Undead are, simply put, among the most horrific things one can think of. Can you imagine anything more frightening than a being which is dead and yet still walks? Can you imagine the horror of being faced by the hollow shell of being, a hollow shell which must feed?

Well, if you can imagine that, then you must have some inkling that the undead are definitely not being used to their full potential.

I think that there are few things that are more anathema to the human psyche than the living dead; the fear of the thing which should not live is a potent one, even in the modern society of sarcasm and realism.

So why do we not fear the undead? Why do the heroes of our favorite games not flee in horror from the shambling zombie? Why do pale corpse-lords who thirst for blood not inspire shaking terrors from adventurers who come to steal their treasure?

This Codex is devoted to restoring the dead-who-live to their former horrible glory. Here, we will post unique and different kinds of undead, new and more fearful beings from beyond the grave. Ghosts, mummies, zombies, liches, worms-that-walk; all of those and more will be remade in this thread.

Zombie Day

Also Called   Z-Day, Zombie Night

Observed by Almost everyone worldwide, non-observers tend to end up dead

Type   International Public Holiday

Date   March 22-23

Celebrations Decorating, "Barricading Up," Target Practice, Skirmishes, Video Competions, Survival Feasts, Mass Burials, and Survivor Vigils

History

Five years previously an unexpected outbreak of what have been publically termed "zombies" caused a massive disruption around the world. After marshalling their military forces, the world governments managed to defeat the outbreak. (In the US, The Posse Comitatus Act was temporarily suspended.) In the aftermath, it was discovered that a full ten percent of the world's population had been lost.

The next year an international day of mourning in rememberance of those lost to the outbreak was to be held, however a new outbreak occurred, which was much more quickly and efficiently dealt with by the already active military and police forces. Loss of life was only a fraction of the previous year.

The third year after the initial outbreak saw the majority of the world's population taking pre-emptive preventative measures, most even skipping work or leaving work early on the 22 of March in order to prepare their homes and families for the suspected annual outbreak. Weapon purchases, primarily firearms and chopping edged weapons, increased on this day, as did sales of building & construction supplies. Naturally, a slight upsurge in food shopping was also seen. As the zombies returned with the night, many people across the world waited for them, and, generally not being taken by surprise, were easily able to fight off the bands and hordes of zombies who attacked them. Civil and Military forces, having been put on alert also performed many rescue operations, as well as general clean up duties.

People around the world decided that this annual event constituted an important anniversary and thus the new holiday was born. Called Zombie Day, it occurs mainly during the night of March 22-23, with most of March 22 prior to sunset being considered a non-working day which allows everyone sufficient time to erect defenses (known as "Barricading Up") which prevent the zombies from getting to them, as well as to stock up on supplies, food and water, and weapons and ammunition with which to successfully take on the zombies.

At sunset, Zombie Night begins, with individuals and bands of zombies beginning to appear on the streets and in the wilderness as they search for humans to prey on. This generally results in zombies homing in on any perceived human targets in an attempt to attack, and often, eat them. As more and more zombies gather in a particular area, the begin to form into larger groups, known as packs (2-8 zombies), and bands (9-24 zombies), and hordes (25+ zombies). While packs and bands are generally more dangerous than individuals, zombie hordes typically have enough members to overcome or bypass many defensive obstacles, proving a more serious threat. In response to zombie horde formation, military forces and strikes are generally called in to deal with these superior threats.

Dawn generally heralds a release from the relentless attacks and skirmishes of the zombies, as many of them have been destroyed by this time. When the sun has cleared the horizon, a feast is generally held to celebrate the safe coming of a new day. The rest of the day (March 23) is often taken up by various media entertainments, such as watching videos (on TV and the internet) of how zombie attacks were dealt with, speeches, parades by civil and military groups, religious services, and generally many drunken parties and family gatherings. In addition, civil and military units are left to deal with the zombie remains, carefully (in armored hazmat suits) collecting the bodies and body parts, and transporting them to mass destruction sites, usually trash incinerators and large, newly dug pits into which the bodies are thrown into and thoroughly cremated. Many people also hold vigils for those lost in previous zombie days at cemetaries, monuments which have been erected, and various churches, mosques, shrines, synagogues, and temples.

Cultural Impact

Responses from various groups to the annual zombie outbreak.

