This game is based on many common conventions used in RPGs, but it uses a d20 system. I have drawn from Dungeons and Dragons (both 3.5 and 4e), as well as d20 Modern. This game is standalone, not a template to apply to an existing system.
The game has no "races" or "classes", but rather a "Zombie Type" which is more or less an amalgamation of both race and class. There are skills, but the list is short, and there are only 5 ability scores (unlike to 6 used in D&D).
In "Zombie!" players assume the role of a zombie; the recently-dead and reanimated. The world has been overrun with "The Sickness", a disease that kills its hosts, then reanimates them as zombies. Players can communicate in their own language of groans, moans, and body language, known collectively as Zombie, while humans communicate in Human. Yes, the game is meant to be simple to play and understand. I could have done way in depth and had dozens of human languages, with a dozen vernaculars for each, but I don't want that.
The tone of the game is sort of dark-humorous, funny but scary. There will be tense moments and silly moments. I will now take you through the basics of character creation.
Character Creation:
Step One: Determine ability scores
There are 5 ability scores in Zombie! which are outlined below:
Strength: Your Strength score is a representation of how physically strong your character is. Strength is used to determine how well you can fight in close combat (melee combat), as well as Strength-based abilities such as climbing, lifting, or breaking down doors.
Agility: Your Agility score is used to show how agile, dexterous, or coordinated your character is. Higher Agility means your character is better at things like balancing, using ranged attacks (like guns), or dodging attacks.
Resilience: Your Resilience score is a representation of how “hardy” your character is. A higher Resilience score means your character is better at resisting diseases and poisons, has better endurance, and can take a beating better than others. It also determines your starting hit points (HP).
Willpower: Your Willpower score is used when your character needs to fight off a mental attack, resist attempts to “charm” you, and so on. It is also important if you plan to play a character than uses psychic powers.
Humanity: Your Humanity score is a general representation of how “normal” you look. The more “normal” you look, the easier you can fit into society unnoticed. The less “normal” you look, the more frightening you are to humans and other living creatures. Unlike other ability scores, this score is determined by your class, and ranges from 0 – 20. Also unlike other ability scores, a higher number isn’t necessarily better than a lower one; a higher number simply means you can infiltrate your prey, while a lower number means you are better able to terrify and intimidate your prey.
Ability scores for most starting characters range from around 8 to 18. A normal human is about 10 in every stat (except Humanity), so you will be superhuman in most of your scores. An 8 is a little below average for a human, while an 18 is about as high as a human can expect to reach.
Now that you know what the ability scores are, you’ll need to generate them. You have two options for determining what ability scores your character starts with (as well as a variant rule that you’ll need to clear with your GM first!). Keep in mind, you are not assigning a score to Humanity, so you only need 4 scores, not 5:
Standard Set: Take the following numbers and assign each number to one of your abilities, any way you’d like: 10, 12, 14, 16
Point-Buy: Start with all of your scores as 10. You also have 16 “points” to spend, increasing your scores as you see fit. See the table below for point costs. To use the table, look at which score you want to buy, then spend that many points to get that score. You can reduce one (and only one!) score to either a 9 or 8 (instead of spending points to increase it). If you reduce a score to 9, you gain an extra point to spend; if you reduced that score to 8, you gain 2 extra points to spend.
Score | Cost |
10 | 0 |
11 | 1 |
12 | 2 |
13 | 3 |
14 | 5 |
15 | 7 |
16 | 9 |
17 | 12 |
18 | 16 |
For example: Mike has chosen the Point-Buy system, so he starts with all scores as 10. He wants a strong character, so he spends 9 points to make his Strength 16, which leaves him with 7 points left. Since his character will be strong, he doesn’t need to be fast; Mike reduces his Agility to 9 and gets another point to spend, for a total of 8 points left. He decides wants to have a good Resilience, so he spends 5 of his 8 points on that, giving him a Resilience of 14. He puts his remaining 3 points in Willpower, giving him a score of 13.
