I'm running a campaign set during a zombie apocalypse in the modern day (but like, still fantasy-y modern day. it's weird, loose worldbuilding that doesn't need much detail lol), and i'm trying to plan a sidequest that involves the party fetching a living creature for a sort of bunkered, tech savvy survivor to experiment on as payment for him fixing a robot of theirs.
My first thought was for him to ask them to capture a zombie and bring it to him, but based on precedent (the party already has one locked in their basement,) that would be too easy, and also not very interesting.
What could i do to either introduce a cool new creature, some modified and more interesting zombie, or some other scenario/setting/something that would make this bring-in-alive fetch quest stand out from the hordes of zombies these players are used to? The party will be level 3 but there are anywhere from 5-8 of them at a given session, so CR won't matter too precisely, plus the fact that it's for capture, not killing.
Ghasts and Ghouls. Try to establish a scenario where the scientist is trying to trace origin of the zombie epidemic.
Ghasts and Ghouls are a decent evolution form the standard zombie: undead, eaters of human flesh, etc.
Then modify stats of creatures like a Mummy and Vampire to meet your world view (focus less on their established historical mythos and more on what their powers and presence represents). For example, the Mummy is a body prepared by a third party in anticipation they will arise form death. End of the day it is still a "zombie" form a narrative perspective but you are applying a stat block for a higher CR foe. If your world doesn't allow for "curses" then you can adjust game stats so it is disease or virus, etc.
The tech savvy survivor offers a good tool for exposition to advance your story. They can analyze artifacts and creatures your party capture and then present them information on where the story will go and how to resolve the adventure. Good luck, sounds like a great idea for a campaign. Cheers!
You could do what I did for my game...take inspiration from the Zombicide board game and flavour its zombies for D&D. LInk to the Zombicide wiki here: https://zombicide.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Zombie
Or you could get them to retrieve a Zombie Beholder, that should be enough to scare the b'jeezus out of them especially if you have some zombie gaunts or spectators floating around as well.
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* Need a character idea? Search for "Rob76's Unused" in the Story and Lore section.
Even a chimera type zombie would be strange. Like a human combined with another creature could make for a real interesting battle and a weird plot twist
Ghasts and Ghouls. Try to establish a scenario where the scientist is trying to trace origin of the zombie epidemic.
Ghasts and Ghouls are a decent evolution form the standard zombie: undead, eaters of human flesh, etc.
Then modify stats of creatures like a Mummy and Vampire to meet your world view (focus less on their established historical mythos and more on what their powers and presence represents). For example, the Mummy is a body prepared by a third party in anticipation they will arise form death. End of the day it is still a "zombie" form a narrative perspective but you are applying a stat block for a higher CR foe. If your world doesn't allow for "curses" then you can adjust game stats so it is disease or virus, etc.
The tech savvy survivor offers a good tool for exposition to advance your story. They can analyze artifacts and creatures your party capture and then present them information on where the story will go and how to resolve the adventure. Good luck, sounds like a great idea for a campaign. Cheers!
Modifying other undead sounds like a great idea, especially with the reflavoring of curses, which i might do to get the party to be more creative with their cures since they're not high level enough for Remove Curse. I am using the npc for exposition, he'll be able to tell them a lot about the robot they found that should lead them on a lot of paths, but it didn't even occur to me to have the party come to him as a consistent resource! Plus, depending on how i frame this, it could be a very good red herring for what actually caused this apocalypse... thanks so much :D
You could do what I did for my game...take inspiration from the Zombicide board game and flavour its zombies for D&D. LInk to the Zombicide wiki here: https://zombicide.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Zombie
Or you could get them to retrieve a Zombie Beholder, that should be enough to scare the b'jeezus out of them especially if you have some zombie gaunts or spectators floating around as well.
oh this is extremely cool and ABSOLUTELY a resource i'm going to use when my party gets to certain locations, thank you very much for pointing me towards this wiki and also this game, which i'm for sure gonna look up later
Even a chimera type zombie would be strange. Like a human combined with another creature could make for a real interesting battle and a weird plot twist
I have had ideas for what would happen when tieflings or goliaths get turned into zombies.... much to think about
Mouth of grolanthor, could be a great conglomeration of a zombie that has been eating other zombies. Just constantly eating. Also a lot of trolls could work as a zombie variant.
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"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
One of the problems with zombies in fantasy fiction is they're usually only human zombies. In World of Warcraft, fans of the Forsaken (undead playable race) have been crying out for orcish, tauren, elven and so on playable undead for ages. WoW's Death Knight class sort of resolves this, which turns you into an undead version of your chosen race.
