Left 4 Dead in 5e: The Infected

[Caliban]

I'm setting up a special scenario for my home campaign, based on the "Left 4 Dead 2" cooperative survival horror (3rd person shooter) game from Valve. This is what I have so far (still working on the rest of the stat blocks).

This is a very rough conversion of the Infected from Valve’s “Left 4 Dead 2” game (available on Steam!).

The Infected
The infected resemble zombies (greyish skin, reddish eyes, nearly mindless) - but they are not undead, instead they are victims of an arcane virus that turns normal humanoids into mindless grey skinned shamblers that stand around in a kind of waking hibernation until they see or hear something, then they charge whatever caught their attention and try to eat it.


Some Infected mutate into Special Infected, gaining increases intelligence and cunning and various special abilities depending on the type they become. The longer the common infected can smell living humanoids, the greater the chance that one or more of them will mutate.

Damaged minds: The Infected barely retain a sense of self, much less recognize other creatures as more than a source of warm, wet meat to feed upon. They are incapable of being charmed or feared due to the damage the virus has wrought upon their minds.

The Cure: Infected are hard to cure. The disease can be cured by Lesser Restoration, but the caster must make a DC 15 casting ability check. If they fail the disease is not ended. If they fail by 5 or more the caster catches the disease as well, turning into an Infected within 24 hours. If the caster succeeds on the ability check the Infected is cured - but if they have been Infected for more than 1d10 days, their memories and personality are gone, their Intelligence reduced to 3. This requires a Greater Restoration to fix.

 

[Caliban]

Infected - Walker
Medium Monstrosity, neutral
Armor Class:10
Hit Points:3d8 (13)
Speed:20 ft.
STR 16 (+3)
DEX 10 (0)
CON 10 (+0)
INT 3 (-4)
WIS 6 (-2)
CHA 5 (-3)
Saving Throws:Wis 0
Skills: Athletics +5; Perception +0
Damage Immunities: poison
Condition Immunities: poisoned, charmed, frightened
Senses: Blindsight 5’, passive Perception 15
Languages:understands the languages it knew in life but can't speak
Challenge:1/2
Heightened Senses: Advantage on scent and sound based perception checks.
Poor Eyesight: Disadvantage on sight based perception checks. Attracted to light.
Headshot Vulnerability: A critical hit automatically reduces the infected to 0 HP.
Aggressive: As a bonus action, the Infected can move up to its speed toward a non-Infected creature it intends to attack.
Horde Tactics: Has Advantage on Attack rolls and Athletics rolls to grapple or shove when another creature with Horde Tactics is adjacent to the target. Gain +2 on Athletics checks to Grapple or Shove for every creature with Horde Tactics adjacent to your target beyond the first.

Actions
If there is no other Infected adjacent to the enemy, the walker will attempt a Slam or Bite attack. If there is another Infected adjacent to the enemy, it will attempt to Grapple instead. If the target is already grappled and restrained, it will attempt to Shove and knock the target prone. If the target is already grappled, restrained, and prone, the infected will Bite at the target.

Slam: Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage
Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage
Grapple: Athletics +5. If the target is already grappled, it is now restrained and the infected is also grappling them.. Restrained targets take 1d4+3 bludgeoning damage at the beginning of their turn for each infected grappling them as the infected horde feeds on them.
Shove: Athletics +5. A successful Athletics check knocks the target prone and the Infected is also grappling them.

 

[Caliban]

Infected - Smoker
Medium Monstrosity, neutral evil
Armor Class:15
Hit Points:11d8 (49)
Speed:30 ft.
STR 16 (+3)
DEX 20 (+5)
CON 10 (+0)
INT 11 (0)
WIS 10 (0)
CHA 8 (-2)
Saving Throws: Dex +8, Wis +3
Skillserception +3, Stealth +9 (expertise)
Feats: Skulker
-You can try to hide when you are lightly obscured from the creature from which you are hiding.
-When you are hidden from a creature and miss it with a ranged weapon attack, making the attack doesn't reveal your position.
-Dim light doesn’t impose disadvantage on your Wisdom (Perception) checks relying on sight.
Damage Immunities: Poison
Condition Immunities: Poisoned, charmed, frightened
Senses:darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages:understands the languages it knew in life but can't speak
Headshot Vulnerability: A critical hit automatically reduces the Infected to 0 HP.
Thermal Sense: Can sense heat signatures of non-Infected living creatures within 120 ft. (Infected, Undead, and Constructs normally emit little or no heat.) This allows them to sense creatures on the other side of a wall, and negates the stealth benefit of the “Pass Without Trace” spell. You are still at disadvantage when attacking Invisible targets, or targets with Heavy Obscurement (unless they are in range of your blindsight), this simply negates most forms of stealth.
Gangrenous Smoke: The smoker is continually obscured by a poisonous vapor released by its diseased flesh. All ranged attacks against it are made at disadvantage. Creatures within 5’ of the Smoker take 1d6 poison damage at the beginning of their turn.
Challenge:5

