Wisdom from the Wastelands Issue #52 Nanotech Undead
Labyrinth Lord
Nanotech Undead: In the Ancients’ movies and literature, undead were often created by magic, curses, or other supernatural phenomena. The hideous and terrifying creatures now stalking the wastelands are closer to another theme from the ancestors’ popular culture: technology run amuck, the escaped infectious creations of mad scientists. But the Ancient bio-tech engineers were not usually mad, and the infections did not escape. Instead, it was much, much worse: undead were born as nanite terror weapons, and intentionally used. Originally, even during the final wars’ opening salvos, weapons like these were outlawed by all sides. Over time, the desperate, the deranged, and the purely evil ignored these agreements. In secret government facilities and hidden terrorist labs, the various undead “species” were developed using nanites of both forms, robotic and organic. However, each kind of monster is usually particular to one nanite type or the other, with most derived from robotic versions.
Uncounted millions died, ripped apart by these un-living monstrosities, or were changed, recruited in blood on the far side of death’s door, rising to join the undead ranks. Many undead forms were created and released, and more still were “misplaced” as the final wars tore apart what safeguards were left.
The nanites that convert and control the undead come in two basic forms: robotic and organic. The former are like little machines, while the latter are more akin to engineered viruses.
One of the most terrifying things about these creatures is that they can reproduce. The nanites which created the undead can be passed on to victims through physical contact or injury. In this way, even if a character survives the initial undead attack, he may still die hours or days later, becoming the monster that killed him.
Unless otherwise noted in the monster’s description, characters wounded by undead must save versus poison to avoid being infected by the nanites. Most of the entries below have their own method of infection that appear to go against the rules provided here. These rules are a generalization that the ML can use for their own nanitized undead monstrosities, or be used instead of those provided in the descriptions. However, the ML needs to keep track of the damage the creature inflicts to come up with the final penalty for the saving throw! This roll is modified by three factors: nanite strength, the type of attack (e.g., bludgeoning versus cutting or piercing), and the total amount of damage inflicted upon the victim that round.
The Nanotechnology Strength indicates the particular nanite’s virulence and its resistance, if defending against attacks by other nanites or treatment by Ancient medicine. This number is listed in each of the creatures’ stat blocks. The type of attack is important because piercing attacks, such as bites, drive the nanites deeper into a victim’s body than cuts or impacts, making it harder to resist the infection. Bludgeoning attacks have less chance of breaking the skin, which provides a barrier to infection.
No matter how many wounds a victim suffers in one round, or how many different kinds of undead are involved, the character has to make only one save per round. Even if there are multiple types of attack (e.g., claw and bite) or multiple attacker types (e.g., bloody skeletons and bone dervishes), this does not present a problem. The victim simply uses only the highest Nanotechnology Strength out of all attackers and the attack with the most severe penalty.
As an example, Turok gets attacked by those two monsters mentioned above and takes 12 points of damage in one round. The Damage sustained Modifiers table indicates this is a -2 save penalty. The highest Nanotechnology Strength is 3 from the bone dervish, while the attack with the most severe save penalty is the bloody skeleton’s bite (-2). Added together, the modifier to Turok’s poison save this round is -7 (damage: -2, attack type: -2, nanite strength: -3). As this indicates, the undead are nasty, nasty creatures, and should be considered high-level monsters. Fighting them is not a pleasant or good idea; they need to be taken out from range and as quickly as possible.
Several things should be noted with this system. First, the penalties only accumulate during the round when the damage is inflicted, not for all damage the character takes during an entire combat. This means a character will likely make several saves, one during each round she is wounded; if she is not wounded during one round, she does not have to make a save. Second, should a character fail one save, but later roll a natural 20 to save versus poison during another round of the same combat, the character’s immune system is able to block the infection. Last, if the character fails her save, she is infected. Note the total modifier used for the failed roll; this will be used later. See the section below, on Incubation and Treatment.
Attack Type Modifiers
Attack Type Save Modifier
Cutting (e.g., claw) -1
Impact (e.g., punch, bash) +2
Piercing (e.g., bite) -2
Damage Sustained Modifiers
Damage Taken Save Modifier
1-3 +1
4-6 +0
7-10 -1
11-15 -2
16+ -3
Incubation and Treatment
When a character gets infected by some strain of undead nanotechnology, there are usually two paths to follow: the direct route to death and conversion, and the scenic one.
Again note that most of the nanotech undead creature described below have their own method of conversion and infection. This is a guideline for ML’s who wish to create their own monstrosities.
If the character is slain fighting one of the undead, the nanites need only 2d6 rounds to multiply inside the victim’s body — unless otherwise noted in the monster’s description. Once this time has passed, the victim rises as a new creature, of the same type as her killer. All former mutations, abilities, and statistics are gone. The character is irretrievably lost, and no trace of her former personality remains.
If the character survived her battle with the undead, but failed at least one save versus poison (and did not roll a 20 on a later save), she is still infected. Her likely or impending death will take a little longer. The nanites remain within her body, and continue to multiply, but at a much slower rate. This gives her a chance to find medical help capable of purging the nanites from her system.
Every six hours after infection, the victim must make another saving throw, with the same modifiers used when she was initially infected. A failed save means the victim takes CON damage equal to 1d3+(Nanotechnology Strength of the infecting creature). Once the victim’s CON reaches zero, she dies. After 1d4 rounds, she rises as a new version of the creature that killed her. If the victim is lucky enough to roll a natural 20 on one of these saves, her body’s immune system has successfully destroyed the invading nanites, and she is cured. If her CON is high enough that she gets a bonus to poison saving throws, this bonus can be added, trying to get 20 or above. Aside from rolling a 20, the victim’s only hope of surviving is to find the treatment mentioned above. Treatment ideas can be found in the previously mentioned Nanotechnology issues of WftW, as well as those issues dealing with disease, medical equipment, and drugs (#8, #13, and #33, respectively). Once the nanites are purged, the character’s CON returns at her natural healing rate per day.
Undead: In the Ancients’ movies and literature, undead were often created by magic, curses, or other supernatural phenomena.
Numerous types of undead monsters can be found in the post-apocalyptic world and might have been created in a number of ways.
Blood Slime: Instead of draining blood, a slime occasionally infects a target (10% of the time), transmitting nanites through its tentacles. When a victim fails her save versus poison (see the Transmission section for more information, as well as negative to the victim’s saving throw), the nanites start working rapidly, causing 1d4+1 points of Constitution damage per hour. When her CON reaches 0, the victim dies. Her body melts into a puddle of blood and gore, with the bones, organs, and flesh liquefying within 1d4 rounds. The new slime creature has a number of hit dice equal to half the character’s CON score.
Blood slime differs slightly from other undead, because it is created by organic nanites.
Puffers are especially vulnerable to penetrating weapons (e.g., spears, swords, arrows, bullets): any piercing attack that does 8+ points of damage in a single strike automatically kills the creature and causes it to detonate.
