ZOMG Zombies!!!

Xathan · May 16, 2007, 02:15:30 PM

So, yesterday, a friend of mine asked yesterday if I could run a game for him and a couple of friends today. Very last miniute, but IÃ¢,¬,,¢m always up to the challenge. I told them that, for my sake, IÃ¢,¬,,¢m going to be running a d20 modern zombie game, because zombies are fun and donÃ¢,¬,,¢t require too much planning. However, me being me, I canÃ¢,¬,,¢t just throw together a zombie game without adding my own kinks in the work, especially since the guys IÃ¢,¬,,¢m running for are zombie movie buffs and the old tricks wonÃ¢,¬,,¢t offer much fun for them. So, hereÃ¢,¬,,¢s the basic premise

Campaign type: Survival and discovery: There isnÃ¢,¬,,¢t going to be a huge plot here Ã¢,¬' their primary goal is going to be survival, with trying to figure out what caused the zombies and more about their nature. Individual scenarios will include, for the first session, finding a shelter and saving a major NPC, Andrea Cross, a scientist who will prove invaluable to zombie research (smart hero 1, fast hero 1). If Andrea dies IÃ¢,¬,,¢ll bring in another scientific figure. TheyÃ¢,¬,,¢ll also encounter Fr. Michael Pox, (Dedicated hero 2) a former priest who is going to found, in later sessions, a death worshiping cult that seeks to use zombies as tools.

Other NPCs: Rachel Tate (fast ordinary 1) a teenage girl looking for her parents, Sergeant Brian OÃ¢,¬,,¢Malley, a police sergeant and the only surviving member of his precinct (strong hero 1), Fr. Brendan Connors (Dedicated 1), a counterpart for Fr. Pox, Amy Phillips, reporter (charismatic hero 1), Kevin Lee (Strong 2) a gang member and street kid. Also, I know my PCs and thereÃ¢,¬,,¢s a 50% chance theyÃ¢,¬,,¢ll head for the nearest army base, so IÃ¢,¬,,¢ll have to provide stats for soldiers and think up some things if they do.

The Zombies: The zombies are going to be different from other zombies in a few ways. First, they are the result of a military made retrovirus that would rewrite subjects DNA to make them into perfect soldiers. (not sure how the virus got out into the general populace yet.) As a result, the zombies have enhanced physical abilities and are prone to mutation over time. This also explains the need for human flesh and the lack of desire for zombie flesh Ã¢,¬' they need more human DNA to work with as the retrovirus modifies them, and zombies have already been altered, so the retrovirus doesnÃ¢,¬,,¢t work with them. (I know thatÃ¢,¬,,¢s not how retroviruses really work, but itÃ¢,¬,,¢s cool and interesting and my players wonÃ¢,¬,,¢t know the difference when they figure it out.) On a final note about them, IÃ¢,¬,,¢m stealing from DeelÃ¢,¬,,¢s zombies in the fact that, when feeding, they become more clear and intelligent. Only briefly, though, before the hunger overtakes them again. The more mutated they are, though, the less human they are when intelligent, and the more they must consume to regain those brief moments of lucidity.

For the first session, theyÃ¢,¬,,¢ll mainly be dealing with normal zombies with very few mutations, so I just need to work out stats for them. (IÃ¢,¬,,¢m thinking IÃ¢,¬,,¢ll just give them the stats of a fast, tough, or strong ordinary with a claw attack and a bite attack. The virus (tentative name: Human Necrotizing Enhancement Virus, or HNEV) is going to have a very high fort save, something like DC 35 Ã¢,¬' or is that too much? Part of me just wants to make it an automatic infection Ã¢,¬' you get bit, youÃ¢,¬,,¢re screwed, like in most movies.

Thoughts on anything would be greatly appreciated, as I am going to be running this tonight and need to get more together. IÃ¢,¬,,¢ll post more as I think about it Ã¢,¬' and yes, this setting is going to be called ZOMG Zombies!!! until I find a better name for it.

ItÃ¢,¬,,¢s good to be back. This does mark the return of true activity to the CBG, and IÃ¢,¬,,¢ll start commenting on other peopleÃ¢,¬,,¢s threads tomorrow. :)

Matt Larkin (author) · May 16, 2007, 04:31:40 PM

I'd be tempted to go auto-infection, myself. Setting DC 35 means it's pretty much 1 in 20 they're not infected. So it's up to you whether it's good there's a 5% chance that a bite does not carry the disease.

The easiest way to have introduced into the general populace would be the typical - the base it was tested at is overrun and 1+ subject(s) escapes into the city.

