Zombies

They go by many names, Infected, Biters, the Walking Plague, just to name a few. But they are most commonly known as Zombies. Rotting corpses that have risen from the grave for one purpose: to consume the flesh of the living. There are many iterations of Zombies over several different forms of media, from comics and tv shows to video games and movies.

## **Guts**

Zombies tend to be able to tell the living apart from the dead by smell. If characters need to get through an area but there are a lot of Zombies between them and their destination and no obvious way around, the characters could cover themselves with Zombie Guts to disguise their scent. The Zombie guts take 1 minute to apply. When moving through a hoard of the Undead while covered in Zombie blood, the player's make a *Dexterity (Stealth)* check as a group. The DC is determined by the GM, usually depending on how many Zombies there are. If more than half the group succeeds, they are able to pass through the hoard of Zombies unnoticed.

If it is raining, the Zombie Guts don't work and the group automatically fails the *Dexterity (Stealth)* check. If one or more characters in the group do something a Zombie can't or won't do (i.e Firing a Gun, attack someone with a melee weapon, or some other loud noise) the Zombies automatically know that the group are alive.

## **Transmission**

There are many ways the the Zombie Virus, disease, parasite, or Fungal Infection can be transmitted from person to person. When a creature is fighting a Zombie with the *Bite* action or the *Walking Plague* ability and they drop to 0 Hit Points, the Zombie bites them and they become Infected. Some other ways that the Infection can be transmitted are listed below:

### **Bites**

Possibly the main way the Infection is transmitted from one person to another. Bites are highly Lethal and there are three main ways that Bites can work in your game. It's up to the GM's discretion. The first way is a slightly less lethal method, having Bites only Infect a creature on a Critical Hit. Another way is more Lethal, and that is having the character succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw when bitten or become Infected. And lastly, the most lethal way is to have Bites always Infect a creature.

### **Scratches**

Another, optional and less lethal, way that the Infection can be transmitted is through Scratches. Scratches aren't as deadly as Bites and only require a DC 12 Constitution saving throw, rather than a DC 15.

### **Spores**

If the Infection in your game is a Fungal Infection, then you may use Spores throughout the campaign. When a zombie dies, it attaches itself to a wall or object and the fungus begins to grow out from the host. Mushroom-like fungus covers the surrounding surfaces. After 2 weeks of growing, the fungus matures and releases spores into the air. If a player breathes in these spores in, they must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become Infected. If they are wearing a Gas Mask, they do not need to make the save.

Sometimes, Stalkers intentionally attach themselves to walls and allow the Fungus to grow around them, releasing Spores into the air. Then if a player walks within 5 ft. of the Fungus, the Stalker bursts free and attacks. The player must have a Passive Perception of 15 or higher. Otherwise, they are surprised by this.

### **Everyone is Infected**

In this variant rule, everyone in the world is already a carrier of the Zombie virus. *Bites* and *Scratches* just kill the host. But the virus that reanimates them into a Zombie is already in their body. If you use this optional rule, then players and NPCs come back as Zombies no matter how they are killed, so long as the brain is left Intact.

The GM might not reveal that *Everybody is Infected* right away, and have the Players discover this later down the line.