Left 4 Dead Zombies

[Nymdok]

Im currently running a Zombie Game (World War Z:Alpha Missions) and since Ive just recently picked up a copy of Left 4 Dead, I wanted to throw a few of the 'Special' zombies in the mix. I winged it for the boomer and the Smoker in the last game, but Id like something a little more rigorous.

There are some rough ideas in this thread:

http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=62801

but I was looking for something a bit more rigorous.

Specifically Im looking for stats/answers for

General Infected
Brain is the only vital. (Unliving 20, Has a Brain -5 = 15 sound about right?)

Boomer
http://forums.sjgames.com/showpost.p...3&postcount=66

Hunter
http://forums.sjgames.com/showpost.php?p=895544&postcount=37

Jockey
Not sure how to model the 'steering' ability or what mechanics to apply.

Smoker
Last game I used Quick Contest of Strength with margin of victory moving the looser in the winner's desired direction. Is there a RAW way to handle this tug of war?

Tank
http://forums.sjgames.com/showpost.p...5&postcount=68

Witch
http://forums.sjgames.com/showpost.p...1&postcount=72

Has anyone done this yet or have any answers?

Keep in mind, as these are NPCs Im not really worried about point costs. Im also not worried about skill levels (I'll balance those to suit my players), but skill suggestions are of course welcome! My main concern is that I use the skills/abilities in accordance with the mechanics of the RAW.

Thanks in advance
Nymdok

p.s. Because I think its creepier, Ive changed the smoker to where its not its tongue that shoots out, but its entrails.

[Ubiquitous]

Originally Posted by Nymdok

Im currently running a Zombie Game (World War Z:Alpha Missions) and since Ive just recently picked up a copy of Left 4 Dead, I wanted to throw a few of the 'Special' zombies in the mix. I winged it for the boomer and the Smoker in the last game, but Id like something a little more rigorous.

There are some rough ideas in this thread:

http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=62801

but I was looking for something a bit more rigorous.

Specifically Im looking for stats/answers for

General Infected
Brain is the only vital. (Unliving 20, Has a Brain -5 = 15 sound about right?)

Hunter
Whats the range on the Jump?

Smoker
Last game I used Quick Contest of Strength with margin of victory moving the looser in the winner's desired direction. Is there a RAW way to handle this tug of war?

Boomer

Jockey
Not sure how to model the 'steering' ability or what mechanics to apply.


Has anyone done this yet or have any answers?

Keep in mind, as these are NPCs Im not really worried about point costs. Im also not worried about skill levels (I'll balance those to suit my players), but skill suggestions are of course welcome! My main concern is that I use the skills/abilities in accordance with the mechanics of the RAW.

Thanks in advance
Nymdok

p.s. Because I think its creepier, Ive changed the smoker to where its not its tongue that shoots out, but its entrails.

Hunter Jump is about 30 feet, all-told. So 15 yards? Smoker entrails, I see you're a Troper. As for the Jockey, skill-riding at 18 or so, Wrestling at 16? (If you don't want a complete hijacking as per the game, try 12 or 14, but I'm better for L4D info than I am GURPS suggestions.)

EDIT: Also, regarding the Boomer, if you haven't checked already I recall someone making a thread a bit back asking 'how to stat an enemy that pukes on you and draws nearby enemies.' Sounds like something relevant.

[Nymdok]

Originally Posted by Ubiquitous

Hunter Jump is about 30 feet, all-told. So 15 yards? Smoker entrails, I see you're a Troper. As for the Jockey, skill-riding at 18 or so, Wrestling at 16? (If you don't want a complete hijacking as per the game, try 12 or 14, but I'm better for L4D info than I am GURPS suggestions.)

EDIT: Also, regarding the Boomer, if you haven't checked already I recall someone making a thread a bit back asking 'how to stat an enemy that pukes on you and draws nearby enemies.' Sounds like something relevant.

