Be Eaten Big Book of Aspects Weak Spot All Power: 0 Any attack that harms the living harms the dead. No particular area is susceptible. Tey all sufer Dead Point damage until the zombie falls over, again. Just go ahead and bash them. None Power: +10 It could be that the zombie has no weak spot at all. Whatever force has animated it has animated every bit of it. Tus, each cell of the undead monster operates under its own supernatural power. Chop of the head and the rest of the body keeps coming. Even the decapitated head will bite, if one gets too close. Amputated limbs squirm around on their own, desper- ately searching for something. Destroying one of these zombies requires either cutting it into so many pieces that they cant do any harm or burning it to ashes. A large vat of acid works well too, if there is one lying around. Dead Points are inapplicable (see Other Damage, p. 147). Brain Power: +6 Te classic weak spot, this one never goes out of style. Even in death the brain remains the seat of con- sciousness, such as it is. Damage to the brain means that the undead can no longer send signals to the rest of the body telling it what to do. Technically, if someone wanted to graf a new head onto the old reanimated body, it would work again, but this seems terribly unlikely. -5 to hit when targeting the head. Dead Points are all located in the head, and less than complete destruction of parts other than the head has no efect on zombie performance. Dead Points are 15. Heart Power: +7 What really keeps a zombie going? Te heart is responsible for pumping whatever blood the monster has lef in it to the reanimated limbs and head. In that frame of mind, a stake through the heart works well, although a couple of bullets probably does the trick quicker and easier. -6 to hit when targeting the heart. Dead Points are all located in the heart, and less than complete destruction of parts other than heart has no efect on zombie performance. Dead Points are 15. Spine Power: +5 Te spine holds the whole body together. Even if everything else is dead, the neurons still have to tell the muscles when and how to move in order to bring down that tasty living morsel over there. Lose the head and the body can keep on going. Afer all, these things usually work on instinct anyway. However, sever the spinal cord and suddenly the neurons arent fring any more. Tis is easier said than done. Te blade of a shovel to the lower back works well, if the zombie will hold still for it. Likewise, enough bullets fred in the right region would do the trick. Te problem isnt made any easier by the fact that the best way to get at the spine is to get behind a zombie and most of the time they are not so cooperative. -4 to hit when targeting the spine from rear; -5 to hit when target- ing the spine from front. Dead Points are all located in the spine, and less than complete destruction of parts other than the spine has no efect on zombie performance. Dead Points are 15. Fire Power: -5 Death has a way of drying the skin and no amount of moisturizer helps. Some zombies are particularly susceptible to fre attacks. A little gasoline or napalm and they fame up like the Fourth of July. Just because these zombies burn quicker than a normal human does not mean death is immediate. Also, while a human on fre tends to run around on the panic or roll on the ground, zombies hardly notice the fames consuming their fesh. Tey keep right on coming. Tis means that for a few minutes anyway, the zombie is on fre and can set fre to other things as it walks around, like characters. Double damage from fre-based attacks. Chemicals Power: Varies Acid works well on most zombies, at least if large enough quantities are available. It is somewhat disgusting when a zombie melts down to slime, though. Some zombies are particularly susceptible to specifc kinds of chemicals. Te voodoo masters have powders and potions for pulling the life back out of a zombie. Certain neuro-toxins might efectively paralyze a zombie (and who can really tell the diference between a paralyzed zombie and a corpse?). In some cases merely exposing the zombies fesh to the chemical will do the trick. Other times they must actually be injected with it. Double damage from chemical-based attacks, or D8(4) per Turn from chemicals that dont normally do damage. Exact chemicals and delivery method must be specifed. Power: -1 to -10 depending on range of chemicals, their destructiveness, their availability and difculty of delivery method. Blessed Objects Power: varies Tere are some zombies who rise again for purely religious reasons. In their case, the only way to stop them might be something blessed by God or other higher power. For example, kosher bullets might harm a zombie just like they would harm a living being while holy water might act like acid. Zombies susceptible to such methods usually have trouble attacking those of great faith, destroying churches, and generally are respectful of sacred locations. On the other hand, sometimes they arent. Double damage from blessed objects. Exact object, blessing process, and delivery method must be specifed. Power: -1 to -10 depending on exact object, blessing process and the difculty of delivery method. Sacred Item Power: +7 Te zombies unlife is maintained by the presence of a sa- cred item of power placed somewhere on the body, such as a magical scarab or hermetic talisman. Should this item be removed or destroyed (usually a -6 to hit, typical item has a damage capacity of 5-8), the zombie falls down dead and stops trying to chew on the living. Damage to the zombies body has no efect on its performance. Te item does not have to be in plain sight, but must be car- ried on the outside of the body (and not, say, embedded in its skull, or fused to the skin). Mirror, Mirror Power: -3 It may be dead but its still vain. Te zombie cannot stand the sight of itself and recoils from mirrors or other large refective surfaces (at least one square foot). While this doesnt actually damage the zombie, it prevents it from attacking in the direction of the refection -- unless it relies on some way to fnd its prey other than sight. Disruption Field Power: Varies Because their fesh has been so traumatized by death, yet is still made of the same basic matter, zombies receive half damage from disruption feld guns by default (see p. 45). Complete immunity can be bought for Power +3, while taking full damage is Power 3. Stun Power: 5 Zombies are usually unafected by stun guns (see p. 45). Tose with this weakness lose Dead Points instead of Endurance when shot by one. Te ZM can decide that stun felds cannot kill the zombie, just incapacitate it. Weak Spot: Charm Power: 1 Te creature is immobilized by a charm of a particular sort: an Amulet of Anubis put around the neck of a mummy, a piece of Taoist scripture stuck to the head of a Chinese vampire, or some other object, which is put on the body in a particular way. When this is done, the creature returns to being a perfectly normal corpse; but if the charm should come of for any reason, the creature returns to unlife at full strength. Weak Spot: Salt Power: 2 Whatever the nature of the creatures Weak Spot, salt will wound it wherever it hits. A blade that is moistened and sprinkled with salt will cause normal damage on the frst blow and half damage on the second. Afer that, the salt must be re-applied to gain this bonus. A shotgun loaded with salt will cause damage as birdshot (AFMBE, p. 134). Te Zombie Master should decide on the efectiveness of attempts to treat other weapons with salt. Weak Spot: Silver Power: +4/+8 Te creature can be wounded normally by weapons or bullets made of silver. Ashotgun loaded with silver scrap will do the same damage as buckshot (AFMBE, p. 134). At the lower level (+4 Power), all other forms of attack do half damage; at the higher level (+8 Power), all other forms of attack do no damage whatsoever. Weak Spot: Sunlight Power: 5/10 Burning, peeling, and melanomas are the least of the creatures worries. Tis creature of the night is actually harmed by exposure to sunlight: it sufers D8(4) damage per Turn at the lower level (5 Power), and D8 x 2(8) per Turn at the higher level (10 Power). At the Zombie Masters discretion, damage may be reduced for indirect sunlight or heavy overcast. Ninety-Pound Weakling Power: -3 Teres nothing like dying to shed those unsightly pounds. Unfortunately, as we all know, muscle disappears a lot faster than fat. Zombies of this low caliber fall below human average when it comes to strength. However, these weaker zombies are ofen faster than others and may have special abilities to make up for their lack of strength. Either that or they come in very large numbers. Strength 1. Dead Joe Average Power: 0 Tese walking dead returned with all the muscle fber of a regular joe (or jane). Nothing special here, but not below average either. Strength 2. Strong Like Bull Power: +5 Tis zombie has returned with a great deal more going on in the strength department. While much stronger than average, the zombie is still not beyond human range or experience -- at least with respect to strength. Strength 4. Monstrous Strength Power: +10 Reanimation has made the zombie something quite special indeed, something capable of breaking rocks over its own head, punching through walls, and bending iron bars. Zombies this pumped up would win the Worlds Strongest Man competition hands down and not even break a sweat. Strength 7. Special Strength Features Damage Resistant Power: +5 Death has made the zombies fesh and bones more resistant to damage. Te skin is tough as leather, the muscles resilient as vulcanized rubber. Even the bones have grown harder, almost as tough as rocks. Tis makes it much harder to destroy the zombie, even if it has a weak spot like the brain. All weapons except fre and chemicals do half damage. Flame Resistant Power: +1/+3 Being buried next to an abandoned asbestos factory can have its advantages. Whatever the reason, the zombie is now resistant to fre in all its many forms. Zombie takes half (+1) or no (+3) damage from fre. Zombies who have fre as their Weak Spot cannot have this special feature. Iron Grip Power: +1 Once the zombie grabs hold of something with one of its hands, nothing is going to make it let go. Forcibly breaking the