Actions

Slam: Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) slashing damage.
Elastic Tongue Choke: Ranged Weapon Attack: +8, range: 100 ft., one target. Hit: The target is grappled (escape DC 15) as the smoker’s tongue shoots out and wraps around their neck. Paralytic Poison: The target must also make a DC 16 Con save or be paralyzed for 1 minute by the poison coating the tongue. The paralysis ends if the tongue is cut or the grapple is broken. While the smoker has a creature grappled in this fashion, it’s speed is reduced to 0.
Reel: As a bonus action the smoker knocks a creature grappled by the tongue prone and pulls the creature up to 25 feet straight toward it. (Huge creatures cannot be dragged). The creature takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage as the tongue constricts around its neck. The tongue can be targeted - AC 15, 10 HP.

 

[Caliban]

Infected - Hunter
Medium Monstrosity, neutral evil
Armor Class:15
Hit Points:11d8 (49)
Speed:30 ft. (50’ when jumping)
STR 16 (+3)
DEX 20 (+5)
CON 10 (+0)
INT 11 (0)
WIS 10 (0)
CHA 8 (-2)
Saving Throws: Dex +8, Wis +3
Skillserception +3, Stealth +9 (expertise)
Feats: Skulker
-You can try to hide when you are lightly obscured from the creature from which you are hiding.
-When you are hidden from a creature and miss it with a ranged weapon attack, making the attack doesn't reveal your position.
-Dim light doesn’t impose disadvantage on your Wisdom (Perception) checks relying on sight.
Damage Immunities: poison
Condition Immunities: poisoned, charmed, frightened
Senses:darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages:understands the languages it knew in life but can't speak
Headshot Vulnerability: A critical hit automatically reduces the Infected to 0 HP.
Thermal Sense: Can sense heat signatures of non-Infected living creatures within 120 ft. (Infected, Undead, and Constructs normally emit little or no heat.) This allows them to sense creatures on the other side of a wall, and negates the stealth benefit of the “Pass Without Trace” spell. You are still at disadvantage when attacking Invisible targets, or targets with Heavy Obscurement (unless they are in range of your blindsight), this simply negates most forms of stealth.
Prodigious Leaper: may jump up to 50 feet (vertical or horizontal). Additionally the hunter takes no falling damage when jumping. (It takes damage as normal if it falls involuntarily.)

Ambush: If the hunter is hidden before using Death from Above, the attack is made with Advantage. \\
Challenge: 5

Actions:
Multiattack: The hunter makes two claw attacks
Claw: Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5’ ft., one target. Hit: 1d6+3 slashing
Death From Above: Jump up to 50 feet (vertical or horizontal) and make a Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5’ ft., one target. Hit: 2d6+3 slashing +1d6 slashing damage for every 10’ it travels (both horizontal and vertical) before landing on the target. (Hunters will try to jump from a high place, and angle their jump upwards so they fall from a greater height before landing on their target.) The hunter may then Pin the target.

Pin: As a bonus action, the hunter may Pin a target they just hit by Death from Above. The target is knocked prone, grappled (DC 15 escape check), restrained, and incapacitated as the hunter wraps their legs around the target and claws at their face. The hunter is considered prone while pinning a target, and must make a concentration check or lose the Pin if they take any damage.