The explosion has a 30' radius of effect and inflicts 5d6 points of damage (save versus energy for half damage). Any character within the blast must save versus poison, with a -4 penalty, to avoid being infected by nanites. This is different than the puffers’ reproductive bite, because that hellish soup sloshing within them carries many strains of undead nanites. For each target, roll on the Puffer Infection Table to determine the nanite strain that infects the victim. Strangely, if another one of these creatures is within the blast, it will not detonate, nor will it suffer any damage from the blast.
Although the explosion is bad enough, its effects linger, with the blast area remaining toxic for the next 4d12 days. Any character entering the 30' radius of effect must save versus poison or become infected by some strain. Only those wearing sealed environmental protection suits will be safe. Setting off an EMP weapon is one sure way to clean up the area and destroy any loitering nanites.
Puffer Infection Table
Roll Resulting Undead Type
1-6 Bloody Skeleton
7-8 Banshee
9 Flesh Collector
10-12 Floating Torso
13 Insidious
14 Juggernaught
15 Psionic Undead
16 Slime, Blood
17-18 Young
19-20 Walking Dead
The undead pets prefer to let their nanites do the killing, most often biting and running. If flight is not an option, the creatures fight, but have a nasty surprise for characters looking to kill a pet. In yet another difference from other undead species, these creatures have a built-in self-destruct mechanism: when the animal falls to 0 hit points, it explodes. Everything within a 20' radius takes 4d6 points of thermal damage (save versus energy for half). Anyone in the blast must also save versus poison, using the modifiers described in the Transmission section, to avoid being infected. It is possible for other undead pets to be killed in the blast, setting off a chain-reaction of fiery damage and contamination.
Undead pets are infested with nearly every strain of undead nanite. So, whether victims were bitten or wounded by pet-part shrapnel, the infected get to roll on the Undead Pet Infection Table to determine their individual doom.
Undead Pet Infection Table
Roll Undead Type
1-6 Bloody Skeleton
7-8 Banshee
9 Flesh Collector
10-12 Floating Torso
13 Insidious
14 Juggernaut
15 Psionic Undead
16 Slime, blood
17-18 Young
19-20 Walking Dead
Some wasteland scholars believe the young harbor nanites for more than just the walking dead, and might be able to create any nanotech undead, much like Puffers (and using their Infection Table). There has been no direct evidence, aside from rumors, but there is a good chance those rumors are true.
Bloody Skeleton: Just one bloody skeleton can doom an entire community, as the nanite-borne plague spreads like August prairie fire. The creatures are covered by crimson or dark brown blood stains, all that remains after the bones ripped themselves free of the original victim, discarding flesh and organs as though they were soiled clothing.
This horrific birth begins as the nanites insinuate themselves throughout the victim’s body. His limbs begin moving of their own volition, first tearing off all his clothes and equipment. Then he is forced to bite the flesh from his fingers while still conscious and aware of the pain. When the phalanges are exposed, the victim must watch in helpless agony as his hands claw open skin and rip away muscle. Only when the trauma and blood loss become too great does the victim finally die.
The removal takes 3d6 rounds, but once all meat is gone (including the eyes), the creature is ready to attack and spread infection through its bite and claws.
In its drive to infect, the insidious is an unusual carrier, because it spreads nanites for many different undead species. Once a victim is infected, roll on the Insidious Infection Table to determine what kind of undead it will become.
Insidious Infection Table
Roll d20 Resulting Undead Type
1-2 Banshee
3-8 Bloody Skeleton
9 Flesh Collector
10-13 Floating Torso
14 Juggernaught
15-18 Walking Dead
19-20 Young
If this Necro individual happens to come across a lone human or mutant, the nanites will force it to attack and bite the target. Often these infected will carry stun weapons in order to make the process all that easier. They will infect victims as such with the Bloody Bones, Ghoul or Walking Dead versions of this plague. One in ten times the nanites will infest the target, creating another Necro.
Puffers are especially vulnerable to penetrating weapons (e.g., spears, swords, arrows, bullets): any piercing attack that does 8+ points of damage in a single strike automatically kills the creature and causes it to detonate.
The explosion has a 30' radius of effect and inflicts 5d6 points of damage (save versus energy for half damage). Any character within the blast must save versus poison, with a -4 penalty, to avoid being infected by nanites. This is different than the puffers’ reproductive bite, because that hellish soup sloshing within them carries many strains of undead nanites. For each target, roll on the Puffer Infection Table to determine the nanite strain that infects the victim. Strangely, if another one of these creatures is within the blast, it will not detonate, nor will it suffer any damage from the blast.
Although the explosion is bad enough, its effects linger, with the blast area remaining toxic for the next 4d12 days. Any character entering the 30' radius of effect must save versus poison or become infected by some strain. Only those wearing sealed environmental protection suits will be safe. Setting off an EMP weapon is one sure way to clean up the area and destroy any loitering nanites.
Puffer Infection Table
Roll Resulting Undead Type
1-6 Bloody Skeleton
7-8 Banshee
9 Flesh Collector
10-12 Floating Torso
13 Insidious
14 Juggernaught
15 Psionic Undead
16 Slime, Blood
17-18 Young
19-20 Walking Dead
The undead pets prefer to let their nanites do the killing, most often biting and running. If flight is not an option, the creatures fight, but have a nasty surprise for characters looking to kill a pet. In yet another difference from other undead species, these creatures have a built-in self-destruct mechanism: when the animal falls to 0 hit points, it explodes. Everything within a 20' radius takes 4d6 points of thermal damage (save versus energy for half). Anyone in the blast must also save versus poison, using the modifiers described in the Transmission section, to avoid being infected. It is possible for other undead pets to be killed in the blast, setting off a chain-reaction of fiery damage and contamination.
Undead pets are infested with nearly every strain of undead nanite. So, whether victims were bitten or wounded by pet-part shrapnel, the infected get to roll on the Undead Pet Infection Table to determine their individual doom.
Undead Pet Infection Table
Roll Undead Type
1-6 Bloody Skeleton
7-8 Banshee
9 Flesh Collector
10-12 Floating Torso
13 Insidious
14 Juggernaut
15 Psionic Undead
16 Slime, blood
17-18 Young
19-20 Walking Dead
Some wasteland scholars believe the young harbor nanites for more than just the walking dead, and might be able to create any nanotech undead, much like Puffers (and using their Infection Table). There has been no direct evidence, aside from rumors, but there is a good chance those rumors are true.
Banshee: When it kills a target, the banshee ignores other characters nearby (unless it is attacked) and spends 1d3 rounds releasing its nanites into the corpse.
The organic mass of anyone killed and infected by a banshee is converted into robotic nanites, a process that takes 4d6 hours.
In its drive to infect, the insidious is an unusual carrier, because it spreads nanites for many different undead species. Once a victim is infected, roll on the Insidious Infection Table to determine what kind of undead it will become.
Insidious Infection Table
Roll d20 Resulting Undead Type
1-2 Banshee
3-8 Bloody Skeleton
9 Flesh Collector
10-13 Floating Torso
14 Juggernaught
15-18 Walking Dead
19-20 Young
Puffers are especially vulnerable to penetrating weapons (e.g., spears, swords, arrows, bullets): any piercing attack that does 8+ points of damage in a single strike automatically kills the creature and causes it to detonate.
