Ok...been wanting to incorporate a Zombie Plague breakout into my games...however i dont know how to come up with rules for the Infected....i want a mix between the infected people in Resident Evil 4 and the "Dark Seekers" in I Am Legend....
Help is duly appreciated?
Anyone think of minis i can use?
kerby
Sounds like fun. Were you thinking hordes of infected agaist the heros, a scattering to add to a multiplayer scenario or a few to act narratively.
Whatever the scenario high T and low I are a must, and I think the daemonic property that counts half T on chest/ head and double T on all other locations. The rotting flesh mutation would fit too.
If you are using them as a horde then I'd run up a basic statline
~Ws 40 Bs 20 S 40 T 70 I 20 Wp 30 Sg 20 Nv 90 Ld 20
give most of them atrophied legs (shuffleing walk) and recycle models as they are slain. Maybe make a boss with a chainsword and a higher speed.
Mmmm chainsword zombie boss.
Well, I'm afraid I have no familiarity with either of those sources for zombies - never been much for survival horror in either game or film forms.
However, I'll work off standard zombie fare, from which the only real variants seem to be movement speed, remaining intelligence and infection method. (Not that the latter two options vary very often.)
Whatever the details of that, the solution to fighting them almost never changes: "Kill 'em all, destroy the brain, and don't let one bite you."
One of my usual group GMed a zombie game a while back, and based on the way that worked out, I suggest the following.
The important thing is that you'll need some simplified rules if you intend on having many of them (so, whatever you do, use the same statline for all of them). Also, you DON'T want to be tracking the normal Inquisitor injury system across a dozen different zombies - it'll be all too easy to get muddled up.
Myself, I'd bring them down to one hit chart, with double damage for head hits. Don't bother with tracking injury total - just keep track of their current injury level (easily done with some kind of marker on the model. I use brass curtain rings to track wounds in 40k, a similar thing could be done here)
Ideas like system shock and unconsciousness don't make much sense anyway- that said, automatically eliminating a zombie with a hit of sufficient damage might be an option.
The downside is that you'll lose any cool variations in damage ("You've blown off the zombie's legs. It's crawling after you now"), but that's a necessity if you don't want a chuggy game. If there's many of them, you'll also need them to be relatively easy to eliminate, or the players will get swamped.
~~~~~
Anyway, here's what I'd do, based on the limited thinking time available, and a "standard" zombie.
WS: 40 - BS: 0 - S:40 - T:80 - I: 25 - Wp: N/A - Sg: 0 - Nv: N/A - Ld: N/A
Braindead: Any test that requires the use of Wp, Nv or Ld is automatically ignored (and consequently, any results of those tests/actions). Zombies do not feel fear, they cannot be intimidated, and they cannot command troop.
Undead: No Telepathy or Biomancy powers can be used versus a zombie.
Shuffling: Zombies may not move faster than a walk.
GM should be called upon for other common sense. For example, additional effects of shock weapons should be ignored (they should probably also take at least -1 damage).
Injury:
Do not track injury total.
There is only one injury table for all locations. Double the damage caused by any head hit before working out the damage caused. Limb hits cannot cause injury levels, but have a 50% chance of knocking the zombie prone.
If any single attack* causes three or more injury levels of damage in one, the zombie is automatically eliminated, regardless of remaining injury levels - rotting flesh can only take so much punishment.
*Effects of multiple hits included. Which, coincidentally, makes shotguns using buckshot rather effective...
Persistent effects:
Light: You'll have to do better than that. No effect.
Heavy: Zombie is stunned for a turn.
Serious: Zombie is at -1 to all movement rates.
Acute: Zombie is reduced to Speed 1.
Crippled: Resoundingly removing the "Un" from Undead.
~~~~~
Probably got some flaws, but I'm winging it.
EDIT: I don't know if you're familiar with "Things Mr. Welch is no longer allowed do during an RPG" (and if not, go and read it - easily enough found on Google), but I've been reminded of the list my group has in the same vein.
Amongst the various options is "Not allowed to base an Ordo Sepulturum character on Michael Jackson" - we are a bit mad at times.
