[d20 modern] How to: Resident Evil-like zombie apocalypse.

[Yael]

While in D&D Zombies are mindless creatures, animated with magic, and designed to be tools or just "be", in the "moden" view of the zombieism is that of "reanimated" corpses, animated with an infection (whether by a virus or by a disease), that bring them back to un-life with their primary instincts as their primary search: feed.

But when one wants to run a campaign based on that kind of zombie-like fantasy, one problem comes to mind. When normal cityzens get bitten and they die, how can you forgive PC's mistakes that, for an NPC, would give them a Death Sentence? In practical terms, how can you play a game that would last for more than one session if your character do a mistake, no matter how little, that will give them instadeath. It would be no fun just allowing them to live just like that because it would lack realism a d20 campaign should have...

As a TL;DR for what I wrote before, here it is my whole point:

• Is there a way to play a [H.O.T.D.]/Resident Evil-like game with chance of going through the very first session?

• How, as a DM, should I place the PCs into a situation that give them the upper hand to survive when common (and maybe more capable) NPCs are in the undead ranks?

• How hard must be a mistake to take them into death? Which would be the deadline that marks the "you, keep that on and you're zombie-dead, dude"?

• Why the PCs could be different to resist a bite or two (in case they did), because normally, it is pretty lethal just a scratch?

I know this is very weird, but I want to run a D20 modern HOTD-RE-like campaign, but I can't see the concept very good...

[Psyren]

Not familiar with d20 modern, but you can solve this by throwing in the same things that RE did - namely, herbs with special properties. The franchise protagonists get bitten all the time, but are able to patch up from any injury and never end up turning.

Eventually, they end up at peak human condition. Not quite as blatantly metahuman as the likes of, say, Wesker - but Leon, Ada, Chris and Jill are definitely able to survive things that a normal human or even a normal police officer/soldier wouldn't be able to. This isn't directly attributed to the herbs they take throughout the series, but it's a logical enough connection considering that creating super-soldiers was the entire purpose of the various viruses to begin with. (Ada for instance, running around in nothing more than a qipao, is able to withstand small arms fire, sharp implements, and of course teeth.)

That handles the fluff part of it. Mechanically, these would take the form of healing items that they must save for dire moments, but when taken (or combined and then taken) provide permanent buffs.

[Gwendol]

• Is there a way to play a [H.O.T.D.]/Resident Evil-like game with chance of going through the very first session?

• How, as a DM, should I place the PCs into a situation that give them the upper hand to survive when common (and maybe more capable) NPCs are in the undead ranks?

• How hard must be a mistake to take them into death? Which would be the deadline that marks the "you, keep that on and you're zombie-dead, dude"?

• Why the PCs could be different to resist a bite or two (in case they did), because normally, it is pretty lethal just a scratch?

I know this is very weird, but I want to run a D20 modern HOTD-RE-like campaign, but I can't see the concept very good...

If it's a disease of sorts, they should be given the chance to make a save. Unless you have the incredibly silly "fast zombies" of WWZ, the infestation has a gestation period during which they may be able to apply some "healing".

I think that kind of game needs to have a high mortality rate to be any fun, as it is kind of the premise of the genre.

To "win" the PC's should employ tactics rather than brute force, since their opponents are mindless their way to success lies in being able to predict outcomes and actions at all times.

[DrKerosene]

Well, infection could be a "progressive" thing. In R.E. Outbreak you almost only really lose if your infection gets to 100%, or you die. Except for time-constraint missions or other fiddly things. However, when you get attacked, (melee) your infection % jumps a bit each time, and everyone is a little infected at the start.

It could be a "when dead, you reanimate in (dice) rounds", but otherwise are fine as long as you are conscious kinda deal. Like Ghoul Fever?

[joebing]

Funny, this subject was covered VERY in-depth at this now-closed thread. Zeta Kai got through RE4 before it bogged down. I am (slowly) working on picking up where he left off for the remainder of the series. Page 11 has a pdf compilation of the thread available.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?49714-Resident-Evil-D20

If for some reason it doesn't work for the pdf, contact me. I have additions I added.

[atemu1234]

I know the pathfinder zombie template has infection as a variant.

[DJroboninja]

I've run a couple d20 Modern Zombie Apocalypse games, and I find one way of keeping the level of lethality you're looking for is to use the Vitality Point/Wound Point variant from Unearthed Arcana.

If a character takes VP damage from a zombie, no biggie. But if they take WP damage, Fortitude save or get infected. That way, not every hit is a potential killer, but once you're hurt (think the red heartbeat monitor from Resident Evil), you're one attack away from infection. Allows for a very Walking Dead style campaign, where someone can die out of nowhere.