D&D General D&D World vs. Modern Zombies?

[Cadence]

A lot of modern zombie set-ups are based on infection (eg Walking Dead). It seems typical that this bodes poorly for everyone. How does D&D play out against this?

In 5e, for example, are you left with Warforged of all types and then other races that are all training to be Paladins, and then a few high level Monks? Is there some way cities could hold out against them? (They're not evil, right? Mass heal can get quite a few who have been infected but not succumbed?)

 

[payn]

Unlike a modern zombie world, a D&D one has Gods and magic. Nobody is immune if it’s deemed to be by creation.

I’d likely do a Gods have forsaken or been deemed powerless to stop a magic zombie plague. Make the point of the campaign about lifting the curse.

 

[Cadence]

Unlike a modern zombie world, a D&D one has Gods and magic. Nobody is immune if it’s deemed to be by creation.

I’d likely do a Gods have forsaken or been deemed powerless to stop a magic zombie plague. Make the point of the campaign about lifting the curse.

Definitely. But I was trying to think more of what if it was just like the modern ones (for a magic plague, would that just be more like some of the older edition standard D&D undead - just a touch more spready?).

 

[payn]

Definitely. But I was trying to think more of what if it was just like the modern ones (for a magic plague, would that just be more like some of the older edition standard D&D undead - just a touch more spready?).

Hmm like infected pick up a trog stench aura capable of infection? Keep your con up or become a zombie?

 

[Oofta]

You have to have a few assumptions. First, can a zombie be cured? I'd say no, it's too late for them. Very few zombie movies have a cure, some have an inoculation so you'll have to decide if someone immune to disease can be immune. I tend to say no. Second, I'm assuming spreading the contagion through a bite. Third, only humanoids get infected. If animals can get infected, zombie mosquitoes will doom everyone. A major factor is zombie speed. Are we talking fast zombies like World War Z? It makes a big difference, but I'm going to assume shambling zombies.

So, the D&D world has quite a few things going for it.

• The population in general isn't as densely populated
• They have fortified cities and castles. Defending against hordes is a lot easier when you have a 40 foot high stone wall
• They aren't reliant on modern technology, it doesn't matter if the electricity goes out.
• There's a significant portion of the populace that are good at hand-to-hand combat. No worries about running out of ammo unless you're an archer. Even then, it's not as bad since arrows are relatively easy to make. Even a fire-hardened tip should take out a lot of zombies.
• There are a handful of people that are really good at melee combat.
• They understand how to fight close quarters combat.
• Even a significant percentage of commoners, people who we wouldn't normally consider combatants are going to be at least competent at fighting with weapons they have at hand. Most will have spears, or even just a pitchfork. In many nations, armies were raised from the general populace and they were expected to provide their own weapons and armor.
• Unlike most modern zombie fighters who think a sleeveless t-shirt is appropriate for fighting the undead, people know that armor prevents damage. Decent armor, even something like padded armor, would stop most bite attacks from an undead human.

So then it gets into implementation and how you run it in a game. It also depends on if you want realistic or fun. I'd go for the latter myself. But you still want some way of making fighting the horde risky, the zombies have to do damage because that's the way D&D works.

Some options

• You only actually get bit if you drop to 0.
• It's not quite like the modern implementations, the bite has to be bad enough and at the end of combat you make a con save if you took damage. Base the DC on the damage the PC took as a percentage of their HP.
• Zombification can be stopped if treated quickly enough.

As you can probably tell by now, I've actually thought about doing an infectious zombie campaign. I've never done it because I'm not certain of implementation.

 

[overgeeked]

I’m imagining something like Marvel Zombies or Rotted Capes. The undead keep the powers they had while alive. Since they’re undead, maybe a “long rest” is a measure of brains eaten. One brain is a short rest. After your third, you get a long rest.

It would spread differently. Without modern travel the virus wouldn’t spread as fast, so you’d get more pockets of uninfected people. Unless it was a magic thing, like the no resurrection thing from Tomb. The god of death dies, so the dead rise again until there’s a new god of death.

 

[Tonguez]

Lesser Restoration cures disease dunnit? so it should be able to cure the zombie infection (DMs choice if that leaves behind a cured person or a dead corpse). Greater Restoration removes curses if the disease is cursed and Hallowed stops the initial raising anyway.

Of course I'm more inclined for Zombies to be an infusion of elemental Necrotic energy rather than a disease, in which case I'd default to what @Oofta said

 

[Oofta]

Lesser Restoration cures disease dunnit? so it should be able to cure the zombie infection (DMs choice if that leaves behind a cured person or a dead corpse). Greater Restoration removes curses if the disease is cursed and Hallowed stops the initial raising anyway.

Of course I'm more inclined for Zombies to be an infusion of elemental Necrotic energy rather than a disease, in which case I'd default to what @Oofta said

I would call it a necrotic infection. If the zombies keep moving even as they're rotting, there's something supernatural about it. In some movies like 28 Days Later, the zombies are just people with super rabies. But The Walking Dead? Not physically possible.

Since it's not a normal disease, it can't be ended like a normal disease.

Of course I'd also consider doing monstrous zombies like the Resident Evil or Left 4 Dead video games if I were to do a zombie campaign just for variety.

 

[payn]

I would call it a necrotic infection. If the zombies keep moving even as they're rotting, there's something supernatural about it. In some movies like 28 Days Later, the zombies are just people with super rabies. But The Walking Dead? Not physically possible.

Since it's not a normal disease, it can't be ended like a normal disease.

Of course I'd also consider doing monstrous zombies like the Resident Evil or Left 4 Dead video games if I were to do a zombie campaign just for variety.

I do love Walking Dead zombies walking around in clothes for ten+years exposed to the elements

 

[Cadence]

Lesser Restoration cures disease dunnit? so it should be able to cure the zombie infection (DMs choice if that leaves behind a cured person or a dead corpse). Greater Restoration removes curses if the disease is cursed and Hallowed stops the initial raising anyway.

Of course I'm more inclined for Zombies to be an infusion of elemental Necrotic energy rather than a disease, in which case I'd default to what @Oofta said

I would call it a necrotic infection. If the zombies keep moving even as they're rotting, there's something supernatural about it. In some movies like 28 Days Later, the zombies are just people with super rabies. But The Walking Dead? Not physically possible.

Since it's not a normal disease, it can't be ended like a normal disease.

Of course I'd also consider doing monstrous zombies like the Resident Evil or Left 4 Dead video games if I were to do a zombie campaign just for variety.

I guess part of this sloshes over into some of the threads about science. What do folks in a D&D world think of a disease vs a curse vs necromancy.

Is it classified by how it looks, or by what counters/stops it, or by how we would do it knowing about diseases and how bodies break down.

If I wanted one that was a disease, how long would you give it before the body broke down? (What would something like the cicada fungus do? Is there some point where it you made up a human version the consciousness would be gone but it would still plod along for a while?)