist scenario, I'm thinking a radio attached to US Air Force HQ, as none of Archinist's opponents are at all threatening if you've got a single modern bomber in the area.

[Batman]

A radio attached to USAF HQ isn't going to do you any good unless you live REALLY close and if you're already there why not talk to them in person? Wouldn't it be much easier to just phone them?

[Me2005]

Then, for the catastrophic Archinist scenario, I'm thinking a radio attached to US Air Force HQ, as none of Archinist's opponents are at all threatening if you've got a single modern bomber in the area.

They're not, but whichever one it is, it will happen 1 block from your person. So... I mean, the moving mountain-tank or 6 million orcs or the dinosaur-not-dinosaur popping that close to you... The airforce won't be able to help *you*.

[Esquire]

In that case, change my request to 'a single modern bomber, and a one-year automatic flight training course for the same.' When the Dreaded Archinist Monstrosity(/ies) appear, I will be many kilometers above the ground; if gravity doesn't do my work for me, I can deal with it (/them) myself. Also, I suppose, some sort of flight-permission-forging machine.

[Tribble]

I'd settle for something like Slave 1 - it's small enough that the "Dwarf" should be able to easily produce it in time, and we have plenty of drawings, knowledge and moving images for the "Dwarf" to use. And it has more than enough firepower to challenge most of Archinsit's monsters

[Me2005]

In that case, change my request to 'a single modern bomber, and a one-year automatic flight training course for the same.' When the Dreaded Archinist Monstrosity(/ies) appear, I will be many kilometers above the ground; if gravity doesn't do my work for me, I can deal with it (/them) myself. Also, I suppose, some sort of flight-permission-forging machine.

So, how did you get the titanium/aluminum/whatever to build that thing? That stuff isn't cheap, even if you're buying it in scrap by the ton.

[KraytKing]

Who needs advanced alloys when you have a dwarf?

[Khaat]

Who needs advanced alloys when you have a dwarf?

Exactly: give him a good-sized central american garbage dump and he's well on the way to the Millenium Falcon wannabe.

[Isolder74]

I have it build me a replacement screen for my laptop. Then set it to work covering the roof of my house with solar panels taken from NASA plans downloaded off of the internet. Get them to build me a car to make my life a little easier. Now I set it to work building me an life size Optimus Prime.

[Me2005]

Who needs advanced alloys when you have a dwarf?

Exactly: give him a good-sized central american garbage dump and he's well on the way to the Millenium Falcon wannabe.

Great idea!

Now, how do you first get the kind of access you need to the dump? Keep in mind, while productive, you're only talking a few tons a day he can process; especially since you're asking him to sort trash to get the higher end stuff you want. And no one can see him. And you would be better keeping him close/safe since he is fairly fragile, so you can't just let him loose on his own.

[Broomstick]

Assume it can work through a few to a dozen tons of material a day; less for more complex stuff and more for less complex stuff. Also assume you have 1 year before a random, horrifyingly devastating Archinist scenario occurs/appears one block from you. Being the only person on Earth who knows this scenario will be unfolding, and also the only one who'd ever believe it, what do you do?

Ask the Dwarf to build a functional TARDIS and leave for a better location. Also, I won't have to worry about things like paying rent or mortgage ever again, and the TARDIS will have a bespoke engineering capability that the Dwarf can utilize to build whatever else I can think of.

[Tribble]

Assume it can work through a few to a dozen tons of material a day; less for more complex stuff and more for less complex stuff. Also assume you have 1 year before a random, horrifyingly devastating Archinist scenario occurs/appears one block from you. Being the only person on Earth who knows this scenario will be unfolding, and also the only one who'd ever believe it, what do you do?

Ask the Dwarf to build a functional TARDIS and leave for a better location. Also, I won't have to worry about things like paying rent or mortgage ever again, and the TARDIS will have a bespoke engineering capability that the Dwarf can utilize to build whatever else I can think of.

Hmm, I initially considered a Tardis but IIRC they are grown, not built, and I'm not sure if they would qualify. They are almost Q-Level in tech, and I'm not sure even one of Archinsit's Dwarves would be able to build one properly. Plus, doesn't Time lord tech have security features that prevent other species from copying a Tardis even if they have access to all the materials and information needed? For example, IIRC a Timelord was required to "prime" a Tardis before it could be used.

At the very least, whip up a Time Vortex manipulator so you could move out of the way of Archinist's monstrosity when it shows up.

[Khaat]

Who needs advanced alloys when you have a dwarf?

Exactly: give him a good-sized central american garbage dump and he's well on the way to the Millenium Falcon wannabe.

Great idea!