The explosion has a 30' radius of effect and inflicts 5d6 points of damage (save versus energy for half damage). Any character within the blast must save versus poison, with a -4 penalty, to avoid being infected by nanites. This is different than the puffers’ reproductive bite, because that hellish soup sloshing within them carries many strains of undead nanites. For each target, roll on the Puffer Infection Table to determine the nanite strain that infects the victim. Strangely, if another one of these creatures is within the blast, it will not detonate, nor will it suffer any damage from the blast.
Although the explosion is bad enough, its effects linger, with the blast area remaining toxic for the next 4d12 days. Any character entering the 30' radius of effect must save versus poison or become infected by some strain. Only those wearing sealed environmental protection suits will be safe. Setting off an EMP weapon is one sure way to clean up the area and destroy any loitering nanites.
Puffer Infection Table
Roll Resulting Undead Type
1-6 Bloody Skeleton
7-8 Banshee
9 Flesh Collector
10-12 Floating Torso
13 Insidious
14 Juggernaught
15 Psionic Undead
16 Slime, Blood
17-18 Young
19-20 Walking Dead
The undead pets prefer to let their nanites do the killing, most often biting and running. If flight is not an option, the creatures fight, but have a nasty surprise for characters looking to kill a pet. In yet another difference from other undead species, these creatures have a built-in self-destruct mechanism: when the animal falls to 0 hit points, it explodes. Everything within a 20' radius takes 4d6 points of thermal damage (save versus energy for half). Anyone in the blast must also save versus poison, using the modifiers described in the Transmission section, to avoid being infected. It is possible for other undead pets to be killed in the blast, setting off a chain-reaction of fiery damage and contamination.
Undead pets are infested with nearly every strain of undead nanite. So, whether victims were bitten or wounded by pet-part shrapnel, the infected get to roll on the Undead Pet Infection Table to determine their individual doom.
Undead Pet Infection Table
Roll Undead Type
1-6 Bloody Skeleton
7-8 Banshee
9 Flesh Collector
10-12 Floating Torso
13 Insidious
14 Juggernaut
15 Psionic Undead
16 Slime, blood
17-18 Young
19-20 Walking Dead
Some wasteland scholars believe the young harbor nanites for more than just the walking dead, and might be able to create any nanotech undead, much like Puffers (and using their Infection Table). There has been no direct evidence, aside from rumors, but there is a good chance those rumors are true.
Bone Dervish: A character killed by a dervish is seeded with nanites from the colony. These strip the corpse of flesh in 4d6 hours, leaving a perfectly clean skeleton amid a pile of organic goo, which is disgusting, but harmless. The bones are added to the colony, with each new skeleton giving a dervish three more hit dice. Once a dervish grows to 20+ hit dice, the colony splits into two 10-hit die dervishes.
When Necros come across a corpse, they will bite it. This will infect the corpse with either the nanite version of the Bone dervishes, Dry Bones, or Walking Dead plague. The nanites will infest and create these creatures.
Cold Shadow: Created before the final wars, these horrifying examples of Ancient science and ingenuity gone wrong were designed not so much as terror weapons, but as nearly-unstoppable assassins.
Rarely (1% of the time), a shadow will bathe its kill in its own nanites, giving rise to a new creature. This conversion takes 2d12 hours; once complete, the victim’s body is gone, consumed by nanites, leaving only the new shadow
Dry Bones: During the final wars, these horrors sought out and reanimated skeletons of the long-dead. The nanites burrowed into graveyards, used the surrounding earth to multiply, and then stirred the bones to un-life.
The creatures reproduce by killing and draining the corpses into husks, then reanimating the remains. But they can also reanimate the dead from graveyards, old battlegrounds, or other devastated areas with human or near-human corpses. Reanimation takes 4d12 hours, sometimes less if there is a great deal of moisture in the area. A dry bones may only reanimate one skeleton at a time, but can do this 1d4 times in a row, before needing to “recharge” its nanites, which takes 14 days. Because of this, entire sections of some ruined cities are filled with these creatures. Although the nanites were programmed to convert human skeletons, a ML could also have non-human dry bones, if she wants.
When Necros come across a corpse, they will bite it. This will infect the corpse with either the nanite version of the Bone dervishes, Dry Bones, or Walking Dead plague. The nanites will infest and create these creatures.
Flesh Collector: When it has secured a full complement of limbs, the creature looks to reproduce, hunting for human victims to infect — not kill outright — transferring nanites through its bite. To resist the infection, a victim must save versus poison, with the saving throw modified by the amount of damage inflicted, as described in the Transmission section above. When a flesh collector is taking limbs, it concentrates on one target at a time until the victim is dead; however, when it attacks to reproduce, the flesh collector does not care if there are dozens of potential victims nearby, or just one: it bites and bites and bites trying to infect infect as many victims as possible during a round. And then it flees, letting the infection do the killing.
Conversion into a flesh collector begins as soon as the victim fails his save, and the nanites enter his bloodstream. It follows the process described in the rules, except for one difference: the nanites immediately infest his brain. Within 2d12 hours, they wipe the cerebral cortex clean, eliminating any trace of the victim’s memory, personality, or conscious thought. Mechanically, the victim loses 1d3 point of Intelligence every hour, until reaching 0. Should the victim somehow be cured of the nanite infestation, the lost INT points return at the character’s natural rate of healing per day.
Physically, the character undergoes a vast transformation during the conversion. Once he’s dead, the nanites spread throughout the victim’s body, increasing his muscular and skeletal density, making the creature terrifically strong and giving it a layer of protective dermal plates. The creature’s knuckles are also transformed, into jagged bony spikes that inflict horrible, bleeding wounds. Any character punched by a flesh collector automatically loses an additional 1d3 hit points per round, per wound from blood loss. For example, a victim punched four times loses 4d3 hit points per round until either the wounds have been bandaged (requiring 1 round per wound), he takes a curative drug, or he uses a medical device that heals damage. Mutants with regenerative capability are immune to this effect.
While pure humans are a flesh collector’s intended targets, the nanites can also infect mutant humans — but not other creatures, such as mutant animals.
In its drive to infect, the insidious is an unusual carrier, because it spreads nanites for many different undead species. Once a victim is infected, roll on the Insidious Infection Table to determine what kind of undead it will become.
Insidious Infection Table
Roll d20 Resulting Undead Type
1-2 Banshee
3-8 Bloody Skeleton
9 Flesh Collector
10-13 Floating Torso
14 Juggernaught
15-18 Walking Dead
19-20 Young
Puffers are especially vulnerable to penetrating weapons (e.g., spears, swords, arrows, bullets): any piercing attack that does 8+ points of damage in a single strike automatically kills the creature and causes it to detonate.
