So I'm in the process of creating a cadre of undead for a brewing AFMBE game. The setting for mine is modern day with a focus on scavenging, jury-rigging and survival within a city teaming with the hungry dead. Over time the zombies will learn to sort of use basic tools, mostly being able to swing objects to bring down their prey.
For my games I prefer a variety of zombies with characteristics loosely based on the level of decomposition as well as the overall condition of the corpse. I say loosely because who knows what else the zombie virus does to the decomposition process creating nasty threats to survivor health and safety.
My core zombie is a traditional Romero shambler in tattered funeral clothing. They've dug themselves from their graves and are hungry for flesh. From there as the condition/virus spreads things get really nasty. The vast majority of the dead in my game will be these.
Fresh zombies are fast movers for a time, able to lurch forth at surprising speeds as often seen in the Resident Evil series. Once decay begins in earnest they tend to slow down, often filling with corrosive fluids for a time that may come into play in some circumstances.
Puking zombies are those whose legs can't lift them, or in some cases have been chopped off. As the zombie decays and fluid gathers in their torso (rather than their legs) they are capable of occassionally vomiting upon their prey which burns something fierce.
Vermin zombies are well into the stage of putrefaction and attract a variety of nasty insects which may carry disease or enjoy infesting people too if given the chance.
I'm always open to new ideas, so bring on the zombies!
You might find this helpful
STAGES OF DECOMPOSITION
o Fresh
o Bloat
o Active decomposition
o Advanced
o Skeletal
Fresh
o Period from the actual death of the individual to the first signs of bloating
o Characterized by a decrease in body tempereature over time, no oder
o End stage hallmark
• Arrival of blow flies and subsequent deposition of eggs.
Bloat
o Bloated appearenc with distended abdomen makrs the beginning of this stage
o Discoloratio, marbeling, strong odor, extruded anus, and decreased body mass
o End stage hallmark:
• Development of maggot mass.
Active decy
o Sizable maggot masses
o Greasy appearance of the body, stong odor
o End stage hallmark
• The collapse of the thorax.
Advance decay
o Disappearence of the maggot masses and a marked decrease in body mass
o Soft tussue changes are extensive
o End stage hallmark
• Disappearence if beetles and non desiccated soft tissues.
Skeletal (dry) stage
o Only bone remains cartilage and mummified tissue remains
o No/less odor
o No maggots or beetles
o Terminal stage
Bloat is often ignored, but it seems to me that you could parlay it into flying zombies pretty easily.
Quote from: Aos;268193You might find this helpful
I do thank you. I've been meaning to refresh my knowledge of the decomposition process too. This might be handy in game.
Quote from: Aos;268193Bloat is often ignored, but it seems to me that you could parlay it into flying zombies pretty easily.
Big fat exploding zombies too.
Don't just play the zombie-play the man he used to be.
Examples:
Zombied soldier. The nylon combat harness he's wearing will withstand the fuild extrusions coming from his decaying corpse, but the grenades in the pouches are held safe with pot metal cotter pins (on a ring-this is fact). Stomach acids will erode them. Violent activcity (such as the zombie getting shot) can cause the weakened pins to shear away under thew pressure of the springs pressing against the arming level (spoon).
(I saw Engineers clearing Iraqi dead after the Kuwait Live-Fire exercise dealing with this problem. Decay in the desert is extremely fast).
Zombied HAZMAT worker/Firefighter: Still wearing his air tanks. Unlike the 5' industrial bottles, which are curved cast iron or fitted steel, and thus bullet proof, rebreather units are usually nylon composite atop a wire mesh, sufficent for rough handleing but vulnerable to gunfire. A punctured tank will empty itself quickly, but the rupture will hurl zombie-bits a considerable distance.
Zombied insecticide worker: As the tanks above; FEMA gives out HAZMAT handbooks free-get one. Useul stuff in there.
And so forth. If you're going Romero, they're not going to change clothes.
Just a couple of question about your zombie game.
What range will your zombies be able to project the vomit? When coming in contact with the vomit, does that mean your PC or NPC is completely infected? Once infected what is the time frame for the person to be completely taken over?
Also on the vermin zombies - If an insect has been munching on the undead, and carries diseases...will a bite that transfer the undead virus over to a bitten victim?
I am just asking because if you go with the Romero stereotype, then the common bite/scratch is all it takes for transformation. Also, I love the idea that the further the zombie decays, the more lethal it becomes in different situations. Have fun creating this game, looks limitless to me.
Quote from: OneTinSoldier;269974Don't just play the zombie-play the man he used to be.
