Horde Zombie
Zombie Horde (CR 12)
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 approximately 16 to 20 zombies acting as a single fighting force.
It is not uncommon for numerous hordes to come together to travel in packs, and such a congregation is apocalyptic for nearby towns and cities. While an individual zombie is little more than a nuisance 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.
GENERAL
CR 12 Hit Dice 17
XP 19,200
CE Gargantuan Undead Troop (individual components are Medium Undead)
Init +5; Senses Standard Darkvision 60 ft., Sense Life 30 ft (as Weak Blindsense), Perception +18
DEFENSE
AC 32, touch 20, flat-footed 27 (+7 armor, +5 dex, +5 natural, +5 deflection)
hp 249
Fort +13, Ref +12, Will +15
Aura: -
SR: -
Special Defenses: -
Immunities:
- Flanking (but NOT critical hits or precision damage)
- Any attack targeting the troop's CMD
- any spell which targets a specific number of creatures
- all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms)
- disease, poison, ability damage, ability drain, energy drain
- death effects, necromancy effects, sleep effects
- nonlethal damage
- paralysis, stunning, fatigue, exhaustion
- any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects, or is harmless)
Weaknesses:
- Vulnerable to area of effect spells (+50% extra damage)
- Cannot heal damage on its own, but healed by negative energy.
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Space / Reach: 20 ft. / 5 ft.
Single Melee Infectious Bite (1d8+7, auto-hit) plus Zombie Rot
Full Melee Infectious Bite (2d8+13, auto-hit) plus Zombie Rot
Ranged Virulent Spew (1d8+7 acid damage) 10-foot radius (4x4 squares) within 50 feet, Reflex save (DC 21) for half, plus Zombie Rot
Special Attacks -
Action Points 0
STATISTICS
Str 17, Dex 14, Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 10
Base Atk +12; CMB +19; CMD 28
Feats Mobility (EFFECT: +4 to AC (AC 36) vs. Attacks of Opportunity provoked by the Horde's movement)
Skills -
Languages -
SPECIAL ABILITIES
- Sense Life (Su)
A zombie can sense life within 30 feet, and once detected, are unshakably persistent stalkers.
- Troop Subtype (Ex)
A troop is a collection of creatures that acts as a single creature, similar to a swarm, but typically as part of a military unit. A troop has the characteristics of its type, except as noted here. A troop has a single pool of Hit Dice and hit points, a single initiative modifier, a single speed, and a single armor class. A troop makes saving throws as a single creature. A single troop occupies a 20-foot-by-20-foot square, equal in size to a Gargantuan creature, though the actual size category of the troop is the same as that of the component creatures. A troop has a reach equal to that of the component creatures based on size or armament. A troop can move through squares occupied by enemies and vice versa without impediment, although the troop provokes an attack of opportunity if it does so. A troop can move through any area large enough for its component creatures unimpeded, but must end its move in a space large enough for its size or it is considered squeezing (-4 to hit, -4 to AC).
Unlike swarms, Troops can be critically hit and are subject to precision damage. Furthermore, troops do not have the swarm Distraction ability, though casting a spell while adjacent or inside of a troop requires a combat casting check.
Multiple troops can move into, stop and occupy spaces that other troops occupy without ever suffering from the squeezing rule. However, no more than two troops can inflict damage or effects on a single target in a single round.
See the Troop Traits page for details.
- Troop Attacks (Ex)
Similar to swarms, troops deal automatic damage to any creature within reach or whose space they occupy at the end of their move, with no attack roll needed. Damage Reduction sufficient to reduce a troop attack's damage to 0 or other special abilities can give a creature immunity (or at least resistance) to the troop's attacks. Troops threaten all creatures within their reach or within their area, and make attacks of opportunity (which auto-hit) with their troop attack.
Troop attacks still require a standard action or a full attack action to perform. Note that a troop's full attack is equal to the normal single attack damage for its CR, and it's standard attack is half the listed damage for its CR. This is to compensate for the auto-hit nature of the attacks. As with all creatures, a Troop's attacks of opportunity use the single melee listing.
- Virulent Spew (Ex)
As a standard action, the Zombie Horde can vomit out a glob of Virulent Spew, hitting a 10-foot radius area (4x4 squares) within 50 feet of the Zombie Horde. Creatures in the affected area must make a reflex save versus a DC of 21. Those who fail the Reflex save take 1d8+5 Acid damage, and must also make a Fort save, DC 21, against Zombie Rot (see below). Those who succeed on the Reflex save take only half this damage and do not need to make a Fort save against Zombie Rot.
- Zombie Rot (Su)
Any time a creature takes damage from a zombie horde, he must make a Fort save, DC 21, or contract the Zombie Rot disease. Onset is 1 day, frequency 1/day, effect 1d4 Con and 1d8+5 non-lethal damage, this damage cannot be mitigated by DR or other damage-reducing abilities, nor can it be healed while the creature is still infected. Cure requires 2 consecutive saves.
Anyone who is reduced to a zero Constitution while infected rises as a zombie in 2d6 hours. There are no visible warning signs that this transition has occurred other than the ongoing sickness, until the zombie begins trying to eat all his nearby friends.
Similarly, anyone killed by a zombie though 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.
TREASURE
sell value of approximately 8,000 gp
COMBAT TACTICS
Because they are mindless, zombie hordes will advance and attack, relying on their Mobility feat 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 Virulent Spew after a single move, they will use that instead of charging.
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 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.
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. A sanctify corpse, consecrate or gentle repose spell will add a year and a day to the time it takes for a zombie to re-compose. A resurrection spell will bring the person associated with the zombie's corpse back to life, destroying the necromantic bond on its corpse.