The explosion has a 30' radius of effect and inflicts 5d6 points of damage (save versus energy for half damage). Any character within the blast must save versus poison, with a -4 penalty, to avoid being infected by nanites. This is different than the puffers’ reproductive bite, because that hellish soup sloshing within them carries many strains of undead nanites. For each target, roll on the Puffer Infection Table to determine the nanite strain that infects the victim. Strangely, if another one of these creatures is within the blast, it will not detonate, nor will it suffer any damage from the blast.
Although the explosion is bad enough, its effects linger, with the blast area remaining toxic for the next 4d12 days. Any character entering the 30' radius of effect must save versus poison or become infected by some strain. Only those wearing sealed environmental protection suits will be safe. Setting off an EMP weapon is one sure way to clean up the area and destroy any loitering nanites.
Puffer Infection Table
Roll Resulting Undead Type
1-6 Bloody Skeleton
7-8 Banshee
9 Flesh Collector
10-12 Floating Torso
13 Insidious
14 Juggernaught
15 Psionic Undead
16 Slime, Blood
17-18 Young
19-20 Walking Dead
The undead pets prefer to let their nanites do the killing, most often biting and running. If flight is not an option, the creatures fight, but have a nasty surprise for characters looking to kill a pet. In yet another difference from other undead species, these creatures have a built-in self-destruct mechanism: when the animal falls to 0 hit points, it explodes. Everything within a 20' radius takes 4d6 points of thermal damage (save versus energy for half). Anyone in the blast must also save versus poison, using the modifiers described in the Transmission section, to avoid being infected. It is possible for other undead pets to be killed in the blast, setting off a chain-reaction of fiery damage and contamination.
Undead pets are infested with nearly every strain of undead nanite. So, whether victims were bitten or wounded by pet-part shrapnel, the infected get to roll on the Undead Pet Infection Table to determine their individual doom.
Undead Pet Infection Table
Roll Undead Type
1-6 Bloody Skeleton
7-8 Banshee
9 Flesh Collector
10-12 Floating Torso
13 Insidious
14 Juggernaut
15 Psionic Undead
16 Slime, blood
17-18 Young
19-20 Walking Dead
Some wasteland scholars believe the young harbor nanites for more than just the walking dead, and might be able to create any nanotech undead, much like Puffers (and using their Infection Table). There has been no direct evidence, aside from rumors, but there is a good chance those rumors are true.
Floating Torso: Clearly the product of a deranged mind, these monsters rip off their own skins like Bloody Skeletons during their conversions, but go further, with the torso tearing its spine free from the pelvis. The nanites responsible for creating these horrors imbue their bones with millions of tiny repulsor units, which allow a torso to hover 2-3' off the ground, and move marginally faster than other types of skeletons.
In its drive to infect, the insidious is an unusual carrier, because it spreads nanites for many different undead species. Once a victim is infected, roll on the Insidious Infection Table to determine what kind of undead it will become.
Insidious Infection Table
Roll d20 Resulting Undead Type
1-2 Banshee
3-8 Bloody Skeleton
9 Flesh Collector
10-13 Floating Torso
14 Juggernaught
15-18 Walking Dead
19-20 Young
Puffers are especially vulnerable to penetrating weapons (e.g., spears, swords, arrows, bullets): any piercing attack that does 8+ points of damage in a single strike automatically kills the creature and causes it to detonate.
The explosion has a 30' radius of effect and inflicts 5d6 points of damage (save versus energy for half damage). Any character within the blast must save versus poison, with a -4 penalty, to avoid being infected by nanites. This is different than the puffers’ reproductive bite, because that hellish soup sloshing within them carries many strains of undead nanites. For each target, roll on the Puffer Infection Table to determine the nanite strain that infects the victim. Strangely, if another one of these creatures is within the blast, it will not detonate, nor will it suffer any damage from the blast.
Although the explosion is bad enough, its effects linger, with the blast area remaining toxic for the next 4d12 days. Any character entering the 30' radius of effect must save versus poison or become infected by some strain. Only those wearing sealed environmental protection suits will be safe. Setting off an EMP weapon is one sure way to clean up the area and destroy any loitering nanites.
Puffer Infection Table
Roll Resulting Undead Type
1-6 Bloody Skeleton
7-8 Banshee
9 Flesh Collector
10-12 Floating Torso
13 Insidious
14 Juggernaught
15 Psionic Undead
16 Slime, Blood
17-18 Young
19-20 Walking Dead
The undead pets prefer to let their nanites do the killing, most often biting and running. If flight is not an option, the creatures fight, but have a nasty surprise for characters looking to kill a pet. In yet another difference from other undead species, these creatures have a built-in self-destruct mechanism: when the animal falls to 0 hit points, it explodes. Everything within a 20' radius takes 4d6 points of thermal damage (save versus energy for half). Anyone in the blast must also save versus poison, using the modifiers described in the Transmission section, to avoid being infected. It is possible for other undead pets to be killed in the blast, setting off a chain-reaction of fiery damage and contamination.
Undead pets are infested with nearly every strain of undead nanite. So, whether victims were bitten or wounded by pet-part shrapnel, the infected get to roll on the Undead Pet Infection Table to determine their individual doom.
Undead Pet Infection Table
Roll Undead Type
1-6 Bloody Skeleton
7-8 Banshee
9 Flesh Collector
10-12 Floating Torso
13 Insidious
14 Juggernaut
15 Psionic Undead
16 Slime, blood
17-18 Young
19-20 Walking Dead
Some wasteland scholars believe the young harbor nanites for more than just the walking dead, and might be able to create any nanotech undead, much like Puffers (and using their Infection Table). There has been no direct evidence, aside from rumors, but there is a good chance those rumors are true.
Ghost: Like banshees, ghosts are created by a strain of weaponized, self-replicating nanites that was engineered to cause fear.
Ghosts mostly (90% of the time) try to kill any living creature they encounter. However, 10% of the time, the entities aim to spread their nanites in order to reproduce. After being touched, the human or near-human target must save versus poison to avoid infection. If the victim fails, he quickly succumbs to the nanites, which then destroy his body and convert it into a nanite cloud that retains his appearance at the moment of death — even his gear. This process takes 1d12 hours; once complete, the former victim is now a fully-functional monster. The destruction is complete and irreversible: the victim cannot be brought back to life by any means, and retains no memory of his living self.
There are two types of ghosts: those with a fixed territory and those that roam freely. When a character is killed and converted, he has a 50/50 chance of becoming one type or the other.
Ghoul: Those creating nanotech undead often mined mythology and legend for ideas. Ghouls were a slightly different case, as some wasteland scholars believe the creatures were inspired by role-playing games and online virtual reality worlds that existed before the fall. However they were dreamed up, these creatures are the stuff of nightmares.
After death, these human corpses were reawakened by organic nanites and corrupted into things with an insatiable hunger for blood and flesh.
Ghouls attempt to reproduce, rather than merely eating victims, only if their pack size drops below 16 individuals. They spread their nanites only through their bite, not their claws. Any victim bitten must save versus poison and use the Transmission modifiers to avoid initial contamination as normal, but the remaining ghoul infection process is slightly different from other undead. Every day, an infected victim loses 1d4+1 points of Constitution; once she reaches a -1 CON, she dies. During this time, however, she can still be saved by getting medical help or finding a way to clean the organic nanites from her body.
