The fourth race on my list of the seven key humanoid ‘monster’ races are the shape-shifting Zygons.Appearances
The Zygons have a slightly unusual history, compared with those I’ve dealt with so far. They first appear slightly later, during the fourth Doctor story Terror of the Zygons, but that’s not the oddity. They immediately stood out due to a distinctive design and a particularly well-respected debut story and after that they… well, they just didn’t appear again in the classic series. In fact, they didn’t appear on TV again for another 38 years, although they have now shown up as significant antagonists twice in the modern era.
Nonetheless, they were popular enough to appear in a trilogy of audios and a straight-to-video production outside the Doctor Who license proper. Within the world of BBC-approved releases, they have appeared in two full-length novels and three Big Finish audios including the acclaimed Death in Blackpool. Of the two novels, the one which details their culture the most is Bodysnatchers, set in the 19th century and featuring the 8th Doctor. And, of course, there are also licensed comics and short stories. Not bad for a race that only appeared once in the classic show – one couldn’t say the same of, say, the Primords or the Terileptils.
Description and Biology
The Zygons are, of course, aliens and are humanoid only in a very general sense. Their homeworld is said to have been destroyed and this may even have happened twice – an ‘original’ destruction perhaps around the 12th century AD, and then retrospectively at an earlier date due to the Time War. Their peculiar appearance doesn’t really parallel any real-world creatures, beyond the facts that they seem to have an internal skeleton with a broadly vertebrate layout and that they are obviously bipedal.
Because they don’t wear clothing, we can tell that they don’t have obvious external genitalia and there’s no visible gender distinction in those we see on TV. The novel Bodysnatchers states that they are hermaphrodites while The Sting of the Zygons implies that they lay eggs. These are not necessarily hard-shelled, and it would be at least as plausible if they were laid in water and had a gelatinous or leathery covering, like the eggs of some sharks or frogs. Both books agree that the young are whitish in colour and that the suckers are signs of maturity (it certainly isn’t obvious what else they’d be for) along with the orange hue. Unusually, however, the fully mature form is a post-reproductive phase, with the sexually active Zygons still being in a pale, slim, and smooth-skinned form we don’t see on TV. Post-reproductive life stages are rare in Earthly biology but not unknown. Indeed, humans are an obvious exception (though without the physical boost of Zygons), so it’s not an implausible concept given the right evolutionary circumstances.
Another peculiarity is that they rely on skarasen ‘milk’ for survival, perhaps because it contains vital nutrients they cannot otherwise obtain. Having said which, skarasens are not in evidence in the modern TV stories, and they’d be pretty hard to hide, so it’s possible that the Zygons have developed a synthetic alternative or found the same nutrients in an Earthly source. Or it’s basically like coffee is to many humans and they really don’t want to be without it but won’t literally die if they can’t get it.
Game Attributes
Zygons are stated to be stronger than humans, although not to truly superhuman levels. They may well also be more physically resilient, perhaps aided by a rubbery hide that absorbs some damage from blows. All the Zygons we see seem to be technically adept rather than being, for example, standard soldiers. This may reflect the forced evacuation of their homeworld, with the skilled elite being given priority and forming the vanguard of those sent out to colonise other worlds.
This is mainly reflected in skills relating to engineering and the operation of the equipment on their spaceships, but more general science must also be required, if only in the planning stages of invasions. Significantly, Zygon technology is primarily organic, so skill in engineering is more accurately described as biotechnology. For the same reason, it’s likely that the ‘average’ diaspora Zygon has an intelligence rating above the human norm, even if they didn’t back on the original planet.
The other important skill set that Zygons must possess is in deception and the ability to mimic the people whose shapes they take on. Some of this is provided technologically, but at least some natural talent in pretending to be other people must surely be in play. In systems where skills are highly dependant on base attributes, this also implies a high charisma or equivalent.
In terms of alignment, the Zygons as originally shown are entirely hostile to humanity, seeing other races as obstacles to planetary domination. When they re-appear in the modern series, we can see that there is more nuance to their actions and that Zygons are not necessarily purely antagonistic. As such, the default alignment is best described as Neutral – although we’ve seen more individuals at the bad end of the alignment scale than the good.
Special Abilities
Zygons have two special abilities. Arguably the less significant of the two is their ability to ‘sting’ using poison glands or implanted technology in their hands. The details of what this does varies over the course of the show, which could reflect the fact that the modern series Zygons haven’t been in hibernation for hundreds of years and have used biotechnology to improve themselves in the interim. But we’ll stick with the original version, where the sting is painful and can do enough poison damage to potentially be fatal.
But the really notable power is, of course, the shapeshifting. This is clearly aided by technology, but the shapeshifting itself seems to be natural. What the technology seems to provide is the detailed body print to imitate a specific person well enough to fool those who know them, and it requires that the original be kept alive or the print fades. ‘Modern’ Zygons, with the presumed centuries of technological improvement behind them, can also maintain a form after the original subject dies, although they likely have to spend a while in the form before it sets and the body-print no longer needs to be updated. The shapeshifting power does not seem to be limited to humanoids or even to beings of the approximate size of the Zygon although quite how this would work in reality (conservation of mass and all that) is unclear.