Poseptune · May 16, 2007, 04:50:59 PM

How it got out:

Testing is done at said army base. Fr. Pox has converted one or more of the soldiers (high ranking or not) to his cult. While testing the zombies combat effectiveness the converted soldier decides to disable to locks on the doors. The zombies start escaping terrorizing the military base. A few small pockets of soldiers are able survive, but their supplies are running low and the base is still overrun with soldier zombies. (If they want military weapons,you might as well make them work for it). Some of the zombies head to town and start spreading the disease there.

Unless your players are going to have many characters handy I wouldn't make the virus an auto-infect. Of course if they want to play a zombie on the other hand that has to feed every few hours to remain normal, they that is another story. It also depends on how much time it takes to become a zombie, since you say the virus works over time.

Xathan · May 16, 2007, 05:42:16 PM

Thanks for the feedback, guys.

I think, when it comes to infection, I'll go over it with my players, give them an option between auto-infect, high DC, or medium DC. I'd like auto-infect, but I don't want to ruin fun. You raise a good point PK, 35 is just a bit too high - 5% success is kind of pointless.

As for release:

Posideon I really like your idea. I might tweak it some but for now, consider it ganked. :D Thanks for the idea, it'll help me tie in Pox better, which is something I wanted to do.

the_taken · May 16, 2007, 06:01:47 PM

Virus is delivered via injury with a natural attack. In keeping with a balanced system, virus save DC = 10 + CON mod + 1/2 HD of the zombie. More advanced mutations are harder to resist. (Or STR mod if your zombies don't get CON)
Apon the first injury, the character must make a fort save or become infected. Infected characters make an additional save every ten minutes (or hour, or day, or minute, whatever). Failing a save causes the character to take 1d6 WIS damage. A character that reaches 2 or less WIS must make another save or become a zombie.

Stargate525 · May 16, 2007, 06:07:21 PM

I am really, really tempted to suggest mixing some borg into this. My reasoning is thus; if they were going to try and design the perfect soldier, they would want someone intensely loyal and good at tactics, letting the higher-ups do the actual thinking. They would also need to incorporate some sort of communication into this. This would result in a horde of mindless drones that can be directly controlled by a 'higher class' of zombie. The infection would become more of an assimilation, adding new material to the group, which fits in with your concept already.

Poseptune · May 16, 2007, 06:08:04 PM

Quote from: Xathan, Actually Back This TimeAs for release:

Posideon I really like your idea. I might tweak it some but for now, consider it ganked. :D Thanks for the idea, it'll help me tie in Pox better, which is something I wanted to do.

I left if kinda vague, and incomplete, so you could modify it to your own plans.

Xathan · May 16, 2007, 06:19:38 PM

Quote from: Teeter-toterVirus is delivered via injury with a natural attack. In keeping with a balanced system, virus save DC = 10 + CON mod + 1/2 HD of the zombie. More advanced mutations are harder to resist. (Or STR mod if your zombies don't get CON)
Apon the first injury, the character must make a fort save or become infected. Infected characters make an additional save every ten minutes (or hour, or day, or minute, whatever). Failing a save causes the character to take 1d6 WIS damage. A character that reaches 2 or less WIS must make another save or become a zombie.

I like this, it's fair and balanced. My players are zombie buffs, so they may WANT no resistance, but if they don't, I'll definately use this formula. :)

Xathan · May 16, 2007, 06:24:04 PM

Quote from: Stargate525I am really, really tempted to suggest mixing some borg into this. My reasoning is thus; if they were going to try and design the perfect soldier, they would want someone intensely loyal and good at tactics, letting the higher-ups do the actual thinking. They would also need to incorporate some sort of communication into this. This would result in a horde of mindless drones that can be directly controlled by a 'higher class' of zombie. The infection would become more of an assimilation, adding new material to the group, which fits in with your concept already.

I actually was planning on incorporating something similar to the game. The zombies are going to have very primitive pheremone based hive-mind that only really works within a few hundred yards...until a new strain of the virus is discovered that creates the higher ups of the zombie command. *evil laugh.* That'll probably happen around 10 for them, when an orgaized zombie army poses a huge threat. Right now, though, the zombies are just driven by the hunger, which is why the program got out of hand in the first place.

Xathan · May 16, 2007, 06:24:46 PM

Quote from: PoseidonI left if kinda vague, and incomplete, so you could modify it to your own plans.

And I appreciate that. :)

the_taken · May 16, 2007, 09:29:47 PM

More Zombie rules:

Quote from: Uncontrolled BehaviorMindless uncontrolled zombies have two states: Active and Passive.

To conserve energy, Passive zombies simply lay on the ground, barely attentive. They pass as corpse, gaining a +10 to disguise checks to do so.
A DC 5 Move Silently check allows anything to go unnoticed around Passive zombies. Failure means a Zombie becomes Active. Noises like heavy machinery, thunder, or the constant hum of an active chainsaw can cause a zombie to become active.
Passive Zombies automatically fail spot checks.
A physically interacted passive zombie becomes active immediately. Sufficiently powerful earthquakes can shake a zombie into the active state.