Examples:
Zombied soldier. The nylon combat harness he's wearing will withstand the fuild extrusions coming from his decaying corpse, but the grenades in the pouches are held safe with pot metal cotter pins (on a ring-this is fact). Stomach acids will erode them. Violent activcity (such as the zombie getting shot) can cause the weakened pins to shear away under thew pressure of the springs pressing against the arming level (spoon).
(I saw Engineers clearing Iraqi dead after the Kuwait Live-Fire exercise dealing with this problem. Decay in the desert is extremely fast).
Zombied HAZMAT worker/Firefighter: Still wearing his air tanks. Unlike the 5' industrial bottles, which are curved cast iron or fitted steel, and thus bullet proof, rebreather units are usually nylon composite atop a wire mesh, sufficent for rough handleing but vulnerable to gunfire. A punctured tank will empty itself quickly, but the rupture will hurl zombie-bits a considerable distance.
Zombied insecticide worker: As the tanks above; FEMA gives out HAZMAT handbooks free-get one. Useul stuff in there.
And so forth. If you're going Romero, they're not going to change clothes.
Good stuff, I do those kinds of things from time to time for special encounters. Consider the grenade encounter definitely stolen. Early in the game the military sweeps in to try and quarantine the outbreak so it'll be a perfect time to throw this nasty encounter in the game.
Quote from: Venosha;270213Just a couple of question about your zombie game.
What range will your zombies be able to project the vomit? When coming in contact with the vomit, does that mean your PC or NPC is completely infected? Once infected what is the time frame for the person to be completely taken over?
The vomit zombies will be fairly short range akin to the whip in DnD I guess. The spitting ones will have a bit longer range, more like that of a thrown dagger. If the vomit does damage and the player dies then they'll become undead. Only certain particularly nasty zombies in my game will infect with a single bite or damaging attack.
Quote from: Venosha;270213Also on the vermin zombies - If an insect has been munching on the undead, and carries diseases...will a bite that transfer the undead virus over to a bitten victim?
They insects may carry illness but not necessarily turn the players. Most of the zombies in my game must actually kill the players to turn them.
Quote from: Venosha;270213I am just asking because if you go with the Romero stereotype, then the common bite/scratch is all it takes for transformation. Also, I love the idea that the further the zombie decays, the more lethal it becomes in different situations. Have fun creating this game, looks limitless to me.
I ran my first session off the seat of my pants and it went well. This is my first AFMBE game with fast moving zombies.
Do you have a particular rationale in mind for why the zombie plague is happening, or do you intend to go the Romero route of "we've got no way of finding out, and it wouldn't help us if we did?" That might help us come up with some ideas.
Quote from: Warthur;271172Do you have a particular rationale in mind for why the zombie plague is happening, or do you intend to go the Romero route of "we've got no way of finding out, and it wouldn't help us if we did?" That might help us come up with some ideas.
Weren't Romero's zombies created by radiation from a venus space probe exploding in the Earth's atmosphere? /geekout
I'm just avoiding zombies that completely ignore the decomposition process. Other than that I tend to stray towards the "we've got no way of finding out" but if a player actually makes a scientist type trying to find out I'll work something out. With my current group I honestly don't see that happening. :)
I'm also interested in any zombie ideas people have that they want to share from any genre or cause of the rise.
Quote from: Idinsinuation;271218Weren't Romero's zombies created by radiation from a venus space probe exploding in the Earth's atmosphere? /geekout
I think it's mentioned in
Night of the Living Dead, but as an aside - it's not clear that that's actually what caused the problem. There's also the issue that Romero's zombie films aren't necessarily all in the same continuity - the lack of characters persisting from one film to the next makes it impossible to say for sure, and there's indications that they might not be - the dead seem to be under control by the end of Night of the Living Dead, after all, whereas the situation in the later Dead films seems much more bleak.
How about zombies that are two staged?
Say the virus infects people but doesn't kill them. It does however drive them crazy like in 28 days. The infected are fast, again like in 28 days. After a few days the virus kills the host and then reanimates them but then they are slow, Romero like , zombies.
Quote from: Mcrow;271330How about zombies that are two staged?
Say the virus infects people but doesn't kill them. It does however drive them crazy like in 28 days. The infected are fast, again like in 28 days. After a few days the virus kills the host and then reanimates them but then they are slow, Romero like , zombies.
That's a pretty cool idea, like the virus is so intense that it not only pushes them to limitless rage, but keeps the body killing beyond death.
I have a plan to include an insane cult that believes they are zombies though so I'll probably avoid that idea for this game as I'd want the impact of living "zombies" to be a big deal.
I might have to steal that for a future game though.