Now, how do you first get the kind of access you need to the dump? Keep in mind, while productive, you're only talking a few tons a day he can process; especially since you're asking him to sort trash to get the higher end stuff you want. And no one can see him. And you would be better keeping him close/safe since he is fairly fragile, so you can't just let him loose on his own.

Seeing as scrounging dumps is not only a past-time but actual survival "employment" for the very poor, access isn't really an issue.

If you're looking for a more sophisticated explanation: I set up a small recycling business, and buy scrap from the urchins already combing through the garbage, for a little more than they get from the regular buyers, then pay their regular buyers their "lost business" cost (or just buy from the regular buyers - maybe better than the regular destinations, drive up the local scrap prices a little?) Urchins/dealers bring me the sorted scrap, dwarf works uninterrupted in a shanty-shack at the edge of the dump (like everyone else), locals get a little more cash than they used to.

Oh, and once the dwarf has the Falcon done, have it whip-up a self-replicating device that does the recycling/refining of junk, that also pays out in clean water, nutritious food, and bolts of cloth.

Granted, I could have short-cut this whole thing by just having the dwarf make me some handwavium, but that's just asking for the Archinist-plot monster to be a skyscraper-sized animated pile of garbage.

edit - tags

[Ziggy Stardust]

Hmm, I initially considered a Tardis but IIRC they are grown, not built, and I'm not sure if they would qualify. They are almost Q-Level in tech, and I'm not sure even one of Archinsit's Dwarves would be able to build one properly. Plus, doesn't Time lord tech have security features that prevent other species from copying a Tardis even if they have access to all the materials and information needed? For example, IIRC a Timelord was required to "prime" a Tardis before it could be used..

Would the rules of a TARDIS in the Dr. Who universe actually apply to what this dwarf makes? From my understanding of the rules of the OP, the dwarf would essentially be creating a replica of whatever item you tell it to build that is magically capable of whatever acts the original would. It's not actually opening a portal to the Dr. Who universe and appropriating a TARDIS. So, there ARE no Time Lords or any of their rules in this scenario. So it's not clear to me that any TARDIS you ask the dwarf to build would necessarily be constrained by Who-verse rules.

[Tribble]

Hmm, I initially considered a Tardis but IIRC they are grown, not built, and I'm not sure if they would qualify. They are almost Q-Level in tech, and I'm not sure even one of Archinsit's Dwarves would be able to build one properly. Plus, doesn't Time lord tech have security features that prevent other species from copying a Tardis even if they have access to all the materials and information needed? For example, IIRC a Timelord was required to "prime" a Tardis before it could be used..

Would the rules of a TARDIS in the Dr. Who universe actually apply to what this dwarf makes? From my understanding of the rules of the OP, the dwarf would essentially be creating a replica of whatever item you tell it to build that is magically capable of whatever acts the original would. It's not actually opening a portal to the Dr. Who universe and appropriating a TARDIS. So, there ARE no Time Lords or any of their rules in this scenario. So it's not clear to me that any TARDIS you ask the dwarf to build would necessarily be constrained by Who-verse rules.

And that's the problem. Even if the Dwarf is able to replicate a Tardis to exact specifications, that Tardis will not be able to be used until a Time Lord has primed the Rassilon Imprimatur with their symbiotic nuclei. It's not something that could be bypassed as it is apparently a fundamental aspect of how a Tardis operates. The Time Lords specifically developed the security feature to prevent anyone else from making a Tardis of their own even if they had the exact information and materials required. If a non-Timelord attempts to pilot the vehicle first, it will simply disintegrate.

[Solauren]

So, tell him to rework the security features to work for just you and him, and people you assign.

[Ziggy Stardust]

And that's the problem. Even if the Dwarf is able to replicate a Tardis to exact specifications, that Tardis will not be able to be used until a Time Lord has primed the Rassilon Imprimatur with their symbiotic nuclei. It's not something that could be bypassed as it is apparently a fundamental aspect of how a Tardis operates. The Time Lords specifically developed the security feature to prevent anyone else from making a Tardis of their own even if they had the exact information and materials required. If a non-Timelord attempts to pilot the vehicle first, it will simply disintegrate.

... are you sure you understood the point I was making? Again, unless I am misreading/misunderstanding the OP and the rules of an Archinist dwarf (which is entirely possible, because no sane person should understand this crap), there's no rule saying you can't just make something that looks like a TARDIS and can do everything a TARDIS can do without it actually being a Who-verse TARDIS. Or making a Who-verse TARDIS that thinks you're a Time Lord so it works fine.

