[3.5] Fast "Romero"/DotD zombies?

[Thurbane]

Hey all,

Does anyone know a way to model the fast zombies from DotD (2004 remake)? Are there any zombie variants and/or templates that will allow a zombie to:

Transmit an infection that will turn the victims into more zombies
Move at full normal movement rate (or faster)
Be killed only by head-shots

...would prefer if it could be done by 3.5 RAW, but 3rd party or solid homebrew is fine.

[SaintRidley]

1. create a disease, similar to lycanthropy.

2. Fast zombies, see Libris Mortis.

3. You would have to figure out a workable system from which to do called shots. Good luck in that.

[Mushroom Ninja]

Transmit an infection that will turn the victims into more zombies


Does it need to have a 100% chance of turning a bitten person, or can a Fort save be involved?

[Thurbane]

For #3, could you use a system similar to Hydras?

Does it need to have a 100% chance of turning a bitten person, or can a Fort save be involved?
Maybe not 100%, but the Fort save should be high enough so that common townsfolk are very unlikely to succeed, and mid level adventurers should only have about a 50/50 chance.

[Assassin89]

I though that people became zombies at the time of death in Day of the Dead. That little girl was close to death before becoming a zombie, or at least in the older movie. So treat #1 as a create spawn ability only the zombie that killed the person does not get control, seeing as zombies do not have an intelligence score.

Also fire should be very effective against those zombies, although two people who died and became zombies burned to death.

[Thurbane]

I think the infection/curse should work something like: initial Fort save (high) to avoid it; once contracted, inflicts 1dX Con damage per hour (save to delay?); once the infected dies, either of Con loss or other cause, rises as a zombie (1d4 rounds later?).

[Myrmex]

Romero zombies are slow, always have been, and will probably always be. He has stated that he thinks fast zombies are dumb, because it doesn't make sense. You can't run when you've got rigor mortis and you might break an ankle or something.

Romero had no involvement with the Dawn of the Dead remake, and has said he didn't really like it.

He has stated that Zombieland & 28 Days Later style zombies aren't true zombies, as they aren't dead, so he doesn't mind that they are fast.

[Thurbane]

For the head-shot mechanic, could you use something like: creature has DR 15/-, but a confirmed critical overcomes this DR (similuating a head shot). This would mean that someone who reduces a zombie to 0 or less HP without a headshot has effectively incapacited it (but not destroyed it).

Vulnerability: unlike normal undead, a Romero Zombie is subject to critical hits.

[Volkov]

That's an inherent contradiction. Romero disapproves of fast zombies.

[Thurbane]

Romero zombies are slow, always have been, and will probably always be. He has stated that he thinks fast zombies are dumb, because it doesn't make sense. You can't run when you've got rigor mortis and you might break an ankle or something.

Romero had no involvement with the Dawn of the Dead remake, and has said he didn't really like it.

He has stated that Zombieland & 28 Days Later style zombies aren't true zombies, as they aren't dead, so he doesn't mind that they are fast.
That's an inherent contradiction. Romero disapproves of fast zombies.
Nitpick noted. Ignore the word "Romero" in the thread title, and substitute it with "DotD 2004". :smallwink:

[LibraryOgre]

Start with a ghoul. Replace paralysis with Regeneration 1 (critical hits, fire; cannot regrow or reattach limbs) and Ghoul Fever with a DC 20 Fort disease, with an incubation time of 1 hour. Failure results in 1d3 constitution damage; when you fall to 0 Con, you are dead and will return as a zombie in 1d10 rounds.

Thus, if you don't kill a zombie with a critical (which you can do with a coup de gras), it will get up and follow you eventually. It is, however, perfectly possible to keep pounding on one until it's down.

[Volkov]

Also, lower the int to mindless and the Cha to 1.

[Myrmex]

Start with a ghoul. Replace paralysis with Regeneration 1 (critical hits, fire; cannot regrow or reattach limbs) and Ghoul Fever with a DC 20 Fort disease, with an incubation time of 1 hour. Failure results in 1d3 constitution damage; when you fall to 0 Con, you are dead and will return as a zombie in 1d10 rounds.

Thus, if you don't kill a zombie with a critical (which you can do with a coup de gras), it will get up and follow you eventually. It is, however, perfectly possible to keep pounding on one until it's down.

