One Evil Zombie

“How can only one zombie be scary to a group of adventurers?” Short answer: watch an Evil Dead movie. Cheating answer: let’s design a new zombie.

The core zombie:

AC 8, HP 11, ATK 1 slam +2 (1d6), MV near, S +2, D -2, C +1, I -2, W -2, Ch -3, AL C, LV 2

Undead. Immune to morale checks.

Relentless. If zombie reduced to 0 HP by a non-magical source, DC 15 CON to go to 1 HP instead.

Let’s add some old-school flavor and edit Undead:

Undead. Silent until it attacks. Immune to morale checks.

In the world of Lefort undead are always corpses possessed by demons. After watching Evil Dead: Rise tonight I realized how similar this concept is to the Evil Dead series and was inspired to create this post. 

This isn’t some poor soul dimly reanimated. This is a master of chaos and evil inhabiting corporeal form,  possibly for the first time.

ATK 1 gore +2 (1d8 + black bile), I +1

Black Bile. DC 12 CON or 1d4 CON damage (can’t heal while ill). Repeat check once per hour; ends on success. Die at 0 CON: the demon will also inhabit this new corpse, creating another zombie.

This demon has the power to possess whole graveyard’s worth of corpses, but has decided to start with just one. Let’s add Revenant:

Revenant. If cut or chopped, detached extremity (1. hand 2. head 3. arm 4. leg) becomes another zombie. Zombies take no slashing damage, divide the remaining HP between both.

And if this demon can possess a corpse, why can’t they possess even the smallest dead body part as they desperately hold onto physical form? Let’s edit Relentless:

Relentless. If zombie is reduced to 0 HP by a non-magical source and still has mobility, or one or more extremities (hands, head, arms, legs), then zombie goes to 1 HP in 1d6 minutes instead.

This demon-possessed zombie is silent, intelligent, and chaotic. It has every memory its corpse had and will use this knowledge to mind-fuck adventurers. 

If it’s attacked with weapons that can slice off its limbs those limbs will become zombies. A zombie will need to be nearly completely dismembered or magically annihilated to kill it. Undead hands skittering around, corpse arms quietly crawling across the floor, a headless torso dragging itself against the ground on its biceps, a decapitated head cackling evilly as it floats through the air with its twisted teeth open in a gnarly bite.

Oh yeah.

MV near (fly)

It might be hard to imagine a zombie flying around, but that’s because they don’t often use the ability. The demon inside it is the real monster, the corpse is a puppet it’s contorting to its devious will. Most of the time it’s more fun for the demon to have their zombie body creep on the ground, or break its bones and walk limply. Flying heads and hands are pretty goofy, and demons know this. Some demons like the campiness, and others are more serious with their scares (but mostly kills).

Another important note. Many corpses don’t look too different from the people they once were. This is where the Black Bile ability comes into play. Dark ichor seeps out of the zombies eyes, nose, mouth, fingernails, and wounds. If the bile gets into an adventurer’s wounds they’re lethally infected, opening the door for more zombies to enter the scenario.

Evil Zombie

AC 8, HP 11, ATK 1 gore +2 (1d8 + black bile) MV near (fly), S +2, D -2, C +1, I +1, W -2, Ch -3, AL C, LV 4

Black Bile. DC 12 CON or 1d4 CON damage (can’t heal while ill). Repeat check once per hour; ends on success. Die at 0 CON: the demon will also inhabit your corpse, creating another zombie.

Undead. Silent until it attacks. Immune to morale checks.

Relentless.  If zombie is reduced to 0 HP by a non-magical source and still has mobility, or one or more extremities (hands, head, arms, legs), then zombie goes to 1 HP in 1d6 minutes instead.

Revenant. If cut or chopped, detached extremity (1. hand 2. head 3. arm 4. leg) becomes another zombie. Zombies take no slashing damage, divide the remaining HP between both.

Pair this one evil zombie with an enclosed, multi-entrance, multi-exit, labyrinthian environment (like when adventurers are delving into, or backtracking out of, a dungeon, perhaps?) and you’ve got a terrifying encounter.