(Author's Note: George Romero's zombies - for the DM who's looking to run an apocalyptic Adventure)
CANNIBAL ZOMBIE -
By Bill Silvey
Frequency: Uncommon (See Below)
No. Appearing: 10-100
Armor Class: 10
Move 4"
Hit Dice: 0 Hit Points (See Below)
% In Lair: 0%
Treasure Type: Incidental
No. Of Attacks: 3
Damage/Attack: 1-4/1-4/1-6
Special Attacks: See Below
Special Defense: See Below
Magic Resistance: Standard
Intelligence: Non-
Alignment: Neutral
Size: M
Psionic Ability: Nil
Attack/Defense Modes: Nil
Level/XP Value: III/25 + 1 per HP
The Cannibal Zombie is one of the most horrifying of all undead. The Zombie
Cannibal is animated not by a magic spell (such as Animate Dead), but by some
unknown evil power, or perhaps disease. The Cannibal Zombie has only one
motivation: to consume the flesh of the living. Human, demi-human or humanoid,
it matters not at all to these unspeakable horrors. To this end, they will
relentlessly pursue any living creature they detect by sight or sound. Even
those who have wandered aimlessly until their viscera have rotted completely
away
will attempt to bite and eat the flesh of anyone unlucky enough to be caught by
them.
For those who encounter the Cannibal Zombie and live to tell the tale, a
horrible
new threat exists. The Cannibal Zombie has three attacks: claw/claw/bite. On a
successful to-hit roll for the Bite attack, there is an 80% chance that the
person unfortunate enough to have been bitten will contract or become corrupted
by whatever malign force causes these dead to walk. When this happens,
disease-like symptoms will grip the victim in one turn. Their CON will drop to
3; after this, in 6-10 hours they will die only to reanimate in another 6-10
hours, awakening to hunger for the flesh of the living. They will have no memory
of their past, nor can any cure "save" them. They will join the ranks
of the
undead, seeking only to satiate their unending hunger. The only thing that can
restore someone who has been turned into a Cannibal Zombie is if a Raise Dead
Fully and Restoration spell are cast simultaneously on the wretch. They will be
restored to a living state, unconscious, and heal at 1/2 their normal rate.
To destroy the Cannibal Zombie, the creature must be struck in the head. While
the body (which moves very slowly) is armor class 10, an aimed blow to the head
is treated as an attack versus armor class 5. Blows to any other part of the
reanimated corpse is useless. A single attack which reduces the creature to
-10 hit points however will damage it to the point where it is unable to move
any
longer - although it's mangled body will lie on the ground, and woe betide
anyone
unfortunate to get close enough to be bitten!
Destructive Magic Spells are particularly useful, especially fire-based magic as
it does double damage to the creatures (given the usual desiccated state of
their
flesh and clothes and hair). Cold (such as Cone of Cold) based spells will
freeze them in their place, literally, although they will continue to move when
the frost melts away.
All other magics which prove against other forms of undead are useless - they do
not fear Turning, nor Holy Water, Symbols or Words. They are immune to Fear,
Sleep, Hold and Charm spells, and never need to rest.
Fortunately, these charnel beings are only mentioned in suppressed volumes of
arcane lore; none are known to exist on Oerth. Given how quickly they can spread
their plague, if they were to be summoned or created there, that world would
quickly be doomed. Some half-mad sages hint that this has happened to one world
on the Prime Material Plane already.
...
ZOMBIE, YELLOW MOLD -
By Bill Silvey
Frequency: Very rare
No. Appearing: 1
Armor Class: 9
Move: 4"
Hit Dice: 1+1
% In Lair: Nil
Treasure Type: Incidental
No. Of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attack: See Below
Special Attacks: See below
Special Defense: None
Magic Resistance: Standard
Intelligence: See Below
Alignment: Neutral (Evil)
Size: M
Psionic Ability:
Attack/Defense Modes:
Level/XP Value: III/500 + 10 Per H.P.
One of the least pleasant dangers faced by adventurers, whether alone or in a
group, is the noisome Yellow Mold (q.v.) and it's cloud of deadly spores.
As if it alone weren't enough of a hazard, some who possess the rare gift of Psionics
have reported that the aforementioned fungal beast can, on rare occasion,
develop a rudimentary hive-mind, capable of independent thought and action!
This gives the Yellow Mold the ability to think, plan, and attack unwary adventurers in a manner not unlike that of the aforementioned gifted individuals. When Adventurers choose to delve alone, they take their lives into their own hands. Frequently, such singular types meet with an untimely demise at the hands of a creature (or creatures) that could've been defeated quite easily by a well-rounded group, or even simply because they lacked an ally to help them escape a rudimentary deadfall or other mishap.
The danger presented to such solitary adventurers by a creature as cunning as a Yellow Mold that has achieved a state of intelligence is clear: if the adventurer is slain or incapacitated by the Mold, then they are completely at it's mercy.
This unfortunate circumstance gives rise to the dreaded Yellow Mold Zombie: When the Mold strikes down a solitary adventurer or humanoid creature that encountered it, the Yellow Mold (if of the intelligent variety) will slowly spread it's colony onto the body of the deceased. Once a firm foothold has been gained, the new creature is made mobile again by the Yellow Mold. As the Mold consumes the brain of the deceased, it gains a rudimentary knowledge of some things the former being knew, i.e., the location of the nearest exit of the cavern.
So equipped, the Yellow Mold Zombie will seek to move beyond it's previous lair, leaving behind a small (5'x5') patch of unremarkable Yellow Mold. The reanimated dead body is slow, and the Mold does not have enough control to utilize weapons; rather, it relies upon it's psychic abilities to subdue prey. However, if it brushes close to anyone unfortunate enough to get in it's way, it will discharge spores as a normal Yellow Mold (q.v.).
In all other respects, the Yellow Mold Zombie is like a normal Yellow Mold, save in hit-dice - the Mold can never grow beyond the size of the body it has inhabited to increase in strength.
Eventually, the corpse underneath the Yellow Mold will rot and collapse
(occurring over a period of 1-6 months), leaving the Mold immobile as it was
before.