Do zombies decay? Can they run?
- Thread starter Emirikol
- Start date
I like the 'perpetual rot' idea.
SylverFlame
First Post
For the run thing, definitely partial run.
As for the decay... In a 2e campaign a player pressed on this issue and said that since the tomb they were in was inaccessible before the dwarf wanted to prove his head was indeed stronger than the elf's sword (the dwarf had a 5 intelligence, what can I say?), they should be fighting skeletons. I replied with what become a House Excuse (not a rule, just a way of saying I was right
). The mold and maggots that went with the decay of the zombie were able to maintain the body in its normal state. On top of this, zombies have a VERY weak form of energy drain that affects creature with extremely low HD. What the energy drain does is it draws power from the creature affected and grows new skin for the zombie, hence, the maggots were actually keeping the zombie whole.
This also explains why zombies and skeletons always seem to have full hit points...
As for the decay... In a 2e campaign a player pressed on this issue and said that since the tomb they were in was inaccessible before the dwarf wanted to prove his head was indeed stronger than the elf's sword (the dwarf had a 5 intelligence, what can I say?), they should be fighting skeletons. I replied with what become a House Excuse (not a rule, just a way of saying I was right
). The mold and maggots that went with the decay of the zombie were able to maintain the body in its normal state. On top of this, zombies have a VERY weak form of energy drain that affects creature with extremely low HD. What the energy drain does is it draws power from the creature affected and grows new skin for the zombie, hence, the maggots were actually keeping the zombie whole.This also explains why zombies and skeletons always seem to have full hit points...
Similar Threads
