How to do Romero/Walking Dead style infections?

[daddystabz]

I severely dislike that in this game a zombie's bite does not infect a human with the zombie virus. I want Romero/Walking Dead shambler style zombies in my upcoming campaign and the virus transfer is essential to this.

Has ANYONE done any mechanics for how this would spread through a bite to a victim in game mechanics? How about mechanics for attempting to curtail the spread of it via chomping off a limb and things like that?

Is there any resource out there to aid me in this?

[dreicunan]

I severely dislike that in this game a zombie's bite does not infect a human with the zombie virus. I want Romero/Walking Dead shambler style zombies in my upcoming campaign and the virus transfer is essential to this.

Has ANYONE done any mechanics for how this would spread through a bite to a victim in game mechanics? How about mechanics for attempting to curtail the spread of it via chomping off a limb and things like that?

Is there any resource out there to aid me in this?

I feel compelled to point out that in the Walking Dead there is no tranmission of a "zombie virus" by a bite. The bite of a zombie might kill you due to a host of nasty stuff from their mouth infecting you and your immune system not being able to cope, but if your immune system can handle it, or if people can get you antibiotics and other medical treatment to get you through, you'll be fine. Everyone turns into a zombie in the Walking Dead world regardless of how they die unless that death destroys the brain (so if there is a virus, everyone is already infected).

That said, just use the myth figues from p. 30 of Dead Reign and treat them as fact instead.

[daddystabz]

Here is what I came up with after some great suggestions on the RPG.net forums:

Once you've been bitten by a zombie, you're poisoned. Roll a 1D20 Saving Throw every hour until you succeed and poison runs its course or kills the character:
• Saving Throw against Lethal Poison (must roll 14 or better to succeed)
• Once all Hit Points are gone from any source, the character reanimates in 2d4+4 minutes.
• Also roll on the Likelihood of Infection table starting on pg 30 and if an infection sets in, roll on the Infection Symptoms and Penalties table on pg 31-32
Immunity (from War of the Dead): In rare cases, people have turned out to be immune to the virus that causes the Living Dead infection. At the start of any campaign, secretly roll 1d20 for each character in the group. The character who received the highest roll is immune to the infection. Although the character will suffer a fever it will cease within 1 day after a successful saving throw vs. Non-Lethal Poison is successful (16 or better). This roll may be attempted once every 3 hours.
If any additional character rolls a natural 20 on the Immunity roll, he/she is automatically immune in addition to whoever else had the highest roll after the natural 20
• Cleaning and Cauterizing the wound has a 40% chance of working to prevent the infection

• Amputation is an 80% chance of preventing the infection if done within 20 - Physical Endurance (PE) rounds

o Amputation of a zombie bitten limb kills 33-50% of the people subjected to it due to the lack of skilled surgeons, proper medical facilities, medicine, cleaning and follow-up care

• In settings where the bite transfers the zombie virus, turning character into the living dead automatically once the character dies, the victim(s) will turn into the living dead about 90% of the time if no action is taken to treat the wound within 48 hours (4d6+18 hours)

[Axelmania]

You gotta use those Strigoi zombies from Shadows of Light

Also: bites can (10% of the time) lead to you becoming a Half Living if the wound festers (see unlanced Zombie Rot, pg 31-32) and those always become zombies when they die.

That would take at least 2 bites though, the first for you to survive coma/death to become a Half-Living, the 2nd to kill you and make your ex-Half corpse rise as a zombie.

Everyone turns into a zombie in the Walking Dead world regardless of how they die unless that death destroys the brain (so if there is a virus, everyone is already infected).

Wasn't that a change they observed later? I got the impression that wasn't the case in season 1 and maybe some people weren't infected, I remember them commenting on realizing that was the case sometime in s2 on the farm, like maybe it had mutated to go airborn.

[dreicunan]

You gotta use those Strigoi zombies from Shadows of Light

Also: bites can (10% of the time) lead to you becoming a Half Living if the wound festers (see unlanced Zombie Rot, pg 31-32) and those always become zombies when they die.

That would take at least 2 bites though, the first for you to survive coma/death to become a Half-Living, the 2nd to kill you and make your ex-Half corpse rise as a zombie.

Everyone turns into a zombie in the Walking Dead world regardless of how they die unless that death destroys the brain (so if there is a virus, everyone is already infected).

Wasn't that a change they observed later? I got the impression that wasn't the case in season 1 and maybe some people weren't infected, I remember them commenting on realizing that was the case sometime in s2 on the farm, like maybe it had mutated to go airborn.

