Variations on a Theme: Zombies

[Zaydos]

Welcome necromancers and witches, re-animators and high priests of dread gods. I invite you to join in this newest incarnation of Variations on a Theme. Where before we approached fighters (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?499711-Variations-on-a-Theme-Fixin-Fighter) (and you're welcome to add more there) now let us look at zombies. The point of this thread is to present new brew that works with zombies, presenting new forms of zombies, new ways to make them, new ways to use them, or whatever you desire that fits into the umbrella heading of zombie.

This first post will be kept as an index (in case there's ever enough stuff to need an index), but I will be adding some quick and dirty zombie variants in the post below. If you want to see more say so, say what you like, don't like, etc. If no one responds I'll let it die after the first post and move on to other things (for me at least the idea that someone might use it is a huge motivator). In addition in one week I will be picking my personal favorite variation (that I did not create naturally), and if people like we could have a little vote for favorite too.

[Zaydos]

Variant Zombies:

Note: None of the following zombies are intended to be creatable through the animate dead spell even though most follow the zombie template with limited changes.

Fast Zombies:
Fast zombies lack the Single Action Only trait and gain a +4 bonus to Dexterity. CR: As skeleton of equal hit dice.

Living Zombies:
Usually also fast and plague zombies in certain things zombies aren’t undead but merely plague victims. In this case the Plague Zombie’s plague inflicts Charisma damage instead of Constitution damage, the zombie’s type does not change and its hit dice remain the same. It gains +4 Constitution, immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects) and immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, and death effects. CR is increased by +1 +1 per 5 hit dice as they likely have better BAB, and saves.

Plague zombies:
Gain a bite attack instead of a slam attack. Any creature bitten by a zombie must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + ½ hit dice + Strength modifier) or contract the zombie plague. The zombie plague has an incubation period of 10 minutes and inflicts 1d6 Constitution damage and hp damage equal to the infecting zombie’s hit dice. The zombie plague is difficult to cure with magic requiring an 8th level or higher caster to do so, and cannot be cured naturally; heal checks made to hold back the symptoms suffer a -10 penalty. Damage (either hp or ability) inflicted by the zombie plague cannot be cured until the zombie plague is cured. +1 to zombie’s CR.

Reforming Zombies:
A Reforming Zombie's body constantly mends itself. This functions like regeneration, except instead of taking damage as nonlethal damage (which as an undead a zombie is immune to) damage dealt to a Reforming Zombie is placed in a 'Compromised Integrity' pool, each round they remove damage from the compromised integrity pool equal to their hit dice, if the damage in the compromised integrity pool is greater than their remaining hit points the reforming zombie is too damaged to function. A reforming zombie cannot regrow lost limbs or body parts unless the matter which made them up is present, but any lost limbs or matter will crawl 5 ft towards the largest consolidated mass of the reforming zombie each round unless restrained as long as they are on the same plane; clever adventurers can use cut off reforming zombie limbs to find the way back to a central location where they have stashed its torso. Reforming zombies have some forms of damage which they are particularly vulnerable to, usually fire damage, damage from positive energy effects, and disintegration effects, though some are vulnerable to damage from good aligned weapons and spells instead of one of the aforementioned or in addition to. This may be applied to skeletons as well as zombies in which case acid, not fire, typically deals real damage to them. A reforming zombie has a +1 to its CR.

Resilient Zombies:
A Resilient Zombie is difficult to destroy shrugging off blows that would kill a lesser zombie. Whenever they’d be destroyed roll 1d20, on an 11 or higher they are reduced to 1 hp instead (if the effect dealt damage) or simply not destroyed (note this is taken from memory of Expedition to Castle Ravenloft's zombies). +1 to zombie’s CR if 3 or lower.

Kabane (Kabaneri no Koutetsujo):
A Kabane is a Fast Zombie that is also a Plague Zombie (see above) that gains DR 5/adamantine, and DR 10/adamantine or slashing instead of DR 5/slashing. Kabane are not undead using their preexisting type’s racial hit dice and gaining +4 Constitution. However they gain many of the advantages of the undead in that they have immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects) and immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, and death effects. Its heart may be attacked with non-touch attacks (touch attacks diffuse along its body like normal for touch attacks). It has an AC as if 3 size categories smaller than the creature, DR 20/adamantine, and takes 20 less damage from energy, and magical effects, but only 1 hp per 2 hit dice. CR as skeleton with 50% more HD +1.