Roll for stats (requires GM approval): In this variant rule, you will be rolling dice to determine what each of your scores will be. Roll 4d6 (that’s 3 six-sided dice) and ignore the lowest die roll. Total up the remaining three dice, and that’s your first score. Repeat this three more times, and you have your 4 ability scores! Assign them however you’d like.
Note: This method tends to produce numbers a little lower than average, but it can greatly unbalance a game. One player might have several scores above 15 and another might have no scores above a 12.
Step Two: Choose a Zombie Type
Here is a brief rundown of what each Zombie Type represents. Once you choose a Zombie Type, you remain that Zombie Type permanently. If you click the name of the zombie type, you'll be taken to the current talent trees (not all of which are completed).
Bruiser: Of all the types of zombies, you are most suited to front-lines, in the fray fighting. You get better defenses than most, and you can learn to wield weapons that other zombies can’t. You can also fly into a rage, increasing your abilities! Take this zombie type if you want to stand at the front of the pack, fighting head-to-head with your prey!
Hunter: Unlike most zombies, you aren’t slow and shambling. Your plague changed you, made you faster and more agile. You can run, jump, climb, and charge better than most humans can! You can snatch your prey and leap to the rafters, picking them off one-by-one. Or you might run up the walls and around the room, circling your prey and trapping them. Take this zombie type if you want to play a fast, nimble zombie.
Preserved: Something about the plague transformed you, but left you looking mostly human still. People tend to not notice your true nature, and you can blend in with normal humans. You can eventually “relearn” to talk, use tools and operate vehicles, and more! Take this zombie type if you’d like to play a master infiltrator that can live and hunt unnoticed amongst human society.
Zom-brat: You are a child zombie. Killed while still young, you are back and hungry for brains! Your child-like nature makes it hard for humans to attack you, since you look so innocent. You also can learn some weapons, and crippling attacks that leave your opponents immobilized while you feast! Take this zombie type if you want to fight low to the ground, or use your appearance to manipulate and confuse your prey.
Crawler: Your legs were eaten or destroyed before you came back to life. Left with no ability to walk, you drag yourself around searching for food. Many times, your prey is too distracted with your walking companions, while you crawl in for the kill! You can gain abilities to “piggy back” onto humans, you can climb up walls, and so on. Take this zombie type if you want a zombie that sneaks up on your prey, and sometimes even rides around on their back, forcing them to do your bidding!
Putrefactor: You have experienced an accelerated decomposition, which has left your body overrun by diseases and infection. You harness this sickness by turning it against your prey. You exude a cloud of toxins around you, and your bite deals extra poison damage. Take this zombie option if you want to spit clouds of poison, or infect your prey with disease that kills them rapidly.
Ringleader: You are a master of unlife. Through careful manipulation of The Sickness, you have infected yourself with a mutation variation that has given you strange new abilities. You can raise your own undead minions, heal undead, inflict pain on the living, and even cast spells.
Shambler: You are the master of versatility. You may not excel in one area like other undead might, but you can draw skills from all types of zombies, making your own blend of powers and abilities.
Click on the names of the Zombie Types for more information.
Step Three: Choose a Talent
As you level up, you gain talents and feats.
At every odd-numbered level, you gain a talent from your class. You can take any talent in your Zombie Type, in any tree, as long as you meet the requirements. Unless stated otherwise, you cannot take a talent more than once.
At every even-numbered level, you gain a feat. As long as you meet all the requirements for a feat, you can take it. Unless otherwise stated, you cannot take a feat more than once.
Step Three: Choose a Talent
As you level up, you gain talents and feats.
At every odd-numbered level, you gain a talent from your class. You can take any talent in your Zombie Type, in any tree, as long as you meet the requirements. Unless stated otherwise, you cannot take a talent more than once.
At every even-numbered level, you gain a feat. As long as you meet all the requirements for a feat, you can take it. Unless otherwise stated, you cannot take a feat more than once.
No comments:
Post a Comment