Dust Raven Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 I've got this really morbid character concept running through my head, and I'd like some help thinking of some appropriate Disadvantages for him. Basically, he's a zombie... like a night of the living dead, dawn of the dead, from the D&D monster manual, whatever, kinda zombie. With one difference. He still has a functional mind. So basically he's just a walking corpse. Think the women from Death Becomes Her... he's dead, but is still walking around. Don't worry about the Powers and whatnot... I've got that all taken care of. I just need some Disadvantes appropriate for a walking corpse that still has a soul inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John T Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 Re: Disadvantages of being Undead The first one that comes to mind (except, perhaps, the Di-Stink-tive Features ) is the question of whether the character has been declared Legally Dead. Dead people don't have a whole lot of rights in society. John T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutsleeve Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 Re: Disadvantages of being Undead Hmm well apart from loss of legal status, civil rights, and citizenship there might be a few other things. I guess thats a Social limitation. Bad smell for instance very distinctive feature unless you want him to walk around heavily perfumed which i guess would be just the same kind of distinctive feature but instead of gagging from the festering smell they would gag because of all the cheap perfume. Theres also a dependancy he would have to have. It would of course be a dependancy for good stout thread and sharp needles say every hour he doesnt have it he takes damage as bits fall off. Hunted vultures LP 14- easy to find (at least for a vulture) Harsh punishment (dinner) Another Hunted to simulate those people who think a walking talking dead man is unnatural and needs to be given his final rest (for your own peace of mind of course) say AP 8- Harsh punishment. Vulnerability to cold based entangles Enraged at the sight of living people with brain (the desire to eat them of course ) Uncommon 8- to go 14- to recover ( its uncommons because well the general population seems a bit brainless to me) And of course the classical distinctive feature Dead, deceased, not among the living, worm food, pushing up daisies, feeding the tree's, an ex-human, he is no more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nexus Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 Re: Disadvantages of being Undead The character might not heal naturally and require some kind of necromatic magic or ritual to repair himself Sometimes the undead are portrayed as having duller senses than the living. Particularly sight and touch. The character might have a "evil" or unnatural aura that psychics and mages could pick out. Reputation: One of the Undead might be appropriate since most people would fear him if they knew what he was. Hunted by some anti magic group or undead slayers? His dried and dessicated body might be more susceptible for flame? As dead flesh, he would freeze in cold conditions and lose mobility. Difficulty speaking because of a dehydrated throat and barely functional lungs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 Re: Disadvantages of being Undead Hey cutsleeve, i like the idea of the Enraged for a desire to eat brains of the living. Ties along with the girl from Return of the Living Dead 3. Course if I remember that movie right, I developed a theory on the reason she never attacked her BF. Not because she loved him, but because he didnt have a brain worth eating (the guy had to be one of the dumbest characters I've ever seen in a horror movie, and that is saying something ) Anyway, it could also be a Psych Lim, but the Enraged would play better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dust Raven Posted June 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 Re: Disadvantages of being Undead I like the Enraged to eat brains thing... The character actually has Full Life Support, so doesn't need to eat, sleep, and is immune to the effects of extreme temperature (the supernatural energy that keeps him from animated also protects him from the environment), so some of the related disads mentioned probably wouldn't be appropriate for this character. I absolutely love the idea of a Social Lim: (Legally) Dead. I was actually thinking of giving him unluck, and something like not having a legal identity just sound fitting. Cutsleeve mentioned a dependance on a needle and thread, and while I like the idea, this zombie is held together with magic. However, he does not have Regeneration and needs to heal (un)naturally like any (ab)normal character. But this got me thinking of a Physical Lim where he can't receive any kind of useful medical treatment. To complicate this, he's defenses are defined as ignoring damage, rather than absorbing or deflecting it... so after a gun fight he'll be full of holes that eventually seal up but not have taken any actual damage (maybe not even any STUN). This alone could confuse a doctor. I'm not sure how much it'd be worth though. He has a 20 REC. Thanks for the ideas so far and keep 'em coming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy_The_Ruthles Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 