Some Kabane, called Wazatori, retain some of their Intelligence. These kabane have Int 8 less than the original creature, retain their old class skills and weapon/armor proficiencies, and gain feats appropriate for their Hit Dice; Wazatori may advance through levels in Fighter (and only Fighter). At low hit dice these wazatori should probably have increased CR, at higher hit dice the fact that adamantine becomes available and their hearts are a convenient target means that kabane CRs should be reduced in general at that point.

Titans (Attack on Titan):
Titans do not use zombie progression at all. Instead a titan would use the stats of an ogre except with a -2 to Intelligence, Fast Healing equal to hit dice, +2 increase to their natural armor (but no hide armor), and a bite attack as a primary natural weapon which deals 2d6 + Strength damage and they do not use weapons. For larger titans advance in hit dice with them becoming Huge at 12 HD, Gargantuan at 24 HD, and Colossal at 36 HD (note the colossal titan has several additional abilities). This is not intended to replicate Titan Shifters, for that see Kyodai’s Kyojin ACF.

[nonsi]

.
Not sure it's of any relevance here, but in the "Night Huntress" series (by Jeaniene Frost), a summoned army of zombies wreaked havoc in a group of veteran vampires (and they weren't slow by any standard).

[Zaydos]

.
Not sure it's of any relevance here, but in the "Night Huntress" series (by Jeaniene Frost), a summoned army of zombies wreaked havoc in a group of veteran vampires (and they weren't slow by any standard).

I don't know anything about the series but I'm sure there could be something made from it. Anything particularly distinct about its zombies? If nothing else could probably make a Summon Zombie Horde spell.

[nomotag]

This is more of a visual thing, but zombies are always shown as dirty diseased and decayed. They don't have to be. I have an idea related based on the zombies from the cell. The idea is they are humans that had there mind rewired by a pulse and now they are in a way part machine. They have the ability to hack or be hacked. They can infect other people with sound. (Their moans are like the sounds of old dial-up.)

[Zaydos]

This is more of a visual thing, but zombies are always shown as dirty diseased and decayed. They don't have to be. I have an idea related based on the zombies from the cell. The idea is they are humans that had there mind rewired by a pulse and now they are in a way part machine. They have the ability to hack or be hacked. They can infect other people with sound. (Their moans are like the sounds of old dial-up.)

Are they alive still (as in biologically functioning)? Sounds like you might represent them as Living Constructs with a sound-based attack which inflicts ability damage and if it reduces the ability score to 0 causes them to become (type of) zombies.

[nomotag]

Are they alive still (as in biologically functioning)? Sounds like you might represent them as Living Constructs with a sound-based attack which inflicts ability damage and if it reduces the ability score to 0 causes them to become (type of) zombies.

They are still alive. They are just humans who have been reprogrammed. Stat wise I would actually use it as a template to be put on human NPCs. (The idea is for this to be a monster that can hold a whole game as a zpoc like game. ) The Sonic attack that lowers a stat is good. (Maybe int or cha. Int gives more of a game play effect, but cha makes more sense.)

The idea is that they can be reprogrammed with new abilities giving them a dynamic power. Like their might be a kind of cyber necromancer who can reprogram them to be stronger, faster or maybe with physic powers. The players could also dig into this system with the ability to hack them to do things like sleep or attack there own. (One of the thoughts was that the zombies could hack the players own stuff, but there I don't think there is much there. Players can simply stop using computers or phones without an issue.)

[nonsi]

I don't know anything about the series but I'm sure there could be something made from it. Anything particularly distinct about its zombies? If nothing else could probably make a Summon Zombie Horde spell.

IIRC, they regenerate and reform even when it appears they went down. Only incineration destroys them for good.

[Zaydos]

They are still alive. They are just humans who have been reprogrammed. Stat wise I would actually use it as a template to be put on human NPCs. (The idea is for this to be a monster that can hold a whole game as a zpoc like game. ) The Sonic attack that lowers a stat is good. (Maybe int or cha. Int gives more of a game play effect, but cha makes more sense.)

The idea is that they can be reprogrammed with new abilities giving them a dynamic power. Like their might be a kind of cyber necromancer who can reprogram them to be stronger, faster or maybe with physic powers. The players could also dig into this system with the ability to hack them to do things like sleep or attack there own. (One of the thoughts was that the zombies could hack the players own stuff, but there I don't think there is much there. Players can simply stop using computers or phones without an issue.)

Well if you feel up to making something feel free to post it here and I'll add it to the (not yet extant) index in the first post. If not, I might make a quick dirty version. Would they actually retain class features like spellcasting?


IIRC, they regenerate and reform even when it appears they went down. Only incineration destroys them for good.

So regeneration, do the body parts have to crawl back together and merge, or do they actually regrow? Think dissolving with acid would work too or should it be just fire?

