Ash Zombie

Ash Zombies can only be made from those that have died in a fire. All the surviving ash and bone fragments must be available to create the Zombie. Ash Zombies contained enough residual life force or death-aspected mana, that they can be reanimated with the Zombie spell. The Zombie will look like a person formed from ash. If the ash had blown away then the skeletal structure will be exposed. It is not uncommon to see an Ash Zombie with part of the skull or a with a skeletal limb exposed, Its also common for an Ash Zombie to have little or no skeletal structure left. Instead of the rotting smell of your regular Zombies, Ash Zombies smell of brimstone and sulphur.

What makes Ash Zombies desirable is the fact that they can be enchanted due to the fact that the ash will not rot like regular zombies and that they are almost immune to all but the hottest fires.

Ash Zombie Template -28 points

Attributes Modifiers:

ST +1 [10]; DX 0 [0]; IQ -2 [-40]; HT 0 [0]

Secondary Characteristics

Damage 0; BL lbs.0; Will 0 [0]; Per 0 [0]; FP 0 [0]; HP +4 [8]; Basic Speed 5.25 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]

Advantages

Damage Resistance 10 – Limited (Fire), -20% [40, B47]; Doesn’t Breathe [20, B49]; Doesn’t Eat or Drink [10, B50]; Doesn’t Sleep [20, B50]; Extra Hit Points 4 [8, B16]; High Pain Threshold [10, B59]; Indomitable [15, B60]; Injury Tolerance (Diffuse) [100, B60]; Injury Tolerance (No Blood) [5, B61]; Injury Tolerance (Unliving) [20, B61]; Resistant (Immune to all Mind Control) [30, B80]; Resistant (Immune to Metabolic Hazards) [30, B81]; Single-Minded [5, B85]; Temperature Tolerance 10 [10, B93]; Unaging [15, B95]; Unfazeable [15, B95]

Disadvantages

Appearance (Monstrous, Universal) [-25, B21]; Bad Smell:  -2 Reaction penalty [-10, B124]; Cannot Learn [-30, B125]; Dependency (Mana, Constantly) [-50, B130]; Disturbing Voice [-10, B132]; Fragile (Unnatural) [-50, B137]; Meta-Trait: Automaton [-85, B263]

Quirks

Sexless [-1, B165]

Features

Affected by Control Zombie, Pentagram, and Turn Zombie; No mental skills; Will not become a Skeleton.

Suffocating Embrace: Victims who fail to break free from a grapple may be enveloped into the ash body of the Ash Zombie: Roll the Ash Zombie’s effective ST 16 vs. the higher of the victim’s ST or HT; victory inflicts crushing damage equal to the margin. In addition, the victim cannot breathe
(see Suffocation, p. B436). This counts as an attack. Reach C.

Burning Dead (Diablo II)

The Burning Dead are skeletons whos bones are burning constantly.  Anyone touching the aura or within close combat will take damage.  This includes weapons striking the Burning Dead. If that wasn’t bad enough once the Burning Dead reach 0 HP they will explode causing burning damage and hot bone fragments.  One vulnerability is they can not be equipped with any armor as it interferes with their exploding ability when they die. Another vulnerability is water which causes considerable damage. Weapons they use must not contain combustible items and as such most weapons are steel or iron with nothing special on the grips and are usually heavily damaged from the constant heat. Soft metals should not be used either.

They have a considerable resistance to heat and fire which allows them to be placed in groups without damaging each other.

Template: Burning Dead (Skeleton) -123 points

Attribute Modifiers: ST-1; DX+2; IQ-2

Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Basic Speed+1

Advantages: Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; DR 2; DR: 10 (Limited Heat/Fire); Flaming Bite (Burning Attack); High Pain Threshold; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards; Immunity (All mind control); Innate Attack: Flaming Aura [13]; Innate Attack: Explodes on Death [9]; Indomitable; Injury Tolerance (No Blood, No Brain, No Eyes,
No Vitals, Unliving); Single-Minded; Temperature Tolerance 10; Unaging; Unfazeable; Vacuum Support

Disadvantages: Appearance (Monstrous; Universal, +25%); Automaton; Cannot Learn; Dependency (Mana; common, constantly); Fragile (Brittle); Fragile (Unnatural);
Mute; No Sense of Smell/Taste; Reprogrammable; Skinny; Social Stigma (Dead); Unhealing (Total); Vulnerability (Crushing Attacks; x2); Weakness: Water (1d per minute) Occasional; Wealth (Dead Broke)

Quirks: Cannot Float; Sexless

Features: Affected by Control Zombie, Pentagram, and Turn Zombie; No mental skills; Skull has only 2 total DR

Flaming Aura: Innate Attack: 1D burn (Cyclic: 1 sec +100%, Aura +80%, Melee Attack: Reach C -30%) [13]

Explodes on Death: Innate Attack: 2D-3 burn (Incendiary +10%, Explosion: 1 +50%, Fragmentation (Hot Fragments) +15%; Trigger: Common (on death) -20%) [9].  Those caught within 2 yards will take 2d-3 Burn damage in the same hex, 2d-3/3 for 1 hex away, and 2d-3/6 points of damage 2 yards away. Fragmentation Hot Fragments: Cyclic (Six 10-second cycles) is 5 yards and taking 1d(0.2) burn damage if hit.