What you want is Fast Healing; not Regeneration. Regeneration would make them immune to physical damage.

[Volkov]

The problem is that these zombies would be massacred by wizards. "Go forth my elemental armies, kill the bastards!" Or "brainnssss.....wait why are the skeletons chasing me noooooo arrrrrgggghhhhhh *dies*"

[Myrmex]

The problem is that these zombies would be massacred by wizards. "Go forth my elemental armies, kill the bastards!" Or "brainnssss.....wait why are the skeletons chasing me noooooo arrrrrgggghhhhhh *dies*"

Most everything can be massacred by wizards.

[LibraryOgre]

What you want is Fast Healing; not Regeneration. Regeneration would make them immune to physical damage.

Yeah, that does work better; I wanted to represent that they couldn't heal damage from critical hits (head shots), but fast healing works better, overall.

[Volkov]

Most everything can be massacred by wizards.

Not to mention it'd be hilarious watching the zombie horde being completely destroyed by a powerful cleric. "By the power of Pelor I turn you!" Zombies:"Brai *disintegrates.*"

[Thurbane]

Turn Resistance? Won't make them immune to the Pelor bugzapper, but it might help...

[sonofzeal]

Turn Resistance? Won't make them immune to the Pelor bugzapper, but it might help...
Turn Undead gets too little use already. The only thing it's good for is masses of low level Skellies/Zombies. Why not let it shine there?

[Sharkman1231]

You could say these "zombies" have the Rage virus or something (28dl) and therefore are fast, and can't be turned because they're technacally still alive.

I just had an awesome idea:
Make these zombies like the Flood from Halo. Super-strong, can jump extremly high, it's esentially the human body without any limits.

Hmm... another thought:
Rock Lee from Naruto...

[Dixieboy]

Romero zombies are slow, always have been, and will probably always be. He has stated that he thinks fast zombies are dumb, because it doesn't make sense. You can't run when you've got rigor mortis and you might break an ankle or something.

Romero had no involvement with the Dawn of the Dead remake, and has said he didn't really like it.

He has stated that Zombieland & 28 Days Later style zombies aren't true zombies, as they aren't dead, so he doesn't mind that they are fast.Also zombieland was awesome.

[icefractal]

What about Ghouls? Fast, good at climbing, and they can turn you into one with a bite. Not mindless, but still driven by hunger.

[Vorpalbob]

I have a homebrew system for called shots. using that, aiming for the head would give a +6 bonus to AC, and a miss that hits the normal AC deals normal damage.

[Tackyhillbillu]

Also zombieland was awesome.

You know what else was awesome?

Shaun of the Dead.

[Kaiyanwang]

OP, if useful, take a look in LM. There is a page with variats undead, with variant zombies as well (disease spreading, faster, and so on).

Just merge them and it's done.

[Starbuck_II]

What about Ghouls? Fast, good at climbing, and they can turn you into one with a bite. Not mindless, but still driven by hunger.

Agreed. People throw around word "zombie" in movies when they are in D&D ghouls (I remember guy got bitten and was slowled paralyzed in that car).

[Volkov]

You could say these "zombies" have the Rage virus or something (28dl) and therefore are fast, and can't be turned because they're technacally still alive.

I just had an awesome idea:
Make these zombies like the Flood from Halo. Super-strong, can jump extremly high, it's esentially the human body without any limits.

Hmm... another thought:
Rock Lee from Naruto...

In that case. "I wish the zombies ceased to exist." and poof the zombies cease to be.

[Asbestos]

In that case. "I wish the zombies ceased to exist." and poof the zombies cease to be.

But they aren't actually zombies or undead so... way to genocide the wrong creature there.

Edit: I actually did something like this while DMing on a NWN server. Basically I added SR, Turn Resistance, Ghoul Weapons (but not the paralysis) and a 'zombie walk' Hak to some assorted humanoids. I could only turn up the disease DC so high, but I would use the forced saves to determine who had been bitten. The whole thing was started by some necromancer creating mindless superghouls.

I think SR and Turn Resistance are a must, these zombies will exist in a world full of magic. In order to pose a legitimate threat they need some ability to resist all that magic. Also, make them good grapplers.