Re: Disadvantages of being Undead definitly a physical lim that he can't heal damage normally. A psychological lim, where maybe he's forgotten some things from his past, or periodic amneisa as worms eat his brains or something. A penalty to senses because of ears falling off, dead nerves in his finger tips etc. Vunerbility to silver, holy water etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawksmoor Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 Re: Disadvantages of being Undead I like the Enraged to eat brains thing... The character actually has Full Life Support, so doesn't need to eat, sleep, and is immune to the effects of extreme temperature (the supernatural energy that keeps him from animated also protects him from the environment), so some of the related disads mentioned probably wouldn't be appropriate for this character. I absolutely love the idea of a Social Lim: (Legally) Dead. I was actually thinking of giving him unluck, and something like not having a legal identity just sound fitting. Cutsleeve mentioned a dependance on a needle and thread, and while I like the idea, this zombie is held together with magic. However, he does not have Regeneration and needs to heal (un)naturally like any (ab)normal character. But this got me thinking of a Physical Lim where he can't receive any kind of useful medical treatment. To complicate this, he's defenses are defined as ignoring damage, rather than absorbing or deflecting it... so after a gun fight he'll be full of holes that eventually seal up but not have taken any actual damage (maybe not even any STUN). This alone could confuse a doctor. I'm not sure how much it'd be worth though. He has a 20 REC. Thanks for the ideas so far and keep 'em coming! The Master List of Limitations perhaps? Requires specialized medical treatment might go along way towards needed Necromancy based healing spells treatments. Social Limitation: Legally dead is a good one as is Social Limitation: Dead for all the "Ewww! he's a Zombie!" reactions Hawksmoor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John T Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 Re: Disadvantages of being Undead Further possibilities: Psych Lim: Wants to be brought back to life or, for a darker twist: Psych Lim: Wants to finish dying John T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greatwyrm Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 Re: Disadvantages of being Undead I'm not sure how to classify it, but he'd probably repluse or enrage natural animals. Dogs growl at him, horses rear-up or flee from him, and so on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atlascott Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 Re: Disadvantages of being Undead What about Distinctive Features: Smelly Walking Bag of Meat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Jim Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 Re: Disadvantages of being Undead The Brotherhood would hunt "it" down like the Evil servant of the Dark Soul that "it" is.....with flamethrowers,large calibre automatic weapons and the Art (magic basically)......regardless of "it" actually being an evil servant of the Dark Soul. you could substitute the Vatican for the Brotherhood if you wanted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 Re: Disadvantages of being Undead Yeh, I was gonna say Social Limitation: Zombie! Run! But then it occurs to me that maybe all his peers in that world are zombies. In which case only humans would get the limitation Physical Limitation: Tasty Living Morsal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marketeer Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 Re: Disadvantages of being Undead Psych (or Phys, depends on how you define it) Lim: "Subject to the orders of necromancers" can be useful for creating roleplaying hooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
input.jack Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 Re: Disadvantages of being Undead True, Necromancers should have an easier time with him (Maybe a Vulnerability to Necromantic Magic?). My roomate suggested Social Lim: Undead American Perhaps he cant regenerate unless he eats raw meat. (I dont know how fast you wanted the regeneration to be, but if its out of combat type regen, this might work). Even with life supports against heat and cold, the cold might still slow him down. (Anyone whose played City of Heroes knows what happens when you hit a Vahz zombie with a cold effect ) You might also give him a Physical Limitation that he is Immune to Normal Medicine, since you said a doctor wouldnt know what to do with him. (I had a Living Dead Girl character in a game a while back, which is where Im drawing alot of this from). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dust Raven Posted June 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 Re: Disadvantages of being Undead I'm not sure how to classify it' date=' but he'd probably repluse or enrage natural animals. Dogs growl at him, horses rear-up or flee from him, and so on.