Let's face it ... role playing game zombies aren't scary.
There are lots of movies that make us fear the walking dead. The things that make them scary is they are implacable -- a single gunshot, axe swing, or cricket bat to the head doesn't necessarily take them down. Individually, they aren't too bad ... but a horde of them each taking 2-3 attacks can make even a stalwart hero sweat a little.
On top of that, if they bite you, well, you are a goner. And then you are looking at your friends, who become feverish, and start fading, and you have to think about using that axe on them before they turn.
In the spirit of weirdness and unknown abilities of monsters, I tweaked the core rules zombie with two effects -- a very slight damage resistance that reduces 1 point of damage per hit, and a bite attack that might be a minor inconvenience, but then again, it would be a mercy to put your firends down, they aren't looking so healthy ...
Zombies are the walking dead.
These horrid remainders of life departed lurch drunkenly forth at the command
of a necromancer. If encountered without a master, they stand dumb and mute,
awakening to chase any living creature that wanders too close. Zombies are slow
and easy to wound but very difficult to kill, being mere hunks of flesh that
can sustain injury, dismemberment, and even decapitation before finally being
dissembled sufficiently to render them immobile.
Zombie: Init
-4; Atk bite +3 melee (1d4); AC 9; HD 3d6 (11 hp); MV 20’; Act 1d20; SP
un-dead, uncaring flesh, zombie bite; SV Fort +4, Ref -4, Will +2; AL C.
Zombies are un-dead, and thus can be
turned by clerics. They do not eat, drink, or breathe. As un-dead, they are
immune to sleep, charm, and hold spells, as well as other mental
effects and cold damage.
Zombies are resistant to damage, and non
magical weapons have their damage results reduced by 1 point.
Zombie bites can infect victims with a
high fever that comes on within minutes – roll a DC 12 Fortitude save if
bitten, and failure means the victim suffers a -1d3 penalty to all saving
throws and skill checks for the next 1d4 days.
Multiple bites are not cumulative.
Some zombies (5% of the time) can infect
others with a much more potent bite that kills and turns the victim into a
zombie. Make a DC 14 Fortitude save as
above, and failure means a -1d3 penalty to saving throws for the next 1d4 days,
and -1d3 hit points per hour. Once hit
points reach 0 hp, the victim dies and rises as a zombie within 1d30 minutes
No comments:
Post a Comment