grasp is nearly impossible, no matter how many cool aikido moves are thrown. Te only way to make a zombie let go is to cut its fngers of one at a time. Even if its hand gets severed from the rest of its body, it keeps on holding on. Of course the zombie can let go anytime it wants, but that seldom happens once it has its hands on some tasty morsel of fesh. Strength for gripping equal to 10. Strength Claws Power: +8 Humans are not naturally the most impressive fghting machines. Tey have no real built in weapons for killing prey. Some zombies have, in their undeath, developed more potent mechanisms for destruction, usually in the form of claws. Sometimes the claws are merely the tough fngernails of the risen dead. More ofen the zombie actually chews of the fesh on the ends of its fngers, revealing an inch or so of bone. Tese bone tips become preternaturally sharp and capable of tearing through fesh, leather, and even thin sheet metal (like the roof of a car). No modifer to hit in close combat. D6(3) x Strength in armor-piercing, slashing damage. Teeth Power: +4 Of course, if zombies could talk they would call them fangs because it sounds scarier, but basically these are just your average human chompers with a few modifcations. Most notable is that the strength of the jaw has increased dramatically. As a result, the zombies bite has all the same advantages of the special ability Iron Grip (its just a little harder to bite something than it is to grab it). Te zombies bite also does extra damage when it latches on to a target. It continues to cause damage each Turn until the zombie runs out of fesh to eat or somehow gets removed (a welding torch works well for this). -3 to hit in close combat. Damage equals 6 per Turn. Te Hug of Death Power: +8 It shambles forward, arms outstretched. A week ago he was a loved one. Ten he drowned in a terrible ice fshing mishap. Still, he hasnt lost any of his afection. All he wants now is a hug . . . of death. Te zombie needs to get both its arms around the target, but once it does theres no getting out of it. Te zombie grasps its prey in a bear hug and starts squeezing the life out of her. Te two usually fall to the ground as the zombie even wraps its legs around the target, causing damage each round until something stops it. Even if the zombie is destroyed, it still holds on (although it no longer squeezes). Better cut it free before the next one arrives. -2 to hit in close combat to establish hug. Strength once hugging equal to 10; hug damage equals D4(2) x 10 per Turn. Getting Around Slow And Steady Power: 0 Tese traditional undead cannot run and even when they walk they do so at much less than normal human speed. On the other hand, like all zombies, they never, ever get tired. Dexterity 1; Speed 2. Life-Like Power: +3 Te zombie has the same basic mobility as a living human. Usually this is accompanied by ominous creakings and crackings from the zombies dead joints and bones, but the dead dont seem to mind, so why should you? Even though these zombies can move around like humans when walking, they still cannot run well. Te typical zombie does not have the best sense of balance and running tends to throw them of rather quickly. Te zombie can walk quickly however, usually half as fast as the average walking pace for living folks. Dexterity 2; Speed 4. Te Quick Dead Power: +10 Tese zombies can actually move faster and better than normal humans. Tis makes them particularly dangerous. Quick moving zombies ofen look strange to the living because their movements are not normal. Tey fail their arms wildly and move like they had rubber bands for limbs. Teir run is a kind of loping gait. It may sound funny, but its not when theres a pack of them closing in. Dexterity 3; Speed 18. Special Movement Modifers Burrowing Power: +3 Most zombies start of unlife buried six feet under. Its only natural that some of them would develop a talent for moving like moles (or the worms that dine on their unliving fesh). Te zombie has the ability to tunnel underneath the ground for great distances. Tis may not be the fastest means of traveling -- usually no more than a couple of feet per minute and only through sand and dirt (not rock). It can still come as an awful shock to the living when zombies start coming up from beneath the foorboards or through the basement wall. Leaping Power: +3 Few zombies possess this high fying movement technique, but it is not unheard of. Te zombie can literally leap up great heights or forward great distances. Tis frog-like movement technique is used primarily for attacking prey or getting over obstacles. It is a product of the zombies animated musculature more than actual speed. Preparing for the jump might still be a slow process if the leaper is a slow zombie. However, once airborne, the laws of physics take over and it moves fast and high. Can leap obstacles up to 6 feet (2 meters) in height. Can leap forward up to 12 feet (4 meters). Te Lunge Power: +3 Zombies shamble about in their unlife with no haste or hurry. All that can change however once it gets near delicious, living human fesh. Ten instinct takes over and the thing becomes capable of quick bursts of speed. Much like a cat stalking its prey, the zombie moves at regular speed until it is within striking distance. Ten, like a fash, it can lunge forward (up to three yards/meters on average) as quick as a cat. Tis ofen catches the living of guard the frst time, but if they survive this surprise attack, they will likely not make the same mistake again. +2 Initiative in close combat. Aquatic Power: +2 Most zombies dont do very well with water. Tey either foat around helplessly or sink to the bottom like a rock and get mired in the mud. Tere are those undead, however, who can deal with the watery depths admirably. Tese zombies either swim at a slow pace or, since they do not need to breathe, walk along the bottom as they please. Te important thing is that this ability allows them to do both. Tus, unlike some undead, they wont get trapped in the deep end of the pool. Gain Swimming 2 skill. Underwater Speed: 3 Climbing Power: +2 As a general rule of thumb, zombies do not climb. First, they tend to think in two dimensions (food and more food) and second, climbing usually requires more coordination and dexterity than the zombie will ever have. In this case, the zombie has the ability to climb through a combination of heightened dexterity and undead strength. Te zombie can scale surfaces that would give pause to an experienced mountain climber simply by not caring about pain and using its strength to claw into whatever surface it needs to climb. Tus the zombie can easily scale things like chain link fences, wooden barricades, and even the walls of some houses and buildings. It cannot climb vertical concrete, the glass walls of skyscrapers or any other very tough surface. Gain Climbing 2 skill. Climbing Speed: 3 feet (one meter) per Turn. Flying Death Power: +3 Te Wehrmacht had a feld day experimenting on the undead; these gruesome critters are one of their greatest triumphs. Tese zombies have had the marrow hollowed from their bones and have been granted large, leathery wings with which they can fy through the air at a base speed of Dexterity x 2. Constitution Weak Constitution Power: 2 No-one really thinks of zombies as getting sick, but the walking dead can be their immune systems own worst enemies. Immunosuppressants are regularly used in transplant surgery to reduce the risk of rejection, and a recently-created construct can be so full of these drugs that its immune system is seriously compro- mised. Transplant patients are usually kept in squeaky-clean ICU rooms until the danger is long past, but not all of the creatures in this book may be as careful. Constitution: 0, Dead Points 8. Desiccated Power: -1 Te zombie has not taken too well to dying and being put into the ground. It has wasted away and become a mere shadow of its former glory. Te body is no longer built for stress and tends to fall apart rather easily. Constitution 1. Minus 5 DPs if a weak spot other than All is chosen. Fresh One Power: 0 Tese fesh feasters have still got a little of the old piss and vinegar in their bodies. Te rigors of dying have not done much to hamper the overall health of these zombies. Tey're still juicy and have that satisfying meaty smack to them when struck. Constitution 2. Hardy Specimen Power: +5 Maybe it's the zombie chow (TM), but something has brought these creepies back with a rock-hard physique and a resistance to pain to rival that of body-piercing fanatics. Tese zombies ignore all pain, even if they have senses that allow them to feel pain. Constitution 4. Add 5 DPs to the total DPs if a weak spot other than All is chosen. Tough as Nails Power: +10 Tese powerhouses of the zombie world are prime specimens of the slab. Tey don't go down easily and can take quite a pounding. Tey don't feel pain and they don't tenderize easily. Constitution 7. Add 10 DPs to the total DPs if a weak spot other than All is chosen. INtelligence Dumb as Dead Wood Power: 0 Tis is the basic zombie intelligence. It detects something alive and it tries to kill it, end of story. It cannot open doors or climb over things real well, or do much more than walk in straight lines and knock things down. Te zombie has Intelligence -2 regardless of how bright it was in life, and cannot use language or tools. Language Power: +1 Te zombie can still talk, although it is not a pretty sound. Further, it can understand what others are saying, whether they be zombies or humans. Of course, its language skills are restricted to whatever abilities it had when alive. Talking zombies can cooperate with one another and even make deals with the living. Furthermore, they can read and understand the dangers of words like fammable and explosive. At the very least, they can get on the phone and call for more ambulances. Add Language (local area) 5. Tool Use Power: +3 per level Tere are three levels to this intellectual ability. Tool use is a combination of intellect and manual dexterity. Even if a zombie is smart enough to talk, it does not necessarily have the ability to drive a car because it cant make its body work that way. At level 1, the zombie can use simple tools like clubs, doorknobs, melee weapons and anything