Idea for Undead from SCIENCE!

[Scholar]

muahahaha.
sorry.
anyway, I had a (hopefully) creepy idea for my post-apoc world:
40k has this neat weapon called the Life-Eater Virus (LEV) that kills and decomposes every lifeform in moments. Now before the war, a Mechanicus researcher developed a life-prolonging treatment by engineering a viral lifeform that tapped into the warp, rejuvenating its host with warp energy. The project was code-named Lazarus. To test its efficency, the magos obtained a sizeable quantity of LEV. Before the testing could begin, his lab was shelled from orbit and both strains were released.
victims that caught both the LEV and Lazarus, were caught in a neverending state of necrotisation and rejuvenation, their bodies twitchig as their flesh constantly liquefied and resettled.
infected tissue is infectous again, so bites or blood-contact is fatal after about an hour. the new victim goes mad from pain and horror, attacking his former friends in the hope that they kill him quickly. the regenrative powers of Lazarus make it very hard to kill an infected, so only high-energy weapons and flame-throwers are really effective (both are extremely rare).
Most infected are moving slowly, because their minds have degraded to a feral half-intelligence/instinct. They feel no hunger or fatigue, and they attack people on sight, because somewhere in their insane subconsciousness they either hope for release or want others to share their misery.
other strains could make fast runners or spitters or any other kind of "zombie".
in short: "undead" are people gone mad from being captured in a state of constant almost-death and decomposition for maybe centuries.
Do you think this works? Is it creepy enough?

[Llum]

I think its a pretty awsome idea. One thing is maybe stronger Lazarus zombies could actually tap into the Warp, maybe have psyker powers?

[Ninja D!]

Very nice.

[Steerpike]

This is incredibly creepy and a really fantastic idea.  I'd love to see it onscreen... certainly as a player it would horrify me.

[Seraph]

When it comes to spitters, I like the idea that the infection specifically tears apart their stomach, whose contents they periodically have to eject . . .

And with regard to Llums post on more strongly Lazarus undead, If there were strains of undead that were regenerating faster than they were decaying, this could explain the existence of multiple kinds of less-shambly undead.  It could even explain relatively comely Vampires, if you felt like including them (you might not).  Such folk might keep more sense/intelligence than the standard Zombie.  Perhaps the infection that is specific to the reaction of the LEV and Lazarus either does something to their blood that requires its ingestion/processing, or gives a dementia that drives one to drink of blood anyway.  I would imagine that with regeneration overshadowing decomposition, these might not lose their minds completely, or as quickly.

[Nomadic]

This is incredibly creepy, and very awesome. Heh, maybe skeletons are strongly LEV but they have just enough Lazarus to keep them from death. So they have so little flesh as to look skeletal (they look like bones with a bit of muscle and tendon).

[Scholar]

thanks for the input, guys. :)

When it comes to spitters, I like the idea that the infection specifically tears apart their stomach, whose contents they periodically have to eject . . .

And with regard to Llums post on more strongly Lazarus undead, If there were strains of undead that were regenerating faster than they were decaying, this could explain the existence of multiple kinds of less-shambly undead.  It could even explain relatively comely Vampires, if you felt like including them (you might not).  Such folk might keep more sense/intelligence than the standard Zombie.  Perhaps the infection that is specific to the reaction of the LEV and Lazarus either does something to their blood that requires its ingestion/processing, or gives a dementia that drives one to drink of blood anyway.  I would imagine that with regeneration overshadowing decomposition, these might not lose their minds completely, or as quickly.[/quote]
Your and Llum's idea of less decayed Lazari (lookit, new name!^^) sounds good. For runners, they are in better shape, but also more crazy and aggressive (maybe adrenaline boosts the Lazarus strain). I don't want the standard good-looking vampires tho. The Lazarus/LEV combo should destroy everyone in mind and body, because if it doesn't, players will want to have it, taking away most of the horror. Now for Lazari with psychic powers; that could lead to some really dangerous creatures, for example a crazy psyker lashing out randomly at everything. Or even worse, a Lazarus body that is now inhabited by a warp daemon. That could give you something like the vampires from 30 days of night + psychic abilities, maybe to control the "lesser" Lazari. Ouch.
I think I'm going to limit the second type to people who had latent psychic powers before they were infected, to keep it rare. Otherwise, a whole pack of these could wipe out all humans in a couple of years.

