Vashta Nerada and the Weeping Angels

[cal585]

Both the VN and the Angels are 2 of my favourite monsters, so of course it's only natural that I think about them together. Has anyone ever run a game with them both? Are they overkill? (both creating and hunting in darkness)

And a rather interesting conundrum I was pondering, can the Vashta Nerada see? Would they freeze an Angel? It could make an interesting trap if an Angel was lured into the midst of a swarm. Alternatively if they can't see, could they potentially be a predator of the Angels? Sure, the Angels could try and hide by instinctively turning themselves to stone, but if they're not frozen and make the mistake of passing trough a shadow... Given the universal nature of the VN, it could go some way to explaining how the Angel population is kept in check given their ability to create themselves from images and seeming invincibility (otherwise there could be a rock mite )

Just a couple of things I was pondering and was wondering what others think. I can't ask my other Dr Who friends as the ones who know the most about the background are all in my group

[Craig Oxbrow]

It's possible. My main reservation would be that it could de-scarify either or both of them, giving them weaknesses and removing some of their mystery.

Vashta Nerada senses might qualify as sight, but they presumably know well enough not to look in the eyes. (And the "image of an Angel" power is probably conditional rather than constant, something the Angels do on purpose, like snapping victims' necks or throwing them back in time.)

But a possibly fitting image I happened to come up with yesterday, not thinking of the Vashta Nerada but something that can attack Angels as they move:

Searching a seemingly abandoned town, the TARDIS crew are horrified to find a Weeping Angel in a hall. The light flickers - and the Angel has moved further away, looking over its shoulder with an expression of terror. The light flickers again and now there's just a pile of broken marble...

[misterharry]

I think Craig's right - there's a risk that you'll end up de-scarifying one or both of the monsters.

Going off at a bit of a tangent though, there are a couple of interesting questions that arise out of this. Can the Vashta Nerada see? And does being observed by anything affect the Weeping Angels?

With regard to the former, the Vashta Nerada are microbial lifeforms, so they probably don't have sight as we understand it. Their write-up in Aliens & Creatures gives them Alien Senses, but it's not defined what this actually is. When somebody else asked about this on the forum a couple of months or so back, my reply was that it's probably a sense that allows them to detect their prey - maybe a heat sense or some vague "life" sense. Would either qualify as sight? I guess the former would, if it was IR vision.

As for the Weeping Angels, would literally anything oberving them make them turn to "stone"? Surely not, otherwise they'd be like that every time there was an animal near, even an insect or something equally ridiculous. So, is it only when sentient lifeforms observe them?

Incidentally, I put "stone" in inverted commas deliberately. Knasser's excellent write-up for the Angels (in his sadly now unavailable Monsters pdf) specified that they don't actually turn to stone, but that their frozen appearance is actually a "placeholder" in the fabric of the universe and the Angel itself has ceased to exist - so it couldn't be harmed by anything less than something that could rip reality. An interesting take on it, I thought.

[Kit]

Aug 15, 2011 8:03:11 GMT misterharry said:

Incidentally, I put "stone" in inverted commas deliberately. Knasser's excellent write-up for the Angels (in his sadly now unavailable Monsters pdf) specified that they don't actually turn to stone, but that their frozen appearance is actually a "placeholder" in the fabric of the universe and the Angel itself has ceased to exist - so it couldn't be harmed by anything less than something that could rip reality. An interesting take on it, I thought.

I loved Knasser's take. He did excellent things. Pity he doesnt seem to post anymore.