• Civil and Government Response: The military, including National Guard units as well as many militias are called up to serve on the holiday, spending March 22nd preparing for night operations against the zombies as well as being deployed throughout the various regions of many nations in order to maximize anti-zombie coverage. Police and Emergency Services are required to be on duty for the holiday in order to help the military clear out zombie hordes, bands, and packs, as well as aid civilians injured or under siege by the zombies.
• Scientific Response: Scientists, particularly biologists, although medical examiners and forensic specialists are intensely interested in the Zombie Day phenomenon, though some information has been gained about the bodies of the zombies, not much is known about the cause of the problem. There are also rumors that some scientists are either responsible for Zombie Day, or are using it as en excuse to test either super soldier designs or some other type of new weapon. Some anti-zombie weapons and defenses have been developed by the scientific community, but nothing really major has yet to be invented or discovered.
• Religious Response: Most of the major religions officially have no comment on the cause of Zombie Day, however, off the record, many either see this as a sign of the coming apocalypse, or blame the problem on adherents of other religions. A wide variety of cults and sects with widely varying views and beliefs have also sprung up as a result of Zombie Day, occassionally causing riots or other civil disruptions, as well as minor skirmishes between these factions to occur. On Zombie Day, major religions provide a secure place to stay in their various temples, churches, synagogues, mosques, and shrines, aiming more for defensive and spiritual security rather than armed opposition to the threat.
• Conspiracy Theorist and Doomsayer Response: Consipiracy Theorists believe that one of the major super powers is responsible for creating Zombie Day, by testing new biological weapons that they can't completly control. Other folks see this as a sign of the coming apocalypse, and have responded with a variety of predictions about what is happening. Most generally turn into survivalists of some type or another, stocking up on supplies and forting up their homes.
• Psychic and Occultist Response: The occult, paranormal, and New Age believers are all crying about a great evil as the cause of the problem, and generally recommend trying a variety of esoteric devices, philosophies, and teachings in order to combat the forces of the great evil. While some are not above armed opposition to the zombies, many prefer other methods, which may or may not work. Because of this hysteria, many con men and frauds have prospered by selling miracle protections to the guillable.
• Marketing Response: Home security systems, including a return to some older methods of home defense, such as walls and moats, as well as modern door (portcullises have made a comeback, though altered in usage, generally being installed in front of or behind doors in order to reduce the chance of doors being opened, while still providing a barrier if the door is damaged), window (both armored shutters and dual sets of bars covering both the inside and outside are popular), and building rienforcement, have been selling like hot cakes. Arms sales have gone up, particularly in countries where firearms are legal or semi-legal, although the sale of chopping weapons has increased as well. Modern optics sales have also increased, reducing the price on things like video cameras, nightvision devices, thermal imagers, closed-circuit television systems, and motion detectors.
• Internet Response: YouTube has hosted its own subdomain of ZTube, a video website devoted exclusively to Zombie Day videos. The popularity of zombie death methods, commentary by anyone and everyone who has an opinion, as well as official reports, have all driven this web page to be one of the most visited webpages on the internet.
• Military Response: The military forces of the world generally see Zombie Day as a good thing, since it gives troops lots of live-fire practice against targets that can be killed, although they have also stepped up security at all military bases around the world, generally as an increase in defensive measures (to the dismay of signatory nations of the Ottawa Treaty, this includes the use of mine fields around military bases in those countries who are not party to the treaty). Additionally, many military dependents also seek access to military bases during the holiday, relying on the security of such facilities to protect them against the threat incurred by Zombie Day. While ensuring that the bases are secure from the zombie threat poses a standard military logistical strategy, keeping the family of serving troops safe also serves a strategic purpose, allowing those troops to do their jobs knowing that their families are safe (thereby reducing the chance of desertion during the holiday as soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen decide that keeping their families safe is more important than serving their nation).

The Threat: Zombie Day Zombies

The abominations which recur annually are commonly known as zombies because of their similarities to common film and video game zombies.  They generally appear as corpse-like ambulatory humans. With skin coloration slightly off of normal humans, ranging from corpse black through sickly yellow-green, sickly orange, ivory to pale white, they are fairly easy to identify in sufficient light. Of course, their ragged hair, tattered clothing, and often wounded bodies are also tell-tale signs. While some people insist that their eyes glow with an evil reddish light, most people have not observed anything more unusual about the eyes than their apparent cloudiness. Zombies who have fed tend to have blood stained faces and hands, as well as blood on their clothing and the rest of their body, though only those zombies displaying open wounds tend to have much blood show up beyond that due to the large amounts of dirt, soil, and other stains and discolorations on them and their clothing.

   Senses

• Sight: Zombies generally have a poor sense of sight, equal to mild cataracts. They can see light and movement, if it's close enough (about 200 feet or so), and they see stationary objects within 50 feet, but that's about it.
• Hearing: Zombies have generally the same hearing as humans, though they have no fear of loud noises (which will often attract all the zombies in range to hear the cause), and no reason to be concerned with hearing damage (generally rendering sonic weaponry reliant on hearing useless).
• Smell: Zombies may or may not have an advanced sense of smell which allows them to smell the blood of humans. So far scientists have been unable to prove whether or not this is the case, as the few live specimens they have managed to examine have yet to provide conclusive results.
• Touch: Zombies touch things, but it is unknown whether or not they process what they are feeling. Most humans who have tried to stay motionless to avoid being attacked by the zombies have died, but whether this is because of another zombie sense, or due to involuntary movement on the part of the victim, is unknown.
• Taste: Oddly, zombies only go after humans to eat. This may be because other animals "taste" bad to them, or for another reason. Scientists really haven't explored the concept yet.

   Attributes

• Speed: While zombies are generally slow, shambling about two miles per hour (depending on height) when not in direct pursuit of prey, they are capable of a stumbling sort of jog (roughly equivalent to five miles per hour of speed) for a few hundred yards, though coordination, not endurance seems to be the limiting factor, as the zombies tend to trip over things, stumble into objects, and otherwise eliminate themselves as a "speedy" (relatively speaking) predator.
• Strength: Zombie strength is on par with an average human's. Of course, since zombies don't appear to feel any pain, they can perform feats of strength (such as they are) which would destroy the muscles and/or bones of a human. Of course, since this destroys the same things in zombies, it generally results in a disabled zombie.
• Coordination and Combat Skills: Zombies generally aren't all that coordinated, often stumbling, tripping, or crashing into things if moving too fast. When attacking humans they generally try to physically grab them with their hands and then bite. Against physical objects and barriers they may try to tear, break, or bash. While they do not tend to ambush prey per se, coming upon zombies suddenly and unexpectedly will often give the feeling of being ambushed.
• Problem Solving: Only rudimentary problem solving skills are demonstrated by the zombies, they tend to stumble into objects, and, if trying to get at human prey on the other side of an obstacle, use the direct approach. Bashing, tearing, or breaking physical barriers is within their capability, as is using the bodies of other zombies in order to move past an obstacle, though in no way is this action cooperational, just incidental.
• Cooperation: Fairly low. While zombies will form various-sized groups, it is unknown as to why this is, as they generally do not use their group size to employ any sort of tactics, all zombies in a group generally try to get at the same perceived targets. Against a house, for instance, a group of zombies may crowd at one entry point, such as a door, with larger groups spreading out enough that they may be able to take advantage of other access points, such as windows or other doors. Any prey caught will be consumed by as many zombies as can physically reach the body to get some grub.
• Communication: While known to issue a variety of moans and groans, it is unknown if these sounds actually convey any sort of information. Coupled with the known limits of cooperation among zombies, it is unlikely that they have any form of communication.
• Diet and Danger: Zombies prey exclusively on humans, and will go to any length that they can to get at their prey. Interestingly, of those attacked by zombies, only about ten percent will then turn into zombies. It is unknown whether this is because most victims are consumed to the point that they can not turn into zombies, or because only ten percent of the world's population is susceptible to the cause of the zombie outbreak.
• Incapacitation: A variety of methods can be used to incapacitate or immobilize zombies, such as rope snares which completely pull them off their feet and leave them hanging in midair, deadfall or crushing traps which drop enough weight on them to pin them in place, cage traps, and trapping pits. Bear traps and other types of foothold traps are generally less effective, as they tend to snap through the limb rather than securely holding the leg (despite many attempts, it has been proven that even if a milder pressure is used, the zombie will often snap off it's own leg or otherwise be only minorly impeded by such traps). While swinging log traps and pendulum traps have gained a certain popularity, they are used more for comic effect or to aid in clearing an area than to cause significant impairement or damage to zombies (though some particularly funny inadvertant incidents of zombie death have been captured on video).
• Mortality: It has been repeatedly observed that massive cranial trauma (often in the form of decapitation, head shots from firearms, or just enough damage to, or the removal of the head) is the easiest way to eliminate the zombies. Attacking other parts of the zombies is generally futile as there are a plethora of examples where zombies survive a hail of gunfire directed at their torso, as well as zombies continuing to go after humans with the loss of one or more limbs. Of course, massive total body damage, for instance incineration or explosive destruction are also known to eliminate zombies, but these methods are generally not available to the general populace, and are usually employed by military forces. Just burning a zombie or setting it alight isn't likely to do much other than provide a well illuminated zombie, rather it has to be completely incinerated, usually requiring the use of a furnace, crematory, or incinerator. Without a sustained source of flames, they generally don't pose much of a fire hazard, unless they're on fire and in contact with flammable materials.

