Do Zombies Freeze?

Darklone · Mar 27, 2004

One silly hat in bright colours for Greywarden, please

hong, I'm sorry, this time his argument was more silly than yours.

Terry Edwards · Mar 29, 2004

Forget the rules, frozen zombie thaw is kewl.

Darklone · Mar 29, 2004

"Spring time, the zombies are shambling again..."

Greywarden · Mar 29, 2004

Hmm... let's se, many Zombies (and your basic human zombie in particular)have an Enviroment listing of Any in the Monster Manual, this would imply one might find them in tropical areas, temperate areas, oh... and artic(cold) areas. As I understand things, creatures (and undead) are generally expected to be able to operate in well any of the enviroments where one would find them and still be the same threat (CR) to characters. This would lead one to think that a monster or creature would not be expected to take damage from its enviroment under typical circumstances (and -20 degrees* is not exactly unusual for the artic... it's what gives it that whole... artic feeling).
While zombies certainly lack the adaptions of say a polar bear to keep them alive in sub-zero weather... being undead, the whole staying alive bit is not an issue. Zombies may indeed "freeze" but unless they are encased in ice, I wouldn't expect them to be inconvenienced much by the cold... especially if they're zombie polar bears.

* Not that the rule in question applys here anyway.

DarkMaster · Mar 29, 2004

Zombie can be affected by a cone of cold, so why aren't the element affecting them. I could easily see one rule that once a Zombie get "killed" by cold damage it's completly frozen and when the temperature rise up again those damage disapear. I don't see how a zombie could not freeze when the temperature goes below 0 C. Or how could it continue to move.

Put meat in the freezer and you will understand what I mean. It becomes so hard in inflexible that I don't see how the average zombie with STR12 could move in such a frozen bodie. And even if it could, it would break it's body.

I really like that idea of frozen zombie, might add it to my campaign.

jgsugden · Mar 29, 2004

Who cares? If you like the idea, change the rules or work around it.

For instance, the zombies could be special zombies that are immune to cold damage.

Or, they may be animated anew every spring when the thaw comes.

As a DM, you can tweak things as necessary to make the game work however needed to tell the story. That is why you are the Dungeon MASTER, not the Dungeon SLAVE TO THE RULES.

CrimsonTemplar · Mar 29, 2004

Hmmm...Frost Zombies. Reminds me of "The Others" from George R.R. Martin's Song of Fire and Ice.

Greywarden · Mar 29, 2004

DarkMaster said:
Zombie can be affected by a cone of cold, so why aren't the element affecting them. I could easily see one rule that once a Zombie get "killed" by cold damage it's completly frozen and when the temperature rise up again those damage disapear. I don't see how a zombie could not freeze when the temperature goes below 0 C. Or how could it continue to move.

How does a polar bear continue to move at tempertures down to as low as -34 degrees? And as for comparing damage from a cone of cold spell to natural effects of the enviroment while at the same time assuming a magically animated dead body is no different than inamnimate dead meat... well funny thing about magic, its well magical.

DarkMaster said:
Put meat in the freezer and you will understand what I mean. It becomes so hard in inflexible that I don't see how the average zombie with STR12 could move in such a frozen bodie. And even if it could, it would break it's body.

So you end up with either a freeze dried zombie, or a skeleton that the flesh has broken off of... oh wait, I've already made those arguments.

DarkMaster · Mar 29, 2004

Greywarden said:
How does a polar bear continue to move at tempertures down to as low as -34 degrees?
.

Come On, The polar bear is still alive, it's muscle and skin stay way above the freezing mark. Don't know for bear, but human internal temperature is around 37 C, At other temperature the body degrade quite rapidely. That is independant of the external Temperature, we are not reptiles.

As for the Zombie, he has no metabolism (Con -) he has no way of keeping it's body warm so in the cold the skin and muscle should freeze like beef in my freezer.