D&D 5E Finger of Death = zombie Question

[jasper]

If I use Finger of Death, kill a pc and get the zombie up. Is it okay use the victims AC - 2 if the dead pc had armor. But should I use the slam attack +3 to hit 1d6 +1 blunt. Or use the pc's weapon if better?
So 1. Use zombie out of MM. 2. Mix max using the PC stuff if better.

 

[Nagol]

The AC should be armour AC - 2 rather than PC's old AC - 2, but that's probably what you meant.

Zombies don't have any armour//weapon proficiencies.

So if the zombie is wearing armour/using a weapon apply the requisite disadvantage(s) and remove attack proficiency (+1 to hit with weapon rather than +3) and you should be good to go.

 

[MechaTarrasque]

My impression is that zombies don't have the capacity to use weapons (that is more of a skeleton thing) or gain many (if any) class benefits from their previous life (that is more a lich/dread knight/hecuva thing), but we don't have a zombie template so that is a "rulings not rules" area.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

My impression is that zombies don't have the capacity to use weapons (that is more of a skeleton thing) or gain many (if any) class benefits from their previous life (that is more a lich/dread knight/hecuva thing), but we don't have a zombie template so that is a "rulings not rules" area.

The zombie description does say that they'll use weapons if you give them to them, but won't pick them up off the ground unless you tell them to. Seems like more of a "lack of initiative" thing than a non-proficiency thing.

As DM, I wouldn't have a problem with someone giving a greatsword to a zombie but I'd look askance at a longbow or crossbow zombie. Too many moving parts. I'd probably just make that zombie start hitting things with the crossbow itself, like a club.

 

[MechaTarrasque]

The zombie description does say that they'll use weapons if you give them to them, but won't pick them up off the ground unless you tell them to. Seems like more of a "lack of initiative" thing than a non-proficiency thing.

As DM, I wouldn't have a problem with someone giving a greatsword to a zombie but I'd look askance at a longbow or crossbow zombie. Too many moving parts. I'd probably just make that zombie start hitting things with the crossbow itself, like a club.

That is true. I don't use zombies that often and my players seem to prefer skeletons, so I am not as up on them as I should be.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

As an aside: scale mail-clad skeletons dual-wielding short swords are awesome for Necromancers, especially when inspired by Inspiring Leader. Imagine a 58 HP (33 real + 25 temp) skeleton with AC 16 with two attacks per turn doing d6+8 and d6+6 respectively (average 21). Now imagine that the Necromancer has a dozen of them, and another dozen with longbows.

Plus maybe handful of them with bags of caltrops, whose job is to create battlefield obstructions.

 

[Oofta]

The DMG has adjustments for zombie NPCs - Page 282. Interestingly, there's no adjustment for Dex. Of course that's not really a monster "template" like they have for the half dragon.

I'd probably base the dex on how long the zombie has been around - a fresh zombie may be more spry than a rotting corpse, but that's just me.

I'd likely do something similar with weapons. The longer a zombie is a zombie, the more of a shambling corpse it becomes.

 

[jasper]

Ok, what I thinking of if a PC fails and becomes a zombie. Use the armor of the pc minus the dex modifier of zombie. Either the more damaging of the attacks slam vs pc's weapon. Make the player roll to hit. HMM please dice gawds make my players fail their saves tomorrow night. hahahhahhahah