From the pit, a mass of bones and twisted flesh rises, limbs grotesquely fused. It forms a towering figure, its eyes hollow and glowing faintly. In its hands, rusted weapons dangle, dripping with decay, ready to strike.
Environment:
Zombies are a classic and chilling addition to any campaign. These undead abominations are a staple in the horror genre, and when they shamble onto the scene, players know they're in for a nightmarish challenge.
Origin of Zombies:
In the darkest corners of your world, sinister necromantic magic weaves a ghastly tapestry. It's this dark sorcery that raises the dead to serve as zombies. These vile minions are the twisted puppets of their creator, devoid of fear, hesitation, or any remnant of their former selves.
Unpredictable Creation:
While most zombies are fashioned from the remains of humanoid creatures, the malicious magic can bring any once-living being back to a semblance of life. Sometimes, they rise spontaneously when an area becomes saturated with dark magic. Once turned into a zombie, only the most potent magic can bring them back to the world of the living, such as a powerful resurrection spell.
Dreadful Appearance:
Zombies are a sight to behold, or rather, to be repulsed by. They appear as they did in their final moments, their rotting forms carrying the grotesque wounds that brought about their demise. Warriors might rise from a battlefield, bloated and eviscerated, while peasants claw their way from the ground, infested with maggots and worms. Others may emerge from waterlogged graves or washed ashore, their bodies swollen and reeking after weeks in the water.
Mindless Pursuit:
The unrelenting nature of zombies makes them a relentless foe. They move in the most direct path toward their prey, incapable of understanding obstacles, strategy, or treacherous terrain. A zombie might blindly stumble into a fast-flowing river, clawing at the water's surface as it's battered against rocks, determined to reach foes on the other side. They'll disregard their own safety, walking through fires, wading through acid pools, and mindlessly advancing across fields littered with caltrops.
Simple Obedience:
Zombies possess only rudimentary cognitive abilities. They can follow basic orders and differentiate between allies and adversaries, but that's the extent of their intellect. When armed with a weapon, they use it to menacing effect, but they won't retrieve a dropped weapon or any other tool without explicit command.
In your adventure, when you introduce zombies, the players will find themselves confronting an implacable and gruesome threat. The combination of their relentless pursuit, horrifying appearance, and obedience to dark magic commands will make every encounter with these undead creatures a harrowing experience.