Against a legion of zombies, write back here. Anything that can be practically used as a weapon write here. I'm gathering a list for my upcoming D20 post-apocalyptic zombie survival game!
Anything from baseball bats to riot shields, I want to hear your thoughts. So write as though, you just heard about a zombie epidemic, assuming you have no guns in your house what are some items you'd use.
ID:152225
 Sep 3 2007, 2:59 pm
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I'm going with a more plausible zombism, that requires the body to be functioning for the zombie to remain effective. Massive bloodloss would also work killing these types of zombies. Imagine slow 28 days later zombies.
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I'm thinking I'd try to use just about anything I could get my hands, Dead Rising style.
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Darkdemonrad wrote:
I'm going with a more plausible zombism, that requires the body to be functioning for the zombie to remain effective. Massive bloodloss would also work killing these types of zombies. Imagine slow 28 days later zombies. In that case, a good bludgeon would be important but you'd also want to invest heavily in slicing and stabbing weapons, especially anything long. A saber would be ideal, but most people don't have them lying around the house. Lummox JR | |
Darkdemonrad wrote:
Against a legion of zombies, write back here. Anything that can be practically used as a weapon write here. I'm gathering a list for my upcoming D20 post-apocalyptic zombie survival game! Well besides guns, you need to always have a melee weapon. Because while guns may be nice, they run out of ammo. I personally would use a baseball bat because the balance and ease of use. A Fire Axe might do more damage, but they aren't as easy to swing or balance as a bat. Since you are gathering resources for a D20 game I might mention I would also be sure to be wearing full cover clothing, like a leather jacket, pants, boots and gloves to cover most if not all of my skin from being bitten or scratched. No clothes with fringes or little things hanging off it, because it will just help to drag you into the arms of the undead masses. The gun idea is a little silly though. While I would look for a suitable melee weapon, you can very well guarantee I would be looking for firearms, if not at my own house, at a store, or even breaking into peoples' houses. Where I live, there is always at least once house with firearms on the property, if not more. | |
Well, i already know guns are going to be used in the game, so i didn't need people just saying different types of guns :-P
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The electricity thing, would work depending on what kind of zombie you are talking about. Return of the Living Dead, electricity worked super effective, it messed up the way the brain worked and functioned.
On a side note, even trying to refer to 28 days later as a zombie movie is a huge offense to me. 28 days later wasn't a zombie movie, it was a wide spread infection, more along the lines of hysteria then anything else. God I hated that movie with a passion. Most of what I consider true zombie movies don't have any real explanation on how the zombies came about, or how they functioned, but they all had close to the same attributes. Not only that, it spread like an infection, but it obviously wasn't, due to the fact, even people who simply died would usually turn. | |
I dunno. Bludgeoning and slicing would be good, but stabbing weapons tend to not slow opponents down unless instantly fatal. It may cause serious damage (and a greatly increased risk of infection which could ultimately be fatal) but doesn't tend to have the blunt trauma of nerve damage that is necessary for immediate incapacitation.
A lightweight, well balanced tool would be ideal. Something that maximizes leverage to a point, but can recover fairly quickly. A bat would work well (especially metal- more durable). An axehandle or polestave or shovel would also work very well, and be quite common. Affixing an axehead or shear blade to a longer broom/mopstick could make a decent polearm in a pinch (good for keeping enemies at bay). A machete would be really good, too. Things like shears, screwdrivers, knives, etc would be less than ideal because they are extremely close range and do not maximize impact leverage. A chainsaw would be vicious, but ultimately too unwieldy to be practical. A small gas driven edger, however could be brutal- remove the wheel assembly and add a foregrip for a very nasty "brush" clearer. A gas driven weedwhacker could do likewise if you removed the nylon spindle and replaced it with a post for mounting circular saw blades. Or just skip the rigging and look for a gas brush cutter. A flamethrower would be an excellent weapon, but requires work. Likewise, pipebombs with shrapnel. A short shotgun loaded with buckshot would be an ideal firearm as it is destructive to an area and well suited to urban combat. Defense is also a key concern. You want protection without limiting mobility. Fortunately, zombies do not use weapons, so armor can be light. Kevlar is a terrible choice- it disperses energy quickly, but is bad against stabby/grabby attacks. That is why a variant material was developed for prison guards. But no need to go that high tech- toughened leather should be pretty much impenetrable unless you get knocked unconscious and they have hours to chew on you- in which case you are screwed anyway. Motorcycle riding leathers would be tough and stylish. Avoid fringe, buckles, etc, though as they can get snagged/grabbed, etc. Pockets, however, are good- more ammo. Even better, they come in a wide variety of sizes! If you can't do that, denim is probably fine, especially if you can layer it with something else. Jeans with boots would be plenty of protection, but not as easy to run in as tennis shoes. I suggest keeping an eye out for Hi-Tech or similar combat boots designed for swat/police/etc. for comfort, protection and breathability. A thick leather jacket should protect well enough (but would be hot in summer...) and knee and elbow bads limit damage from falls, etc. Leather gloves are also good for protecting the hands, but would interfere with firearm use. A motorcycle or riot helmet would offer good head protection, but would probably not be worth the trade off in loss of perception and limited sight. And an ALICE pack would be great for trucking around extra gear such as rations, flares, ammo, etc. But make sure you check the straps! | |
Thanks, I was toying around with leather trenchcoats and jackets and actually how useful they would be! Thank you!