5E - Zygon
Medium humanoid (shapechanger), neutral
Armour Class: 12 (natural armour)
Hit Points: 22 (4d8+8)
Speed: 30 ft.
STR 14 (+2) | DEX 10 (+0) | CON 14 (+2) |
INT 12 (+1) | WIS 10 (+0) | CHA 14 (+2) |
Skills: Deception +4, Medicine +2, Technology +3
Combat Skills: Melee Attack +4, Missile Attack +0
Senses: Passive Perception 10
Sting (recharge 5-6). Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature.
Hit: The target must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw, taking 14 (3d8) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Shapechanger (classic): The Zygon can use its action to take the form of a specific Small or Medium humanoid that it has an active body print for. An active body print requires that the humanoid subject be alive and kept in the body-printing receptacle. The Zygon’s statistics, other than its size, are the same in each form.
Shapechanger (modern): The Zygon can use its action to take the form of a specific Small, Medium, or Large humanoid or animal for which it has previously established a body print. The Zygon’s statistics, other than its size, are the same in each form.
Challenge: ¼ (50 XP)
BRP - Zygon
STR 4D6 (14) | CON 2D6+9 (16) | SIZ 2D6+6 (13) |
INT 2D6+6 (13) | POW 3D6 (10-11) | |
DEX 3D6 (10-11) | CHA 3D6 (10-11) | |
Hit Points: 16 | Move: 10 | |
Base SR: 5 | Damage Bonus: +1D4 |
Armour: 1-point rubbery skin
Combat Skills: Brawl 50%
Sting: The Zygon’s sting delivers a POT 10 poison that applies only if it contacts unprotected skin (usually as the result of a Brawl attack). The sting can be used only once per three combat rounds due to the time taken to refill the venom sacs.
Shapeshifting (classic): The Zygon can take on the form of any specific humanoid being for which it has an active body print. The being must have a SIZ within 5 points (up or down) of the Zygon’s own. If using hit locations, it must also have the standard humanoid hit location table. An active body print requires that the humanoid subject be alive and kept in the body-printing receptacle. The Zygon’s statistics, other than its SIZ, are the same in each form.
Shapeshifting (modern): The Zygon can take on the form of a specific humanoid or quadrupedal being for which it has previously established a body print. The being must have a SIZ no less than 5 points below the Zygon’s own, and no more than twice the Zygon’s own. For example, a SIZ 13 Zygon can take the form of a suitable being with a SIZ between 8 and 26. If using hit locations, the subject must have four limbs, a torso, and a head but could be a four-legged animal rather than a humanoid. The Zygon’s statistics, other than its SIZ (and hit location table, if relevant), are the same in each form.
GURPS - Zygon
ST 14 | DX 10 | IQ 12 | HT 14 |
Thrust: 1d | Swing: 2d | ||
Speed: 5.25 | Move: 5 |
Advantages: Damage Resistance-1, Extended Lifespan-2, Innate Attack (toxic, 2d damage, contact agent, limited use [4], melee attack [C], resistible), Shapeshifting (morph, cosmetic, retains shape [classic version only], accessibility [only on living subjects in body-print receptacle, classic version only], preparation required [1 hour])
Skills:
Savage Worlds - Zygon
Agility: d6 | Smarts: d8 | Spirit: d6 |
Strength: d8 | Vigour: d10 |
Skills: Electronics d6, Fighting d6, Persuasion d8, Repair d4, Science d4
Sting: A successful Fighting attack can deliver a contact poison that inflicts Stunning and Wounds as a Lethal poison but does not automatically kill the target.
Shapeshifting (classic): As an action, a Zygon can change into the form of any humanoid being with a size between -1 and +1 for which it has an active body print. An active body print requires that the humanoid subject be alive and kept in the body-printing receptacle.
Shapeshifting (classic): As an action, a Zygon can change into the form of any humanoid or quadrupedal being with a size between -1 and +2 for which it has previously acquired a body print.
Pace: 6 Parry: 5 Toughness: 7(2) Size: 0
STA - Zygon
Control: 8 | Fitness: 10 | Presence: 10 |
Daring: 9 | Insight: 8 | Reason: 9 |
Command: 0 | Security: 2 | Science: 1 |
Conn: 1 | Engineering: 2 | Medicine: 1 |
Stress: 12 | Resistance: 0 |
Attacks: Sting (Melee, 2^, 1H, Intense, Lethal)
Traits: Shapeshifting (Classic: The Zygon can change into the form of any humanoid being of approximately its own size for which it has an active body print. An active body print requires that the humanoid subject be alive and kept in the body-printing receptacle. Modern: The Zygon can change into the form of any humanoid or quadrupedal being from about half the size of a human up to the size of a horse, for which it has previously acquired a body print).
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