Dionysus Zombie

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Dionysus Zombie=
The Dionysus Zombie is a unique zombie that can be encountered in Penny's Pursuit
Using his staff, he will turn the nearbymost zombies in his lane into Maenad Zombies, which possess slightly higher health as well as increased speed in comparison with Basic Zombies
==Origins and appearance==
Dionysus Zombie is based in the eponymous Greek god Dionysus, associated with feasts, winemaking, drinking and debauchery who was widely celebrated from Archaic to Byzantine or possibly even medieval times in Greece. His ability is a reference to several episodes of Greek mythology relating the arrival of Dionysus ; many cities not only refused to recognize him as divine but also acted against his cult or his interest, leading him to use his abilities to turn the local women insane and rally them to his cults as Maenads, often ending with a bloody conclusion and the city's fall to Dionysus.
200px|thumb|leftAs with most representations of the god from the period, the Dionysus Zombie sports a simple knee-length chiton with decorated edges, a single sandal, a bordeaux chlamys draped over his left shoulder and a fainting laurel wreath on his head. In his right hand, he wields a thyrsus, a shaft made of a single stick decorated with a strip of cloth midway on it, ivy leaves and a pinecone on top
==Almanac Entry==
==Overview==
He has 500 health, slightly short of that of a Conehead Zombie. After taking 250 damage, his left arm will fall off the ground ; to account for his right hand being busy, his eating animation does not involve his hands, similarily to the Cowboy Zombie
Everytime he crosses a tile, corresponding to about every 5 seconds, he will raise his staff and cry, causing the nearest zombie in his lane to be turned in a puff of light into a Maenad Zombie, which will not only technically heal them but also rid them of any negative effects. He will repeat this as long as there are available unconverted zombies, though the following cannot be converted :
* Barrels
* Stationnary zombies
* Mechanical zombies
* Dodo Rider Zombie
* Zombots
* Gargantuars
* Bully-type zombies
* Other Dionysus Zoombies
|-|Maenad Zombie=
The Maenad Zombie is a unique zombie that can be encountered in Penny's Pursuit
She appears occasionally on her own but is mostly converted from other zombies thanks to a Dionysus Zombie, and possesses both a high speed and a slightly higher strength on top of health slightly above that of a Basic Zombie ; however, she also lacks any sort of unique abilities
==Origins and appearance==
She is based off the Maenads, female followers of Dionysus entransed during one of his rituals through alcohol and known for their wild dances as well as their feats of horrifically inhumane strength displayed in various stories of Greek mythology
As with representations on vases of the period, she is barefoot and sports a wide Ionic chiton along a nebris fawn skin draped over her shoulder and a crown of ivy.
She will dance frantically as she walks along, and once she reaches a plant will furiously tear it apart with her nails, echoing to the violence mythological Maenads are known for.
==Almanac Entry==
==Overview==
She has only 300 health points, and will lose her ivy wreath after taking 100 damage as well as her left arm once she receives at least 200 damage, finally dying after taking 300 damage.
Whether the zombie she is converted from has a lower or higher health than 300 does not matter when the conversion happens ; additionally, any ailment such as poison, ice or the effect from having consumed a Sun Bean will be removed once this happens
An hypnotized zombie can also be converted into a Maenad, and as the zombie is entirely immune to hypnosis, this will remove the effect.
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==Strategies==
The Dionysus Zombie is a very dangerous foe to face especially in groups as it will turn the lane into high-strength attackers that will tear very easily through your defenses, which can be a death sentence if you do not have defensive plants yet. Even then, their heightened strength will likely tear them to shred very quickly, and thus you should avoid relying on them entirely.Instead, you should prioritize using slowing plants such as Snow Pea, which will help your plants deal with them before they can slice through them. Your best bet probably is Winter Melon, which can not only deal huge blows to them (considering their lack of health) but will also help thinning the crowds that can appear if there are several Dionysus Zombies on the lawn.
Using plants such as Spikeweed or Lightning Reed is ill-advised, as though they are efficient against crowds normally the zombies they hurt will most likely be converted and fully healed before actually being taken out.
A rather interesting side effect to his ability to convert almost any zombie into a Maenad Zombie is that this may occasionally turn out to be beneficial, especially when facing certain annoying zombies. Notable examples include Fisherman Zombie or Brickhead Zombies, which will speed down the lane but also loose both their powerful abilities and ridiculously high health, meaning one may want in some cases to actually keep the zombie alive in order to prevent potentially more powerful threats from attacking
==Trivia==
*This zombie was an entry for the Crumblestone Contest, held by Sani
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