Horde Zombie
Horde Zombie (Heavy; CR 12)
| Chaotic Evil - Medium - Undead |
|---|
| Lore: | Know (Religion) | ||
| 22 | 40 | ||
| Basic DC | Full DC | ||
| Initiative |
15 |
| Perception: | |
| 29 | +19 |
| Passive | Active |
| Ambush: |
| 10+ |
| on a d20 |
Senses:
- Standard Senses
- Darkvision 60 ft.
- Lifesense 30 ft.
Movement Types:
- Walk 30 ft.
Defense
| AC |
32 |
| Man Def |
|
31 |
| Monster Health | ||
| 578 | 289 | 22 |
| Hit Points | Bloodied | Hit Dice |
| Saving Throws | |
| Fort: | +14 |
| Refl: | +8 |
| Will: | +9 |
Strong Against:
- (Heavy Role) Immunity (partial 3): Heavies are immune to the first three conditions applied to them during an encounter. If a fourth condition is applied to a heavy, it is resolved normally. A 'condition' is defined as any non-instantaneous harmful effect applied to the monster, other than damage, but is most commonly one of the defined Status Conditions (but it doesn't have to be). Statuses related to damage (such as injured, bloodied, staggered, dying, or dead) are not 'conditions', and cannot be negated or avoided with this ability.
- (Mindless) Immune (no effect): all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, fear, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms)
- (Undead 1) Immune (no effect): diseases (infected, diseased, blighted), poisons (tainted, poisoned, blighted), ability damage (dilution, damage, drain), and essence damage (suppression, omission, destruction)
- (Undead 2) Immune (no effect): bleeds (bruised, bleed, ruptured), fatigued, exhausted
- (Undead 3) Immune (no effect): magical sleep (drowsy, sluggish, asleep), paralyzed, stunned
- (Undead 4) Immune (no effect): any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects, or is harmless)
Offense
| Size: | Medium | ||
| 5 ft. | 5 ft. | ||
| Space | Reach | ||
| To-Hit |
+19 
|
| Man Off |
+19
|
| Action |
| 1 |
| Points |
Standard Attack (Melee):
- 2x Infectious Mauling +19 (3d8+17/19-20 x2)
as ripping (physical, uncommon)
plus: Zombie Rot
Full Attack (Melee):
- 4x Infectious Mauling +19 (3d8+17/19-20 x2)
as ripping (physical, uncommon)
plus: Zombie Rot
Standard Attack (Ranged):
- 2x Infectious Spew +19 (3d8+17/19-20 x2)
as acid (energy, common)
(Increment: 20 ft.; Max Range: 100 ft.)
Zombie Rot
Full Attack (Ranged):
- 4x Infectious Spew +19 (3d8+17/19-20 x2)
as acid (energy, common)
(Increment: 20 ft.; Max Range: 100 ft.)
Zombie Rot
Siege Damage: Not siege capable
Statistics
| 17 |
| STR |
| 14 |
| DEX |
| — |
| CON |
| — |
| INT |
| 10 |
| WIS |
| 10 |
| CHA |
Feats:
- Mobility (EFFECT: +4 AC against attacks of opportunity from movement)
Special Abilities
| Zombie Rot (Su) Automatic after succesful attack |
|
Up to once per round, when a creature is damaged by a horde zombie, it must make a Fort save, DC 22, or contract the Zombie Rot disease.
There are no visible warning signs of the disease's fruition, other than the ongoing sickness, until the zombie begins trying to eat all his nearby friends. Similarly, anyone killed by a zombie through damage will also rise as a zombie in 2d6 hours. If resurrection is cast on a zombie, it returns to life and is no longer a zombie. |
| Reversal of Fortune (Ex; Heavy Role) Auto Upon Death |
| The first time in an encounter that a Heavy is reduced to zero or fewer hit points, it falls prone, apparently dead. But this is a ruse. When this occurs, the Heavy becomes immune to all damage and effects. However, it may not perform any actions (such as attacks of opportunity) until this immunity expires.
At the beginning of its next turn, any conditions the Heavy is currently suffering under (such as Prone) are immediately cleared, and its hit points are set to half its normal maximum (289 hit points). Furthermore, the Heavy may immediately Slide up to 8 squares (40 feet) as a free action, after which its immunity to damage expires. As forced movement, this Slide does not provoke attacks of opportunity, but even if it did, the Heavy is immune to all damage and effects until after the slide is completed. It must perform this Slide before any other actions during its turn, and the immunity expires at the beginning of its turn even if it chooses not to Slide first. The Heavy is killed for good the second time its hit points are reduced to zero or less. |
Horde Zombie
This creature possesses the Heavy role, and therefore counts as 2 monsters for purposes of encounter size, XP award, and treasure.This monster frequently has the Swarm role, but may be set to different roles if desired.Horde Zombies are tremendously awful things, even if they are encountered by themselves. But of course, with a name like 'Horde Zombie', it is rare to ever see only a single one of these shambling horrors. No one knows why Horde Zombies like to mob together in huge packs like they do, but their existence, and the way they drift along through the wilderness, makes them a deadly hazard to be avoided, managed, or destroyed, depending upon the strength of the heroes that are confronting them.