else that does not require too much thinking. At level 2, the zombie can operate machines that require some thinking, such as telephones, electrical switches, and frearms. At level 3, the zombie can operate complex machines that require it do several things at once, like driving a car or operating a computer. Any level also grants Intelligence 1. Animal Cunning Power: +2/+4 Tese zombies are able to puzzle out certain things, and do learn from experiences. At the lower level (+2 Power), the zombie gains Intelligence 0, and knows to use a more direct path to cut of prey, to lie in ambush, and to avoid harmful attacks. At the higher level (+4 Power), the zombies Intelligence becomes 1 but it can only act as an intelligent animal. It can open doors by pushing, lif things without grasping, or leave crude traps to get at prey. Tese abilities may include crude communication and teamwork, but nothing beyond the capacity of a relatively smart animal. Tool use of any sort is not possible. Teamwork Power: +4 Some zombies seem to communicate with one another with a kind of ESP. Tey always know just how to work together when in a group, whether it be to bust down a door by combining their strength or to surround some poor human and close in for the kill. Tis natural teamwork capability requires no verbal communication between the zombies. Range of communi- cation is 20 yards. Long-term Memory Power: +5 Te living dead with this capability learn from their mistakes and the mistakes of others. Tus, if they see that their buddies attacking the humans through a certain doorway are mostly getting their heads shot of, they will try to fnd a safer way to get at the tasty, well-armed morsel. Likewise, they can remember where a human is hiding, go of and get a club, and come back and use it to help bash down the door. Zombies with this feature are much easier to train since they actually remember instructions given to them and know that when they do what theyre told, they receive a reward (punishment does not work well since most zombies dont feel pain). Tis feature is a prerequisite to retaining skills from life (each such skill level adds to Power level). Zombies gain Intelligence 2 for purposes of memory (no language). Problem Solving Power: +15 Te zombie is capable of advanced leaps of logic when it comes to getting at its next victim. For instance, it might realize that the dead mall security guard has a key to open the door that those three tasty humans are hiding behind. Or something even simpler like moving a box next to a window in order to climb up high enough to break the glass and crawl through. Most zombies, even tool users, dont think this far ahead, preferring to move (mentally and physically) in straight lines. Te zombie gains Intelligence 2 for purposes of problem solving only (no language or memory). Includes the Tool Use feature at level 3 for free, and allows for increases in Intelligence up to level held during life (each level adds to Power level). Senses Like Te Dead Power: 0 A few days/months/years underground hasnt exactly done wonders for the zombies senses. Tey are signifcantly less than human standard. Te zombie can only make out dim forms moving around -- just the outline of a human fgure for instance. Teir senses of smell and touch are gone completely and their sense of hearing is pretty shabby. Basically, the zombie will chase down anything that moves without too much discrimination. Even so, it will not attack other zombies. A zombie always knows a brother living dead. Perception 1. Like Te Living Power: +1 Tis zombie returns with the perception of an average human. Te better to see you, my dear! Tere is a drawback to this -- since the zombie retains its sense of touch, it can also feel pain. While attacks to nonvital parts cause no real damage, it still feels like they do. As a result, the zombie becomes temporarily distracted every time it takes signifcant damage. It is unable to act the Turn afer it sufers 10+ Dead Points in a single attack. Perception 2. Like A Hawk Power: +2 Te rejuvenation process was better than complete and the zombie retained all of its senses at better than average human level. Again, the zombie feels pain (see Like Te Living). On the plus side, its vision is good enough to see exactly whos doing the shooting and exact appropriate vengeance. Perception 3. Like Nothing Youve Ever Seen Power: +10 Death has given the zombie a clarity of senses unparalleled in nature. Te zombie has eyes like a zoom lens and hearing like an FBI bug. Hardly anything escapes its notice, especially if its living and breathing. In fact, it can hear breathing from a hundred yards away. Tese super-perceptive zombies make deadly hunters, but do feel pain (see Like the Living). Perception 7. Special Senses Modifers X-ray Vision Power: Perception x2 Te zombie has the ability to see through walls, trees, and anything less than three feet (one meter) thick that is not lead. In fact, the zombie probably sees the world this way all of the time -- a series of solid and semi-transparent objects, some of which move around and look especially delicious. Range equals ten times Perception in yards. Life Sense Power: Perception x2 Tese zombies always know where their next meal is going to come from -- right around that corner. Being dead has given the walking corpse the ability to sense the presence of living beings within a certain range, no matter what obstructions lie between it and its moving dinner. Of course, being able to sense a living thing does not mean the zombie can get to it. Zombies are simple creatures, however, and once they fnd a nearby source of food they tend to stay as close as possible. Tus, holing up in the old barn is not such a great idea. Te zombies cannot get in (at the moment), but they keep massing outside, waiting for you to come out. Tey know theres food inside and they are hungry! Range equals ten times Perception in yards. Scent Tracking Power: Perception Like a well trained bloodhound, the zombie has a nose for human fesh. Even if the zombies senses are normally terrible, when it comes to snifng out prey, theres no stopping this reanimated cadaver. It can follow the scents of living beings that are up to 24 hours old. Like any tracker, it loses the scent if the target passes through water -- although if its just a stream, the zombie can probably already smell the scent from the opposite bank. Zombies tend to follow these scent rails around until they fnd something to eat. Once a zombie encounters potential prey, it ofen single-mindedly follows that particular scent until it fnds the prey once more. Perception times 2 for purposes of smelling (minimum 4). Infravision Power: Perception x2 No, zombie elves or dwarves are not the only ones to come back with Infravision. Tese zombies home in on the heat given of by living creatures, just like a guided missile. In fact, most zombies with this ability can only tell the living from the dead because of the heat signature. Tis allows them to hunt day or night, but can cause some problems on a really hot day when even zombie bodies reach temperatures over 98 degrees. Also, the zombies can be distracted by high heat sources. Range equals ten times Perception in yards. Mindless Pawn Power: -2 Tese zombies unlive to serve. Tey barely have a will to speak of and would probably do something rash if they were alive. Tey are most likely found in the thrall of zombie lords and other would-be necromancers. Willpower 1 Te Every-Zombie Power: 0 Tese creatures have about as much will to succeed as the average Joe on the street. Although they will happily chase down a hapless victim they may not have the angst and gumption to climb through that barbed wire fence or over those precariously stacked barrels. If it's too much work it's probably not worth it. Willpower 2 Resilient Power: +5 Te zombie could be a shrewd businessman or someone who could take the stresses of staying in the wilds with little more than a pocketknife and a compass if it were alive. Now, it's merely an unstoppable force of will. Tese creatures can shrug of all but the most persistent zombie lords and stop at nothing to get at their prey. Willpower 4 Will of Iron Power: +8 Tese zombies can endure the harshest conditions and are hardly ever bothered by the feeble minds of zombie lords. In fact, if these creatures were intelligent they could be the masters of their domain, bending others to their will. Willpower 7 Willpower Sustenance Need to Feed Constantly Power: 4 Te creature is racked by unending hunger, and must eat every chance it gets. Afer 5 minutes without eating, the creature starts to lose Strength. For every 5 minutes of star- vation, the creature loses one quarter of its original Strength score (rounded up for the purposes of using the Attribute), to a minimum of zero. If food of its desired type is visible (or within range of smell), the creature must make a Dif- cult Willpower Test (repeatable each Turn) in order to do anything except head for the food and start eating. Need to Feed: Hourly Power: 2 Te creature is racked by unending hunger, and must eat every hour. Afer an hour without eating, the creature starts to lose Strength. For every hour of starvation, the creature loses one quarter of its original Strength score (rounded up for the purposes of using the Attribute), to a minimum of zero. Daily Power: 0 Everyone needs three square meals a day to make the most out of life and these zombies are no exception. Tey dont need to eat a whole lot but they must consume at least 10 ounces of whatever it is they crave each day. Afer a day without eating, the zombie starts to lose Strength. For every day of starvation, the zombie loses one quarter of its original Strength rating (round up for purposes of using the Attribute) to a minimum of zero. Once Strength drops below one, the creature is very weak and can do little more than drag itself slowly along. Lack of food will not destroy the zombie, but it will render it unable to do anything but lie around and moan Braiiiiiins . . . Occasionally Power: +2 Te zombie can go up to three days without eating, but every fourth day it needs to consume at least 16 ounces of its preferred nutrient. It doesnt have to eat all 16 ounces at once, but it does need at least that much each