Source: Magic [152], Diablo I & II

Plague Bearer (Diablo II)

The Plague Bearer looks no different from other Zombies with the exception of what appear to be fresh puss filled boils on their body.  When they touch exposed flesh they transfer a deadly disease to their victims.  This Plague is magical in nature and can only be caught by direct contact from the original host (the Plague Bearer) material.  So an individual who has caught the plague can not spread it to another person.  However touching any of the original material will infect a person.  Whether it is from direct contact from the Plague Bearer or from accidentally touching the remains of the Plague Bearer such as its corpse (you must burn the corpse to make it free from containment), or even by cleaning off your equipment after battling one.  One Plague Bearer shuffling through a town could infect anywhere from 5-50 victims. Thankfully they are easy to spot/smell.

Template: Plague Bearer (Zombie) -64 Points

Attribute Modifiers: ST +1 [10]; IQ -3 [-60];

Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: HP +5 [10]

Advantages: Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep;  High Pain Threshold; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards; Immunity (All Mind Control); Innate Attack [6]; Indomitable; Injury Tolerance (No Blood); Single-Minded;  Temperature Tolerance 10; Unaging; Unfazeable

Disadvantages: Appearance (Monstrous; Universal); Bad Smell (Reek of the Grave); Cannot Learn; Disturbing Voice;  Fragile (Unnatural); No Sense of Smell/Taste; Reprogrammable; Social Stigma (Dead);  Unhealing (Total);  Wealth (Dead Broke)

Skills: Brawling 10 (DX+0, 1), [B182]

Plague Touch: Innate Attack: 1D tox (Cyclic: 1 sec +100%, Contact Agent (no AoE) -30%, Resistible: HT-2 -20%) [6]

Source: GURPS Magic [152], Diablo II

Diablo II Drowned Carcass

I like to get inspiration from video games which I think is only natural as they got their ideas from Tabletop RPG’s.  However many games will have several, if not up to a dozen, different subclasses of the same creature.  Let’s take the Diablo franchise.  Between I & III there are over 12 types of zombies.  So I thought it would be fun to make some of them as a little surprise to my players. I have yet to get GURPS Zombies so please take that into consideration.  I may have made a few mistakes in this.  Such as I don’t know if the Drowned Carcass needs a special Advantage to be able to transform into a Crawling Torso and I disagree with the Disadvantage Lame (Legless) to have a Basic Move of 0 as it does not take into account the ability to crawl or drag yourself by your arms.  However I can imagine this to be a fun turn of events as I remember to my surprise the first time a Walking Corpse turned into a Crawling Torso in Diablo III

Please feel free to add some suggestions on how to fix any issues I may have overlooked.

Template: Drowned Carcass (Zombie) -168 points

Drowned Carcasses are found in/near bodies of water like lakes, ponds, swamps, rivers, etc.  Their bodies are bloated from time spent within the depths of the water.  They move slower and are less intelligent than bog standard Zombies (pun intended) but have a higher strength to compensate.  The touch of a Drowned Carcass carries with it the cold of the deep water which will cause fatigue damage to exposed skin.

Attribute Modifiers: ST+2 {20}; IQ-3 {-60}; HT+1 {10}.

Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Basic Move -1 {-5}; HP +4 {8}

Advantages: Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; High Pain Threshold; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards; Immunity (All Mind Control); Innate Attack: Cold {6}; Indomitable; Injury Tolerance (No Blood, Unliving);  Temperature Tolerance 10; Unaging;  Unfazeable;

Disadvantages: Appearance (Monstrous; Universal); Automaton; Bad Smell; Cannot Learn; Dependency (Mana; common, constantly); Disturbing Voice;  Fragile (Unnatural); No Sense of Smell/Taste; Reprogrammable; Single-Minded; Social Stigma (Dead); Unhealing (Total); Wealth (Dead Broke)

Quirks: Sexless {-1}

Skills: Brawling 10 (DX+0, 1), [B182]; Wrestling 9 (DX-1, 1) [B228]

Chilling Touch: Innate Attack: 1D+1 fat (Melee Attack: Reach C -30%, Contact Agent (no AoE) -30%) [6]

The Drowned Carcass has one in three chance of transforming into a Crawling Torso upon it’s ‘death’.  It is at this time a new monster with the sacrifice of its lower Torso to heal it and transform it into a new creature.  It loses it’s Innate Attack.

Template: Crawling Torso (Zombie) -178 points

A Crawling Torso is the remains of the lower half of a Zombie.  These pathetic, yet disturbing creatures will lay in wait for its victims grabbing at their legs and feet and to trip them up so they might crawl on top to consume their prey.

Attribute Modifiers: ST+1 {10}; IQ-2 {-60}; HT+1 {10}.

Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Basic Move +4 {20}; HP +4 {8}

Advantages: Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; High Pain Threshold; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards; Immunity (All Mind Control); Indomitable; Injury Tolerance (No Blood, Unliving);  Temperature Tolerance 10; Unaging;  Unfazeable;

Disadvantages: Appearance (Monstrous; Universal); Automaton; Bad Smell; Cannot Learn; Dependency (Mana; common, constantly); Disturbing Voice;  Fragile (Unnatural); Lame (Legless); No Sense of Smell/Taste; Reprogrammable; Single-Minded; Social Stigma (Dead); Unhealing (Total); Wealth (Dead Broke)

Quirks: Sexless {-1}

Skills: Brawling 10 (DX+0, 1), [B182]; Wrestling 9 (DX-1, 1) [B228]

Note: Lame (Legless) disadvantage gives a Basic Move of 0, hence the need for an increased Basic Move +4 to indicate rapid crawling.  The Crawling Torso can not move and attack with its arms, but can move and attack with Bite.