What Causes Zombie Day?

The oddity of an annually occurring zombie epidemic has not gone unnoticed by people, but the reason is unknown. Many theories about the possible causes this event to happen have been posited by the scientific community, religious community, governments, conspiracy theorists, occultists, and the common man.

• Scientific Theory: The radiation from a particularly fast comet, which reappears in the vicinity of earth once a year, causes the outbreak.
• Religious Theory: An evil cult performs rituals which cause the outbreak.
• Government Theory: A previously undiscovered viral plague is the cause for the outbreak.
• Conspiracy Theory: Conspiracy theorists maintain the rumor that a new bacteriological Biological Weapon, with the military code ZD, derived from a weapons-grade variant of Tularemia is the cause for the outbreak.
• Occult Theory: The outbreak is caused by fragments of dreams from an ancient sleeping "Old One" which herald the coming of an apocalypse.
• Common Theory: Cosmic spores, prelude to an alien invasion, are the cause of the outbreak.

Where Do the Zombies Come From?

Because the zombies are generally believed to only be active during the night, there are also many competing theories about what happens to zombies which haven't been killed, and how packs and band of zombies can be seen together initially.

• Scientific Theory: Zombies are those genetically susceptible to the source of the zombie outbreak.
• Religious Theory: Zombies are the result of "divine punishment" against inferior races, creeds, colors, religions, homosexuals, etc., depending on the particular views of the theorist questioned. While many religious bodies do not publically proclaim or back their worshippers claimed theory, they don't openly deny it either.
• Government Theory: Homeless people and other vagrants are the primary sources of infection and transmission, causing the outbreak.
• Conspiracy Theory: "Missing Persons" are kidnapped by government agencies in order to be experimented on, resulting in the outbreak.
• Occult Theory: Zombies not killed in the attack, or those possessed by dream fragments hide underground until the astrologically significant night of March 22-23.
• Common Theory: The zombies are the result of a precursor weapon which is the opening attack in an alien invasion (though most proponents of this theory argue over whether or not the cosmic spores cause the zombification, or the zombies are the results of alien abductions).

Worldwide Responses and the Fifth Anniversary of Zombie Day

• New York City has decided to hold a "Zombie Day Parade" by capturing and costuming zombies (as well as installing gags and muzzles for safety) and then using volunteer "human carrots" to bait the zombies to follow them through the parade route to a spectacular Zombie Slaughtering Park.
• The Caribbean has gone unnaturally quiet about the entire event, going as far as deporting tourists and immigrants during March 22-23 and denying access to foreigners during those days. All attempts to bypass or investigate the reason for this have met with silence, and generally a mysterious loss of life of agents.
• Most of Africa has seen a resurgance in witch doctors who seem to have some effect on the zombies, though reports as to what effect they have vary widely.
• The zombies of Egypt and it's neighboring nations tend to appear wrapped in linen bandages akin to ancient mummies, and they are more commonly referred to as mummies west of the Red Sea, while in the areas of the Middle East which are east of the Red Sea, they are more commonly known by the appellation ghul.
• In the western portions of South America, zombies generally appear as desiccated mummies, though this is generally attributed to the dry desert air of these regions.
• In India there has been an increase in spiritualists and mystics known variously as fakirs, gurus, swamis, sadhus, and yogis to combat the rising hords of zombies which are generally known as yaksha or rakshasa.
• Filipino lore calls zombies amalanhig and recommends fleeing in a zig-zag pattern, climbing trees or other high platforms, or running into bodies of water to escape them.
• The Nordic countries of Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland call zombies draugr and have seen a rise in Asatru and other mystics said to practice galdr magic.
• Spain has seen the rise of a new ceremonial practice, known as the Running of the Zombis, wherein streets in Spanish cities and towns are barricaded in order to create a convoluted path which participants run down while avoiding zombies. (Special thanks to my editor for the idea.)
• In China zombies are known as jiang shi, though they don't seem to hop.
• In Japan the zombies are called gaki.
• In Mexico and a few other nations of Central America, the Zombie Day phenomenon has seen an resurgance in Aztec, Mayan, Olmec, and Toltec worship. Several of the ancient Mesoamerican ball game courts have been refurbished and construction of several new facilities has been noticed as well. While the correlation between the ball courts and the occurance of zombies is unknown (even to those who are involved in work on the ball courts and those who play there), it is known that some of the courts have specifically been set aside for zombie use, though what the zombies do at these ball courts is unknown.
• In the eastern parts of South America, many of the indigenous tribes have developed certain practices and rituals regarding Zombie Day, but reports on specifics has been scattered and often contradictory (whether due to different ceremonies along tribal lines, or some other reason is unknown). The only thing known about the effects of Zombie Day in the jungles of South America is that the death rate of the population has been confirmed to be a higher 13% of the population, annually, regardless of preventative measures taken.
• Europe in general seems to follow the same pattern as the United States and Canada, though some regional oddities have occured (such as in Spain, or, more disturbingly, in the Transylvania region of Eastern Europe).
• Other parts of the world, such Central Asia, Australia, Oceania and South East Asia have provided little more than rumor, myth, and legends about the event, with few known facts about these regions.

Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Character
III. Name
IV. Statistics
V. Statistic Increase
VI. Skills
VII. Abilities
VIII. Information
IX. Rules
X. Using Skills
XI. Earning Advancement
XII. Calculating Advancement
XIII. Combat
XIV. Firearms
XV. Taking Damage
XVI. Healing
XVII. Allies
XVIII. Gamemastery
XIX. House
XX. Street
XXI. There Goes the Neighborhood!
XXII. ...And the City, Too
XXIII. Exceptions
XXIV. Rewards
XXV. Threats
XXVI. Level 1 Monsters
XXVII. Level 2 Monsters
XXVIII. Level 3 Monsters
XXIX. Allies
XXX. Dealing Damage

I. Introduction
 This is a simple RPG using a few dice and even a pencil or two. You play the role of an average, everyday Joe whose house just happens to have been invaded by a horde of zombies. You must escape your house and neighborhood and the zombies before you get infected by whatever it is that makes them zombies in the first place.
 Along the way, you can pick up friends and allies from nearby houses. You can also find all kinds of helpful tools and foodstuffs around the place that you can use in your escape. You might even be able to find some sort of transport so you don't have to try and wade out through the horde of zombies.
 The rules of this game are very small. They're designed to be easy to learn and easy to play with only a small amount of bookkeeping. In favour of simplicity, there are not rules written out for every conceivable possibility. Instead, the Gamemaster will need to use common sense. The world in the game is equivalent to the world in which we live (albeit with zombies and monsters) and has the same rules of physics.

II. Character
 But first you need to get your character together. Your character will be written out on a sheet of paper or a note card or a legal pad or a receipt or whatever you happen to have on hand at the moment.
 You'll also need something to write with. A pen would work, I guess, but I suggest a pencil. That way you can erase things. Because paper runs out quickly when you keep writing things down and then scribbling them out.

III. Name
 So, the first thing that you have to decide for your character is fairly simple, that is, a name. This can range anywhere from something rather average such as Joe or Sally, to something much less normal, such as Talgortha the Destroyer.
 I would suggest that you choose something more normal, otherwise the other players may decide to get violent.

IV. Statistics
 Alright, you have a name, but not much else written on your paper. Next you need to fill in your statistics. These are Physical, Mental, and Social.
 Physical measures how strong you are, as well as how fast and how tough.
 Mental shows how clever you are and how fast you can come up with a plan.
 Social shows how well you get along with other people and how easily you can influence them.
 To determine each of your stats, roll 1D6 three times. Then take the three numbers rolled and place them as you like. Now you're one step closer to being done.

V. Statistic Increase
 Of course, you'll probably want to increase your statistics, eventually. This is fairly rare, but not especially complex. Each time that you kill a level 3 monster, you get to increase one of your statistics by 1 point.

VI. Skills
 The next step is to choose your skills. Every character, in addition to his stats, gets a certain number of areas that they have expertise in. For instance, a character whose day job is being the local handyman might have skill in Plumbing and Electrical Repair and suchlike. Mostly, Plumbing won't help you during play, unless you come across an undead leaky faucet, but Electrical Repair could mean the difference between a chainsaw and a deadly weapon, or a car and a way to get out.
 Skills work slightly differently than stats. Whereas you have a number written down as your stat, you have a particular die roll written down as your skill. For instance, you might have Athletic D4. This means that whenever you need to outrun a swarming horde of brain-cravers, you roll a 4-sided die, add a couple of numbers that will be explained later, and try to get a certain amount or else you fail.
 To start with, you get 1D6+9 points. These points are used to buy levels in different skills. Then you choose the skill or skills that you want and put in points. For each point put in, you get a die with that many sides.
 For instance, if you put 4 points into Guns, then you get a D4. If you put only 1 point in, then you automatically roll a 1 whenever you use that skill. It will be possible to increase these skills later on.
 Some examples of skills and which stat they fit into are listed here:

Physical
-Athletics
This shows your quickness in running and leaping hurdles and the like.

-Swim
This shows how well you can handle yourself in the water. You don't have to worry about just wading through a pool or even a pond, but when you're being chased by monsters or if there is a strong current, then you'll need to use this skill.

-Jump
This shows how high and far you can jump over or across obstacles.

-Ride
This shows how adept and practiced you are at riding things such as bicycles, motorcycles, and even horses.

-Drive
This shows your skill in driving vehicles, both motorized and not. Trucks, cars, vans, wagons complete with horses hitched; they all fall into this category.

-Guns
This shows how accurate you are with firearms.

-Sports (Each one should be taken separately)
This shows how good you are at your chosen sport. How far you can throw a football, how hard you can swing a baseball bat or a hockey stick.

-Sneak
Some people are naturally quiet and soft-footed. This shows how well you can sneak around so that the zombies can't hear you.

-Hide
This shows your ability to conceal yourself or others from sight. The zombies can't eat you if they can't find you in the first place.

-Climb
This shows how well you can climb up or down. You don't need this skill for going down the stairs, but you do need it for scaling the side of a house, even with a rope.

-Dodge
This shows how quick your reflexes are when something ifs moving towards you. This does not include attacks, only things like collapsing buildings or cars that try to run you over.


Mental
-Computers
This shows how skilled you are at operating computers and most other electronic devices. Sometimes it pays to be able to access the internet.

-Electrical Repair
This shows how adept you are at putting electronic devices back to working order. This could include things like computers, radios, televisions, or garage door openers.

-Plumbing
This shows how adept you are at repairing piping and dealing with leaks. As is stated previously, this skill may not be of much use.

-Search
This shows how thoroughly you can search an area. The more thorough you are, the more useful things that you can find.