[/quote'] Oooh, I like it! Would this be a seperate disad from DF: Undead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dust Raven Posted June 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 Re: Disadvantages of being Undead The Brotherhood would hunt "it" down like the Evil servant of the Dark Soul that "it" is.....with flamethrowers' date='large calibre automatic weapons and the Art (magic basically)......regardless of "it" actually [i']being[/i] an evil servant of the Dark Soul. you could substitute the Vatican for the Brotherhood if you wanted. I like this, too. I'm not sure if there will be any such authroity in the campaign. At the moment, I'm not sure if he's gonna be an NPC in a game I run, or a character I run in someone else's game. I'm hoping to play him, but not sure if he'll be allowed as a PC or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinecone Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 Re: Disadvantages of being Undead My personal fav for Undead is No sense of smell...don't breath...can't smell say 5 points of physical lim?...add in Hunted: Hunters of evil undead, Bad Rep: Zombie!!! Major, hard to conceal, always, and let the angst begain... Oh wasen't there a comic back in the 70's called "Living Zombie?"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilFleischmann Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 Re: Disadvantages of being Undead I have a character very much like this. He's one of my all-time favorites. I created him pre-4th ed. and I still use him. In addition to some of the disads mentioned above, he has: Watched: Religious group that finds his existance to be "against God" and that he's considered a hero to be offensive. Phys Lim: Partially impaired sense of touch (IIRC only 5 or 10 points) Psych Lim: Feels dead - misses out on much of the joy of life. Like yours, he has full life support, so he can't enjoy many pleasures that living people can. Psych Lim: Overconfident. Why not? He's almost indestructable and can hardly feel pain. Hunted: by people associated with his origin. In my case, it's Viper - he's created by (comic-book) science, rather than magic. Phys Lim: No memory of his former life. A Psych lim such as Code vs. Killing or Must protect life "I don't want others to suffer what I have." Psych Lim: Searching for clues to who he is (was). My character's name is Mr. Boddy - after the murder victim from the boardgame Clue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egyptoid Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 Re: Disadvantages of being Undead who is this irresistable creature that has an insatiable love for the dead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy_The_Ruthles Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 Re: Disadvantages of being Undead who is this irresistable creature that has an insatiable love for the dead? living dead girl!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinanju Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 Re: Disadvantages of being Undead Social Limitation: Inanimate -- meaning that whenever he's not CONSCIOUSLY moving, he appears...dead. No heartbeat or pulse, he doesn't breathe, his eyes don't move. He doesn't twitch, itch, scratch, stretch, change posture, etc. When he's just standing or sitting, he's as inert as a corpse (I'd give him bonuses to stealth for being able to be so utterly motionless, in fact). If he sleeps, people will think he's dead. If he's stunned in combat, he'll seem dead. If he's knocked out in combat, he'll seem dead. If he sits as a sidewalk cafe thinking, he'll look...dead. (And in all such cases, when he DOES move again, he'll scare the hell out of all the people who thought he was dead.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John T Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 Re: Disadvantages of being Undead Phys Lim: Contagious? John T PS - Heh... Hunted: CDC? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy_The_Ruthles Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 Re: Disadvantages of being Undead get feign death, always on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zornwil Posted June 25, 2005 Report Share Posted June 25, 2005 Re: Disadvantages of being Undead I like the Enraged to eat brains thing... The character actually has Full Life Support, so doesn't need to eat, sleep, and is immune to the effects of extreme temperature (the supernatural energy that keeps him from animated also protects him from the environment), so some of the related disads mentioned probably wouldn't be appropriate for this character. I absolutely love the idea of a Social Lim: (Legally) Dead. I was actually thinking of giving him unluck, and something like not having a legal identity just sound fitting. Cutsleeve mentioned a dependance on a needle and thread, and while I like the idea, this zombie is held together with magic. However, he does not have Regeneration and needs to heal (un)naturally like any (ab)normal character. But this got me thinking of a Physical Lim where he can't receive any kind of useful medical treatment. To complicate this, he's defenses are defined as ignoring damage, rather than absorbing or deflecting it... so after a gun fight he'll be full of holes that eventually seal up but not have taken any actual damage (maybe not even any STUN). This alone could confuse a doctor. I'm not sure how much it'd be worth though. He has a 20 REC. Thanks for the ideas so far and keep 'em coming! See, I thought he was a hero until you said you liked the eating brains part! Now I might make a zombie hero NPC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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