Palladium's zombie apocalypse horror/survival setting. This campaign starts off at Day Zero in the "Big Easy," New Orleans.
3-6 players; This game setting unlocked at 65 supporters. DM: The Governor AGM: Aegis of No Retreat
Character creation rules, combat rules, PBP rules, GM feedback, and approved Rifter material will be kept here.
Discord: https://discord.gg/t3bZUvZWSe
Armored Brute, p.86, HF
Blow Fish Zombie (swims), p.28, DP
Bug Boy (covered in bugs), p.14, DP
Cannibal Muncher, p.91, HF
Chained Zombies (wired together), p.9, ED
Crawlers, p.40, DR
Dead Mound Giant, p.93, HF
Dead Weight Zombie, p.97, HF
Fast Attack Zombies, p.43, DR
Fast-Slow Zombie, p.7, ED
Flesh-Eating Zombie, p.45, DR
Fused Zombie (physically fused together), p.8, ED
Impersonator Zombie (a human voice), p.25, DP
Juggernaut (big, muscular), p.39, CG
Kidnapper Zombie, p.100, HF
Live Wire/Wailing Wall Zombie, p.63, ED
Mock Zombies (thinks it’s alive), p.50, DR
Multi-Zombies (multiple limbs), p.9, ED
Parasite Juggernaut (weird, massive), p.11, ED
Pattern Zombies, p.53, DR
Pretty Zombie (looks alive), p.42, CG
Screamer Zombie, p.102, HF
Seeker Zombie, p.105, HF
Sewer Crawlers (climb and swim), p.23, DP
Shopper Zombie, p.108, HF
Silent Sloucher (doesn’t moan), p.13, ED
Slouchers (most common), p.38, DR
Spare-Parts Thinker (blades & metal parts), p.14, ED
Swimmer Zombie, p.114, HF
Terror Zombie, p.46, FTR
Thinkers (alert & aware), p.47, DR
Toxic Zombie, p.117, HF
Trash Crawler (hides among trash), p.40, CG
Twin Speedster Zombies (Fused Fast Zombies), p.16, ED
Vandal Zombie, p.121, HF
Walking Grave (many zombies fused together), p.17, ED
Worm Meat (poisonous bite, disease, larvae), p.19, DP
Dangerous People & Villains
Retro-Savages (NPC Villains), p.60, DR
Terror Cults (NPC Villains), p.62, DR
Random Terror Cult Leader Table, p.63, DR
Death Cults (NPC Villains), p.64, DR
Death Priest (NPC Villain), p.68, DR
Backstabbing Cretin, p.10, CG
Bandits, p.26, CG
Bandit: Con Artist, p.27, CG
Bandit: Thief, p.27, CG
Bandit: Thug, p.27, CG
Messianic Leaders, p.11, CG
Messianic: Doomsayer, p.13, CG
Messianic: God’s Avenger, p.12, CG
Messianic: God’s Chosen People, p.13, CG
Paranoid, p.22, CG
Paranoid Survivalist, p.23, CG
Psychopathic Killer, p.18, CG
Raiders, p.28, CG
Raider: Assassin, p.29, CG
Raider: Driver, p.29, CG
Raider: Thug/Gang Banger, p.29, CG
Raider: Militia, p.30, CG
Zombie Deathbringer, p.19, CG
Zombie Lover, p.15, CG
Zombie Lover, Deluded, p.16, CG
Zombie Master, p.14, CG
Mr. Bananas & Mr. Kong (NPC Villain), p.72, HF
Skull Rider (NPC Villain), p.75, HF
23 Disasters, p.30, HF
Deranged Heroes
Ghost Walker (Hermits), p.8, CG
Zombie Killing Maniac, p.20, CG
Masked Lunatics (NPCs), p.55, HF
Brimstone (NPC Hero), p.55, HF
Fire (NPC Hero), p.59, HF
Dead Rats Gang (NPC Heroes), p.61, HF
Dead Rats (Player Characters), p.63, HF
Mr. I Am No More, p.156, HF
Snoose (NPC Hero), p.66, HF
Zombie Cop (NPC Hero), p.70, HF
Sources
DR: Dead Reign RPG
CG: Civilization Gone Sourcebook
DP: Dark Places Sourcebook
ED: Endless Dead Sourcebook
FTR: Fear the Reaper Sourcebook
HF: Hell Followed Sourcebook
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Pain Penalties Penalties are cumulative. This makes sense when you think about it. How many times do we see a hero in the movies who's all banged up by the end, and can't fight nearly as well as he could in the beginning of the story? These optional rules are to simulate that effect. Leg
Minor damage to a leg will reduce speed by 20%.
