Zombies in GURPS

[Keiko]

First ever creature in GURPS. These things are supposed to roughly similar to the Walker from The Walking Dead. Not quite as cumbersome and slow as Night of the Living Dead Shamblers but no sprinters from the Dawn of the Dead remale. These the "stage one" creatures.

I wasn't sure how to represent that their bites usually become horribly infected and kill the victim over time unless they receive medical attention (and get a little lucky).

Plague Zombies

Str: 10
Dex 8
IQ 6
HT: 13

Speed: 3
Move: 3
HP: 10
FP N/A
Will 10
Per 8
Dodge: 3

Advantages:
Injury Tolerance: No vitals, unliving
Hard to Kill x2
Doesn't Breathe
Doesn't Eat or Drink
Doesn't Sleep
Unaging
Teeth (powerful bite)
Unfazable

Acute Smell x2
Detect: Blood (Smell blood)
Discriminatory Smell
Night Vision x2

Disadvantages
Appearance (Hideous to Monstrous depending on condition and age)
Bad Smell (stench of rot)
Bestial
Cannot Speak
Uncontrollable Appetite (Human flesh)
Unhealing (partial: heals if flesh of another zombie is consumed)

Quirks:
Mild fear of fire
Drawn to places and things from former life
Moans and growls compulsively when hunting, hungry agitated

Skills:
Brawling 9-
Stealth 10-

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Originally Posted by Keiko

I wasn't sure how to represent that their bites usually become horribly infected and kill the victim over time unless they receive medical attention (and get a little lucky).

Two ways to do this:

1) Use realistic infection rules. Bites from a normal human usually become horribly infected and kill the victim over time unless they receive medical attention.

2) A Toxic Innate Attack with Follow-Up on the bite and lots of slow Cycles (probably 1/day) that can be Resisted at a stiff penalty.

If people killed by the infectious bite (or either variety) rise as zombies themselves, don't forget to throw the Infectious Attack Disadvantage on there.

I'd leave off Detect (Blood) if you're trying to simulate that they smell blood easily, rather than an ability to sense that it is present whether conditions for smelling it exist or not (eg: in a vacuum). If you wanted them to be able to use the Analyzing enhancement or something like that on blood that they already smell, you could buy Detect with that and Sense-Based (Smell) -20%, but as-is there's not much point. If Discriminatory Smell doesn't give enough range for your taste, just add some Acute Smell limited to Blood Only (probably -80%).

[Kalzazz]

These things will be knocked out, only to return later with their Hard to Kill and no particularly immunity to KO

Also, a particularly effective tactic against them would be to hit them a few times to drop them to negative HP, then just wait for them to fall unconscious as they walk

No need for headshots

[Anthony]

Zombie Infection:

1d6 Toxic Attack, Follow-Up (+0%), Cyclic (7 days; +70%), Side-Effect: Delusion (It will be fine, I should keep it secret and not seek out medical care) at 1/3 HP (+45%) [9]

[Keiko]

Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc

If people killed by the infectious bite (or either variety) rise as zombies themselves, don't forget to throw the Infectious Attack Disadvantage on there.

I have that part covered at least. Anyone that dies rises as a zombie. People that die from bites might rise a bit faster though. Should that be reflected in the attack?

I'd leave off Detect (Blood) if you're trying to simulate that they smell blood easily, rather than an ability to sense that it is present whether conditions for smelling it exist or not (eg: in a vacuum). If you wanted them to be able to use the Analyzing enhancement or something like that on blood that they already smell, you could buy Detect with that and Sense-Based (Smell) -20%, but as-is there's not much point. If Discriminatory Smell doesn't give enough range for your taste, just add some Acute Smell limited to Blood Only (probably -80%).

Good points! Thank you

Originally Posted by Kalzazz

These things will be knocked out, only to return later with their Hard to Kill and no particularly immunity to KO

Also, a particularly effective tactic against them would be to hit them a few times to drop them to negative HP, then just wait for them to fall unconscious as they walk

No need for headshots

How could I give them resistance to being knocked out? Higher Health?

[Refplace]

Hard to Subdue.
Reecovery for that get back up quick thing too

[Kalzazz]

Is there a 'Doesn't get KOed' advantage somewhere?

Would be a good thing for zombies and other thingies that well, don't reasonably get KOed

[Keiko]

Originally Posted by Refplace

Hard to Subdue.
Reecovery for that get back up quick thing too

Thank you!

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc

Two ways to do this:

1) Use realistic infection rules. Bites from a normal human usually become horribly infected and kill the victim over time unless they receive medical attention.

....

No they don't. Not even close. More likely to get infected than sterile knife cuts, true, but not automatic infection let alone lethal.
It's like the paranoia around cat scratches. I've been scratched and bitten thousands of times and never once got an infection.

[aesir23]

Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc

Two ways to do this:

1) Use realistic infection rules. Bites from a normal human usually become horribly infected and kill the victim over time unless they receive medical attention.

2) A Toxic Innate Attack with Follow-Up on the bite and lots of slow Cycles (probably 1/day) that can be Resisted at a stiff penalty.

A happy middle ground would be the Pestilent Perk (Horror 22) which I think may be exactly what you're looking for.