Anyone dying from the infection reanimates in 2d3 days. The new creature’s wounds are healed, its body is transformed, and any remnants of its former personality or memories have been destroyed. The new ghoul loses any obvious outward mutations (such as extra limbs) during the conversion, but less obvious powers (such as increased physical attributes and some toxic weapons) are retained and still usable. This could be quite a surprise for any would-be exterminators who run into these atypical ghouls. Wasteland scholars are uncertain why only certain mutations disappear; some believe the original nanite designers wanted their creations to have a physical uniformity. Others just shake their heads at the Ancients’ inscrutable whims.
Unlike many other undead, ghouls are created by the rarer, virus-like organic nanites.
If this Necro individual happens to come across a lone human or mutant, the nanites will force it to attack and bite the target. Often these infected will carry stun weapons in order to make the process all that easier. They will infect victims as such with the Bloody Bones, Ghoul or Walking Dead versions of this plague. One in ten times the nanites will infest the target, creating another Necro.
Insidious: Occasionally, the insidious will venture from his home community and travel to another one nearby, to fulfill its second mission: reproduction. There, the creature tries to find a loner or someone with a small family. Insidious prefer a mated target, because these victims tend to around much less suspicion than a lone drifter. The creature attacks with the same tactics described above, but only infects the victim with insidious nanites. Transforming into an insidious takes 1d3 days, a process so gradual and subtle that a victim will not know what’s happening unless she is carefully monitored or subjected to medical tests.
Puffers are especially vulnerable to penetrating weapons (e.g., spears, swords, arrows, bullets): any piercing attack that does 8+ points of damage in a single strike automatically kills the creature and causes it to detonate.
The explosion has a 30' radius of effect and inflicts 5d6 points of damage (save versus energy for half damage). Any character within the blast must save versus poison, with a -4 penalty, to avoid being infected by nanites. This is different than the puffers’ reproductive bite, because that hellish soup sloshing within them carries many strains of undead nanites. For each target, roll on the Puffer Infection Table to determine the nanite strain that infects the victim. Strangely, if another one of these creatures is within the blast, it will not detonate, nor will it suffer any damage from the blast.
Although the explosion is bad enough, its effects linger, with the blast area remaining toxic for the next 4d12 days. Any character entering the 30' radius of effect must save versus poison or become infected by some strain. Only those wearing sealed environmental protection suits will be safe. Setting off an EMP weapon is one sure way to clean up the area and destroy any loitering nanites.
Puffer Infection Table
Roll Resulting Undead Type
1-6 Bloody Skeleton
7-8 Banshee
9 Flesh Collector
10-12 Floating Torso
13 Insidious
14 Juggernaught
15 Psionic Undead
16 Slime, Blood
17-18 Young
19-20 Walking Dead
The undead pets prefer to let their nanites do the killing, most often biting and running. If flight is not an option, the creatures fight, but have a nasty surprise for characters looking to kill a pet. In yet another difference from other undead species, these creatures have a built-in self-destruct mechanism: when the animal falls to 0 hit points, it explodes. Everything within a 20' radius takes 4d6 points of thermal damage (save versus energy for half). Anyone in the blast must also save versus poison, using the modifiers described in the Transmission section, to avoid being infected. It is possible for other undead pets to be killed in the blast, setting off a chain-reaction of fiery damage and contamination.
Undead pets are infested with nearly every strain of undead nanite. So, whether victims were bitten or wounded by pet-part shrapnel, the infected get to roll on the Undead Pet Infection Table to determine their individual doom.
Undead Pet Infection Table
Roll Undead Type
1-6 Bloody Skeleton
7-8 Banshee
9 Flesh Collector
10-12 Floating Torso
13 Insidious
14 Juggernaut
15 Psionic Undead
16 Slime, blood
17-18 Young
19-20 Walking Dead
Some wasteland scholars believe the young harbor nanites for more than just the walking dead, and might be able to create any nanotech undead, much like Puffers (and using their Infection Table). There has been no direct evidence, aside from rumors, but there is a good chance those rumors are true.
Juggernaut: After a monster reaches 20 hit dice, it begins to infect humans with the nanites. When it finds a group of humans, the juggernaut aims to kill all but one or two. Then it tries to grab the survivor(s), which requires an attack roll and does 1d12 points of damage (because the creature is pulling its attack). Then it bite its victim, which also requires an attack roll, but only does 1d4 points of damage. The victim must save versus poison or become infected with nanites.
The nanites cause 1d3 points of Constitution damage per hour until the victim reaches 0, when the dies. The victim later rises as a 5 hit die monster, with reduced physical attacks and no bite.
In its drive to infect, the insidious is an unusual carrier, because it spreads nanites for many different undead species. Once a victim is infected, roll on the Insidious Infection Table to determine what kind of undead it will become.
Insidious Infection Table
Roll d20 Resulting Undead Type
1-2 Banshee
3-8 Bloody Skeleton
9 Flesh Collector
10-13 Floating Torso
14 Juggernaught
15-18 Walking Dead
19-20 Young
Puffers are especially vulnerable to penetrating weapons (e.g., spears, swords, arrows, bullets): any piercing attack that does 8+ points of damage in a single strike automatically kills the creature and causes it to detonate.
The explosion has a 30' radius of effect and inflicts 5d6 points of damage (save versus energy for half damage). Any character within the blast must save versus poison, with a -4 penalty, to avoid being infected by nanites. This is different than the puffers’ reproductive bite, because that hellish soup sloshing within them carries many strains of undead nanites. For each target, roll on the Puffer Infection Table to determine the nanite strain that infects the victim. Strangely, if another one of these creatures is within the blast, it will not detonate, nor will it suffer any damage from the blast.
Although the explosion is bad enough, its effects linger, with the blast area remaining toxic for the next 4d12 days. Any character entering the 30' radius of effect must save versus poison or become infected by some strain. Only those wearing sealed environmental protection suits will be safe. Setting off an EMP weapon is one sure way to clean up the area and destroy any loitering nanites.
Puffer Infection Table
Roll Resulting Undead Type
1-6 Bloody Skeleton
7-8 Banshee
9 Flesh Collector
10-12 Floating Torso
13 Insidious
14 Juggernaught
15 Psionic Undead
16 Slime, Blood
17-18 Young
19-20 Walking Dead
The undead pets prefer to let their nanites do the killing, most often biting and running. If flight is not an option, the creatures fight, but have a nasty surprise for characters looking to kill a pet. In yet another difference from other undead species, these creatures have a built-in self-destruct mechanism: when the animal falls to 0 hit points, it explodes. Everything within a 20' radius takes 4d6 points of thermal damage (save versus energy for half). Anyone in the blast must also save versus poison, using the modifiers described in the Transmission section, to avoid being infected. It is possible for other undead pets to be killed in the blast, setting off a chain-reaction of fiery damage and contamination.
Undead pets are infested with nearly every strain of undead nanite. So, whether victims were bitten or wounded by pet-part shrapnel, the infected get to roll on the Undead Pet Infection Table to determine their individual doom.