-Devise
This shows how resourceful you are. Devise allows you to think up ideas and find weapons that you wouldn't normally think to use, such as a lamp.

-Spot
This shows how quick-eyed you are and allows you to see things that others miss.

-Mechanical Repair
This shows how adept you are at repairing mechanical devices, such as cars or backhoes.


Social
-Bluff
This shows how calmly and believably you can lie.

-Persuasion
This shows how persuasive you are. You might even make a bad idea sound good.

-Threaten
This shows how imposing and threatening and dangerous-looking you can make yourself look.

-Leadership
This shows how much confidence people that don't even know you will have in you as their leader. It also allows you to inspire confidence with stirring speeches and the like.


Skills could also be anything else you can think of. Make sure to get your Game Master's approval for any skill that you want to write down. He might have some ideas based on the game that he'll be running. If you're going to be playing in a neighborhood without any swimming pools, then there wouldn't be much call for skill at Swimming or Diving.
 What you do when you use a skill is explained later on.

VII. Abilities
 The second to last step in creating your character is getting your Abilities. These are secondary stats that are used mainly in combat, but also other places. They are Hit Points, Defense, and Weight Limit.
 Hit Points (HP) are the measure of how much damage you can take before you die. And trust me, you don't want to die. If you die then you come back as a zombie to terrorize your own house and friends.
 Your Weight Limit (WL) measures how much weight you can carry. A baseball bat might not weigh much, but a chainsaw is heftier. And bullets add up fairly quickly.
 Your defense tells you how hard it is for the zombies to hit you. The higher defense class, the lower chance that you'll be hit.
 To calculate your HP, roll 1D6, and add your Physical stat value. For instance, if you have 5 Physical, and roll a 3 on 1D6, then you would have 8 HP. Write your HP down.
 To calculate your WL, multiply your Physical stat by 20. This gives you the total weight in pounds that you can carry easily. Anymore and you would be too weighed down and tired out to outrun the zombies. That wouldn't be very good. Write your WL down too.
 To find your Defense, take your Physical stat and apply it to the table below. Then write down your defense class.

:Defense Table:
Physical
Defense
1-3      Easy
4-8      Average
9-13     Hard
14-15    Very Hard
16-17    Overpowering
18       Impossible


VIII. Information
 Only one thing left to do. Somewhere on your paper, write down all the stuff about your character. Age, height, weight, sex, eye color, hair color, skin tone. You don't have to fill all these out. I suggest you choose at least three of them to write down.
 Be as specific or as general as you like. Some people might say that their character weighs 156 pounds. Others might say that he's "average" in weight. It's up to you.
 If you want to, you can fill out all of these and make up some more for yourself. The more you think about what your character is like, the more you'll know your character and what he'll do.
 Congratulations! You now have a fully completed character, ready for play!

IX. Rules
 Although you have a complete character, you don't have all the knowledge needed to play the game.
 For instance, you know if you have the skill to do something, but you don't know how to use that skill. Unless you read ahead instead of reading it straight through like I meant it.
 The next thing that you need to learn is all the rules. This should be fairly simple, since mostly it's just based on your skills. So it should be fairly easy to learn and remember.

X. Using Skills
 First you'll need to learn about how to use those skills that you have written down on your character sheet. All skill rolls are made using your skill die and the skill's governing stat. For instance, if you were trying to run away from a pack of zombies, you would look at your sheet to see that you had Athletics D4 and Physical 3. Then you would roll 1D4+3.
 The product of your skill roll is matched against a difficulty table. The difficulty of the action can be anything from Easy to Impossible, depending on the situation.

:Difficulty Table:
Difficulty
          Required    Sec Success
Easy             2    N/A
Average          5    3
Hard            10    5
Very Hard       15    10
Overpowering    25    20
Impossible      30    25


 On the difficulty table, the Required column shows what roll is needed to succeed in your task. The Sec Success column shows what roll is needed to get a secondary success.
 A Secondary Success is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. You don't actually succeed the way that you planned, but you don't horribly fail, either.
 For instance, your character was attempting to jump from one rooftop to the next to escape a horde of zombies. You have Jump d6 and Physical 4. The GM has decided that it is a Hard task, so you need to get 10 to get across. You roll 1D6+4 (it's possible for you to succeed, but not likely). You get a 3+4, making a 7. This does not succeed, but it does qualify for a Secondary Success. So you didn't make it across to the next roof, but on your way down, you manage to grab onto a window ledge and pull yourself in.
 If you had rolled a 6 (6+4=10), then you would have succeeded and made it across to the next roof. If you did not have any skill in jumping, then you would have gotten an automatic 0 (0+4=4), and you would have failed completely, falling to the ground below.
 The difficulty of each action is decided by the GM.

XI. Earning Advancement
 Now you're probably wondering how you get more skilled. You don't always stay at the same skill level, so you will be able to increase your skill dice above what they begin at.
 This is a several part process. First, whenever you succeed (not a secondary success) with a difficulty of greater than Average at using a skill, you put a check mark next to that skill. You can have up to five checks next to a single skill. Additionally, you cannot have more checks on your paper at any one time than five plus your Mental. You cannot choose to not put a check on your paper, you always gain checks in the order of skill success.
 For instance, you have Mental 1, and you have five checks on your Athletics skill. You successfully Jump out of a window and then Drive away in your car. For this, you can only get one check (since you already have five and five plus your Mental limits you to a total of six). You cannot put the check on Drive, because you first Jumped out of the window. So the check goes on Jump.
 There are three ways that these checks can be used up.
1: If you get five checks on any one skill at a time, then you erase all of them and roll to advance the skill once. You are not required to, but it is a good way to get rid of some of the checks that you have so that you can gain more later.
2:If you or your group kills a monster of level 2 or 3, then you may choose one or two checks (one for level 2, two for level 3) and erase them. Then roll for advancing the skill a number of times equal to the number of checks erased.
3:When you successfully survive a zombie invasion, the GM will give you a number of checks that can be erased and you then make that number of rolls to advance the skills.
 Any checks left over after you survive the invasion are erased and ignored.

