"Contagious" Zombies?

[Kryndal Levik]

Does anyone know of a "contagious" zombie template? I'm thinking of something similar to what you'd find in the Resident Evil games or movie- a character is bitten, acquires a "disease," and, if not healed, eventually dies and becomes a zombie himself. I've put together a template myself, but I'm not too happy with it. Any suggestions?

 

[dave_o]

I don't really think it requires a template. Just take your average zombie, and give them a Disease.

Maybe require a SUPER HIGH Fortitude save to resist contracting it (so that only the most hardy even have a chance of resisting), and then subsequent Will saves to avoid turning - becoming progressively harder.

But it's a great idea.

 

[ced1106]

Post the template and get some feedback.

The old AD&D FF had this "Son of Kyrus" which sorta sounds like what you're looking for. Cool picture, too.


Cedric.
aka. Washu! ^O^

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

Post the template and get some feedback.

The old AD&D FF had this "Son of Kyrus" which sorta sounds like what you're looking for. Cool picture, too.


Cedric.
aka. Washu! ^O^

The 3e version of a "Son of Kyuss" was in the Living Greyhawk Journal a while back. And the "Spawn of Kyuss" is in MMII (p. 186), with a "Create Spawn" ability.

In the George Romero films ("Night of the Living Dead," "Dawn of the Dead," "Day of the Dead") there is no Fort save. You get infected and you die. Then you rise as a zombie, since anyone who dies with their head/brain intact rises as undead.

 

[Hjorimir]

What about yellow-musk zombies? They are kinda like that.

 

[haiiro]

The 3e version of a "Son of Kyuss" was in the Living Greyhawk Journal a while back. And the "Spawn of Kyuss" is in MMII (p. 186), with a "Create Spawn" ability.

The latest issue of Dragon (#307) offers up several undead templates, include the scion of Kyuss. Scions can create spawn of Kyuss (mentioned above) by implanting little worms into other creatures -- using either their natural attacks, or by hurling them at targets.

There's no creepy "diseased" phase for folks with worms in them -- they just get dumber and dumber until they die and return as spawn. Still, it's pretty close to the RE-style zombies you have in mind (and it probably wouldn't require too much work to tweak things to fit your idea).

 

[Red Baron]

Really, though, I think dave_0 has the right of it: just make up a "disease" that has the effect of a wight's 'create spawn' ability, siphoning 1d2 Con per day, or something, until the creature dies and becomes a zombie. Then give that disease to a zombie. 'Nuff said.

 

[Gez]

"Contagious dead" was one of my proposals for Creature Collection 3. This one got rejected. (But actually, this was a template for plague-bearing creatures, any undead could get this, and then it could be used to propagate any disease, people who would die from that disease would become spawns or zombies, with the contagious dead template).

 

[Kryndal Levik]

Here's my shot at it- I changed it from a template to a standard creature. (I had a bit more flavor text, but it was specific to my campaign so I dropped it.) Let me know what you think...

Edit: Changed the document to get rid of two irritating typos...

 

[Melan]

For my own campaign, I just made up a new disease:

Charnel Sickness
Incubation: 1 day
Save DC: 16
Effects: d6 Con per day, turn into a zombie once dead.

Simple enough?