Zombies
in Threats of the Wastes
Every death feeds the horde. When a Lineage loses Infection by passing through the Mortis, up to ten zombies can be created from the fragmented biomatter in the post-death process. The result is a population of reanimated dead that is constantly, inevitably replenished as long as the living continue to die.
Zombies are driven by primal instincts alone. They show no traces of personality, memories, or complex emotions from their former lives. They do not speak, they do not reason, and they do not stop. The only permanent answer is the Double Tap skill, which prevents the Rise Again mechanic that allows downed zombies to return to their feet seconds after being dropped.
The zombie threat is classified into four escalating tiers. The Endless Horde comprises the standard undead: Shamblers that overwhelm through numbers, Bursters that erupt in sudden violent sprints, Flesh Tanks that absorb punishment behind regenerating armor, and Gore Hounds that hunt on all fours with near-instant recovery. Lurking Threats are elevated predators that count as both Aberrant and Zombie: Hunters that stalk from shadow, Rad Hunters that glow with lethal radiation, Trappers that pin prey with bone protrusions, and Bone Heads that shatter minds with psionic abilities. The Violent Dead bring overwhelming aggression: Mass Cadavers that siege through sheer bulk, Ragers driven by insatiable fury, Abominations fused from multiple corpses, and Maulers built for brutal close combat. At the apex, Apocalypse Grade threats like the Bone Harvester emerge only under the direst circumstances, swapping between zombie bodies and devouring Infection from the living.
A general principle governs the relationship between zombie speed and ranged vulnerability: slow-moving zombies shrug off ranged attacks, while fast-moving zombies are susceptible to firearms and thrown weapons. This rule holds true roughly 99% of the time, with rare exceptions.
Zombies are driven by primal instincts alone. They show no traces of personality, memories, or complex emotions from their former lives. They do not speak, they do not reason, and they do not stop. The only permanent answer is the Double Tap skill, which prevents the Rise Again mechanic that allows downed zombies to return to their feet seconds after being dropped.
The zombie threat is classified into four escalating tiers. The Endless Horde comprises the standard undead: Shamblers that overwhelm through numbers, Bursters that erupt in sudden violent sprints, Flesh Tanks that absorb punishment behind regenerating armor, and Gore Hounds that hunt on all fours with near-instant recovery. Lurking Threats are elevated predators that count as both Aberrant and Zombie: Hunters that stalk from shadow, Rad Hunters that glow with lethal radiation, Trappers that pin prey with bone protrusions, and Bone Heads that shatter minds with psionic abilities. The Violent Dead bring overwhelming aggression: Mass Cadavers that siege through sheer bulk, Ragers driven by insatiable fury, Abominations fused from multiple corpses, and Maulers built for brutal close combat. At the apex, Apocalypse Grade threats like the Bone Harvester emerge only under the direst circumstances, swapping between zombie bodies and devouring Infection from the living.
A general principle governs the relationship between zombie speed and ranged vulnerability: slow-moving zombies shrug off ranged attacks, while fast-moving zombies are susceptible to firearms and thrown weapons. This rule holds true roughly 99% of the time, with rare exceptions.
All information within the Guide to the Wastes is the contribution of players of the Dystopia Rising LARP, intended to be used as a public reference. No ownership of the ideas or setting details contained within is implied or inferred.