Undead Pet Infection Table
Roll Undead Type
1-6 Bloody Skeleton
7-8 Banshee
9 Flesh Collector
10-12 Floating Torso
13 Insidious
14 Juggernaut
15 Psionic Undead
16 Slime, blood
17-18 Young
19-20 Walking Dead
Some wasteland scholars believe the young harbor nanites for more than just the walking dead, and might be able to create any nanotech undead, much like Puffers (and using their Infection Table). There has been no direct evidence, aside from rumors, but there is a good chance those rumors are true.
Krawler: Before the final wars came to an end, the ancients enjoyed marvels of medical technology which many living in the ruins consider to be nothing short of magic. One of the greatest advances was the ability to grow limbs and organs in order to replace those lost due to disease and accident.
The terrorist organizations responsible for many of the nanotech undead horrors unleashed during the turbulent final years managed to infest these production laboratories with nanites. At first the limbs, organs and so forth seemed to be perfectly healthy and normal, but after 1d6 days after implantation, the true terror of these insidious nanites appeared. The original victims of the infected replacements became one of the many different types of undead (roll on the Puffer infection table, below). The limbs and organs would then detach from the body and through the strange and horrid programming, seek out other creatures to infest.
Lightning Walker: This type of nanite undead is a bit of a contradiction. Most nanite undead are quite susceptible to the effects of electrical attacks, particularly EMP, but the nanites infesting these unfortunate souls are organic nanites, and have undergone a type of tinkering which makes them far heartier than most other types of nanites.
There are two types of nanites infesting these undead. The first type is the regular organic nanites, which will turn victims into Walking Dead. The second type is the Lightning Walker version, which will cause the victims to rise as a new Lightning Walker. The ratio is approximately 75% Walking Dead to 25% Lightning Walker.
These undead will always stop and spend at least 1d6 rounds digging into the corpses of any recently killed creature in order to infest it with the nanites. Creatures which are already deceased will have only a 20% chance of becoming either Walking Dead or this particular type of nanotech undead.
Nanospider: This particular brand of creature has only shown up in the wastelands over the past ten or twenty years. It is suspected that some technologically savvy individual or group managed to get hold of blank nanotech and a programmer in order to create these terrors.
In order to ensure the continuation of the species, these creatures will travel and actively seek out other spiders in order to infest them. Sometimes they will ignore perfectly healthy spiders and instead search for the egg clusters and infect the eggs with the nanites. They will not harm the growing young, but instead will wait until the spiders have reached full maturity before killing them and turning them into spreaders of the nanite horror.
Necro: If this Necro individual happens to come across a lone human or mutant, the nanites will force it to attack and bite the target. Often these infected will carry stun weapons in order to make the process all that easier. They will infect victims as such with the Bloody Bones, Ghoul or Walking Dead versions of this plague. One in ten times the nanites will infest the target, creating another Necro.
Psionic Shambler: Only recently encountered in the wastelands, shamblers may have been created to battle the many mutants with powerful psionic abilities.
The psionic shambler monsters spread their nanite strain through both claw and bite attacks. Infected characters begin wasting away, suffering 1d4+2 points of Constitution damage per day. Upon reaching 0 CON, they die and reanimate in 1d4 hours. If the character was pure human, or a mutant with only physical mutations, he rises as a walking dead (with no mutations). If the victim has mental mutations, he rises as a psionic shambler.
Strangely, unlike the Walking Dead, these Psionic Shambler nanites only reanimate humans or humanoids, not animals.
Puffers are especially vulnerable to penetrating weapons (e.g., spears, swords, arrows, bullets): any piercing attack that does 8+ points of damage in a single strike automatically kills the creature and causes it to detonate.
The explosion has a 30' radius of effect and inflicts 5d6 points of damage (save versus energy for half damage). Any character within the blast must save versus poison, with a -4 penalty, to avoid being infected by nanites. This is different than the puffers’ reproductive bite, because that hellish soup sloshing within them carries many strains of undead nanites. For each target, roll on the Puffer Infection Table to determine the nanite strain that infects the victim. Strangely, if another one of these creatures is within the blast, it will not detonate, nor will it suffer any damage from the blast.
Although the explosion is bad enough, its effects linger, with the blast area remaining toxic for the next 4d12 days. Any character entering the 30' radius of effect must save versus poison or become infected by some strain. Only those wearing sealed environmental protection suits will be safe. Setting off an EMP weapon is one sure way to clean up the area and destroy any loitering nanites.
Puffer Infection Table
Roll Resulting Undead Type
1-6 Bloody Skeleton
7-8 Banshee
9 Flesh Collector
10-12 Floating Torso
13 Insidious
14 Juggernaught
15 Psionic Undead
16 Slime, Blood
17-18 Young
19-20 Walking Dead
The undead pets prefer to let their nanites do the killing, most often biting and running. If flight is not an option, the creatures fight, but have a nasty surprise for characters looking to kill a pet. In yet another difference from other undead species, these creatures have a built-in self-destruct mechanism: when the animal falls to 0 hit points, it explodes. Everything within a 20' radius takes 4d6 points of thermal damage (save versus energy for half). Anyone in the blast must also save versus poison, using the modifiers described in the Transmission section, to avoid being infected. It is possible for other undead pets to be killed in the blast, setting off a chain-reaction of fiery damage and contamination.
Undead pets are infested with nearly every strain of undead nanite. So, whether victims were bitten or wounded by pet-part shrapnel, the infected get to roll on the Undead Pet Infection Table to determine their individual doom.
Undead Pet Infection Table
Roll Undead Type
1-6 Bloody Skeleton
7-8 Banshee
9 Flesh Collector
10-12 Floating Torso
13 Insidious
14 Juggernaut
15 Psionic Undead
16 Slime, blood
17-18 Young
19-20 Walking Dead
Some wasteland scholars believe the young harbor nanites for more than just the walking dead, and might be able to create any nanotech undead, much like Puffers (and using their Infection Table). There has been no direct evidence, aside from rumors, but there is a good chance those rumors are true.
Puffer: In combat, the Puffer creatures first bash targets with their thick, squishy fists. Should a puffer hit with a natural 20, the strike does double damage and the target is stunned for 1d3 rounds unless it successfully saves versus energy. Stunned victims are then bitten, an attack which automatically hits, does damage, and forces the target to make another save. This save versus poison is to avoid being infected by puffer nanites, and uses the modifiers described in the Transmission section above.
Those infected with the Krawler organs must immediately save versus poison with a -5 to the saving throw or be killed. Unlike the appendages below, these victims will lose all their internal organs, which will leave through any orifice available. The remaining husk then becomes a Puffer.
Screaming Skull: Unlike most other undead nanite types, which affect the whole corpse, this strain focuses solely on the skull. After colonization, a bright emerald green glow appears within each eye socket; they move, shifting from side to side, as though actual eyes looking for victims. The altered skull takes on a slightly luminescent, greenish tinge, detaches from its skeleton, and begins to float. The nanites are similar to those found in floating torsos, providing lift with tiny repulser units.