[nomotag]

Well if you feel up to making something feel free to post it here and I'll add it to the (not yet extant) index in the first post. If not, I might make a quick dirty version. Would they actually retain class features like spellcasting?

I am of two minds on class features. It's right on the line between zombie and not. If they retain there class features, it means they can be more diverse, but it also dilutes the zombie element. My current position is that they don't keep class features or spell casting.

The original idea for this was modern day, but it can work in other settings. If your going into the future, you add a lot of machines for the pulse to take over. (Cars, weapons, doors even.) The idea also becomes a lot more mundane.

It works in a fantasy setting too. A siren's song can do more then temp sailors. The people who hear it are drawn into the choir. There minds are wiped and filled with song. (They lose any class features, but they gain new sound based abilities. They have the ability to induct new people with the song and they also gain bard spells if they are high enough level.) The bard gets to have some spotlight here with counter songs. (Maybe give them a weakness to sonic too.)


So regeneration, do the body parts have to crawl back together and merge, or do they actually regrow? Think dissolving with acid would work too or should it be just fire?

I had this idea too. A thing like zombie where all there parts can work on there own. If you chop off their head, it will move across the ground with stretchy flesh strips and try to reform. You would have the ability to make a called shot to remove a limb. That would take away one of some of their abilities and spawn a new combatant. A loose arm cawing on the field wouldn't actually be a threat, but it can merge back onto any other zombie. So you might have a case where you chop up a few zombies only for them to all blend into a single one with tons of bonus attacks and speed. (This gets really wild when you start bringing non humans so you can mash up a dragon with a purple worm.)

[Zaydos]

Added reforming zombies, they're a simple variant so no mixing dragons and purple worms, but... well ok they're pretty much just zombies with regeneration but it's not technically nonlethal damage but a 'compromised integrity pool' which just functions like nonlethal damage for living creatures.


I am of two minds on class features. It's right on the line between zombie and not. If they retain there class features, it means they can be more diverse, but it also dilutes the zombie element. My current position is that they don't keep class features or spell casting.

Sounds good.


The original idea for this was modern day, but it can work in other settings. If your going into the future, you add a lot of machines for the pulse to take over. (Cars, weapons, doors even.) The idea also becomes a lot more mundane.

Yeah.


It works in a fantasy setting too. A siren's song can do more then temp sailors. The people who hear it are drawn into the choir. There minds are wiped and filled with song. (They lose any class features, but they gain new sound based abilities. They have the ability to induct new people with the song and they also gain bard spells if they are high enough level.) The bard gets to have some spotlight here with counter songs. (Maybe give them a weakness to sonic too.)

Yeah. I'm not too well versed on modern games (prefer space and haven't done that much or high fantasy myself). I might make a creature that has some controlling song that adds a template, but that's a slim possibility. Still if you want suggestions or advice I'm willing to try and help.

[Zaydos]

A Few New Corpsecrafter Feats

Adroit Sinews
You are more skilled at re-animating zombies than others giving them the fluidity they once had in life and more.
Prerequisites: Corpsecrafter.
Benefit: When you raise or create a zombie (not necrocarnum zombie) you can create a fast zombie instead granting a +4 bonus to Dexterity, and losing the Single Actions Only special quality, however you cannot create a fast zombie with more hit dice than 1.5 times your Caster Level (this does not change pre-existing limitations on the maximum hit dice of zombies created, merely adds an additional one).

Re-Re-Animator:
You are able to pull back together undead you created.
Prerequisites: Corpsecrafter.
Benefit: When a skeleton or zombie you raised or created is destroyed within 120 ft of you, you may expend a prepared Animate Dead spell or a spell slot you can spontaneously cast it from to restore the skeleton or zombie to its full hit points and undestroyed state as an immediate action. When an undead creature you raised or created with Create Undead is destroyed within 120 ft of you, you may expend a prepared Create Undead spell or a spell slot you can spontaneously cast it from to restore the creature to its full hit points and undestroyed state as an immediate action. When an undead creature you raised or created with Create Greater Undead is destroyed within 120 ft of you, you may expend a prepared Create Greater Undead spell or a spell slot you can spontaneously cast it from to restore the creature to its full hit points and undestroyed state as an immediate action. Any of these three uses of this feat are spell-like abilities with an equivalent spell level of the spell expended to activate it.

Resilient Corpus
Undead you create are harder to destroy, often surviving blows that would shatter lesser creations.
Prerequisites: Corpsecrafter.
Benefit: Skeletons and zombies you raise or create gain DR 2/- and if they would be destroyed roll 1d20, on an 11 or higher they are not destroyed, damage is not prevented except that which would lower them below 1 hp.