For zombies I'd use a variation on the NPC rules in Architecture of Hate (http://www.mediafire.com/?2wromelyttf) - they should be easy enough to adapt for zombies and they're quick and easy to use in a game without bogging things down with too much detail. I've used them quite a few times to represent everything from patrolling guards, to mind-slaves, and even Enslavers.
Last time I used Zombies it was in a game of Dark Heresy as a strain of the Vile Savant virus. In that case what made the PCs squirm most was the prospect of infection - turned the game from a standard zombie-shoot into something altogether more sinister. You might want to consider this for your game
Tullio
Quote from: Kaled on January 18, 2010, 11:29:48 AMFor zombies I'd use a variation on the NPC rules in Architecture of Hate (http://www.mediafire.com/?2wromelyttf)
...so
that's where they were! I couldn't remember which file they were in, and they hid from me when I was looking for them.
Quote from: MarcoSkoll on January 18, 2010, 01:26:06 AM
Well, I'm afraid I have no familiarity with either of those sources for zombies - never been much for survival horror in either game or film forms.
Resident Evil : Code Veronica (PS2) - in my all time top 5 for games. In fact I should buy another game system some time, there's a new Tekken out (Tekken 2 has to be the best game ever released as far as I'm aware)
Quote from: Ferran on January 18, 2010, 07:15:46 PMResident Evil : Code Veronica (PS2) - in my all time top 5 for games.
And I've already said I don't rate survival horror as a genre. Haven't played it, have no intention to play it, and even if I wanted to, I don't own any console that could play it.
This is not a place to talk about whether any given zombie game/movie is worth playing/watching.
I, like Kaled, would likely use some variation of the rules found in 'Architecture of Hate'. They're well-suited to large hordes of zombies. As the article says, "players will find that, whilst the NPCs are easy to put down, they're a lot harder to put out." That's obviously well-suited to zombies!
For the sake of completeness I will note that during the Eye of Terror campaign, GW released a scenario set in the sewers of Cadia that featured plague zombies; that article provided this stat-line for them:
Plague Zombie:
WS 55 BS 0 S 60 T 75 I 10 WP 0 SG 0 NV 100 LD 0
True Grit, Fearsome
Mutations: Rotting Flesh, Club Hand, Fangs
1) Plague Zombies can't be pinned or stunned, they don't bleed or have to take system shock rolls and they do not lose speed value from injuries. Ignore these results on the Location Damage Table.
2) Plague Zombies may not parry or dodge.
3) Plague Zombies may not move faster than a walk but due to their unnatural state, may use a walk or crawl action to engage in hand to hand combat. However Plague Zombies never receive the 10% to hit bonus for charging.
4) Plague Zombies will move towards the nearest living target whenever possible.
5) When a Plague Zombie suffers Crippled damage level in it's head, it is destroyed with no chance of recovering through True Grit or otherwise.
6) Plague Zombies make recovery rolls as normal in the Recovery Phase but are too mindless to declare any recovery actions during their turn.
Obviously this would require far more book-keeping, so might not necessarily be sensible.
Quote from: Molotov on January 19, 2010, 12:39:11 AMFor the sake of completeness I will note that during the Eye of Terror campaign, GW released a scenario set in the sewers of Cadia that featured plague zombies; that article provided this stat-line for them
Flipping heck, I wouldn't want to have to try and put down more than one T75 character with True Grit who ignored stunning, etc... even if they did have rotting flesh (But that's still BIV 7), and only got one action a turn.
But I'd agree. The only way those rules are in anyway appropriate is that they'll make the game as slow and dull as a zombie - and that's not a good thing.
Quote from: Molotov on January 19, 2010, 12:39:11 AM
Plague Zombie:
WS 55 BS 0 S 60 T 75 I 10 WP 0 SG 0 NV 100 LD 0
I'd say these are too extreme, especially as the sources you cited featured infected who could, to a lesser degree, plan, use weapons and even run. I think a plague zombie would have the mental capacity to, after some time, open a door, so would advocate a bit of Sg, and in appropriate circumstances, if one were to throw something, they would be able to attempt it, so a low, but not 0 Bs. Simerlarly, in I Am
Will Smith Legend and resident evil they have leaders of some form, so a 5 point Ld would seem appropriate. I'd also give them some willpower or is the implication that a telepath could control them all effortlessly? Ws 55 seems too high for anyone untrained. I 10 seems a bit extreme too, there's slow, and then there's no threat whatsoever.