three day period. Each day afer that, the zombie starts sufering Strength loss (see Daily). Weekly Power: +4 Te zombie can keep going with even the smallest amount of food. Once a week it needs to have a nice big meal of at least 24 ounces or it starts to sufer the efects of starvation (see Daily). Who Needs Food? Power: +8 Tese rare zombies have no need to feed at all. Tey kill just for the fun of it. Ofen these zombies are powered by something in the environment, such as sunlight or massive amounts of radioactivity. Should the zombie ever be cut of from its seemingly endless source of reanimatory energy, it will lose its Strength as if it were starving (see Daily). Te Menu All Flesh Must Be Eaten Power: 0 Many zombies just arent too particular -- theyll take any meaty bit of living fesh they can sink their teeth into. Tis diet works well for zombies who need to eat a lot. Braiiiiiins Power: -3 Te classic zombie fare; the living dead love the tender taste of human brains. Ofen its all they can think of, repeating that same word over and over. Te tricky part is getting the skull open, so only zombies with either high strength or the ability to use tools should have brains as their main source of nutrition. Sweet Breads Power: -3 Most know these as organs. Pick a particular human organ that the zombie is fond of and have them literally tear in. Te liver is always popular, but one kidney is never enough to satisfy a hungry zombie. Ten theres the heart, a perennial favorite with the sentimental living dead. Blood Power: -2 Its not just for vampires anymore. Te zombie needs to drink fresh human blood to keep going. Unlike certain suave bloodsuckers who can take a little and leave the victim living, zombies tend to break the skin and just get as much as they can, as quickly as they can. Just for future reference, the larger the holes in the victim, the more blood available for a hungry ungrowing undead. Soul Sucker Power: +5 For the more supernaturally oriented zombies out there, the fesh of the living does not do the trick. Tey hunger for something greater: the immortal human soul. Devouring the souls of the living usually requires some sort of physical attack. Examples include a big messy kiss, tearing out the throat, or simply squeezing the life out of the victim. Whatever the method of retrieval, its invariably painful and may leave the victim quite, quite dead (until they rise again, that is). Te zombie drains Essence points equal to double its Willpower, but only consumes (gains the beneft of) half that (the rest is wasted). Each Essence Point consumed is equal to one ounce of sustenance for purposes of the starvation rules. Radiation Power: +2 A zombie that feeds on radiation needs at least 200 rems for a full meal (see p. 67). Solar Powered Power: +5 Some zombies dont need meat at all, just the feeling of warmth on their hides. It takes two hours of strong sunlight to make up a complete meal, or one hour if the zombie can receive the light unshielded by atmosphere or glass (in which case, the Vacuum Sealed Quality would be useful). Being further away or clos- er to the sun, compared to Earths orbit, might require more or less hours spent sunbathing, but that is lef to the Zombie Masters discretion. Special Acid Blood Power: Varies Te zombies blood would make a vampire need dentures. It is highly corrosive and will eat through any biological material and some metals. Te zombie itself cannot use its blood in an ofensive way, but it makes things dangerous for anyone in close combat with the creature. Oddly enough, the zombies fesh is immune to the acid blood, even afer the zombie is destroyed. Zombie fghters searching for protective wear may choose to garb themselves in the fesh of their foes for added, but gruesome protection. Acid does regular damage per Turn equal to double the Power level of this feature. Diseased Corpse Power: +3 Corpses are renowned for their unsanitary nature. Zombies with this ability carry some dread disease along the lines of the bubonic plague or the ebola virus (although it could be something as mundane as a really bad fu). Any contact with one of these zombies carries a risk of catching the disease, even if the zombie does not successfully attack the person. In fact, the disease ofen proves a more deadly killer than the zombies themselves. Disease rules are discussed in Chapter Tree: Shambling 101 (p. 108). Noxious Odor Power: +5 No corpse really smells good, but these zombies stink to high heaven. In fact, the stink is so great that anyone coming within six feet (two meters) of the festering cadaver is almost immediately overcome by the odor. Living folk begin to vomit uncontrollably and may even pass out if exposed to the smell for too long. Nearby characters must make a Difcult Constitution Test or be rendered unconscious or otherwise incapacitated. Nest Power: Varies Although most zombies have maggots and worms living in their bodies, these zombies have developed a special, symbiotic relationship with some of the parasites. Feeding of the undead fesh has turned the insects into zombies of a sort. Tey work in conjunction with the living dead that hosts them, swarming out and attacking anything that comes close (close combat distance) to the creature. Tey can be biting ants, stinging wasps, pinching beetles, even deadly spiders. Whatever they are, its sure to creep the Cast Members out the frst time they come swarming forth. Creatures do regular damage per Turn equal to the Power level on this feature (they ignore armor). Spitter Power: Varies Te zombie can spit some sort of toxic fuid. Ofen this is a mixture of saliva, embalming fuid, and other unidentifable internal liquids. Te substance causes living skin to itch and burn, much like a very bad case of poison ivy or jellyfsh stings. Te real threat from this spitting attack is if the zombie manages to hit the target in the face and the toxin gets in her eyes. Te burning sensation efectively blinds the target for D4(2) hours unless she can somehow rinse the fuid from her eyes with lots of running water. Range equals half Constitution in yards (meters). Spit does regular damage per Turn equal to half the Power level of this feature (armor is ignored if face is targeted). Spew Flame Power: Varies Trough a curious chemical process that results from the production of methane gas as the body decomposes, the zombie is able to actually open its mouth and release a short range blast of fame, much like the fre eaters at carnivals and renaissance festivals the world over. Te zombie can only do this once every six hours, and ofen does so uncontrollably, although it will save the faming belch for a living target if one is nearby. Even worse, because the fame is powered by methane, the stench of the belch can be debilitating even if the fame misses. Range equals Constitution in yards (meters). Te attack requires a Resisted Test between the zombies Dexterity and Perception, and the targets Dodge and Dexterity Task (or Difcult Dexterity). Flame does regular damage per Turn equal to the Power level of this feature. Detachable Body Parts Power: Varies, but at least +10 Te zombie has the bizarre ability to actually separate of parts of its body and let them act on their own. Te most common use of this power is removing a hand and letting it crawl about, like Ting in search of prey. Te zombie has full control over what the detached body parts do and can even sense what it senses (which is usually only by touch). Tool-using zombies can use this ability to sneak their hands through a hole or window, and have the crawling thing unlock a door from the inside. Others throw their hands like weapons and have them latch onto the necks of prey that are trying to run away. Of course, the zombie can detach any part of the body, including internal organs. Tus small intestines become animated, constricting snakes and so forth. Te possible uses are endless. Te specifcs of this feature, including any special damage are lef to the Zombie Masters discretion. Explosive Personality Power: +2/+5 When this zombie returns to the dead (the kind that does not move, that is), it does so with a bang . . . literally. Once the zombies Dead Points are exceeded, its body parts, at least those that remain, fy apart with a loud and messy explosion. At the lower level (+2 Power), the parts spread over a 4 yard (meter) radius. Tis causes no damage to those caught in the blast, but does force a Fear Test at -4 (at least for the frst dozen or so times it is witnessed). At the higher level (+5 Power), the fying guts cause D6(3) points of damage to all those in the explosion radius, and a Fear Test for those who witness it. Regeneration Power: +2/+5 Tese zombies have the special ability to recover from the damage done to them. Tis does not mean that inefective holes or partially missing limbs are repaired. Tat is window dressing that gives the zombie a real visual ummph. Tis regenerative ability is limited to Dead Point damage that will ultimately force the zombie to stop moving around and eating. At the lower level (+2 Power), the zombie regains 1 Dead Point per minute. At the higher level (+5 Power), 1 Dead Point is gained per Turn. Blight Power: +1/level Due to the plague toxins carried in its diseased body, the zombies second death results in an area of infertility and blight, as though salted with lime. What few plants grow in this blackened area are twisted and poisonous, and animals avoid the spot. Te radius of the efect is equal to fve feet per point of power spent. Once an area is stricken with blight, it can only be reversed through metaphysics (such as Bountiful Harvest). A zombie massacre can render an entire area unusable by survivors for years to come. Boneless Power: +3 Te reanimation process has restructured the zombies bones, turning them into a cartilage-like substance. Tis sofened skeleton allows the zombie to squeeze through tight places a normal body could not, to a minimum of four inches wide. Tus, a Boneless zombie could wriggle through a ventilation duct or the space between prison bars. Te zombie also sufers less damage from smashing attacks such as those from clubs or maces (acts as D4(2) armor against attacks -- no bones to break). As a downside, the sof bones provide a weaker structure for the