[Superfluous Crow]

Absolutely awesome idea :)
And good idea with calling it Lazarus; it's both appropriate  and an awesome name.
Another idea of a variant could be an over-aggresive Lazarus strain that caused the lazari to develop more muscle tissue than the creature originally had. So a crazed, half-dead monster with the power of an elephant.
You have endless possibilites for horrible monsters.    
And I'm going to apologize beforehand, as i have to use this thread as an excuse to post this link for those who haven't seen it yet:
Scientific zombies

[Lmns Crn]

Another idea of a variant could be an over-aggresive Lazarus strain that caused the lazari to develop more muscle tissue than the creature originally had. So a crazed, half-dead monster with the power of an elephant.
You have endless possibilites for horrible monsters.

So, this reminds me of the muscle-building process via exercise, where exercise serves to tear up muscle tissue, which the body rebuilds a little bit stronger than before. Strength and bulk are developed over many repetitions of this teardown/buildup process (which resembles Scholar's LEV/Lazarus viral activity.)

It's conceivable that if the two processes are similar enough, exaggerated muscle growth may be a normal consequence of LEV/Lazarus infection.

Good show, Scholar.

[Scholar]

Thanks for the whole range of new ideas. :D So, I think the LEV/Lazarus virus, when mixed equally, only keeps the cells it bonds with in a stasis, returning them to their original state if damaged. it shouldn't be able to regrow tissue, so bullet holes only shrink, but don't vanish, broken bones resettle the way they were broken (unless they are set. but who'd do that?), and missing limbs remain missing. If a bodypart is cut off from the bloodstream, it dies and decays normally (Lazari still need a small amount of oxygen, but won't die from airborne toxins). If the victim was infected through airborne LEV/Lazarus strains they might not spread equally through its organism, resulting in bodyparts or secions that rot off in minutes.

here's a new list of Lazari subtypes:
- Lurcher: "Standard" Lazarus. Asymmetric build due to constant regrowing, maybe missing limbs. Moves at a arythmic but continuus walking pace, moaning to itself. If agitated, shouts word-fragments. Tactics: Shuffle up to victim, hug and bite. Maybe just hug (eeeew).
Threat Level: Low.

- Runners: The runners carry a tiny amount more Lazarus than LEV in them, so they slowly, but constantly increase in muscle mass. During the first months and years, they appear as extremely fit humans that move in an oddly uncoordinated and hectic way. If the Runner survives, its muscle mass increases to a point where it starts to hinder the Runner, turning it into a hulking brute the size of an Ogryn. They are extremely aggressive and show a certain amount of predatory cunning. They are the only genus of common Lazarus that actively hunts humans. When attacking, the Runners howl and scream incoherently.
Tactics: Either sneak up on the intended victim or charge at them. In close combat, a Runner's insanity and ferocity enables it to beat even a reasonably expereinced fighter to a bloody pulp.
Threat Level: Medium

- Spitter: Same as Lurcher, but its face and chest are disfigured from constant acid burns, clothes it might wear are dissolved at the front. The LEV knocked its metabolism in a strange direction, leading to an overproduction of stomach acid. A spitter has no gag reflex so the acid just rises through its throat and dribbles down its chin. If agitated, it takes several deep breaths and coughs a mixture of stomach acid and liquefied tissue at its victim over suprisingly long ranges. The acid is strong enough to burn through primitive armour in seconds, carrying the diseased tissue into the blood and infecting the victim.
Tactics: "Hide" in a group of Lurchers and spit acid at enemies. If an enemy tries to hide or falls prone, the Spitter walks up to him and empties its complete payload of acid on him.
Threat Level: High.