A flock attacks until all targets are dead, and then they reproduce, peeling away the skin from their victims’ skulls and infecting the bones with nanites, which takes 2d6 rounds. The conversion process, from bone to flying monster, takes 2d12 turns; after which time, the new creature separates from its skeleton and joins the flock. Once a particular flock has 20 members, new additions break away and form a new flock. Unlike other undead, the skulls do not infect living targets; the nanites only work on dead bone, not living tissue.
Stabber: These nanite undead were created to be the combative side of the undead terrors. They appear to be the typical Walking Dead variety, but there is one major difference between them and the other creatures. They have snapped off their forearms, leaving torn flesh and jagged bone.
Unlike other types of nanite undead, these creatures do not care if they kill the victim — anything they kill is going to rise up and join the ranks of the walking dead. There is a 10% chance however a victim will instead rise as one of these creatures. It will still retain part of its memories, and as such it will always try to hunt down and kill and infect friends and family members first. In fact, many of the herds found with these beasts are the remains of friends or family members. The chance of them infecting a friend or family member with this version of the nanites is increased to 50%. Once they have become infected, they will find a suitable location in order to snap off their arms, creating the distinctive look and attack they possess.
Undead Pet: A horde of the walking dead is an effective way to spread fear, but it’s not the best way to spread infectious nanites: potential victims see the monsters coming and run away. Some terror weapon designers decided to fashion a more subtle infectious agent by capturing pets in target areas, converting them into undead, then returning the animals to their neighborhoods. What they created was a highly unusual form of undead, one more suited to infiltration — almost an animal version of the insidious. The type of pet did not matter — cat, lizard, gerbil, etc. — all the “lost” animals were happily welcomed back into their owners’ lives, where they could perform their murderous mission in secret.
When the pets attack other animals, they specifically transmit the nanite strain for undead pets. After being bitten, the victim animal saves versus poison to avoid infection. If this fails, the victim becomes lethargic, while it loses 1d4-1 points of Constitution per hour. The animal does not die when this stat reaches 0; it lies down and becomes comatose for 1d6 turns. Nothing can waken a victim during this period, but once it’s over, the animal rises as if nothing had happened. But, they were converted into monsters, and begin spreading their plague, looking for other animals to attack and other communities to take them in.
Wrapped: Wasteland scholars are not certain where these unusual monsters came from, or what they are, exactly. Some believe the wrapped are horribly corrupted tailoring nanites, while others assume the creatures were specifically created as terror weapons.
The wrapped nanites are unlike other nanotech undead: they will not kill a wounded victim. Scholars believe energy within a living creature keeps these nanites from becoming virulent. However, any character killed by the wrapped (either by suffocation or by being sliced) is converted into more nanites, becoming one of these monsters in 4d8 hours. Much like bone dervishes, the wrapped are not merely wearing a dead character’s clothes: the nanites infest and animate the rags.
Voracious: It has been determined these creatures were unleashed upon the wastes just after the cessation of the final wars. The lands were filled with untold dead, and those who were responsible for the creation of the many variations of the nanitzied undead felt it was their “civic duty” to create a way to clean up the remains.
Thus were born a new strain of nanitized undead.
Any living human, pure human or humanoid attacked and infected by a Voracious will lose 1d3 points of Constitution score (if a save versus poison is failed) every 6 hours. Once the Constitution score reaches zero, the target will die and rise 1d6 turns later as one of these creatures.
It should be noted Voracious will also attack and consume animals, but the nanites cannot animate them.
Wealth Hoarder: It has been speculated these creatures were created by the scientists and others who had a distinct hatred of the wealthy and those who hoarded the wealth before the commencement of the final wars.
Those killed by the creature will always rise as one of these nanitized undead in 1d6 days, although for some very strange reason the organic nanites which animate these corpses will never actually infest targets which are still living — the body’s natural immune system ensures this will not happen.
Young: In combat, the young use their child-like characteristics to surprise would-be opponents, or throw off adults conditioned to view children as nonthreatening. The creatures’ bite and claw attacks both inject targets with a class 11 paralytic toxin. To avoid being immobilized, a victim must save versus poison for each separate attack that hits. Each save is modified using the penalties described in the Transmission section. If alone with a target, the young kills its victim immediately, but if fighting a group, the creatures try to paralyze all targets first, then kill them when it is safe to do so.
Passed along within the paralytic secretion are nanites that create the young. These initially seem dormant, activating only after a victim dies. Then, they apparently respond to age-related hormonal markers: children reanimate as one of the young in 2d12 hours, while older teens and adults rise as one of the walking dead in 4d6 turns. During this conversion period, children are spirited away and carefully hidden by the young until their transformation is complete, but adult victims could be left where they fell, or just dragged out of sight.
Should a wounded victim survive being attacked by the young, the nanites stay in her system. If killed soon after, she rises as an appropriate form of undead. How long this period is, and if it is possible to destroy the dormant nanites (or if they simply get flushed from the body by the character’s immune system) is up to the ML.
In its drive to infect, the insidious is an unusual carrier, because it spreads nanites for many different undead species. Once a victim is infected, roll on the Insidious Infection Table to determine what kind of undead it will become.
Insidious Infection Table
Roll d20 Resulting Undead Type
1-2 Banshee
3-8 Bloody Skeleton
9 Flesh Collector
10-13 Floating Torso
14 Juggernaught
15-18 Walking Dead
19-20 Young
Puffers are especially vulnerable to penetrating weapons (e.g., spears, swords, arrows, bullets): any piercing attack that does 8+ points of damage in a single strike automatically kills the creature and causes it to detonate.
The explosion has a 30' radius of effect and inflicts 5d6 points of damage (save versus energy for half damage). Any character within the blast must save versus poison, with a -4 penalty, to avoid being infected by nanites. This is different than the puffers’ reproductive bite, because that hellish soup sloshing within them carries many strains of undead nanites. For each target, roll on the Puffer Infection Table to determine the nanite strain that infects the victim. Strangely, if another one of these creatures is within the blast, it will not detonate, nor will it suffer any damage from the blast.
Although the explosion is bad enough, its effects linger, with the blast area remaining toxic for the next 4d12 days. Any character entering the 30' radius of effect must save versus poison or become infected by some strain. Only those wearing sealed environmental protection suits will be safe. Setting off an EMP weapon is one sure way to clean up the area and destroy any loitering nanites.
Puffer Infection Table
Roll Resulting Undead Type
1-6 Bloody Skeleton
7-8 Banshee
9 Flesh Collector
10-12 Floating Torso
13 Insidious
14 Juggernaught
15 Psionic Undead
16 Slime, Blood
17-18 Young
19-20 Walking Dead
The undead pets prefer to let their nanites do the killing, most often biting and running. If flight is not an option, the creatures fight, but have a nasty surprise for characters looking to kill a pet. In yet another difference from other undead species, these creatures have a built-in self-destruct mechanism: when the animal falls to 0 hit points, it explodes. Everything within a 20' radius takes 4d6 points of thermal damage (save versus energy for half). Anyone in the blast must also save versus poison, using the modifiers described in the Transmission section, to avoid being infected. It is possible for other undead pets to be killed in the blast, setting off a chain-reaction of fiery damage and contamination.