No, thats just me trying to gross out a bunch of 17 year olds..which is no mean feat! :)

Yes, but by what mechanic do I decide who is 'driving' the jockey-charachter totem pole?

Riding vs Strength? vs DX?

Nymdok

[SuedodeuS]

Originally Posted by Nymdok

General Infected
Brain is the only vital. (Unliving 20, Has a Brain -5 = 15 sound about right?)

General Infected are extremely fragile, there's just a lot of them. I'd probably stay away from IT for them. Two pistol shots to the chest are enough to take them down.
In fact, I'd probably stay away from IT: Undead in general. The Left 4 Dead "zombies" seem to be more of the "crazy contagion" rather than "undead" variety. The fact firearms are extremely effective against them adds validity to this. If you do make your zombies undead, expect either a lot of high-caliber weapons or melee... or just a whole heck of a lot of headshots (assuming you don't give them IT: No Brain).

Hunter
Whats the range on the Jump?

Ubiquitous' estimate seems about right here. Definately a flying tackle.

Smoker
Last game I used Quick Contest of Strength with margin of victory moving the looser in the winner's desired direction. Is there a RAW way to handle this tug of war?

Not explicitly RAW, but RPK's Retractable Enhancement for Binding would work nicely.

Boomer

I swear I've seen something on this, with Affliction (Enemy) or something to that effect.


For the others, the Witch and Tank definately have Injury Tolerance (Damage Reduction).

[Nymdok]

Originally Posted by SuedodeuS

... If you do make your zombies undead, expect either a lot of high-caliber weapons or melee... or just a whole heck of a lot of headshots (assuming you don't give them IT: No Brain).

Ubiquitous' estimate seems about right here. Definately a flying tackle.

Not explicitly RAW, but RPK's Retractable Enhancement for Binding would work nicely.

I swear I've seen something on this, with Affliction (Enemy) or something to that effect.

For the others, the Witch and Tank definately have Injury Tolerance (Damage Reduction).

We went the 'Heck of a lot of Headshots' and Undead route. They're mostly a bunch of gun bunnies anyway :) They all have Rifle/Pistol/SMG/Shotgun skills in the 16-20 range and I've got the Basic Move tweaked to balance.

Agreed on Flying tackle. Now just to stat it up.

The boomers I think Ive got. As GM its alwyas up to me to decide who the infected attack anyway :) About the only questions I have with the boomers is how long do the effects last? Whats the SIze modifier, and do you think Fragile(Explosive) covers it (With damaged scaled down of course)?

The Tank Ill definately use, but the Witch is one I cant get my head around. I honestly cant figure out a reason for her to be in that game so I probably wont use her at all.

Nymdok

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Nymdok

the Witch is one I cant get my head around. I honestly cant figure out a reason for her to be in that game so I probably wont use her at all.

She's the zombie equivalent of a posted minefield. Her job is to deny an area visibly and audibly. Placed in a chokepoint – like in a door the survivors must go through or on a bridge they must cross – she forces the survivors either to find another way or, if they can't, to deal with her. Dealing with her is a simple matter of one headshot, done right, but of course it's easy to do it wrong.

What's hard to model about the witch in GURPS terms is that a high-powered rifle hit to the head can't kill her in one shot, while a shotgun blast can. That requires sort of the opposite of an armor divisor, something that makes big attacks less likely to kill her than lots of small ones. Leaky IT (Damage Reduction) might do it . . . give her IT (DR) at some huge level and a rifle bullet will do 1 point while 9 shotgun pellets will do 9 points, which becomes 4 vs. 36 with the ×4 for the skull.

[Anders]

Originally Posted by Kromm

Leaky IT (Damage Reduction) might do it . . . give her IT (DR) at some huge level and a rifle bullet will do 1 point while 9 shotgun pellets will do 9 points, which becomes 4 vs. 36 with the ×4 for the skull.

Leaky IT? What is that?