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How dangerous is getting up close and personal with a zombie?
Romero zombies, for example, have a fatal bite: if you are bitten by a Romero, you'll die of the disease within a day. All people who die in a Romero world, regardless of cause, will rise again as zombies. If the only threat of a zombie is being killed or eaten by the zombie -- whatever made the zombies rise was a one-time thing -- then getting up close and personal isn't so bad and you should have a wide variety of close combat weapons. Anything which can destroy the brain, the central nervous system, or break or shatter limbs and teeth would be preferable. If getting up close and personal with zombies is deadly, ranged weapons should be the preferred means and you should have a wide variety of ranged weapons. The best weapons would be those with expanding traits, spread, rapid fire, or area effect. Grenades, RPGs, assault rifles, shotguns, pistols with hollowpoint bullets, etc. | |
I gotta say I'd go for the katana or steel staff every time. One; because they're fairly readily available (I have two of each, and I know a few friends that have katanas), and two; they don't require any ammo!
A katana would be nice a quick; easy to disable them with. Once they've lost a leg they'd be a lot less hassle! A steel staff would be great because of the increased reach, and heavy damage it'd do. And with a bit of practise, it can be pretty darned fast too. | |
The zombies are as follows, with a deadrising walking speed, which is slow, however there will be some variance anywhere from 3-5 tiles a turn, because the virus affects each person differently. If you're bitten, a zombie has to break your AC twice with a D20 to get you biteable, and another to bite, if both hit a D6 is rolled based on the posture of the zombie to see where exactly he bites you, if you have armor there you're fine. If not, you'll be infected and zombify within 12 hours of gameplay. Close range is doable, but risky unless you're heavily geared. Ready attacks would be a definite yes, considering zombies are sporting 10 hit points.
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Post-apocalyptic antizombie weaponry. Use with caution.
Ranged:
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Jtgibson wrote:
How dangerous is getting up close and personal with a zombie? I would like to expand on this idea by having a tech skill that would allow players to change or modify guns to make them stronger or quicker or whatever. Being able to add a scope, or a larger clip for a gun would be a big plus. Maybe a invention skill were players can collect junk (metal, copper, tubes) and make it into stuff? A player being bitten once and then being turned into a zombie kind of sucks, I would suggest giving the player a resist roll to see if their body can resist the virus, or perhaps give them a round or two to cut off the infected limbs before the virus can spread. So if your hand is bitten, you get a chance to cut your hand off. Or, you could do it with a system I was working on. I handled criticals as bites. The idea was, that on a normal attack a Zombie is simply attacking you in a method that does not involve a bite, if a Zombie manages to score a critical hit and it lands, that is considered a bite and the player has only 12 hours before they turn. The same is for the players though, any criticals were considered head shots and killed any target in one hit. | |
No what I am talking about was a real D20 game and system I was writing for awhile. No one showed enough interest in real life or on BYOND Tabletop to play so I canned the game.
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Actually, in the event of a zombie invasion using a decent melee weapon is adviseable.