This is like saying that if you get the dwarf to make the NCC-1701-D you won't be able to control it because you don't have Captain Picard's command code. This dwarf ISN'T rending space-time asunder and pulling the 1701-D or the TARDIS from an alternate universe where the rules work as they do in those fictional ones, it is just building what looks like the Enterprise that can magically do the things the Enterprise is capable of doing. I don't see any non-arbitrary reason why this would make the rules of those fictional universes apply in real life.

[Batman]

Kirk's command codes wouldn't do you any good because the E-D was about a century after his time

[Solauren]

But, Batman, you can just have him build Data, complete with all his knowledge and abilities as of his death in Nemesis, but completely loyal to you to get around that

[Tribble]

And that's the problem. Even if the Dwarf is able to replicate a Tardis to exact specifications, that Tardis will not be able to be used until a Time Lord has primed the Rassilon Imprimatur with their symbiotic nuclei. It's not something that could be bypassed as it is apparently a fundamental aspect of how a Tardis operates. The Time Lords specifically developed the security feature to prevent anyone else from making a Tardis of their own even if they had the exact information and materials required. If a non-Timelord attempts to pilot the vehicle first, it will simply disintegrate.

... are you sure you understood the point I was making? Again, unless I am misreading/misunderstanding the OP and the rules of an Archinist dwarf (which is entirely possible, because no sane person should understand this crap), there's no rule saying you can't just make something that looks like a TARDIS and can do everything a TARDIS can do without it actually being a Who-verse TARDIS. Or making a Who-verse TARDIS that thinks you're a Time Lord so it works fine.

This is like saying that if you get the dwarf to make the NCC-1701-D you won't be able to control it because you don't have Captain Picard's command code. This dwarf ISN'T rending space-time asunder and pulling the 1701-D or the TARDIS from an alternate universe where the rules work as they do in those fictional ones, it is just building what looks like the Enterprise that can magically do the things the Enterprise is capable of doing. I don't see any non-arbitrary reason why this would make the rules of those fictional universes apply in real life.

Perhaps we need an OP ruling here. The way I interpreted it, the "Dwarf" is able to make things in our universe that are physically impossible, but they still have to follow their universes attributes. So for example a Star Wars ship would still use a hyper drive, hyper matter and hyperspace to travel because that's how SW FTL works. In the case of the Tardis its more than just a matter of command codes, its a fundemental nature of how its physics operates. Its sort of like building a hyperdrive without any way to get hyper matter for it (IIRC hyper drives can only run on hyper matter). The Dwarf has not been stated to be able to create people so it wouldn't be able to create the Timelord needed to get the Tardis working. "Fooling" a Tardis wouldn't work - you'd have to be turned into a Timelord first. Is their any Doctor Who tech that can do that which the Dwarf can build? If not while the Tardis could be built, it would disintegrate if a non Timelord tries to use it the first time. Again that's my interpretation of the OP which could be wrong.

[Khaat]

Once the symbiotic nuclei is explained/illustrated/defined for the dwarf, why can't he make one to prime the Rassilon Imprimatur?

And by OP, the dwarf can make hypermatter, too:

Yes, it makes up the parts that aren't in the information given it from nothing as if by magic.

[Tribble]

Once the symbiotic nuclei is explained/illustrated/defined for the dwarf, why can't he make one to prime the Rassilon Imprimatur?

And by OP, the dwarf can make hypermatter, too:

Yes, it makes up the parts that aren't in the information given it from nothing as if by magic.

Because the symbiotic nuclei is part of a Timelord's biology, and I am assuming that the Dwarf is restricted to creating tech rather than people (the Tardis does blur that line quite a bit) In Dr Who physics a living Timelord is needed to get a Tardis running and I am assuming that the rules would still apply here.

And yes the Dwarf can make hyper matter, but whats being suggested is the equivalent of stuffing bananas in the hyperdrive as a fuel source and hoping it works. If the Dwarf cannot duplicate Timelord biology or build the tech to transform someone into a Timelord than the Tardis is useless even though it can be built.

It should be noted that the Timelord's have experiences with alternate and parallel worlds, as well as various species trying to duplicate their tech, which is why they built their Tardises that way to begin with.

IMO we need an OP ruling on whether or not the Dwarf can alter the physics of the things it is making (like a SW ship being able to use bananas as if they were hyper matter because the dwarf built it that way), and what it can and cannot do with biological beings.

[Tribble]

Now that I think of it a somewhat similar problem may happen with Dune tech. Using FTL without a navigator is highly risky in the Dune universe, even with the use of computers. While the Dwarf could build a Dune Ship, would it be able to build it without the navigational issues and without the need for a navigators precognition?

[Khaat]

Well, a Guild Highliner would be impossible in the time frame given, but yes, absence of a Navigator to fold space would make it a very pretty orbital station (provided that's where you had him build it.)

But I'd take an ornithopter and a handbook on piloting it!