QuoteTrue Grit, Fearsome
Mutations: Rotting Flesh, Club Hand, Fangs
I'd give them force of will (lack of will) too.
Quote1) Plague Zombies can't be pinned or stunned, they don't bleed or have to take system shock rolls and they do not lose speed value from injuries. Ignore these results on the Location Damage Table.
They souldn't worry about unconciousness either (nullifying true grit), but I'd say shooting them sould be able to slow them down.
Quote2) Plague Zombies may not parry or dodge.
3) Plague Zombies may not move faster than a walk but due to their unnatural state, may use a walk or crawl action to engage in hand to hand combat. However Plague Zombies never receive the 10% to hit bonus for charging.
Given that they are at such a low speed, this makes them no threat. Some zombies (see your sources again) can run, so I'd say some of these shoud too. I'd allow them to run but give most of them an atrophied leg or two.
Quote4) Plague Zombies will move towards the nearest living target whenever possible.
Frenzy might be appropriate.
Quote5) When a Plague Zombie suffers Crippled damage level in it's head, it is destroyed with no chance of recovering through True Grit or otherwise.
This is true of anyone and therefore redundent
Quote6) Plague Zombies make recovery rolls as normal in the Recovery Phase but are too mindless to declare any recovery actions during their turn.
I disagree, zombies don't heal. This also makes them a bit easier logistically.
I've had some thought about zombie injury and suggest the following:
Poor balance: Zombies count double damage for purposes of knockback.
Injury levels. Zombies have 3 injury levels per location:
| Light | Heavy | Crippled |
| Limbs | No additional affect | Limb is as atrophied | Limb is blown off |
| Chest/abdomen/groin | Zombie is knocked down | Zombie is knocked down +D6 to injury total | Zombie looses lower torso and legs +D10 injury total |
| Head | Zombie is knocked down +D6 to injury total | Zombie is dead | Zombie is very dead |
I wouldn't start zombies at 'full health' though, most of them sould have a heavy would or two from the start and only the strongest zombies should have anything like the full 75 injury total to render them dead.
Well im going for a group of Mercs...with an Inquisitor leading them....have to survive through 4 scenerios where hordes of shambling flesh eaters (made by the local Insane Magos Biologis) are attempting to munch on them
they have to collect certain bits (pass code to a door that will be written in blood on the toilet mirror for example) to proceed to the next scenerio....basically like the game/films where the characters numbers slowly dwindle until only the main "hero" is left.....likin the idea of a boss zombie though....implant chainsword sounds nasty lol....will be playin at INQ scale so need help with modelling to if anyone would like to assist?
kerby
Quote from: psycho on January 19, 2010, 08:31:53 PM
will be playin at INQ scale so need help with modelling to if anyone would like to assist?
I'd start with something cheap, like Airfix soldiers (there's a link to some in the P&M resources thread) then use greenstuff to model exposed bones, brains, guts and the like.
for My Zombies (http://buildyourimagination.co.uk/minis/gallery/inq/zombies.jpg) i used these (retyped, so i've left off alot of the explanatory stuff) for that old-school hard to kill dead scary zombies;
Neurone Plague Victim
WS: -2D6
BS: -3D10
S: +2D10
T: +2D10
I: -3D10
Wp/Sg/Nv/Ld: 0
Abilities: Braindead, Shuffle, Infect, True Grit, Fearsome
Mutations: Bestial Face, Rotting Flesh, Dead Meat, Enhanced Senses
Braindead; Force Of Will + Nerves of Steel. Immune to Psychic powers that allow Wp Tests to be taken.
Plague Victims lost the ability to use any Bionics or Implants they may have and are immune to Toxins and Combat Stimms
Shuffle; as per two Atrophied Legs.