Guns are decent to keep around, and the best gun would be small, light weight, accurate, easy to reload and would hold a decent amount of bullets. A handgun for example. Reasons being is simple, a powerful gun such as a shotgun generally doesn't hold too much ammo, can be lumbersome and hard to carry around and isn't too accurate from long ranges, especially if it is a simpalistic shotgun with bad recoil. Rifles are almost as bad, they don't usually hold a lot of ammo, can take time to reload and are usually large in size. Accuraccy isn't usually a problem though (unless the rifle if high powered and requires a stand to effectively use). Any sort of automatic gun is useless however. It only takes a well placed shot to a zombies head to put them down (usually), so why waste so much ammo spraying bullets all over the place? Guns also have a lot of faults. They all have a limited supply of ammo, once that has run out you're screwed. All guns can only hold a limited supply of ammo and need reloading, chances are if you are surrounded by zombies you wont have much time to reload. Add to that the fact that you could be killed any second you'll probably be panicked and in a hurry and are likey to make a mistake reloading the weapon. Which will cost you your life. They are all generally quiet loud unless fitted with a silencer of some sort (which is pretty rare), what is the point of shooting one zombie only to alert a hundred more to your location? You could also give your location away to other humans, and then you could be attacked and killed as they attempt to steal anything useful you are holding. Guns are also subject to failure. They can jam and break, and a broken gun is useless. Now, compare that too a good melee weapon. Which ideally would be quiet long, such as the length of a spear, sharp enough to instantly decapitate without requiring much action. They should also be light in weight. A Monk Spade strangely enough fits this. They are usually quiet long, 5ft+ usually. They can instantly decapitate with a single thrust, which requires very little time or action to preform. They are also light weight as they were designed for use while travelling in mind, but they are 5ft+ in length, which can get in the way sometimes. And finally, Monks Spades can also be used as tools, they work as effective spades and axes. All melee weapons have the advantages of making little to no sound, don't have a limited number of uses (with the exception of fatigue) and unless poorly made they are not subject to failure. And in generally a melee weapon will help to keep you fit and will help you build up strength, which is a massively important factor of surviving a zombie invasion. It is much the same with transport too. Cars and such might be faster, but they make noise and give away your location, they cannot get everywhere and they need a supply of fuel. When compared to a bicycle which makes little to no noise, can get most anywhere and doesn't need any fuel at all (other than the person pedalling it). Basically, in the event of a zombie invasion you are much more likely to survive if you don't rely to much on technology. Sure, carry around a gun just incase, but rely more on a melee weapon that can quickly and easily dispatch of zombies and rely more on yourself. The only exception to this is if the zombies are those super zombies that can run really fast and are inhumanly strong and what not. In which case the smartest choice would be putting a bullet through your brain. Though, any smart person would know that the best place to be in a zombie invasion is somewhere that zombies aren't. Hahaha, if there is a zombie invasion and you do get stuck in a busy city, they will kill you and that is that. It is much better to live miles away from any sort of civilization, such as on a farm in the countryside, because there is no zombies around and you can grow your own fresh food to survive. But that is a different subject altogether. | |
Presumably guns would be of limited value since you'd have to sever major connective tissue to take out a zombie. The main attraction would be the ability to kill at a distance, so pretty much only high-caliber or rapid-fire weapons are of any use to you there.
My personal choices would be bludgeons and blades. For blades, you'd want the biggest, sharpest knife you could come by, preferably a machete if you could get it. Bludgeons are a lot easier to find, since you can use a baseball bat, a heavy glass, a sturdy lamp, a table leg, a folding chair, and so on. But a good slicer would serve you very well if you had too many foes for a bludgeon to be effective.
If you're out in the open or at a distance, fire is also an excellent choice. That means lighters and spray cans, lighter fluid, gasoline, kerosene, alcohol. Molotov cocktails are ideal for crowd elimination. If the environment is wet, downing an electrical wire could also be effective at stopping the enemy, though I'm not sure how re-fatal it'd be. Then again you could mix those up and down an electrical wire into a pool of gasoline.
In a wide-open but abandoned environment, one response scenario would be to drive to a gas station and lure a mess of them there, spray as much gas as you could around the area (if you could activate the pumps), and then get out in the same car, setting some kind of fuse behind. If you had a big crowd following you you could probably take out a good percentage of them that way.
And none the worse for being used before, a liquid nitrogen spill would be extremely effective.
Lummox JR