XII. Calculating Advancement
 Whenever you get a skill advancement roll, you roll 1D12 and attempt to get a higher number than your skill's die. If you roll higher, then you increase your die type by one (i.e. 1D3 to 1D4 to 1D5 to 1D6 to 1D8, etc.). If you fail to roll higher, then you get no advancement.
 For instance, if you are rolling for advancement on your Athletics, which is already at 1D4, you roll the 1D12. If you get 5 or more, then you increase your Athletics to 1D5. If you get 4 or less, then you get no increase and your Athletics stays at 1D4.

XIII. Combat
 The time will come when you will be backed to a wall and be forced to attack those shambling things that are chasing you and trying to eat your brains. Or you may just want to play some Zombie Head Baseball. It's up to you.
 Either way you're going to need to know how to fight. There are specific rules for this so that everything turns out fair and balanced, but with a certain uncertainty factor.
 When you actually want to attack something, the procedure is quite simple. First you figure out what weapon you're using. This could be something more traditional such as a shotgun or a chainsaw. But really anything could be used, like a football, or a dolphin.
 Next, with the input of your GM, you decide what skill should be used for your weapon. For a shotgun it would be Gun skill, for a baseball bat it would be sports. A chainsaw would either be its own skill or it would fall under Gardening or Yardwork (although I don't know why you'd choose those skills).
 Finally, you roll your skill to try and hit your opponent. You roll just like a normal skill as discussed above. The GM will determine the difficulty of your attack based on the monster's Defense class.
 If you roll successfully, then the monster being attacked recieves one 'hit'. After a certain number of hits (known to the GM. He might tell you, he might not) the monster dies.
 Killing monsters might not be your first choice, but the less following you in a horde down the street the better.

XIV. Firearms
 The most common and most useful tool to use against zombies is a trusty gun. Handguns, rifles, shotguns, they all work well. But the thing about guns is that they need ammo. Even assuming that you can find a fire arm to use against the zombies, you still need to reload it every now and then. And some guns aren't as powerful, requiring more bullets to deal a 'hit'.
 Firearms fall into one of four categories.
 Handguns are pretty much anything that only requires one hand to hold and is not automatic. They aren't as powerful, but are easier to carry around. Every time a handgun is used to shoot at a zombie, 4 bullets are used up.
 Rifles are long-barreled firearms that require two hands to use. Each time a rifle is used to attack a zombie, 2 bullets are used. Rifles can sometimes be used with a scope to snipe from farther away. This does not give a bonus to hit, but any rifle with a scope uses only one bullet per attack.
 Shotguns are two-handed firearms with long barrels that fire loads of small metal pellets. These spread out, making it easy to hit a wide area with just one shot, but also limiting the range. Each attack with a shotgun takes only 1 bullet. However, for zombies more than a few feet away it requires 2.
 Automatic weapons are any size of gun that can fire continuously with a single pull of the trigger. These guns shoot fast. Each turn, a player with an automatic weapon can attack twice. If there are two targets, they cannot be more than a few feet apart. Each attack with an automatic weapon takes 6 bullets.

XV. Taking Damage
 When you're facing off against the ravenous horde of brain-eaters, there will most likely come a time when they land a hit. When this happens the GM will tell you a number to subtract from your HP. When you reach 0 HP, you fall unconscious. When you reach -2 HP, you die. It's a good idea to keep healing as well as you can as you go along.

XVI. Healing
 There are really only two good ways to heal, food and rest. For every two hours of good rest that you get, you heal 1 HP. Unfortunately, when you're running from zombies, it is very hard to get good rest.
 So, for every four hours of not so good rest that you get (such as when you're holed up in a room while someone stands guard and zombies claw at the door), you gain 1 HP.
 But the zombies do not sleep, so you'll have a hard time catching the rest needed to heal.
 Food is counted in Food Points. For every Food Point that your character eats, he regains one HP. But your character can only regain a maximum of five HP each day from Food Points, so you don't need to feast all the time.
 When you find food, the GM will tell you how many Food Points it is worth. You can only eat food in whole Food Points, never halves. But if some food is worth multiple Food Points, you can eat each one separately, if you want to.

XVII. Allies
 In your mad dash away from the zombie horde you may find other survivors. These might be helpful hands that can repel zombie hordes, or they might just be loud-mouthed baggage that will leech away your resources.
 It'll be up to you if you let others tag along, although some might decide to follow you even if you don't want them to.
 Allies can be helpful when it comes to fighting or carrying large amounts of stuff. But they can hinder you when it comes to outrunning monsters or fitting inside spaces too small for a large group.
 Allies always need to make their own skill rolls when they have to perform actions that require them. The GM controls allies and rolls for them.
 At times, you may even encounter allies who are better off than you are, and who you will need to convince that they need you to survive.

XVIII. Gamemastery
 Of all the people playing the game, the Gamemaster (GM) has the most responsibility. The GM is in charge of all the things that happen to the characters and that happen because of the characters.
 The GM builds a house or a series of houses for the characters to escape from. He places zombies and controls them during play. Even though he is in control of all of the opposing forces, the GM is not playing against the players.
 A zombie invasion is considered to be whatever you play at one time. If you decide to get out of the house, then once that's done you have survived the invasion and can advance your skills as listed above. But if you decide that the characters aren't safe until they've gotten off the street, then you must do so before you are considered to have survived the invasion.