So you can essentially take any monster from the MM, slap 'undead' or 'zombie', and add some new traits to it. How would a zombie blink dog change things up? Would they blink and leave behind a cloud of noxious fumes? Would a zombie beholder have one of its eyes launch a beam of zombification? Would an undead tree blight spread corruption so long as it remained rooted?
KieranRedhead has the great suggestion of the 'special infected,' which are zombies with unique abilities.
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Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
One of the problems with zombies in fantasy fiction is they're usually only human zombies. In World of Warcraft, fans of the Forsaken (undead playable race) have been crying out for orcish, tauren, elven and so on playable undead for ages. WoW's Death Knight class sort of resolves this, which turns you into an undead version of your chosen race.
So you can essentially take any monster from the MM, slap 'undead' or 'zombie', and add some new traits to it. How would a zombie blink dog change things up? Would they blink and leave behind a cloud of noxious fumes? Would a zombie beholder have one of its eyes launch a beam of zombification? Would an undead tree blight spread corruption so long as it remained rooted?
KieranRedhead has the great suggestion of the 'special infected,' which are zombies with unique abilities.
Do'h! I forgot the obvious and this reminded me....
The DMG, page 282 for anyone using the physical book, has an "NPC features" table which shows what special abilities and ability score modifiers you can add to other creatures and it has Skeleton and Zombie options if you want to flavour any other critter as a skeletal or zombified version.
Zombie cow but it's a catoblepas that they have to capture without it seeing them because it's stare can cause death. They also obviously have to find a way to blind it for the capture. This monster can instant kill so beware, maybe make a baby one or something so it doesn't absolutely obliterate the party.
I attacked my low level players with three Scarecrows. They could be sent to get "something else" and be ambushed by Scarecrows while they are near farmland. Then it will be interesting to see if the party subdues one and brings it back, or if they accidentally kill them all thinking this is not what we were looking for. The quest giving NPC could be thrilled to see if they might discover similarities between the zombie, a reanimated body, and the Scarecrow, an originally animated body.
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Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt
Zombie cow but it's a catoblepas that they have to capture without it seeing them because it's stare can cause death. They also obviously have to find a way to blind it for the capture. This monster can instant kill so beware, maybe make a baby one or something so it doesn't absolutely obliterate the party.
I had been trying to remember that creatures name for a bit now for a similar suggestion. Thank you.
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"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
You could go down the Little Shop of Horrors route and have a Corpse Flower taking the role of Audrey 2, depedning on how many players you end up having you'd need to tweak the HP and damage a bit, given the OP said its a modern day setting this could be a nice little easter egg for the party (depending on how old they are, as chap in his mid 40's I have no idea what the youth of today know about the Little Shop of Horrors).
You could go down the Little Shop of Horrors route and have a Corpse Flower taking the role of Audrey 2, depedning on how many players you end up having you'd need to tweak the HP and damage a bit, given the OP said its a modern day setting this could be a nice little easter egg for the party (depending on how old they are, as chap in his mid 40's I have no idea what the youth of today know about the Little Shop of Horrors).
Image of Audrey 2 below:
We are ALL theater kids in the party and, in fact, did Little Shop a few years ago lol. I think my players would get an absolute kick out of this; it’s for SURE going in the planning doc
I'm running a campaign set during a zombie apocalypse in the modern day (but like, still fantasy-y modern day. it's weird, loose worldbuilding that doesn't need much detail lol), and i'm trying to plan a sidequest that involves the party fetching a living creature for a sort of bunkered, tech savvy survivor to experiment on as payment for him fixing a robot of theirs.
My first thought was for him to ask them to capture a zombie and bring it to him, but based on precedent (the party already has one locked in their basement,) that would be too easy, and also not very interesting.
What could i do to either introduce a cool new creature, some modified and more interesting zombie, or some other scenario/setting/something that would make this bring-in-alive fetch quest stand out from the hordes of zombies these players are used to? The party will be level 3 but there are anywhere from 5-8 of them at a given session, so CR won't matter too precisely, plus the fact that it's for capture, not killing.
:)
Ghasts and Ghouls. Try to establish a scenario where the scientist is trying to trace origin of the zombie epidemic.
Ghasts and Ghouls are a decent evolution form the standard zombie: undead, eaters of human flesh, etc.