Significant damage to a leg will reduce speed by 50%; -1 on initiative, -10% on skill performance.
Major damage to a leg will reduce speed by 75%; -2 on initiative, to roll and to dodge, - 20% on skill performance.
Head, Hand or Arm
Minor damage to head, hand or arm will reduce skill performance by 10%.
Significant damage to head, hand or arm will reduce skill performance by 30%; -1 to strike or parry.
Major damage to head, hand or arm will reduce skill performance by 60%; -2 to strike, parry, dodge and roll.
Main Body
Minor damage to the main body: -1 on initiative.
Significant damage to main body: -1 on initiative, - 1 to strike, parry, dodge and -10% on skill performance.
Major damage to main body: -3 on initiative, -3 to strike, parry, dodge, and roll; -20% on skill performance. Double rate of blood loss.
01-10% when the wound is treated promptly, thoroughly and properly, as described above, as well as kept clean for that initial week.
01-33% when the wound is initially treated, but care is not continued or is poorly administered, or the wound is exposed to unsanitary conditions afterward.
01-40% when the wound is not cleaned well or is poorly treated (no antiseptic or clean bandages) in the first place, or if the bandages are changed but not as often as required, or bandages are swapped out with torn pieces of cloth/rags rather than medical bandages, or when changed under dirty conditions in the field.
01-65% chance for infection if the wound is not cleaned and treated within the first hour of getting it, but is treated within 24 hours.
01-80% likelihood of infection if the wound is barely attended to at all initially, or if cleaning and follow-up treatment after the initial cleaning is not maintained daily.
01-96% Infection is a near certainty when the wound is not treated, or just bandaged and ignored.
Infection Symptoms and Penalties
01-20% Mild Infection: The arm aches and the wound has areas that ooze pus and are nasty looking. If not properly treated in the next 48 hours it will turn into a Severe Infection. Proper treatment requires antibiotics, removal of the pus, thorough re-cleaning, new clean bandages and regular care and cleaning as noted previously.
21-40% Severe Infection: The wound is pus-filled and terrible looking, and the area around it is red, swollen, and hurts to the touch. The victim has low fever that spikes several degrees when the character exerts himself.
Penalties: -1 on initiative, -2 on Perception Rolls, -1 on all combat rolls, and -10% on the performance of any skill.
Note: Requires immediate and thorough treatment, and because it got so bad, it takes 1D6+7 additional days to get the infection under control and the wound to start to heal properly. During that time all penalties remain in force. Bed rest is suggested, but not necessary. Keeping the wound clean is required. If the wound is exposed to filth or is left untreated, it worsens in 1D4+1 days to one of the following:
01-35% Severe Infection and Muscle Damage.
36-70% Gangrene.
71-00% Zombie Rot.
41-60% Severe Infection and Muscle Damage: Same as Severe Infection, above, plus the wound has grown in size by 50% and deeper, down into the muscle tissue. This results in a loss of strength in that limb, and the entire limb aches, from fingers to shoulder (or toes to hip).
Penalties: Same penalties as Severe Infection, above, plus the P.S. and P.P. (or P.S. and Spd if a foot or leg) of the infected limb are reduced by half. If a hand or arm, adjust P.S., P.S. damage bonuses and P.P. bonuses to strike, parry and dodge accordingly. Furthermore, skills requiring aiming (reduce usual bonuses by one quarter), or manual dexterity and/or hand or arm strength are performed with a penalty of -20%; this includes most Electrical, Mechanical, Medical, Physical, Rogue and Wilderness skills. If a foot or leg, adjust the P.S. and Spd accordingly reduce Spd by 25%, -2 to dodge, and skills that require leg strength, sure-footedness, or stealth, such as Climb, Prowl, Swimming and Tailing, are -20%.