 

[Caliban]

Infected - Tank
Large Monstrosity, neutral
Armor Class:17 (natural armor)
Hit Points:11d12 + 55 (126)
Speed:40 ft., climb 20’
STR 26 (+8)
DEX 10 (+0)
CON 20 (+5)
INT 6 (-2)
WIS 12 (+1)
CHA 9 (-1)
Saving Throws: Dex +3, Con +8, Wis +4
Skills:Athletics +12, Perception +4
Condition Immunities: poisoned, charmed, frightened
Senses: blindsight 5 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Thermal Sense: Can sense heat signatures of non-Infected living creatures within 120 ft. (Infected, Undead, and Constructs normally emit little or no heat.) This allows them to sense creatures on the other side of a wall, and negates the benefit of the “Pass Without Trace” spell. You are still at disadvantage when attacking Invisible targets, or targets with Heavy Obscurement (unless they are in range of your blindsight), this simply negates most forms of stealth.

Numb to the Pain: due to dead nerves combined with extra layers of muscle and thickened bones the Tank does not take extra damage on a critical hit.
Feel the Burn: If the Tank is set on fire, it’s speed increases by 10 ft.
Improvised Ranged Weapon: As a bonus action the Tank can rip up a piece of nearby terrain or pick up a heavy object to use as a thrown weapon. The Tank is proficient with this attack.
Languages:understands the languages it knew in life but can't speak
Challenge:8


Actions
Slam: Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (3d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage.

Hulk Smash: A double handed slam that hits everything in front of the Tank - make one +11 Melee Weapon attack against every creature in a 10’ by 20’ area adjacent to the Tank (with the 20’ side centered on the Tank). Each creature hit takes 21 (3d8+8) bludgeoning damage and is pushed 20’ directly away from the tank and knocked prone. Creatures negate the push with a DC 19 Strength Save.

Thrown Debris: Ranged Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, range 60/240 ft., one target. Hit: 30 (4d10 + 8) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

 

[Caliban]

Infected - Charger
Medium Monstrosity, neutral evil
Armor Class:12
Hit Points:11d8 (49)
Speed:30 ft.
STR 20 (+5)
DEX 14 (+2)
CON 10 (+0)
INT 11 (0)
WIS 10 (0)
CHA 8 (-2)
Saving Throws: Dex +5, Wis +3
Skillserception +3, Stealth +5
Damage Immunities: poison
Condition Immunities: poisoned, charmed, frightened
Senses:darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages:understands the languages it knew in life but can't speak
Headshot Vulnerability: A critical hit automatically reduces the Infected to 0 HP.
Thermal Sense: Can sense heat signatures of non-Infected living creatures within 120 ft. (Infected, Undead, and Constructs normally emit little or no heat.) This allows them to sense creatures on the other side of a wall, and negates the stealth benefit of the “Pass Without Trace” spell. You are still at disadvantage when attacking Invisible targets, or targets with Heavy Obscurement (unless they are in range of your blindsight), this simply negates most forms of stealth.
Living Battering Ram: Advantage on Athletics checks made to Shove. Advantage on attacks made as part of a charge. When charging, you may make attempt to Shove any creature you pass within 5 ft. of (pushing them 10’ away from you and dealing 1d6 bludgeoning damage if you beat their athletics check) or attempt to Shove them prone (and deal 1d6 bludgeoning damage) and then run over them if they are directly in front of you. It does not cost you any extra movement to run through the space of creatures you have knocked prone.

Actions:
Slam: Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5’ ft., one target. Hit: 1d6+5 bludgeoning
Powerful Charge: Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5’ ft., one target. Hit: 1d6+5 bludgeoning. Select a target creature you can see within 60’. Move up to 60 ft in a straight line towards that creature before making the attack, and if you hit them, they are grappled and restrained, and if you have any movement left you may continue the charge, carrying them with you (carrying the target of your charge does not cost you extra movement). If you end the charge adjacent to a wall, you slam your target into the wall, dealing 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 10’ you moved. The target must then make a DC 16 Con save or be Stunned until the end of your next turn.

Pummel: Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5’ ft., one target. Hit: 1d6+5 bludgeoning. If you hit a Stunned target, they must make a DC 16 Con save or be Stunned until the end of your next turn. Your speed is reduced to 0 if you use pummel. (You are holding them and hitting them over and over again.)

 

[Caliban]

Infected - Jockey

 

[Caliban]

Infected - Spitter

 

[Caliban]

Infected - Boomer

 

[Caliban]

Infected - Witch