Scarier corporal undead

[larsdangly]

I like my zombies, skeletons, mummies, etc. to be scarier to fight than the run of the mill fighters. One house rule I used to use in my expanded, house-ruled 'classic edition' TFT, was the following:

• Corporal undead are not slain when ST is reduced below 0 from normal injuries, such as blows from weapons.
•*They ARE slain when damage from fire, acid, lightning or any form of magical direct damage (e.g., magic fist, wizard's wrath, the damage bonus from weapon enchantments, etc.) exceeds base ST
•*Corporal undead do not suffer a DX penalty following a 5+ point wound (or equivalent for high ST combatants)
•*Corporal undead ARE knocked down by 8 point wounds (or equivalent for high ST combatants)
• Corporal undead loose functions of limbs as per the optional rules for 'critical hits' and 'aimed shots'. I.e., mangled or dismembered limbs are non functional for them just as for living targets. If relevant, such dismemberments do not heal either - they are permanent even if the subject rises in ST through later enchantment.
• Corporal undead are functionally 'killed' (rendered incapable of useful movement or attacks) if their head receives a wound that would incapacitate or kill a normal living target (i.e., through the optional critical hit or aimed shot rules).

I have played for a number of years with these rules (though I suspended them over the last year while playing the Legacy Edition RAW). They were quite satisfying, particularly when players are not given them as a kind of 'instruction list'. I like players to have to figure out what to do in response to these constraints.

[David Bofinger]

Trivial issue: for "corporal" (a military rank) I think you mean "corporeal" (having a body). Though "Corporal Undead" is a striking image.

It seems like no matter how much conventional damage you do the corporeal undead are just going to keep coming until the players dig out the special rules on attacking heads or if they are lucky enough to have some exotic method of attack. I guess that's what you want.

My feeling is that a zombie is either:

• More or less functional the way a human is, with the parts of the body relying on other parts. This makes sense if the zombie (say) is more or less alive or at least a mockery of life. In this case they can be killed the way a human is.
• Composed of body parts independently functioning without any need for a support system. This makes sense if the zombie is a puppet made of meat, animated by magic which would as happily animate a puppet or chair. In which case they should be able to take absurd amounts of damage. It's not obvious beheading such a creature would greatly inconvenience it.

You're thinking of zombies as somewhere in-between?

For what it's worth, we have canonical artistic evidence that skeletons can function without mandibles.

[larsdangly]

I'm sticking with 'corporal'. If there is one thing I've learned from watching our political leaders speak in public over the last several years, it is that when you say something absurdly stupid you should just double down.

[Shostak]

Great suggestions for changing up undead! I like to keep players guessing, with sometimes super-strong skeletons, zombies that keep on attacking even when beheaded, or skeletons or zombies with a necrotising touch or bite. Zombie wolves are nasty!

[Tom H.]

Originally Posted by larsdangly

I'm sticking with 'corporal'. If there is one thing I've learned from watching our political leaders speak in public over the last several years, it is that when you say something absurdly stupid you should just double down.

Yes, keep it up and the dictionaries will add an alternative spelling. ;-)

Still, we need a write-up for Corporal Corporeal.

[KevinJ]

I've also been playing with ways to make corporeal undead more interesting, though not always more dangerous.