Note: Requires immediate and thorough treatment, and because it got so badly infected, it takes 2D4+10 additional days to get the infection under control and the wound to start to heal properly. During that time all penalties remain in force. Bed rest is suggested, but not necessary. Keeping the wound clean is required. If the wound is exposed to filth or is left untreated, it worsens in 1D4+1 days. Double all penalties and reduce S.D.C. by half, and Hit Points are -1D6+10. Left untreated, this individual will require amputation of his limb or he will die. The character loses 1D4 Hit Points every day the wound is left untreated or not properly cared for. Bed rest and professional medical care for one week are strongly suggested.
61-80% Gangrene: The wound is ulcerated, parts of it look as if it is rotting, it has grown to three times its original size, the entire limb is red, swollen, feels hard and is painful to the touch. The infection has spread into the blood and the character is feverish and feels weak.
Penalties: -4 on initiative, -5 on Perception Rolls, reduce Spd and all combat bonuses by half, including W.P. bonuses, and -25% on the performance of any skill. If a hand or arm is gangrenous, the limb hangs limp and any skills that require the use of that limb take great effort, twice as long, and are performed with an additional penalty of -25% (that’s a total skill penalty of -50%); this includes most Electrical, Mechanical, Medical, Physical, Rogue and Wilderness skills. If a foot or leg is gangrenous, the limb is numb, can barely move, and the character walks with an obvious and painful limp. Reduce Spd by 75%, -5 to dodge, and skills that require leg strength, sure-footedness, or stealth, such as Climb, Prowl, Swimming and Tailing, are -50%.
Note: Requires immediate and thorough treatment, and because it got so bad, it takes 3D4+12 additional days to get the infection under control and the wound to start to heal properly. During that time all penalties remain in force. Hospitalization and bed rest during that time are strongly suggested! If the wound is exposed to filth or is left untreated, it worsens in 1D4+1 days. At that point, the limb must be amputated of the victim will die. Amputation puts the character into a coma and the player must roll to Save vs Coma and Death.
81-00% Zombie Rot: The wound closes and seems to heal, but the flesh and muscle underneath the skin rots away to create a pus-filled pocket four times larger than the wound’s original size. Furthermore, the entire limb turns pale green and feels cold to the touch, like that of a corpse. The character suffers from intermittent numbness and shooting pain in the infected limb, and from a low, but constant fever.
Penalties: -4 on initiative, -2 on Perception Rolls, reduce P.S., P.E., and Spd attributes by 30%; adjust bonuses accordingly. Also reduce S.D.C. by half, Hit Points by 20%, and -15% on the performance of any skill. All penalties remain in effect until the wound starts to heal. Left untreated it only gets worse and has terrible consequences.
Note: To heal requires the pus-filled mass to be lanced (cut open) and then all the green pus squeezed out. This is incredibly painful and inflicts 3D6+2 points of damage direct to Hit Points. The wound must then be cleaned and treated as usual, with proper follow up care. Since it got so bad, it takes 2D4+10 additional days to get the wound to heal properly. During that time all penalties remain in force, and Hit Points and S.D.C. lost to infection do not heal until the infection is brought under control the wound starts to heal. Hospitalization and bed rest during that time are strongly suggested! If the wound is exposed to filth or is left untreated, it worsens in 1D4+1 days. At that point, the character collapses into a coma and the player must roll to Save vs Coma and Death. If the character survives, roll on the following table for permanent side effects.
01-10% Lucked out, no permanent damage.
11-25% Emotional trauma, roll for one random Phobia and the character is -1 to save vs Horror Factor and Insanity.
26-40% Permanently reduce Spd attribute by 10%.
41-60% Permanently reduce P.B. attribute by 10%.
61-75% Permanently reduce S.D.C. by 20%.
76-90% Permanently reduce P.E. attribute by 10% and the character is -2 to save vs infectious disease.
91-00% Becomes a Half-Living! Provided the G.M. allows it. If not, re-roll.
If an O.C.C. has no listed secondary skill progression, and it is not explicitly stated that the O.C.C. receives no new secondary skills, it is assumed that this is an editorial oversight, and this default will be applicable:
Default Secondary Skill Progression: +2 new secondary skills at levels 3, 7, 12 and 15
These secondary skills are still limited to either the O.C.C. Related Skills tree of that class, or to the (general) Secondary Skills tree, depending on which (setting-dependent) skill system is being used.