Rare types:
(All Rares and above have some modicum of control over common Lazari. They are the product of a Lazarus strain with elevated warp activity that takes on some aspect of the empyranean.)
- Siren: Touched by the Dark Prince, the Siren has a mesmerizing voice and gaze that can paralize its victim. It can't speak, but its wordless song induce feelings of extreme melancholy and lethargy into humans. Should someone be foolish enough to meet its gaze, he immediately goes into seizures before falling into a kind of trance. At a distance, a Siren is almost indistiguishable from a human and its movements seem to follow an unheard alien melody. A Siren's eyes have pink irises and pupils that glow with the light of the warp (but if you can see its eyes, that means you met its gaze and are as good as dead.)
Threat Level: Very High

- Harbinger: Touched by the Grandfather of Sickness, the Harbinger is a walking factory for the LEV. It apperas as skeletal thin with an oversized, flabby gut that writhes with some revolting life of its own. This is a result of the thousands of stinging beetles that nest in its body which the Harbinger can release in a stream of flying chitinous death.
Threat Level: Very High

- Vortex: Touched by the Architect of Fate, the Vortex Lazarus is always surrounded by a transparent mini tornado of raw unreality. Lazari it controls flow into new and bizarre forms, growing strange new bodyparts or melting together to form towering creatures of madness made flesh. As a means of attack, the Vortex can unleash bolts of chaotic energy to burn its enemies or turn its mutating powers on them.
Threat Level: Very High
(There's no Lazarus for Khorne. Khorne doesn't like magic)

The Prophets:
The Lazari named "Prophets" are the rarest of all and are the product of the LEV/Lazarus infecting a latent or active psyker. The hosts psychic powers fuel the regenerative properties of Lazarus enough to keep the LEV mostly in check, but also create a bright beacon in the warp. Moments after infection the victim is possessed by a warp daemon, but the Lazarus also keeps a certain hold on the uninvited guest, chaining it to its deseased new body. Prophets are said to resemble pale humans with completely black eyes, long talons and irregular, needle-sharp teeth. Rumor also has it that they can speak, but not in any tongue humans can understand.
Prophets derive their name from their ability to command all Lazari in a huge area, drawing them into an extremely dangerous army. The warp spawned Prophet has only one aim: kill humans to add them to his flock.
Threat Level: Extreme.

[Loch Belthadd]

Just a random idea: unbalanced amount of LEV/Lazarus could cause a zombie's fingernails to grow out and sharpen... imagine a runner charging at you with claws.

[Nomadic]

Scholar, you have succeeded in creating a totally grotesque strain of creatures. You should be glad to know that throwing these at a player would likely horrify them.

[Scholar]

Scholar, you have succeeded in creating a totally grotesque strain of creatures. You should be glad to know that throwing these at a player would likely horrify them.

my work is now done.^^
I thought a bit on how to fight the Lazari and about their stats.
WS BS S  T  A  I  P  W  F  
30 20 30 30 20 10 20 10 10
that would be the basic statline imo. they also get the Unnatural Toughness (x2) and Fear I Traits
with an average of 15 HP and a soak of 6, even a basic lurcher is pretty hard to kill. the most efficient weapons against Lazari are archeotech weapons like plasmacasters or meltaguns. energy weapons, too.
at the beginning, most characters will only own crossbows and flintlock rifles, as well as close combat weapons. now a greatweapon can really mess up a Lazarus victim, but all the flying bits are infectous. This is really something that bothers me. If I take away their contagious properties, they also loose part of what makes them horrible, because players will just wade into CC and smash them to bits. If I keep them contagious, that might cost a lot of lives if my players don't get the idea of a tactical withdrawal or stealth.
tactics that work:
shots/cuts to the head or the legs. a massive head injury kills a Lazarus just as well as it would kill a human, while shooting out its knees or cutting off its legs will slow it down greatly. Using chain weapons would be the obcious choice because of their high damage and rending properties, but chain weapons tend to get messy. you don't want that when even a drop of blood in your eyes or nose can kill you.
we don't need no water let the... i guess fire is the best way for low level characters to take out Lazari. due to the rarity of refined fuel, this measure has a high enough cost to stop them from trying to put a stop to them for good.
sounds feasible?

[Loch Belthadd]

wear full body suits, such as hazmat suits, when fighting them. Also is the contagion spread by touch or by body fluid?

[Ninja D!]

So...a friend and I are working on a song inspired by the first post on this thread.