Block, Dodge, Parry does not have a bestiary – yet. This is mostly because I find the monsters detailed in Cairn more than sufficient. However, I was recently contemplating an undead-outbreak-focused campaign, which would put a lot of focus on the lowly Zombie. How would I ‘adapt’ the zombie to be a center pillar for multiple sessions?
Art: Extremely Slow Zombie by Emrah Elmasli
Zombies in Cairn
The Zombie, as written by Yochai Gal in Cairn, has the following stat block:
Zombie
6 HP, 6 DEX, 3 WIL, rusted weapon (d6)
- Slow, mindless re-animated corpses. Created by wicked wizards to serve as guardians in hordes.
- Simply attacks anything that comes nearby.
- Cannot be affected by anything that targets the mind.
Honestly, it’s a solid statblock. Given that an attribute value of 10 means ‘average human being’, zombies are slow (6 DEX) and dumb-witted (3 WIL). I’m not quite sure about the 3 WIL; it means that zombies are very unlikely to pass Morale saves, and I’d figure that zombies would be mindless, merciless automatons.
Let’s go tinker a bit!
Zombies in Block, Dodge, Parry
These are the changes I would make for a campaign that would feature a lot of zombies. The result is still usable in base Cairn.
HP
For Hit Protection, I’d give zombies a value of 2, or 1d4 if you want it to be variable. The durability of the undead does not come from their ability to prevent serious blows; it’s easy to land a blow on them. The hard part should be getting them to stay down.
STR
I would give zombies a STR of 3d6, meaning it’d range from 3 to 18, with a high probability of falling between 9 and 12 (a 48% chance). In fiction, I’d describe it as follows:
| STR | Description |
|---|---|
| <=8 | Decayed, frail |
| 9-12 | Fresh, recently turned |
| >=13 | Bulky, stronger in undeath |
If you don’t feel like rolling every time, simply give them a STR of 11.
To represent their undead fortitude, I’d add:
- Undead Resilience. A zombie makes their first Critical Damage Save with advantage (roll twice, pick the most advantageous result).
DEX
I’d keep the DEX of 6. DEX is only used in Saves involving Gambits, as initiative is determined only by the player character’s Dexterity.
WIL
I’d keep the 3 WIL, but add a general rule:
- Mindless. Zombies do not make regular Morale Saves, but are affected by Morale Saves triggered by holy powers.
Attacks
So, Block, Dodge, Parry has a system where initiative is determined by the type of weapon used – Melee Clashes. Simply put, weapons with bigger damage dice strike first when two opponents close in to one another, and weapons with smaller damage dice strike first when two opponents are already engaged.
I’ll give the zombie two attacks, both with the same damage dice, but different ‘fluff’ associated with them. First, a simple claw attack: Claws (d6), which they’ll use when nearing an enemy. D6 means that it ties with daggers and shortswords, but that longswords (D8) and such always strike first. Zombies should mostly be a threat once close. A normal Unarmed attack has a D4 damage die, so d6 feels right.
Once close, the zombie will try to Bite (d6). In fiction, this does not involve them simply snapping their teeth at you; they’d try to grapple you, pull you down etc. The focus of the damage, however, is the bite.
Now here comes the nasty part:
- Infection. On a 6 when Biting, or when inflicting Critical Damage, roll on the Hit Location Table and add the appropriate wound.
Wounds are already a part of Block, Dodge, Parry, and work nicely with the trope of ‘don’t get bitten’. The Hit Location Table is usually only used for taking Critical Damage, but I like the idea of using it here as well, to determine the location of getting hit; it allows for the ‘cut off your limb before the infection spreads’ trope, which, I mean, fuck yes.
| Hit Location (d10) | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1-5 | Torso. Lose 1d4 additional STR. Gain Bite – Torso. Lose 2 STR per hour. Upon death, arise as a zombie. |
| 6 | Left leg. Gain Bite – Left Leg. Lose 1 STR per hour. Upon death, arise as a zombie. This limb can be amputated within 10 minutes to stop the infection. |
| 7 | Right leg. Gain Bite – Right Leg. Lose 1 STR per hour. Upon death, arise as a zombie. This limb can be amputated within 10 minutes to stop the infection. |
| 8 | Left arm. Gain Bite – Left Arm. Lose 1 STR per hour. Upon death, arise as a zombie. This limb can be amputated within 10 minutes to stop the infection. |
| 9 | Right arm. Gain Bite – Right Arm. Lose 1 STR per hour. Upon death, arise as a zombie. This limb can be amputated within 10 minutes to stop the infection. |
| 10 | Head. Gain Bite – Head. Lose 4 STR per hour. Upon death, arise as a zombie. |
Amputation. Quick thinking and a sharp blade can stop further infection. The time limit here is 10 minutes, or, more practically, “If you make ‘amputation’ the first thing you do after the combat in which the character got infected, you’re in time, otherwise, you’re too late”. Amputation after the 10-minute window means losing the limb, and still having Infection – Lose x STR per hour.
I’d adjudicate this through Time, Gear & Skill.
- Time: There’s a 10-minute window, but there’s still a pretty big difference between “we are running away from a horde of zombies” and “we’ve slain the last one, there’s time for a breather.” In that sense, Time can also be seen as Focus.
- Gear: Does anyone have a weapon at hand that allows for amputations? Are there bandages/medical supplies to prevent death from blood loss?
- Skill: Is anyone a surgeon or medic?
If that’s three “no’s”, I don’t think the amputation would be a success, and the patient would die.
If it’s three times “yes”, I’d say it succeeds, no rolls are needed. Medical supplies might be consumed.
If two out of three are available, consider a Save. Perhaps have the amputator make a DEX Save to see how well they perform, and, if they fail, a STR Save for the amputee to not die during the procedure.
Putting It Together
If we combine all that, we get:
Zombie
1d4 HP, 3d6 STR, 6 DEX, 3 WIL, claws (d6) or bite (d6)
- Mindless corpses, reanimated by a dark curse or malicious infection
- Undead Resilience. A zombie makes their first Critical Damage Save with advantage (roll twice, pick the most advantageous result).
- Mindless. Zombies do not make regular Morale Saves, but are affected by Morale Saves triggered by holy powers.
- Will use their claws when approaching, and their bite up close.
- Infection. On a 6 when Biting, or when inflicting Critical Damage, roll on the Hit Location Table and add the appropriate wound.
Hit Location (d10) Effect 1-5 Torso. Lose 1d4 additional STR. Gain Bite – Torso. Lose 2 STR per hour. Upon death, arise as a zombie. 6 Left leg. Gain Bite – Left Leg. Lose 1 STR per hour. Upon death, arise as a zombie. This limb can be amputated within 10 minutes to stop the infection. 7 Right leg. Gain Bite – Right Leg. Lose 1 STR per hour. Upon death, arise as a zombie. This limb can be amputated within 10 minutes to stop the infection. 8 Left arm. Gain Bite – Left Arm. Lose 1 STR per hour. Upon death, arise as a zombie. This limb can be amputated within 10 minutes to stop the infection. 9 Right arm. Gain Bite – Right Arm. Lose 1 STR per hour. Upon death, arise as a zombie. This limb can be amputated within 10 minutes to stop the infection. 10 Head. Gain Bite – Head. Lose 4 STR per hour. Upon death, arise as a zombie.
Once again: for a one-off random zombie in a dungeon, I probably wouldn’t use all of this. But, in a campaign featuring a lot of undead, I think it’d be interesting to flesh them out like this.
What do you think?