zombies muscles and ligaments, so the zombies can have a maximum of Strength 2. Bulletproof Power: +4 Te zombie is less susceptible to the impaling damage of bullets than to other kinds of harm. Te zombie only re- ceives the minimum damage (typically the weapons dam- age multiplier drops to x1) from any normal bullet attack. High-explosive rounds and other specialized ammo may still infict normal damage, at the ZMs discretion. Damage from close combat weapons remains unafected. Death Mask Power: +6 Trough some bizarre trick of preservation, the zombie looks and smells like a living human to other people. Tis efect is strictly visual and olfactory -- the zombie cannot speak or interact unless those special abilities are taken separately. In order to pose as fully human, it must also possess Aspects such as Language and Tool Use. It contin- ues to move and act like a zombie without Getting Around (Life-Like) and Senses (Like the Living) or better. Dogs and other animals are not fooled, however, and react according- ly. If the ZM wishes, potential victims may make a Difcult Perception Test to notice that something seems wrong. Doppleganger Power: +8 You are who you eat! Tis power allows the zombie to take on the features of its last victim, permitting it to pass itself of as that individual, though a lack of a pulse or body heat may give the truth away. Te zombie does not gain access to the victims memories or voice, only his physical appear- ance. If the ZM wishes, those familiar with the victim may make a Difcult Perception Test to notice something is wrong with their friend. Gremlin Power: +2/level to a max of four levels Te zombie exerts a strange electro-magnetic feld -- like an EMP pulse -- disrupting electrical devices. Equipment and objects requiring electricity do not operate when the zombie is near -- cars wont start, fashlights fail, watches stop. Te radius of efect of the feld equals fve feet per level purchased. Large groups of zombies can amplify the efect: A close group of one hundred can incease the range by a factor of ten (or ffy yards per power level). A mob of one thousand zombies increases it by a factor of one hundred (or 500 yards per power level). Hive Mind Power: +8 A simple expansion of the Teamwork Aspect, this ability allows total communication between zombies out to a range of 100 miles. Tey act as a part of a single entity, coordinat- ing attacks and activities as though part of a single mind with an Intelligence 1. If a queen zombie acts as the nexus for the hive, reduce the power cost for all zombies to +6. Te death of this leader zombie disrupts the hive mind, and all other zombies revert to Intelligence -2. Liche Lord Power: +15 On ezombie rules them all, and in the darkness binds them. Te ZM assigns this power to one zombies in every thou- sand, providing this individual the equivalent of Long-term Memory and Problem Solving, as well as the ability to com- mand undead as per the Rule Te Dead power (see AFM- BE, p. 209). Instead of paying Essence Points to command zombies, the Liche Lord pays Dead Points, which can be reconstituted by feeding. Rule the Dead: A Zombie Lord and any sealed human may converse or command any sealed zombie within earshot. Simple commands or questions to less than 5 zombies costs 1 Essence Point. Detailed commands or commanding large groups of zombies costs 2 Essence Points. Large groups of zombies may not be given detailed command. In all cases, the zombies will obey until given another command, even if the object of the commands no longer exists or further activity would do more harm that good. Locust Power: +3 When delicious human meat becomes scare, zombies with this power can supplement their diet with whatever is handy, stripping trees of bark, devouring plants, and taking chunks out of animals, Although the zombies continue to starve, dropping by one-quarter strength for each day with- out ten ounces of whatever they crave, Strength cannot be reduced below 1 as they supplement their diet Greenpeace style. But they still crave sweet, sweet fesh, and again a +2 to Preception-based Tests to fnd it (while starving only). Afer a month of foraging by a zombie army, most areas are become stripped clean and the zombies must move on, leaving a desolate land in their wake. Sticks Around Power: +2/level to a max of four levels Maybe its chemicals in the zombies system that kill all the normal bacteria, or re-animating microbes that preserve ne- crotic fesh, but the zombies functional deteriorating occurs at a slower rate than normal, allowing it to delay or avoid the detrimental efects of decay (see pp. 79-84). Te frst lev- el multiplies the time before skeletonization (as calculated by the formula on p. 80) by ten, the second increases it by a factor of ffy, and the thrid by a factor of 100. the fourth level means the zombie does not efectively decay at all, and can only be eliminated through starvation or destruction. Of course, the body can still decay cosmetically becoming more gaunt, grotesque, and gooey over time, but it retains its full abilities as long as it meets its feeding requirements Will of the Dead Power: +3 Like a cobra mesmerizing its prey, the zombie can some- how stun a victim into inactivity. Tis may be the power of tis red-eyed gaze, a wolf-like howl, or some kind of mental ability that overcomes the will of a single individual, freez- ing the victim in his tracks Make a Restricted Test between the zombies Willpower (usually 2) plus 3 for the Power itself versus the victims Willpower. Inspired Cast Members add +2 to their roll. Te Denial and other metaphysical defenses may also aid the victim at the ZMs discretion. Tis efect lasts only D6 turns, afer which the victim can make another Willpower Test to break the zombies hold on their mind. Billy Bones Power +15 Tese zombies are only about half the men they once were. No fesh remains on these clacking skeletons to hamper their movement. Tey dont need to eat, and even if they did, where would it go? Tese zombies have only their will (or the will of some zombie lord) driving their bones onward, but the will can be a powerful thing. Tey are also faster than most run o the mill zombies, as they dont have all that hanging fesh to worry about. A Billy Bones uses its Willpower, or the Willpower of the controlling entity, zombie lord, whatever, instead of its Strength when dealing damage or lifing things, while the overall DPs of the creature are still calculated in the usual manner. Add 1 to the basic Dexterity of the zombie and +5 to the Speed. A Billy Bones is harder to hit with piercing weapons, there being so little to target, and -2 is applied to attack rolls (except attacks to the head) when using piercing weapons against it. Displacement Power +4 Looking at this zombie is something akin to looking at an object lying at the bottom of a clear pond. Its never in the place it looks like it is. Te zombie has the uncanny ability to refract light to make its location seem to be where its not. Anyone attempting to attack the zombie does so at -4 at a distance and at -2 in hand-to-hand range. Fog Power +10/+1 per 50- yd radius Tis ability is an advanced version of that found in the Atlas of the Walking Dead (p. 101). Some zombies or even ghostly vessels are able to blanket an entire town, port, or island in a porridge-thick fog that obscures all but the keenest of vision. Te power begins at a 500-yd (meters) radius and is an additional +1 Power for each additional 50 yds (meters) beyond this. Te fog spreads out at 10 yds (meters) per second and drops almost all visibility to zero. Tose attempting to sight a target within this fog do so at -6 beyond a range of 10 yds (meters). Some Ghost Ships have this ability, creating a massive and unnatural blanket of fog to quite suddenly appear out of nowhere to envelop their quarry. Tose on the Ghost Ship have no minuses to vision and can still see through the fog as though the objects they were looking at were shadows or mistlike forms. Te fog travels with the ship, with the vessel at its center. From Te Ashes Power: Variable Sometimes zombies just dont know when to stay dead, even when theyre incinerated. A zombie with this Aspect can literally be reborn in a spectacular, or even creepy, display on the night following its destruction, or on a particular night, depending upon the Power level of the Aspect. Te zombie rises from where it died, either by a bolt of lightning from the sky, in a bright fash of fre or just by reconstituting itself from the lefover bits. Ghostly Form Power: +10 Tar be nothin worse than a zombie on a pirate ship...unless it be a zombie on a pirate ship that can walk through your best sword swing to get at you. With this power the zombie can temporarily turn himself insubstantial. Te power is very useful for evading those pesky weapons that want to chop you into fsh bait. Ghostly Form takes one Turn to activate and costs the zombie one Essence point per Turn to maintain. However, while insubstantial, the zombie cannot be afected by any physical attacks and can walk or glide through solid substances. Metaphysics, Miracles and magical or blessed items can still afect the zombie in its insubstantial form. Glamour Power +2/+5 Some zombies look quite human, that is until you bring them into the light. For whatever reason, these zombies have some glamour placed upon them to make them look human until something happens to reveal them. Tey couldve been cursed by some ancient treasure, disguised by a powerful zombie lord, or any other cause. Te circumstance is completely up to the ZM (or the player and ZM if its taken by a Cast Member) and can include anything from daylight to being under the light of the moon to being near a holy symbol. Whatever the circumstance, the zombie looks completely human in all respects until the circumstance is met. Ten, his true form emerges immediately, which could be a real shocker to anyone believing him to be a living breathing mortal being. At the higher Power level, the zombie can actually control the Glamour, only revealing its true form when it wants to inspire terror in its victim. Te zombie will be revealed for what it is, however, once it actually grabs its victim. Graf Power +5/+10 Flesh, its not just for eating anymore. With this Aspect the