Since Halloween is coming closer and I am a big zombie flick fan I thought about GMing a zombie game in PF.
The zombies I have in mind are not the D&D zombies but those that infect you 100% of the time with a bite. Especially I had the walking dead ones in mind (the standard biters)
Ideas I had in mind on how to convert them to PF was the following:
- Bite attack that contracts zombie disease but can only be used on grappled foes or whenever a sneak attack would be possible.
- zombie plague: bite; save: No initial save, Fort 15 ongoing; onset 1d4 hours; frequency 1/hour; effect 1 Con, cure 5 consecutive saves. Anyone who dies while infected or has con damage equal to his con value rises as a zombie in 2d6x10 minutes.
- no cure disease
- anyone who survives the zombie plague becomes a carrier for the disease and can infect others through bodily fluids. (bite, intense kiss, blood donation etc.)
- Successful attacks have a chance to daze the zombie
- successful hits to the head (made at -4 to hit) kill the zombie if they deal at least 10 damage.
- Have at least one backup pc ready this is no stroll in the park.
What do you think about this?
Thanks for your input.
When multiple foes grapple every one after the first gives a bonus of +2. So 6 Zombies grappling a fighter would give one of them +10 to grapple. And while grappling you can make a grapple check to deal damage. So even small groups of zombies would result in a high chance of bitten fighter every round. But single zombies should not pose a problem to an armed martial. It's about staying away from large groups.
That arcane casters can wreck havoc with groups of zombies is possible but depends on the HP you give them. Targeted attacks can be made vs. the head at -4, area attacks can't.
What I had in mind was having the PCs start at third level (1 more feat for nice stuff)
What I'm not sure about is what to do with animal companions and the like. Can they be infected? If not they could become stronger in such a game.
Are you thinking fast zombies or slow? Might want to merge ghoul with zombie perhaps...
Mainly slow (with staggered) but perhaps some few fast ones later on. The TPK stuff looks nice at first glance but having no credit card and not using paypal makes it impossible for me to buy stuff from the paizo store. I usually buy RPG books via amazon because they allow payment via direct debit. (at least I think that is what it is called in English).
I'll reread the ghoul.
Yeah, keeping D&D/PF in mind, the original Night of the Living Dead, the word "zombie" was never used, though "ghoul" was used in that movie. So why is it that all subsequent movies inspired by Night of the Living Dead are considered zombie movies - I don't get it? In voodoo, zombies are slow moving living people with zombie traits, due to a lethal poison that causes the condition. Zombies don't eat people, that's a ghoul - and in fact what the word "ghoul" actually means "eaters of the dead". So I find the entire modern concept of zombie as completely wrong. They should be "ghoul movies".
If you accept my premise, when playing D&D/PF, you're better off using ghouls and ghasts as the monster type, and chuck the monster and concept of zombie out the window.
Umbranus where are you from, Europe?
The night of the walking dead is a classical Ravenloft module with a Zombie Horde in the Bayou. The 2e version was available for free on WotC site loong ago. And there's bound to be some conversions somewhere.
PS: I have a spare copy for sale btw ;-)
The world of Aruneus: Contagion Infected Zombies for PFRPG looks like exactly what you need monster rules wise. It even has a headshot mechanic apparently...
The ghoul sounds good. But for what I have in mind I think I'd have to drop the paralysis and up the disease some.
Umbranus where are you from, Europe?
The night of the walking dead is a classical Ravenloft module with a Zombie Horde in the Bayou. The 2e version was available for free on WotC site loong ago. And there's bound to be some conversions somewhere.
PS: I have a spare copy for sale btw ;-)
Yes, I am from europe, germany to be exact. But I mention it seldome online because with some people "our" reputation is not the best for what our granparents or great grandparents did.
Perhaps I'll take a look for this Ravenloft module but I guess I will just write my own adventure. Nothing fancy, just a little town overrun by undead.The base setting will be: the PCs have been in some dungeon for some days. And when they reach the nearby town, longing for some drinks and a bed they realize that death has claimed the community.
You might also look at the troop sub-type. A zombie isn't a problem, a horde of them is.
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Use apocalypse zombies. Apply the fast, infectious, and explosive zombie templates to the same zombie. They are statted out on d20pfsrd if I recall.
Actually did this last Halloween. Used the country Inn flip mat as the PC'S home base, had them try to fortify it, and sent waves of zombies, fast zombies, and apocalypse zombies after them. And a special bloated explosive zombie which blew a hole in one wall. 5th level characters.
Ha! Another German. I feel it's rather the Bavarian or Prussian stereotypes than any WW2 holdover feelings that we are met with, if at all.
I'll send you a PM about NotWD...
NotWD is in the mail. If you like it check out Ravenloft and visit the Fraternityofshadows site and forums.
Another great and free PFRPG Halloween one shot is Frozen Wind by Michael Tumey.
Other PFRPG horror modules great for Halloween:
@Thanael - Frozen Wind is by Jonathan McAnulty (not me, though its my IP). And there are frozen zombies in it, so very applicable to your needs.
The only Kaidan product actually written by me is Haiku of Horror: Autumn Moon Bath House (which is a ghost encounter, not zombies, so less applicable.)