Undead pets are infested with nearly every strain of undead nanite. So, whether victims were bitten or wounded by pet-part shrapnel, the infected get to roll on the Undead Pet Infection Table to determine their individual doom.
Undead Pet Infection Table
Roll Undead Type
1-6 Bloody Skeleton
7-8 Banshee
9 Flesh Collector
10-12 Floating Torso
13 Insidious
14 Juggernaut
15 Psionic Undead
16 Slime, blood
17-18 Young
19-20 Walking Dead
Some wasteland scholars believe the young harbor nanites for more than just the walking dead, and might be able to create any nanotech undead, much like Puffers (and using their Infection Table). There has been no direct evidence, aside from rumors, but there is a good chance those rumors are true.
Walking Dead: In its drive to infect, the insidious is an unusual carrier, because it spreads nanites for many different undead species. Once a victim is infected, roll on the Insidious Infection Table to determine what kind of undead it will become.
Insidious Infection Table
Roll d20 Resulting Undead Type
1-2 Banshee
3-8 Bloody Skeleton
9 Flesh Collector
10-13 Floating Torso
14 Juggernaught
15-18 Walking Dead
19-20 Young
There are two types of nanites infesting lightning walker undead. The first type is the regular organic nanites, which will turn victims into Walking Dead. The second type is the Lightning Walker version, which will cause the victims to rise as a new Lightning Walker. The ratio is approximately 75% Walking Dead to 25% Lightning Walker.
These undead will always stop and spend at least 1d6 rounds digging into the corpses of any recently killed creature in order to infest it with the nanites. Creatures which are already deceased will have only a 20% chance of becoming either Walking Dead or this particular type of nanotech undead.
Anyone touching the nanospider's webbing is automatically attacked by organic nanites and there is the usual chance of becoming infected. Anyone infected with these nanites and is killed rise as the Walking Dead — this includes animals.
Often when encountered deep in the ruins, the spiders will have a hoard of 2d12 Walking Dead spread throughout their lairs, victims of the virus they spread forever guarding the spiders and making it difficult for anyone to make it through the maze unscathed.
When Necros come across a corpse, they will bite it. This will infect the corpse with either the nanite version of the Bone dervishes, Dry Bones, or Walking Dead plague. The nanites will infest and create these creatures.
The psionic shambler monsters spread their nanite strain through both claw and bite attacks. Infected characters begin wasting away, suffering 1d4+2 points of Constitution damage per day. Upon reaching 0 CON, they die and reanimate in 1d4 hours. If the character was pure human, or a mutant with only physical mutations, he rises as a walking dead (with no mutations). If the victim has mental mutations, he rises as a psionic shambler.
Strangely, unlike the Walking Dead, these Psionic Shambler nanites only reanimate humans or humanoids, not animals.
Puffers are especially vulnerable to penetrating weapons (e.g., spears, swords, arrows, bullets): any piercing attack that does 8+ points of damage in a single strike automatically kills the creature and causes it to detonate.
The explosion has a 30' radius of effect and inflicts 5d6 points of damage (save versus energy for half damage). Any character within the blast must save versus poison, with a -4 penalty, to avoid being infected by nanites. This is different than the puffers’ reproductive bite, because that hellish soup sloshing within them carries many strains of undead nanites. For each target, roll on the Puffer Infection Table to determine the nanite strain that infects the victim. Strangely, if another one of these creatures is within the blast, it will not detonate, nor will it suffer any damage from the blast.
Although the explosion is bad enough, its effects linger, with the blast area remaining toxic for the next 4d12 days. Any character entering the 30' radius of effect must save versus poison or become infected by some strain. Only those wearing sealed environmental protection suits will be safe. Setting off an EMP weapon is one sure way to clean up the area and destroy any loitering nanites.
Puffer Infection Table
Roll Resulting Undead Type
1-6 Bloody Skeleton
7-8 Banshee
9 Flesh Collector
10-12 Floating Torso
13 Insidious
14 Juggernaught
15 Psionic Undead
16 Slime, Blood
17-18 Young
19-20 Walking Dead
Unlike other types of nanite undead, these creatures do not care if they kill the victim — anything they kill is going to rise up and join the ranks of the walking dead. There is a 10% chance however a victim will instead rise as one of these creatures. It will still retain part of its memories, and as such it will always try to hunt down and kill and infect friends and family members first. In fact, many of the herds found with these beasts are the remains of friends or family members. The chance of them infecting a friend or family member with this version of the nanites is increased to 50%.
The undead pets prefer to let their nanites do the killing, most often biting and running. If flight is not an option, the creatures fight, but have a nasty surprise for characters looking to kill a pet. In yet another difference from other undead species, these creatures have a built-in self-destruct mechanism: when the animal falls to 0 hit points, it explodes. Everything within a 20' radius takes 4d6 points of thermal damage (save versus energy for half). Anyone in the blast must also save versus poison, using the modifiers described in the Transmission section, to avoid being infected. It is possible for other undead pets to be killed in the blast, setting off a chain-reaction of fiery damage and contamination.
Undead pets are infested with nearly every strain of undead nanite. So, whether victims were bitten or wounded by pet-part shrapnel, the infected get to roll on the Undead Pet Infection Table to determine their individual doom.
Undead Pet Infection Table
Roll Undead Type
1-6 Bloody Skeleton
7-8 Banshee
9 Flesh Collector
10-12 Floating Torso
13 Insidious
14 Juggernaut
15 Psionic Undead
16 Slime, blood
17-18 Young
19-20 Walking Dead
In combat, the young use their child-like characteristics to surprise would-be opponents, or throw off adults conditioned to view children as nonthreatening. The creatures’ bite and claw attacks both inject targets with a class 11 paralytic toxin. To avoid being immobilized, a victim must save versus poison for each separate attack that hits. Each save is modified using the penalties described in the Transmission section. If alone with a target, the young kills its victim immediately, but if fighting a group, the creatures try to paralyze all targets first, then kill them when it is safe to do so.
Passed along within the paralytic secretion are nanites that create the young. These initially seem dormant, activating only after a victim dies. Then, they apparently respond to age-related hormonal markers: children reanimate as one of the young in 2d12 hours, while older teens and adults rise as one of the walking dead in 4d6 turns. During this conversion period, children are spirited away and carefully hidden by the young until their transformation is complete, but adult victims could be left where they fell, or just dragged out of sight.
Should a wounded victim survive being attacked by the young, the nanites stay in her system. If killed soon after, she rises as an appropriate form of undead. How long this period is, and if it is possible to destroy the dormant nanites (or if they simply get flushed from the body by the character’s immune system) is up to the ML.
Some wasteland scholars believe the young harbor nanites for more than just the walking dead, and might be able to create any nanotech undead, much like Puffers (and using their Infection Table). There has been no direct evidence, aside from rumors, but there is a good chance those rumors are true.