zombie can take pieces of fesh or bone from its victim and literally graf it onto itself, allowing it to heal wounds using the grafed piece. Lost limbs can be replaced, gaping wounds can be closed, and spilled guts can be sealed back inside where they belong. Of course, this does look strange; something akin to a patchwork zombie, but it is efective. It does take time to graf, however. A zombie graf takes about 30 seconds to complete for each half-pound (8 ounces) of fesh and each halfpound can regenerate 10 DPs of damage. Lost limbs take longer to attach, 5 minutes, and heal the zombie of all the damage it took to remove or destroy the limb (see AFMBE p. 147). At the higher level, the zombie can actually graf multiple limbs onto its body, giving it more combat actions per Turn. Each pair of arms grafed onto the zombie gives it one more attack action at no penalty. No more than 6 arms total (including the ones it already had) can be on a zombie. ZMs may even allow the zombie the ability to graf its torso onto an animals body (like a centaur) at their discretion. Grafing additional limbs takes the same amount of time as replacing a limb. Natural Armor Power: See Below Some zombies have hide that is just a bit tougher than most others do. Natural armor is for those creatures that have hardened exoskeletons or chitinous shells or are in some way hardened to damage. Below is the Power level of the Aspect and the Armor Value of each. Tere is also a description, which can be used as a guide to determine what type of hide the creature may have. Increased Attribute (Type) Power +2 per Level Some zombies are a cut above the rest, whether its a ballet dancers dexterity or the strength of a body building champion or even the superior intellect of a mad scientist. For each level of this Aspect, the chosen Attribute is increased by 1 point. Tis Aspect must be purchased in addition to an Aspect that sets the Ability. For example, a zombie with Increased Strength would have to have one of the base Strength Aspects before purchasing Increased Attribute. Speed is calculated as for a living being when this Aspect is taken for Getting Around, instead of using the speed provided in the base Aspect. ZM Note: May not be suitable for PC zombie Cast Members, as there may be a potential for min-maxing. Bloody Mass Power: +4 Sometimes the best defense is not being around to be hit at all. Te zombie has such incredible control over its undead form that it can cause itself to break down into a bloody mass of blood, bones, and sick goo. Tis puddle is fully animate and moves with half the zombies normal Speed. Although the zombie cannot attack, it is immune from all physical attacks except fre, explosives, and acids while in this form. It can seep under doors, through grates and even stay cohesive under water. Te zombie can fall into the form instantly, even using the technique as a defensive action to avoid an attack. However, it takes a full two Turns for it to reform into a solid body. Bone Blade Kick Power: +2 Some zombie martial artist masters have added a special kicker to their kick. As the zombies foot rockets towards its opponent, the fesh peels away to reveal the bones of the foot, fused into a jagged blade. As soon as the foot begins to withdraw, the fesh slides back over the blade, covering it again by the time it touches the ground. Te Bone Blade Kick does D6(3) x (Strength + 1) slashing damage. Bullet Sponge Power: +2 Few zombies really mind getting hit by bullets (unless it hits them in their Weak Spot). Some zombies actually like it. It means they dont have to go looking around for ammunition. Bullets that strike the zombie do damage as normal (if applicable), but then go through the strangely evolved organs of the zombie, making them good to go again (including cartilage casings and organic gunpowder). Te zombie can excrete these at will from its hands, or if its got a built-in gun, directly into the weapon. Recyclings so important in this modern day, its touching to see the undead involved too . . . Burrowing Finger Power: +5 Tis deadly attack works best against living foes and those zombies with a particular weak spot. Using only its index fnger to attack (regular close combat attack), the zombie jabs the digit deep into the targets fesh. Once it penetrates, the fnger breaks of and begins to worm its way through the targets body, causing massive internal damage. It makes its way towards the targets heart or brain, depending what the zombie wishes. Te fnger then works its way out and crawls back to the owner, who may attach it again with no penalty. Te zombie can only use one fnger at a time in this manner. Te initial fnger attack causes D4(2) x Strength damage. Each round afer that, it moves six inches (15 centimeters) towards the targets vital organs, causing an additional D6 x 2(6) damage each Turn. When it reaches the heart or brain, it causes D8 x 6(20) damage each Turn until the target dies. Buzzsaw Torso Power: +4 Te skeleton within the zombie is highly animate, dying to get in on the fghting action. Te ribs and other bones of the torso work with the fesh to create a bizarre but deadly attack. Te ribs shif and expand through the fesh until they protrude in a circle out from the spine in the middle of the zombies chest. From the top, it looks like the spokes of a wheel (since all the ribs extend to the same length). Ten they start spinningreally, really fast, like the blades of a helicopter. Tese super-strong ribs slice and dice anything that comes near. It is hard to attack with the torso, however, so a zombie must frst Grab or grapple (Resisted Simple Dexterity Tests) an opponent before pulling them into the spinning bones of death. Once a victim comes into contact, D12 x 4(24) points of slashing damage are delivered per Turn. Chi Suck Power: +4 Chi Suck is related to Soul Sucker (see AFMBE, p. 155). Zombies with this ability border on being vampiric, although blood is not what they suck. Once a zombie Grabs, grapples (Resisted Simple Dexterity Tests) or bites someone, it can hold on and start sucking out the persons very life essence. In games terms that means, well, Essence. Each Turn the zombie sucks in D10 x 3(15) Essence Points, adding them to the zombies own Essence Pool. Any Essence absorbed in excess of the zombies normal Essence Pool level dissipates afer 24 hours, but may be used until that point. Tis Aspect does not serve to raise the zombies permanent Essence Pool level. Crimson Spray Power: +1 Not only does the master zombie have unbelievable control over its dead body, it can also control the stagnant, stale blood that lies in its veins. Te zombie can, at will, fre spurts of blood from anywhere in its body. Tese jets have a range of just three yards (meters). In combat, their greatest use is to temporarily blind or distract an opponent. Te zombie can use this Aspect and make one other attack in the same Turn without incurring multiple action penalties. Striking a target in the eyes requires a Difcult Dexterity Test. If successful, the target is partially blinded and sufers -3 on hand-to-hand attacks and - 6 on ranged attacks. Decaying Bite Power: +3 Te zombie carries special, supernatural parasites that devour fesh. Fortunately for the zombie, this Aspect renders its own fesh immune to the parasites. Others are not nearly so fortunate. Whenever the zombie successfully bites someone (causing at least 4 points of damage), a number of the nasties get passed to the victim. Tey immediately start to eat away at the targets fesh, starting with the location of the bite. Te consumption spreads at the rate of one inch (2.5 centimeters), causing one point of damage, per minute. Eventually, it devours the entire bodybe it zombie or humanunless the victim cuts out the infected area or scours it with fame or acid. Of course, the treatment causes its own damage, but no one said this was going to be easy. Entrail Whip Power: +2 Digestion is all well and good, but certain undead masters have learned to put their internal organs to other uses. Tearing open their own stomachs (which causes no damage), they pull out their small intestine, which has become leathery and tough in death and makes a perfect whip. Te whip extends up to thirty feet (10 meters) and can be used to swing from chandeliers, infict stinging blows on an opponent, or entrap a target in its undead grasp. Since it is part of the walking deads body, it is also somewhat animate. It can grab onto things with its own strength rather than relying on simple momentum like a plain old inanimate whip. Te zombie can use the whip simply to attack, causing D4(2) x (Strength - 1) damage. Making a grappling attack requires targeting a specifc location on the targets body (damage is still sufered). If successful, the whip ensnares the body part and does not let go until cut (10 points to sever), removed (efective Strength 4) or withdrawn by the zombie. Te entrails have an armor value of D6 + 1(4). Fighting Flying Head Power: +3 Te secret to winning any fght is using ones head. Certain zombies take this adage very literally. Tose with this Aspect can remove their heads and let them fy and attack on their own. Te zombies body continues to fght without any penalty as long as the head remains within line of sight. Te head itself can fy at a rate equal to three times the zombies normal Speed. Attacks against the head sufer a -5 penalty. Unless the brain is a Weak Spot, damage short of total destruction (30 non-weapon/60 weapon) is ignored. Te fying head has an unlimited range and can attack with a bite or head butt that causes D4(2) x (Strength - 1) damage. Fingerblades Power: +1 Te bones in the tips of the zombies fngers can extend through the fesh at will, becoming razor sharp bone blades capable of severing fesh and muscle with ease. Tese retractable blades stretch out as far as eight inches (10 centimeters) and cause D4(2) x Strength slashing damage. Flesh Fist Power: +4 Some of the most efective techniques in the martial arts involve grabbing a hold of the opponent in some way, but ofen this maneuver is more easily said than done. Te Flesh Fist combines the damaging power of a punch with a grab that does not require the zombie to use its hands at all. Te fesh on the zombies hand slides forward along the forearms