No, it was always the case, both in the comic and the show.

[Axelmania]

I haven't read the comics yet, but just in regard to the show I remember them being bamboozled by that being the case.

If it wasn't common knowledge, then why wouldn't it be plausible that it actually wasn't the case until S2?

[dreicunan]

I haven't read the comics yet, but just in regard to the show I remember them being bamboozled by that being the case.

If it wasn't common knowledge, then why wouldn't it be plausible that it actually wasn't the case until S2?

Jenner told Rick about this at the end of Season 1. Plus you could do about 5 minutes of research to confirm this, in the Walking Dead there is no dodging becoming a zombie just by avoiding getting bit.

[Axelmania]

I don't need to do research on the show since I watched the first first 8 seasons of it, it's just been a long time so I couldn't remember straight specifically when they found out...

even though Jenner told Rick in S1, Rick reveals this to the group in the season 2 finale (Beside the Dying Fire) which is probably what I was remembering, forgot about the ear-whispering thing.

we're all infected.
What?
At the CDC, Jenner told me. Whatever it is, we all carry it.
And you never said anything?
Would it have made a difference?
You knew this whole time?
How could I have known for sure?

Rick didn't know whether to believe it, and apparently nobody else had a clue until the s2 finale.

Does this mean prior to that, the entire cast present in s2 had not witnessed a human die at non-zombie hands?

[Sohisohi]

I did it where infection is accumulated via 1D10s. If you didn't heal, or used a herb, you took an additional 1D10 with every bite/scratch until you reached 100+ infection.

I considered doing something similar as suggested above, a countdown to death, but decided not to since my players would likely die in-transit between scenarios. If at any point an infected player needs a time skip (sleep/travel), then they will just die (likely by the other players). I've yet to find a system like it that is satisfactory for long games, it just feels like you're robbing the players of their last stand.

[SirSpamHammer]

I severely dislike that in this game a zombie's bite does not infect a human with the zombie virus. I want Romero/Walking Dead shambler style zombies in my upcoming campaign and the virus transfer is essential to this.

Has ANYONE done any mechanics for how this would spread through a bite to a victim in game mechanics? How about mechanics for attempting to curtail the spread of it via chomping off a limb and things like that?

Is there any resource out there to aid me in this?

Same here, but I still brought four of the source books for this game.

I feel compelled to point out that in the Walking Dead there is no tranmission of a "zombie virus" by a bite. The bite of a zombie might kill you due to a host of nasty stuff from their mouth infecting you and your immune system not being able to cope, but if your immune system can handle it, or if people can get you antibiotics and other medical treatment to get you through, you'll be fine. Everyone turns into a zombie in the Walking Dead world regardless of how they die unless that death destroys the brain (so if there is a virus, everyone is already infected).

That said, just use the myth figues from p. 30 of Dead Reign and treat them as fact instead.

I feel compelled to point out that in the Walking Dead there is no tranmission of a "zombie virus" by a bite. The bite of a zombie might kill you due to a host of nasty stuff from their mouth infecting you and your immune system not being able to cope, but if your immune system can handle it, or if people can get you antibiotics and other medical treatment to get you through, you'll be fine. Everyone turns into a zombie in the Walking Dead world regardless of how they die unless that death destroys the brain (so if there is a virus, everyone is already infected).

That said, just use the myth figues from p. 30 of Dead Reign and treat them as fact instead.
]I feel compelled to point out that in the Walking Dead there is no tranmission of a "zombie virus" by a bite. The bite of a zombie might kill you due to a host of nasty stuff from their mouth infecting you and your immune system not being able to cope, but if your immune system can handle it, or if people can get you antibiotics and other medical treatment to get you through, you'll be fine. Everyone turns into a zombie in the Walking Dead world regardless of how they die unless that death destroys the brain (so if there is a virus, everyone is already infected).

That said, just use the myth figues from p. 30 of Dead Reign and treat them as fact instead.

That's strange, you make it sound like they might almost be a chance of surviving thezombie bite with your humanity still intact. if they carefully disinfect the wound. it may come good.

[bar1scorpio]

Well, the Zombie system as-is serves three important purposes. 1) Preserves game balance & PC survivability. 2) To actually create a distinction between it and other zombie games & series. 3) Leaving it more up to the DMs creativity to explain the origins of the zombie plauge itself. (Yeah I won't even say "Virus" here. Remember, Mass Demonic Possession by an Old One is also a possibility within the game world... and much cooler than "lol FluRabies".)