Atrophied; -1" to all movement rates (except crawling) and cannot sprint. Moving faster than a walk is a Risky Action and if they fumble their action, will fall over and spend the rest of the turn Prone.
Infect; Any character wounded by the Bestial Face attack must take a Toughness test at -20% or become infected. If they pass wit a margin of less than 30 they must test again at the start of the next turn.
If failed, the Infection will reduce all characteristics by 2D10 every turn until the character dies. D3 turns later they will rise as a Neurone Plague Victim.
Bestial Face; May make a bite attack in close combat in addition to those it would normally make. This has a Reach of 0, does D6 + Strength bonus damage and may not be used to Parry.
Rotting Flesh; The character reduces their base injury value by -1 and they can be smelt by other characters on a successful Awareness Test up to 10 yards away and will be smelt automatically within 5 yards.
Dead Meat; Double the victims Base Injury VAlue for al hits against any location other than the head.
in addition, they do not show up on Bioscanners, Infrescopes or most types of Auspex due to the ambient temperature of their body.
Zombies suffer no additional damage from Location Injury or from Bleeding.
Enhanced Senses; May add +30% to Awareness tests
Having played a number of "Zombie horde" missions, I can recommend using a small number of powerful zombies as opposed to a large number of weak ones.
When my gaming group played our first zombie apocalypse scenario, we found that the zombie's attacks were largely ineffectual (S40 unarmed attacks). Considering that it takes between 20 and 30 damage to put down the average character, they're going to take a lot of zombie attacks before they go down, and each one of those ineffectual attacks requires you to spend time rolling for hit, location, injury etc. This bogs the game down.
With regards to movement, if you limit the zombie's movement too much (Can only move at a walk, and an initiative in the single-digits, for instance), then you end up with every turn being slowed down to a crawl as you move your tide of zombies 1 or 2 inches. You would probably need a hell of a lot of zombies, because there isn't going to be a whole lot of them left by the time they get within whacking-distance of your heroes. It is better to have zombies move at a reasonable speed, thus reducing the number of zombies necessary and also reducing the 'uselessness of moving' effect caused by too-slow movement.
Nowadays, our group counts all zombie attacks as doing D10 damage. (To represent vicious, razor-sharp zombie claws such as those observed on the zombies in the half-life games.) Our zombies are also initiative 20, and cannot sprint. This limits their movement to a maximum of around 12" per turn.
Rules for human characters becoming zombies are best left for campaigns, since in most cases, it takes a few hours for the zombie-infection to fully take hold. Inquisitor games usually take place within a minute or two at the most, so the likelihood of anyone actually turning within-game is minimal. Thus, it's best not to bog the game down with unnecessary details such as zombie-infection mid-game.
One final suggestion is not to simply make the mission a "Zombie siege." That's just a recipe for boredom, since after three or four turns of just shooting at zombies from the rooftop, everyone will get very bored indeed. Instead, have an objective such as 'locate items to repair your shuttle', and then have numbered mystery markers all over the terrain, one or two of which correspond to items the players need.
Long story short, keep it simple, keep it quick, keep the number of NPCs reasonable, and have an objective. That way, the game will be fun for everyone.
For characters getting infected in a campaign I'd use variations on the obliterator virus rules, the victim is not immediately aware of his infection and can try to hide it from his comrades once he finds out. You could increase the tension by having it so only the GM knows who is infected, add rules for characters getting tired and sore so not only the infected characters are losing stats. Have several different players in the campaign working together but getting more paranoid over who is infected.
Anyway that's how I'd run a zombie mini-campaign
Personally, I'd use some of the daemonic possession rules, perhaps 'invulnerable' for plague zombies, and maybe 'cloak of darkness' for the I Am Legend 'dark dwellers' (make use of those photon flash flares). I was tempted to make a 'Day of the Triffids' scenario, purely because it'd be just hilarious and secondly anti-plant grenades would actually see some action in an Inquisitor games. On the dark dwellers front, I'd use Gorgers from the Ogre Kingdom line, but that may prove expensive if you want a lot of them....