Horde Zombies usually come in large swarms of staggering nightmares, although it is certainly possible to find them in a myriad of varieties. They can even become separated from their parent horde and be found alone, lonely little monsters, seeking life to devour. But most horde zombies are encountered as part of a zombie horde.
A zombie horde is a thing of nightmares. It is a cluster of zombies working as a pack, wandering the countryside in a never-ending, never-sleeping quest to extinguish all life. A zombie horde consists of at least 16 to 20 zombies acting as a single fighting force, and can number much, much more.
It is not uncommon for several hordes to come together to travel in packs, and such a congregation is apocalyptic for nearby towns and cities. While an individual horde zombie is a decent challenge for a town's normal defenses, several zombie hordes converging on a town can overwhelm it in an hour or so, usually creating dozens or hundreds of new zombies in the process.
Combat Tactics
Because they are mindless, horde zombies, especially in swarms, will advance and attack, relying on their Mobility feat to move into groups of enemies in order to engulf and get adjacent to as many opponents as possible. If they can't reach any enemies with a single move, but enemies are in range of their Infectious or Virulent Spew after a single move, they will use that instead of charging. Horde zombies alone, or with other roles beyond 'swarm', will behave in this simple manner.
In their most common swarm form, horde zombies form zombie hordes, and they have some special requirements.
While quite large, zombie hordes can stack with themselves without impairment and can move through narrow gaps as needed, though only two hordes can attack a single opponent in a given round. However, this lets hordes easily navigate narrow alleyways, or other closely confined spaces, and still bring their full might to bear against their enemies, as long as they end their move in a space large enough for their size (4x4, Gargantuan).
Zombie Hordes can move through enemy squares without restriction, though it does provoke attacks of opportunity to do so. However, this lets the horde close with more foes, so they will do so whenever appropriate. While a Zombie Horde will frequently provoke attacks of opportunity from its movement, note that it has the Mobility feat, and can only provoke once per enemy from any part of the horde's movement -- it is a single creature making a single move action, thus it can only provoke once.
Remember that the horde attacks and automatically hits everyone it is sharing a square with AND everyone it is adjacent to. In addition, Zombie Hordes threaten all of their adjacent and internal squares, and they can make attacks of opportunity like traditional creatures. Lastly, every time they inflict damage, it forces a saving throw versus their Zombie Rot.
Bleagh.
Out of Combat
- Immortal (Su)
Zombies cannot be killed through normal means. However, zombies may lie shattered and dormant after being defeated for months or even years before their bodies recompose and they once again rise to seek and consume the flesh of the living. Sanctify Corpse (Cleric Spell), Consecrate (Spell) or Gentle Repose (Cleric Spell) will add a year and a day to the time it takes for a zombie to re-compose. Resurrection (Cleric Spell) will bring the person associated with the zombie's corpse back to life, destroying the necromantic bond on its corpse.
In the case of Zombie Hordes, one such spell will affect all the components of the horde.
Rewards
XP: 38,400 (Heavy role included.)
Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 25,750 gp.
- Weight: 240 lbs. Volume: 9.6 cu. ft.
Optional Treasure Rules: Roll a d20 on Table 1 below once per encounter (NOT per creature). Any items discovered are in addition to the normal treasure for the encounter.
| Table 1: Remnant(s) Found | |
|---|---|
| 1 - 8 | Nothing Found |
| 9 - 12 | 1 Languid Remnant (tier 1) |
| 13 - 15 | 1 Pale Remnant (tier 2) |
| 16 - 18 | 1 Bright Remnant (tier 3) |
| 19 - 20 | Roll on Table 2 |
| ### | Nothing to see here! |
| ### | Or here. Move along. |
| Table 2: Remnant(s) Found | |
|---|---|
| 1 - 3 | 4 Languid Remnants (tier 1) |
| 4 - 7 | 4 Pale Remnants (tier 2) |
| 8 - 11 | 1 Intense Remnant (tier 4) |
| 12 - 15 | 1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5) |
| 16 - 18 | 1 Vital Remnant (tier 6) |
| 19 - 20 | Roll on Table 3 |
| ### | Or here. Move along. |
| Table 3: Remnant(s) Found | |
|---|---|
| 1 - 3 | 4 Bright Remnants (tier 3) |
| 4 - 5 | 4 Intense Remnants (tier 4) |
| 6 - 8 | 4 Blazing Remnants (tier 5) |
| 9 - 11 | 4 Vital Remnants (tier 6) |
| 12 - 15 | 1 Prime Remnant (tier 7) |
| 16 - 18 | 1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8) |
| 19 - 20 | 1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9) |