and stretches out, wrapping around the target and grasping it tight. Zombies with this power automatically perform a Grab Combat Move on an opponent whenever they successfully strike with their fst (unless they do not wish to). Tis allows them to execute any throws or lock moves on the same Turn without multiple combat action penalties. Flesh Holster Power: +1 Te zombie, either through some quirk of undeath or by design, has one or more pockets of fesh in its body. Te skin covering these pockets looks perfectly normal, at least normal for a walking corpse. However, the zombie can, with no harm to itself, reach into the pocket with ease to put something in or pull something outsomething like a knife or gun. Tis happens as fast as a normal person would draw a gun from a holster. Te pocket can range from wide and deep (roughly the size of a high-velocity handgun) to long and slim (for a katana or the like). Larger weapons cannot be stored. Grasping Feet Power: +5 Trows, locks, and chokes are an important part of any martial arts attack, but frst the opponent must be grappled successfully. Undeath has loosened the zombies feet up a bit, allowing the bones of the feet and toes to grasp a target as efectively as a hand. Te zombie can make a normal kick attack but instead of pulling the foot back afer the strike, it latches on to the target. Zombies with this power automati- cally perform a Grab Combat Move on an opponent when- ever they successfully strike with their feet (unless they do not wish to). Tis allows them to execute any throws or lock moves on the same Turn without multiple combat action penalties. Hand-Gun Power: +3/+5 In this guys case, they couldnt pry the gun from his cold, dead fngers. Te zombie forces a stripped down gun into his hand, parting fesh and bone to make it ft. While this makes the hand pretty useless for anything but shooting, thats okay, who wants to do anything else anyway? At the higher Power level, the gun merges with fesh, and can- not be distinguished until bullets start popping out of the back of the hand. Each gun can be fred eight times be- fore reloading, a process that takes one Turn per bullet to accomplish since the zombie must peel back a fap of fesh to insert new shells. Alternatively, the zombie can swallow the bullets and they are channeled to the proper places in one hour. Te guns have a range of 3/10/20/60/120, and do damage depending on the shell inserted (up to 9mm, see AFMBE, p. 134). Horns, Tusks, and Spikes Power: +2 Control over the body, the key to success for all martial artists, has developed in undeath to the point where the zombie can cause spiky protrusions to grow from its body. Horns from the head, spikes from the elbows or knees anything the zombie desires. Even better, the spikes spring forth with the speed of a stiletto and retract just as fast. On the down side, the zombie can only create one large or two smallish spikes at a time. Te spikes increase the multiplier of an attack by one, or grant a D10(5) damage if no damage would be done normally. In-Bodied Armor Power: +6 While sticks and stones and guns might not hurt a zombie as much as they do living folks, they still take their toll afer a while. A little extra protection never hurts. Zombies with this Aspect have steel or kevlar plates sewn into the feshy parts of their body, usually the torso and sometimes the legs. Tis acts just like normal body armor except that it cannot be taken of and is not immediately obvious to the casual observer (although it does give the zombie an extra bit of bulk). Protection is (D8 x 3) + 18(30). Iron Shirt Body Power: +3 In life, masters can protect their bodies against harm through the use of chi. In death, this efect requires no Essence expenditure. Te fesh hardens to the strength of iron, yet remains supple enough for the zombie to move. Te result: a natural armor rating of D8 + 8(14). Just a Flesh Wound Power: +5 A zombie with this Aspect may restore all those nicks, dents, gouges, cavities and severed limbs that add luster to a walking deads appearance. Te Aspect allows a zombie to regain 2 Dead Points per day, but more importantly missing body parts and other cosmetic blemishes (say, gaping holes in the chest, pealing skin on the face, etc.) slowly return to normal. Te exact time frame is up to the Zombie Master, but the Zombie Restoration Table may be instructive. Mind Eating Power: +3 per level Amind is a terrible thing to waste. Zombies with this ability actually absorb the knowledge and skills of the people they attack. Afer a successful bite attack to the head of the target, the knowledge-hungry zombie makes a Resisted Test pitting a Willpower and Mind Eating Level Task against the victims Difcult Willpower Test. For every Success Level of the zombies Task over those of the victim, the zombie gains either one key fact or one level of skill from the unwilling donor. If the zombie consumes the victims entire brain, 10 facts or skill levels are absorbed. Te newly gained facts or skills last a number of days equal to the level of this Aspect. For an additional 2 points per level, the absorbed knowledge is permanent. Melding Power: +3 Tis truly disgusting technique immobilizes both the zombie and its target. First, the zombie must successfully Grab or grapple (Resisted Simple Dexterity Tests) the opponent, bringing his body into close contact. Ten, the fesh of the zombie becomes sof and gooey and begins to meld with the fesh of the target, seeping through any natural or fbrous clothing (plastic, rubber, or metal bars the meld). Te two bodies become inseparable and both fall to the ground. Te zombie then tries to bite, eat or otherwise infict a close combat attack (+4 bonus). Avictim can try to tear away by succeed- ing at a Resisted Simple Strength Test. If successful, both the victim and the attacker sufer D10 x 5(25) points of damage. Te zombie using the power can undo its efects at any time. Few masters possess this Aspect, but some lesser zombies have it, sacrifcing themselves to efectively immobilize an opponent while their master carries on with other business. My Body is a Deadly Weapon Power: +2 Sometimes in a fght, a weapon would be useful but none are handy. For some zombies, this possesses no problemany arm or leg will sufce. Te zombie can detach one of its own limbs and use it as a weapon. Any master capable of this trick has no problem balancing on one leg and hopping around at half its normal Speed. An arm acts as a club and does D8(4) x Strength damage. Aleg acts as a big club and does D10(5) x Strength damage. Both can be used two-handed if desired (except of course when one arm is being used as a weapon). Prehensile Hair Power: +3 Many masters keep their hair long either out of vanity or as a sign of devotion to their art. In death, these long locks serve them in new and exciting ways. Undeath makes the hair strong as piano wire and totally animate. Using this preternatural third limb, the zombie can make grasping and throwing attacks, wield small weapons (knives, shuriken) and throw objects. Plus, its really cool at parties. Zombies with this ability ofen hide weapons in their hair until the moment to strike comes. Te hair has a Strength 2 less than the zombies normal Strength (minimum of 1) and provides the zombie with an extra attack action each Turn. Ribs of Doom Power: +3 Zombies who like food that really sticks to their ribs love this Aspect. First, the undead warrior has to get in nice and tight next to his opponent. Ten, its own ribs extend forth and latch onto whatever is in front of them, usually the body of the zombies opponent. Te ribs not only pierce the opponents fesh but grasp him tightly as well. Tis attack leaves the zombies hands free for other things, usually tearing away at parts of the hapless victim. A successful Grab or grapple (Resisted Simple Dexterity Tests) entangles the zombies victim, and does D4(2) x Strength crushing damage in addition to whatever other attack the zombie launches. Each Turn thereafer, D4(2) x (Strength - 1) damage may be caused, as well as whatever other attack the zombie launches. Escaping the ribby grasp requires a successful Resisted Task or Test (a Simple Strength Test, or a Strength and Martial Arts Task, whichever is higher). Shifing Bones Power: +3/+5 Skilled martial artists know to strike sof fesh and muscle rather than bone when they punch. With some zombies, however, the exact location of the bones is never a sure thing. Undead masters with this ability can swifly shif the location of portions of their skeleton in order to help block incoming attacks. Worse still, the bones grow through the fesh in the form of damaging spikes. Te zombie must make a Difcult Willpower Test in order to maneuver its bones to intercept an incoming attack. If successful, the bone meets the blow. If an unarmed attack was blocked, the zombie sufers no damage, and the attacker incurs D4(2) + their own Strength damage points. If the attack was with a close combat weapon of some sort, the bone acts as (D8 x 2) + 8(16) armor. At the higher Power level, the bones protection applies to ranged attacks, including bullets. Shot-Arms Power: +4 A variation on the Hand-Gun Aspect, the zombie instead imbeds a stripped-down, single-shot shotgun in each arm by forcing it between fesh, cartilage and bone. Te zombie can still use its hands normally, and until the gun fres (or someone uses a metal detector), no one can tell that the guns are there. Firing one of the guns rips a hole in the zombies palm, which may cause 1 point of damage depending on the Weak Spot chosen. Each gun can only be fred once before reloading, a process that takes two Turns per shell to accomplish as the zombie must peel back a fap of fesh to insert new shells. Alternatively, the zombie can swallow the slugs and they are channeled to the proper places in one hour. Te guns have a range of 5/25/50/100/200, and do damage depending on the shell inserted (see AFMBE, p. 134). Shuriken Nails Power: +1 Why carry around unwieldy, pointy throwing stars when fngernails are always handy? Te zombies nails have become hard as steel and sharp as a razor in death. Tey are also detachable. With a fick of the wrist or ankle, the zombie can send one fngernail or toenail fying with the speed of an arrow. Of