XIX. House
 The most basic form of playing is when the character, or characters are trying to escape a House. This is limited to one building, usually a habitation, that is currently being overrun by zombies. The characters must get out of the house before they are eaten.
 The characters begin in a single room or possibly multiple rooms of a House and must fight or sneak their way past zombies and into the open where they can be safe. Maybe.
 The mechanics for creating a House are fairly simple. You, as the GM, need a map of a house, or a good picture of the floorplan in your head.
 You also need to know how many zombies are in the House. A House should usually have five times as many zombies as there are characters. This way, the horde could easily devour them, but the House isn't constricted to standing room only.
 You will also need to know if there are any monsters of more interest than zombies. There are two levels of monsters (Level 2 and Level 3) that are more powerful than zombies. For every twenty zombies in a single House, there is one Level 2 monster. There can never be a Level 3 monster in a single House.
 Next, you need to know where all of the possible weapons, allies, and food stuffs are. Almost anything could be a weapon for the desperate characters, but some normal things are baseball bats, hockey sticks, and guns. It might be a good idea to remember that bedrooms will have things like lamps and maybe chairs, and garages or sheds will have tools that can be used to advantage.
 Now you need to know if there is anything that could harm the characters beside the zombies. Things get broken by passing monsters without them realizing it, and pools of water with live wires can be deadly. Other things that would fit in this category include broken staircases, collapsed ceilings, and spilled chemicals.
 Finally, you need to know how the characters can get out. How many doors are there? Are they locked? Are there windows on the ground floor? How far would they drop if the characters jumped out of a second floor window?
 Once you know everything that can hurt the characters, and everything that they can use, and roughly where it is, you're done.
 Now, this sounds like a long process, but it isn't that bad.
 On a side note, most of the time the characters will be able to know the entire layout of the House. Usually, the House will belong to one or more of them, or their friends. Of course, it could be that they are only in the house to steal the stuff, so they wouldn't know anything about the floorplan.

XX. Street
 Okay, they've gotten out of the House and away from the zombies. Now what? There are two things that you could do. The first is to make new character and play through another House. The other is to play a Street.
 Whereas a House is a single building composed of several rooms, a Street is composed of several Houses. The method for creating a Street is simply designating how many Houses are on the Street, and then creating each of the Houses. There is also the added dimension of the Street itself and of all the House's yards.
 Because of how many Houses you will have, usually between six and ten, it is a good idea to abbreviate the amount of work that you do on any particular House. In fact, you may even want to cut it down to just the number and Level of the monsters inside and maybe a few of the weapons. Of course, if you do, you'll have more work later if and when the characters actually go into the House.
 The Street itself makes an interesting playing field, since it's long and open, it's an easy place to get chased down. But freedom calls from either end (unless it's a dead-end street), and it's an awfully strong lure to try and make a break for it. Of course, that doesn't mean you'll make it. Zombies are very slow, but they have numbers on their side.
 The front yards of the Houses are only important in what they might offer the characters, namely, a few weapons in the form of yard implements, such as rakes or hedge-trimmers or chainsaws. But the back yards offer another way out over fences and through back doors. Of course, it also offers more room in which the monsters can roam, too.
 There are more monsters in a Street than in a single House. There are ten zombies, per character, per house. Also, for every twenty zombies, there is one Level 2 monster, and for every five Level 2 monsters, there is one Level 3 monster.
 For instance, a group of four characters trying to escape a Street of six Houses, would have to deal with or bypass 240 zombies, 12 Level 2 monsters, and 2 Level 3 monsters.
 As you can see, the numbers add up very quickly, but most of the monsters will be inside of Houses, and most of the Houses will most likely never be entered, although some monsters will come out to play.

XXI. There Goes the Neighborhood!
 After escaping the Street, if you want to keep your characters going, the best way is to have them take on a Neighborhood. A Neighborhood, like a street, is simply a collection of the next smaller things. In this case, between five and ten Streets.
 The number of zombies also goes up by quite a bit. There are twenty zombies per character, per house (assume an average of six Houses per street). There are also one Level 2 per twenty zombies and 1 Level 3 for every five Level 2 monsters.
 For instance, four characters in a Neighborhood of five Streets would be facing 2400 zombies, 120 Level 2 monsters, and 24 Level 3 monsters.
 When you enlarge the area to the size of a Neighborhood, you also add the areas that are not part of individual streets. Such things as the local gas station or mom and pop diner. These sites are very useful in providing food and fuel and the occasional weapon or ally.

XXII. ...And the City, too.
 Of course, there will always be the urge to keep going, and going. When that urge comes on, you can always try another Street or Neighborhood, or you can graduate to a City.
 The City is a collection of nine or ten Neighborhoods, along with several areas of other buildings, such as stores. These other buildings are something that make a City stand out because the players are able to run over to the hardware store and pick up a sledge hammer. As long as they can get to that part of town, they can get as much food and weaponry as they can carry, along with things to help them carry more.
 The number of zombies in a city increases by a lot. There are a total of forty zombies per character per house (assume five houses in a street) per street (assume four streets in a neighborhood) per neighborhood. The number of level 2 and level 3 monsters is the same ratio to the number of zombies as before.
 For instance, four characters in a city of six neighborhoods would face 19,200 zombies (there's a horde for you!), 9600 level 2 monsters, and 1920 level 3 monsters. That's a lot. A whole lot. But you need to remember that all of them are spread out through houses and streets and neighborhood and stores and shops and the city hall building and the public library. They won't be packed into a small space, and the players probably won't fight every single one of them, unless they decide to.
 All of the shops and buildings can be a great boon in the way of food and weapons and allies. A grocery store will be filled with edibles, and the police station will have some firearms and ammunition. The players will probably be able to figure out for themselves what kinds of places they want to visit, but you, as GM, need to know roughly what is in your city.

XXIII. Exceptions.
 Of course, there are some differences from the numbers listed above. In these circumstances, you will want to adjust the amount of zombies accordingly.
 For instance, if you are playing a House, and the house happens to be a sprawling mansion, you will want to have more zombies. The numbers given are for an average of seven or eight rooms in a house. If you used the same numbers for a house with 25 rooms, then you would have an average of less than one zombie per room. In a case such as this, I would suggest increasing the number of zombies so that there will be two or three in each room, on average.
 There are also times when you will want to adjust the number of zombies downward. Such as when the House is a one room shack, since twenty zombie would cramp that quite a bit.
 This way, the number of zombies will not be too many in one place, or too few to pose much of a threat.

XXIV. Rewards
 Even in the middle of a zombie apocalypse people will still want money. Maybe when this is all over they can set themselves up pretty well with all of the stuff they've taken. This kind of thinking can be used mercilessly by the GM. The players will hear that the bank vault was left open when the zombies attacked, and then they'll go to any lengths to get to the bank.

