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Post by Adminenkainen on Dec 27, 2018 15:50:39 GMT
On the H&H blog, I'm still back in February 1940, but I recently thought I should jump around to random stories too and see what I can learn from them. Which is how I landed, completely by random rolls, on Fantastic Fears #3, from Ajax-Farrell, Sept. 1953, second story, "The Zombi's Bride." The most unusual thing about this story (other than the fact that it takes place on Hispaniola, which I assumed was made-up until I researched and found that is the island Haiti is on) is that the zombies in the story can only be destroyed by silver weapons. I've been thinking about how to incorporate this. I could say it only applies to Hispaniolan zombies, but that's where zombies would be most common anyway, wouldn't they? So, I'm thinking of retaining this special defense, but only for zombie masters (which already have an entry in the Mobster Manual...).
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Post by archersix on Dec 28, 2018 3:29:56 GMT
Maybe each zombie creating sect produces zombies that have a particular weakness? I'd give a bonus for using a weapon made of that weakness. Perhaps a boss-zombie could only be finally dispatched with the weakness?
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Post by order99 on Dec 28, 2018 21:18:29 GMT
Historically, the Zombies in literature are most vulnerable to salt and meat-a decent dose of either was said to reawaken their minds...and once they realized that they were DEAD, they either took vengeance on their former Master or threw themselves into whatever shallow graves they could dig and closed their eyes forever. In Holmes D&D salt was considered an actual poison to Zombies, so Grapple attacks with handfuls of salt to stuff their faces with could well be a viable combat tactic-again in literature many suspected (not yet Risen) Zombies had their mouths stuffed with salt and sewn shut so that they could not ever be called from the grave. There is also the matter of salt used in circles to deter spirits-presumably Zombies as well. So if Zombies are deployed against you near the Ocean, try diving in... As long as i'm on Traditional Zombies-many are considered to have had their souls stolen and placed in a gris-gris of some sort, usually a bottle, jug or gourd-so that the enslaved spirit can be used to spy on the Bokor's enemies. Smash that and you either get a vengeful Dead Man after his former Master, or a Living person again-it may depend on how long the Zombie existed in its half-dead state... For Comic Book (and H&H ) Zombies, the skies' the limit! I've seen drugged up Living Zombies (find the antidote and call a Therapist!) Dead men reanimated with radiation and brain implants (find the Radio Control Unit and smash it!) Pre-programmed corpses (won't even attack unless it's part of the programming) dead bodies controlled by Alien THINGS wrapped around their spines(find out what hurts the Aliens and their vehicles will fall as well), etc etc etc. If all else fails, "wreck the Control Panels!" and "KO the Necromancer!" are all good opening gambits if Zombies are around! Not to mention the old "set them on fire!" trick...
(PROTIP-Burning Zombie may set fire to your headquarters before it dies-also, the smell will NEVER come out)
So, how quickly do you need to kill this Master Zombie? You could have the Boss be completely immune to non-magical weapons, vulnerable to Magic ones and force a Save vs Plot or be Destroyed utterly when struck by Silver, or you could go as mild as '1/2 damage to non-magical weapons, full damage from Magic or Silver' used in most OSR games.
Can't wait for the new Mobster Manual BTW, will be waiting...
(I was going to Spin up my Time-Harness and snag a Future copy, but Rip Hunter grounded me after that last "manipulate the Timeline so that Per Degaton grew up a Maori Tribeswoman" gambit [even the Daleks started to worry about the resulting Timequake so yeah, I guess I went too far...]. Anyway, Degaton and I are both having a "time out" as it were courtesy of the Gallifrey Tourist Board...).
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