Active zombies move or stand about randomly.
If they detect movement, they pursue it at their fastest speed.
When within 5ft of a source of interest, they can determine whether it is another zombie, an infectable creature, or some sort of non-infectble. Non-infectables are left unmolested, but are followed for some time before the following zombie becoms bored. A bored zombie will wander off and forget it's target of interest. Packs of zombies form by having each zombie take turns attracting each other's attention.
Infectables within 5ft of a zombie are attacked, and become the priority interest for the zombie.
A zombie will attack a creature it sees another zombie attack, or a creature that attacks a zombie.
A zombie will retaliate when attacked.
If a zombie sees a zombie attack another, it will enter the fight on a random side. This means a that the rare rogue PC zombie can cause a mob to degenerate into a free-for-all.
A zombie will constantly follow an infectable it detects for as long as it can keep it within 60ft. A zombie that has lost sight of an infectable will move to the place it had last seen the creature.
A zombie that has not had anything of interest for a day will fall to the ground and become Passive.

Stargate525 · May 16, 2007, 09:36:28 PM

Quote from: Xathan, Actually Back This TimeI actually was planning on incorporating something similar to the game. The zombies are going to have very primitive pheremone based hive-mind that only really works within a few hundred yards...until a new strain of the virus is discovered that creates the higher ups of the zombie command. *evil laugh.* That'll probably happen around 10 for them, when an orgaized zombie army poses a huge threat. Right now, though, the zombies are just driven by the hunger, which is why the program got out of hand in the first place.

I like the idea of a slowly traveling hive mind. It makes it so that an isolated zombie won't automatically make all of them converge.

That and you won't have to add psionics.

I'm curious if there's a way to 'partially' be infected, ie the pathogen takes over the body, but your mind remains trapped, fully aware, but unable to do anything. Or that could be the normal state of things. Either way, it would result in some serious need of counseling for those brought back.

the_taken · May 16, 2007, 09:58:05 PM

Quote from: Stargate525I'm curious if there's a way to 'partially' be infected, ie the pathogen takes over the body, but your mind remains trapped, fully aware, but unable to do anything. Or that could be the normal state of things. Either way, it would result in some serious need of counseling for those brought back.

Method 1: The "Master Sample". All the benefits of being a zombie, non of the side effects. You can still eat other people to absorb DNA. Also, your skin becomes very pale, and your hair either grows all black or all white from now on.

Method 2: The ultimate evolution. You've been bitten by a hive mind zombie, and that's what your becoming, skipping the whole WIS drain thing and just getting to the good part. "SHAMBLE, MY MINIONS! SHAMBLE!"

Method 3: Generation 0. You are a genetically engineered super soldier. Because it would take decades for you to have even one kid that could be used to supplement the army, the HNEV was created to spread your amazing DNA really fast. Guess what? A bee or ant or something got into the lab and messed up the brain part of the HNEV's DNA rewriting function.

Method 4: The vaccine. The HNEV can't properly infect blood type IB negative, so someone (you?) got bitten, got away and that person's insulin is being harvested to give people a vaccine against the virus.

Method 5: I'm awesome. The HNEV is actually two viruses, the mutagen and the spreader. The mutagen makes you a super soldier, and it's totally safe, but it has a very hard time 'infecting' more than a few host cells before dying. The spreader was developed to deliver the mutagen, but the combination is what's causing zombification. You are very resistant to the spreader, meaning the mutagen gets full effect, but without a sufficient amount of spreader RNA zombification doesn't occur.

Matt Larkin (author) · May 16, 2007, 10:28:24 PM

On the subject of DCs/auto-infect, I think it a lot depends on what kind of tone you want. If you want your typical D&D-esk hack&slash, then that formula works pretty well. It's low enough that those with good fort saves should have a good chance of saving, while high enough those with low saves will still fear it.

On the other hand, if you want the tense horror vibe more than the action movie vibe, the auto-infect ensures players take extreme precaution not to get hit at all, and thus are far more likely to run, hide, and so forth.

Only you can know which kind your players would like, since that's just a matter of taste.

Stargate525 · May 16, 2007, 10:31:28 PM

Your method three gave me an interesting idea, what if the zombiefication wasn't just humans. Instead, it attempts to assimilate anything it finds useful. The tactics of wolf-packs, the endurance of a horse, the speed of a cheetah, etc.

Add in some sort of 'zombie ooze puddle' that can combine these different DNAs, and you could get some very scary combinations a few 'generations' in.

I fear them once they find the zoo.

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ZOMG Zombies!!!

Xathan

Matt Larkin (author)

Poseptune

Xathan

the_taken

Stargate525

Poseptune

Xathan

Xathan

Xathan

the_taken

Stargate525

the_taken

Matt Larkin (author)

Stargate525