XXV. Threats
 There will always be things that are not monsters, but still are not healthy for the players. These are things like holes to fall in, flooded rooms, and naked wires. These things are not out to get the players, and can sometimes be very obvious. Other times, though, they are harder to see. You might notice the waist deep water in the basement, but you won't necessarily see the wires in one corner, feeding a steady stream of energy into the water.
 These things will mostly do damage to the players, if not dealt with appropriately. Live wires can be bypassed, water can be swum through, and holes can be skirted, or jumped over. But this will not always be the case. Sometimes you just can't avoid it, or have bad luck rolling. Then the character gets injured. The amount of damage dealt by any threat shouldn't be too much. The Average character has 7 hit points (the range being from 2 to 12). If you deal out five damage from falling into electrified water that couldn't easily be avoided, then the players aren't going to be happy and the character will soon be dead.
 A good amount of damage would be one of two possibilities. One idea is to make it small. Two or three damage tops, usually more along the lines of one or two. Or you could use a roll. The players don't have much to grumble about with a die roll. It's not up to you where it lands, it just happens. Of course, make sure that you're not rolling too large of a die. A good size would be d4 or d5. This allows a greater range of damage, without making it easy for the character to die.

XXVI. Level 1 Monsters
 There are three levels of monsters. Level 1 is the easiest to kill, and also the most common to find. Level 1 monsters are exclusively zombies. However, there are several different kinds of zombies, each with a little bit of difference in how they work. In the listing for speed is given the difficulty of a skill check made to run from the monster.

Zombie
Hits: 1
Attack: d6+1
Speed: Easy
Defense: Average
 Zombies are the most well known versions of undead. They shamble slowly along and try to eat brains. Zombies are fairly easy to dispatch, as long as you can get past the fact that they look like your loved ones. Zombies can be found almost anywhere that you can think of, and they are capable of opening doors and untying ropes and such. They just don't. Ever.

Zombie Baby
Hits: 1
Attack: d6+1
Speed: Easy
Defense: Hard
 Zombie Babies are extremely creepy little buggers. They look like tiny, innocent little toddlers, but with guts hanging out of their mouths. They also eat brains, though they are also easy to take out. They can't quite reach as high as Zombies, meaning all you need to get away from them is a high counter top. Although their small stature does make it more difficult to hit them with your baseball bat.

Zombie Fido
Hits: 1
Attack: d6+1
Speed: Average
Defense: Hard
 Zombie Fidoes are undead dogs of all shapes, sizes, breeds, and states of decomposition. They can run quite a bit faster than regular Zombies or Zombie Babies, but still can't outpace a healthy human.

XXVII. Level 2 Monsters
 Level 2 monsters are stronger and maybe faster than Level 1 monsters, but they still aren't intelligent and self-aware.

Wolfman
Hits: 2
Attack: d8+4
Speed: Very Hard
Defense: Very Hard
 Wolfmen are the perfect predators. They mix speed, strength, a resistance to damage, and razor sharp fangs and claws. Wolfmen prefer to hunt their prey in open spaces such as streets or large, open buildings. If forced to, they will follow prey into more cramped quarters. They have keen senses, making it very difficult to hide from them.

Goon
Hits: 2
Attack: d8+1
Speed: Average
Defense: Hard
 More commonly known as the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Goons are amphibious, humanoid carnivores. They like to eat people, and they don't mind if the people are alive or not. Goons catch their prey and carry them off to nearby bodies of water. Goons never travel too far from water, as they need to periodically immerse themselves.

Frank
Hits: 2
Attack: d8+2
Speed: Easy
Defense: Hard
 Frankenstein's Monster, Frank, is stitched together from dead human body parts. Franks are much like uber-Zombies: they're tough, thick, and animated by lightning. Franks act like Zombies, wandering aimlessly in search of living humans. However, while Zombies are interested in human brains, Franks are simply interested in killing for the sake of killing.

Mummy
Hits: 3
Attack: d8+2
Speed: Average
Defense: Hard
 Mummies are the preserved remains of ancient kings and high priests. They are dry, dessicated husks. They are very tough and have great strength, despite lacking muscles. But Mummies are very vulnerable to fire. For every hit that a Mummy receives from fire, whether it be a makeshift torch or a flamethrower, it takes two hits worth of damage.

Scarecrow
Hits: 2
Attack: d8+2
Speed: Average
Defense: Hard
 Scarecrows are animated hay and clothing. They like to kill humans and hang them up on poles in fields. Scarecrows usually hang around one field where they collect their trophies over a period of time. They are very susceptible to fire, and take two hits for every one hit from fire (whether it be a makeshift torch or a Molotov cocktail).

XXVIII. Level 3 Monsters
 Level 3 monsters are even harder and even stronger than Level 2 monsters, but they are also intelligent, able to plan. Level 3 monsters often bring together several Level 2 monsters to act as cronies and thugs.

Vampire
Hits: 5
Attack: d10+3
Speed: Very Hard
Defense: Overpowering
 Vampires are ancient undead creatures. They drink the blood of humans to survive. They are strong and fast and more intelligent than most geniuses. Vampires use franks and wolfmen as front line support, but can also take most enemies in a fight.

Clown
Hits: 4
Attack: d10+3
Speed: Hard
Defense: Overpowering
 Clowns are creepy.

XXIX. Allies
 One of the GM's main responsibilities during actual game play is to control the character's allies. Though they are called "Allies", these are actually anyone that the party finds that are not monsters. Allies can be just that, or they can be adversaries. They can even be completely neutral towards the party.
 Allies each have a set of statistics, similar to those of a character. An Ally has Physical, Mental, and Social Statistics, as well as an Attack skill and a Defense Class. They also have a few skills.
 As GM you will need to create and control each of the Allies that the characters meet with. You will need to roll for them and direct their actions.

XXX. Dealing Damage
 Monsters and characters deal damage differently. When a character hits a monster, the monster receives one "hit", which is subtracted from a total that is listed in its description. When a monster or Ally hits a character, however, the character receives Hit Point damage equal to the number that the monster rolled for its attack, minus the Defense Level of the character.
 For instance, your character is being attacked by a Frank. Your character has a Defense of Average, and the Frank rolls 6 (4+2=6). Your character would take 1 Hit Point of damage, because the Difficulty your Defense was 5, and the Frank rolled 6 (6-5=1).

END