Then modify stats of creatures like a Mummy and Vampire to meet your world view (focus less on their established historical mythos and more on what their powers and presence represents). For example, the Mummy is a body prepared by a third party in anticipation they will arise form death. End of the day it is still a "zombie" form a narrative perspective but you are applying a stat block for a higher CR foe. If your world doesn't allow for "curses" then you can adjust game stats so it is disease or virus, etc.
The tech savvy survivor offers a good tool for exposition to advance your story. They can analyze artifacts and creatures your party capture and then present them information on where the story will go and how to resolve the adventure. Good luck, sounds like a great idea for a campaign. Cheers!
You could do what I did for my game...take inspiration from the Zombicide board game and flavour its zombies for D&D. LInk to the Zombicide wiki here: https://zombicide.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Zombie
Or you could get them to retrieve a Zombie Beholder, that should be enough to scare the b'jeezus out of them especially if you have some zombie gaunts or spectators floating around as well.
Even a chimera type zombie would be strange. Like a human combined with another creature could make for a real interesting battle and a weird plot twist
Modifying other undead sounds like a great idea, especially with the reflavoring of curses, which i might do to get the party to be more creative with their cures since they're not high level enough for Remove Curse. I am using the npc for exposition, he'll be able to tell them a lot about the robot they found that should lead them on a lot of paths, but it didn't even occur to me to have the party come to him as a consistent resource! Plus, depending on how i frame this, it could be a very good red herring for what actually caused this apocalypse... thanks so much :D
:)
oh this is extremely cool and ABSOLUTELY a resource i'm going to use when my party gets to certain locations, thank you very much for pointing me towards this wiki and also this game, which i'm for sure gonna look up later
(also zombie beholder is a great idea gfdhjksgjh)
:)
I have had ideas for what would happen when tieflings or goliaths get turned into zombies.... much to think about
:)
Van Ritchens guide to ravenloft comes with some new options
How about a zombie beholder?
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Just gonna throw this out there but why don't you make your own versions of Special Infected a la Left 4 Dead or Dead Island?
Mouth of grolanthor, could be a great conglomeration of a zombie that has been eating other zombies. Just constantly eating. Also a lot of trolls could work as a zombie variant.
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
One of the problems with zombies in fantasy fiction is they're usually only human zombies. In World of Warcraft, fans of the Forsaken (undead playable race) have been crying out for orcish, tauren, elven and so on playable undead for ages. WoW's Death Knight class sort of resolves this, which turns you into an undead version of your chosen race.
So you can essentially take any monster from the MM, slap 'undead' or 'zombie', and add some new traits to it. How would a zombie blink dog change things up? Would they blink and leave behind a cloud of noxious fumes? Would a zombie beholder have one of its eyes launch a beam of zombification? Would an undead tree blight spread corruption so long as it remained rooted?
KieranRedhead has the great suggestion of the 'special infected,' which are zombies with unique abilities.
Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
- The Assemblage of Houses, World of Warcraft
Do'h! I forgot the obvious and this reminded me....
The DMG, page 282 for anyone using the physical book, has an "NPC features" table which shows what special abilities and ability score modifiers you can add to other creatures and it has Skeleton and Zombie options if you want to flavour any other critter as a skeletal or zombified version.
Zombie cow but it's a catoblepas that they have to capture without it seeing them because it's stare can cause death. They also obviously have to find a way to blind it for the capture. This monster can instant kill so beware, maybe make a baby one or something so it doesn't absolutely obliterate the party.
I attacked my low level players with three Scarecrows. They could be sent to get "something else" and be ambushed by Scarecrows while they are near farmland. Then it will be interesting to see if the party subdues one and brings it back, or if they accidentally kill them all thinking this is not what we were looking for. The quest giving NPC could be thrilled to see if they might discover similarities between the zombie, a reanimated body, and the Scarecrow, an originally animated body.
Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt
I had been trying to remember that creatures name for a bit now for a similar suggestion. Thank you.
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
Spawn of Kyuss from Monsters of the Multiverse are cool. However they are cr 5 and can turn players into Spawn of Kyuss.
You could go down the Little Shop of Horrors route and have a Corpse Flower taking the role of Audrey 2, depedning on how many players you end up having you'd need to tweak the HP and damage a bit, given the OP said its a modern day setting this could be a nice little easter egg for the party (depending on how old they are, as chap in his mid 40's I have no idea what the youth of today know about the Little Shop of Horrors).
Image of Audrey 2 below:
We are ALL theater kids in the party and, in fact, did Little Shop a few years ago lol. I think my players would get an absolute kick out of this; it’s for SURE going in the planning doc
:)