[Nymdok]

Originally Posted by Kromm

She's the zombie equivalent of a posted minefield. Her job is to deny an area visibly and audibly. Placed in a chokepoint – like in a door the survivors must go through or on a bridge they must cross – she forces the survivors either to find another way or, if they can't, to deal with her. Dealing with her is a simple matter of one headshot, done right, but of course it's easy to do it wrong.

What's hard to model about the witch in GURPS terms is that a high-powered rifle hit to the head can't kill her in one shot, while a shotgun blast can. That requires sort of the opposite of an armor divisor, something that makes big attacks less likely to kill her than lots of small ones. Leaky IT (Damage Reduction) might do it . . . give her IT (DR) at some huge level and a rifle bullet will do 1 point while 9 shotgun pellets will do 9 points, which becomes 4 vs. 36 with the ×4 for the skull.

Done it wrong many times!

I see your point about her utility as a tactical device. I may have to reconsider her for this reason. That and the fact that the Guy trying to unleash the zombie virus in my game needs to be evil. Undead waif teenage children turned into zombies sure fits the bill!

Nymdok

p.s. 57 hours in the last 2 weeks! Thats a part time job! :)

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Nymdok

p.s. 57 hours in the last 2 weeks! Thats a part time job! :)

Naw, that's a new game. It'll peter out to sensible levels after a while. For the first month, though, there's a love affair. I'll play the game 2-4 hours/night every work night, and then twice as long on Saturday and Sunday, racking up about 18-36 hours/week. Eventually, I'll play a couple of hours ever other night, and it'll fall to more like 7-8 hours/week. My L4D stats are bugged . . . I've played a lot, but not that much. It jumped about 300 hours in one night. :P

[Cid SilverWing]

Here's some information you guys will find useful.

Common Infected:
Humans with IQ 6 (Bestial), DX 16, has and spends no FP, High Pain Threshold, Unfazeable, Doesn't Eat or Sleep, Berserk (Accessability: Spotting Survivors), Bloodlust (Don't bother with rolls, they auto-fail), Cannot Speak (-15), Attraction (Loud noises and flashlights, auto-failure again), Dark Vision, Oblivious (until Survivors shoot them)

Specials follow the same as above, but without Attraction or Oblivious

Smoker:
Innate Attack, Binding (Tongue, 100 yard range, victim gets no rolls for resist or break, causes crushing damage and suffocation), Noisy (Coughs, wheezes and hacks constantly while also emitting spores), upon death releases a suffocating spore cloud (Roll or suffer FP damage, I guess)

Tank:
ST 25-40, Injury Tolerance (Natural DR owing to hypertrophy of muscles), Noisy (snorts, pants and roars), No Fine Manipulators

Boomer:
Noisy (Burps and gurgles all the time), Innate attack, Vomiting (cause Affliction that draws the attention of all other Infected within 50 yards through auto-success Smell roll), explodes upon death (scattering vomit that does just the same), Easy To Kill (he's a fat piece of lard who's constantly on the verge of auto-detonation)

Hunter:
Innate attack, Pounce (Brawling/Wrestling, cutting damage from claws, must be Dodged, requires 1 or 2 seconds being crouched first), Noisy (only when crouched and preparing for pounce)

Spitter:
Innate attack, Acid Goo (splats the ground with a 5-10 yard big pool of Corrosion-damaging goo that deals exponential damage the longer it lasts, for up to 5 seconds), Noisy (slightly whiny), upon death releases a smaller pool of acid

Charger:
Refer to Tank, but ST 20, One Arm and auto-Berserks when it spots Survivors so it charges at them (indefinitely until it hits a wall before it literally grabs them and starts slamming them into the ground for Crushing)

Jockey:
DX 18, Innate attack, Pounce (Blind Survivor and cause panic, forcing him/her to move in any direction he leans), Noisy (he's in a permanent state of mania, go figure)