course, the zombie only has a total of 20 of these projectiles, but if retrieved, they can be put back in place. If the zombie also has some unnatural healing capacity, the nails grow back in 48 hours. Te nails have a range of 3/5/8/10/13, and cause D4(2) x Strength slashing damage. Snakes Spine Lunge Power: +2/+4 Despite the name of this Aspect, the zombie does not actually have the spine of a snake. Rather, for the duration of this bizarre yet devastating attack, its spine kind of looks like a snake. Te spine actually extends up out of the body, telescoping out up to a distance of four yards (meters). At the end of the spine is, of course, the head, which bites (D4 x 2(4) slashing damage) or head butts (D4(2) x Strength damage) on a successful Simple Dexterity Test, or Dexterity and close combat skill Task. At the higher Power level, the head acts as a bludgeoning fail weapon, and causes D10(5) x Strength damage. Tis all happens as quickly as a snake strikes (thus the name) and can be a devastating attack against unwary opponents who think they are out of reach (-4 to defense actions on the frst attack, -2 on the second). Tis strike takes the place of a regular attack action. Spying Eyes Power: +2 Not so useful in actual combat, this technique allows crafy warriors to spy on their enemies before the fght ever be- gins. Simply plucking out an eye activates the Aspect. Te foating eye moves at a rate equal to four times the zombies normal Speed to a distance of Willpower x 10 yards (me- ters). It not only lets the owner see whatever the eye sees, it lets them hear as well, strangely enough. Te zombie can concentrate on what it sees through the fying eye or what it sees with its remaining eye, but not both at once. Strength in Numbers Power: +6 Traditionally, zombies have always found their greatest strength in numbers. While individual master zombies can be quite formidable on their own, sometimes they fnd the classic ways are the best. In order for this Aspect to work, each participating zombie must possess it. Te zombies ac- tually meld their fesh and bones into one another, creating a larger, more powerful zombie creature. When two or more zombies join together they can add extra limbs if they wish or simply fuse their masses together to make a bigger body. No more than fve zombies can join together in this way. It takes one full minute for each zombie to join the feshy monstrosity and only one can join at a time. Te frst zom- bies stats serve as the base for the rest of the creature. Every additional zombie that joins in adds 1 to all of the zombies physical Attributes (which may afect Secondary Attri- butes depending on the Aspects held by the base zombie). Optionally, it can forgo one physical Attribute bonus, and choose to add another pair of limbs instead. For example, two zombies with physical Attributes of 3 join together. Tey decide they want to have four arms and so lose one Attribute bonus (they choose Dexterity). Te new creature now has four arms and Strength and Constitution of 4. For each extra set of arms, the zombie gets an additional attack and defense action that Turn without multiple action penalties. Additional legs allow for two extra kick attacks each Turn but slow the zombies Speed by two per pair (its really hard to move with extra legs). Te zombie can only use Qualities, Skills, Combat Moves, Metaphysics (including Special Chi Techniques) and Aspects held by the base zombie. Once the zombies decide to separate again (which takes one minute per zombie), divide whatever damage has been sufered equally between them. Sword-Arm Power: +2/+4 Te zombie has removed the fesh from one of its arms and fused the bones there into a single sharpened mass. On a successful close combat attack, this sword bone causes D8(4) x Strength slashing damage. At the higher Power level, the fesh of the arm actually peels back, revealing the bone blade only when desired. Tis allows the zombie to hide the true extent of its abilities. Afer it has fnished using the blade for whatever slice-and-dice work is at hand, the fesh closes back around as if the sword arm had never existed. Tef of the Body Power: +5 A zombies body is simply a tool for its ends (eating brains, for instance). Some zombies can upgrade their set of tools, making additions by stealing cool parts from their friends and enemies. Te newly attached limb functions perfectly normally, no matter where the zombie places it. Unfortunately, the attachment only lasts for about an hour and then the process starts to fail. Still, during combat theres nothing more annoying to an opponent than chopping of his arm, sticking it in the middle of your chest and using it to punch him. Each additional arm allows the zombie to make another attack or defense action that Turn without multiple action penalties, if the arm is located somewhere were it can reach the opponent. Additional legs are a little more unwieldyeach one allows for an extra kick attack each Turn but slow the zombies Speed by 1 (its really hard to move with extra legs). Chopping of a limb requires targeting the body part (see AFMBE, p. 104), and doing damage equal to one fourth (round down) of the targets total Life Points with some sort of slashing weapon. Tearing it of requires that the zombie have a Strength equal to twice the targets Constitution and do one third (round up) of the targets total Life Points in damage to the arm. Trapping Flesh Power: +3 Decomposition and rot have lef the zombies body in an almost gelatinous state. Trough sheer force of will, the zombie holds itself together and looks relatively solid (for a walking corpse). It can, when struck, release some of this concentration, causing the blow to sink into the disgusting, rotting mass of fesh. Tings get real tricky when the zombie solidifes itself again, trapping the hand, foot, or weapon inside its body. Attacks against the zombie cause normal damage, but all close combat attacks against the zombies torso result in the attacker getting caught within the zombies body. Te weapon or limb remains unusable until pulled free. Tis requires a Resisted Testthe attackers Simple Strength Test against the zombies Simple Constitution Test. In the meantime, the zombie is free to engage in any close combat attack desired, particularly those which require a Grab or grapple action. Te walking dead can release the hold at any time. Turret Torso Power: +1 Sometimes, following a running target with an automatic weapon is difcult. Other times, running one way and shooting another can be a problem. Zombies with this Aspect do not sufer from such hassles. Teir torsos are unrestrained by the traditional limitations of the spinethey can turn a full 360 degrees. Tis added fexibility allows the zombie to easily keep its eye and gun on the target, even while its feet are headed somewhere else. It also allows the zombie to better aim since it simply extends an arm like the barrel of a gun from a tank, fxes its head and aims head and gun as one. For zombies, this is an easier way of doing things (cuts down on pesky hand-eye coordination problems). Te zombie gets a +2 bonus to hit targets when it is standing still, and sufers no multiple action penalty from moving and shooting at the same time. Undead Flexibility Power: +3 Te constant struggle of every athletebuilding strength while keeping limber and loose. Death makes it that much easier to loosen up. Te zombie can bend all of its joints in any way it pleases. Elbows and knees can bend backwards, hips rotate beyond the normal extremes, and even the head can spin around 360 degrees. Te advantage of all this? First, the zombies Dexterity increases by 1. Secondly, the zombie can squirm through any opening large enough for them to get their body mass through in some form (note that for those with a Weak Spot, that portion must come through relatively intact). Its a slow process, but that cat- fap, vent, or chimney, is now access enough to the tasty humans dwelling within. Also, the zombie gains a +3 bonus when resisting locks, grabs, or throws, or performing Escap- ism Tasks. Venous Defense Power: +2 Zombies do not usually need blood to keep going, making all those veins and arteries useless under most circumstanc- es. Tis Aspect allows the shambling horror to control and animate its veins and arteries and use them as weapons. Te veins separate and poke out of the body, writhing about like worms. Tough as leather and sharp as needles, these veins form a kind of sparse, animate fur all over the zombies body, extending three inches out. Tey provide D6 + 1(4) armor. Also, they burrow into and tear at the fesh of anyone that comes into contact with the zombie. As a result, anyone grappling with the zombie sufers automatic attacks (D6 x 2(6) slashing damage) from the zombies veins. Wall Crawling Power: +2 A combination of undead claws and the stickiness of rotting fesh allow the zombie to move over almost any surface with ease, regardless of incline. In other words, the zombie can move up walls and even across ceilings as easily as it walks. Tis gives the zombie unparalleled maneuverability in com- bat, since it can fght from a wall or hang from the ceiling with ease. Tis ability also lets it move up and down ropes, vines, and other hanging means of conveyance with ease. Whirling Cyclone Kick Power: +3 Sometimes a skilled martial artist spins his body around as he kicks in order to increase speed and power. However, the way the bodys joints and bones work limit amount of spin and the motion of the leg. For a zombie, joints and bones no longer limit movement. Te zombie can twist its torso a full 360 degrees. When using this Aspect, the zombie kicks out and lets the force twist the lower portion of its body around and around. His lower body spins like a top, balanced on one leg while the other swings around and around with cyclonic speed. All the time the zombies torso remains erect and unmoving, allowing it to use hand and head normally and direct where it moves. While spinning, the zombie can move its normal Speed. As soon as its leg makes contact with something the spinning stops as the full force of the attack is unleashed. Te whirling cyclone kick does D10(5) x Strength damage. Te zombie must spend one Turn build- ing up speed before it strikes an opponent.