Buy me a coffeeApocalypse Zombie: The Plague of the Dark Age
“Apocalypse Zombie: The unstoppable, brain-devouring terror that turns every victim into its next undead nightmare!”
The Apocalypse Zombie is a rotting nightmare clad in the tattered remnants of its former life—rusted chainmail, shredded peasant garb, or the bloodstained robes of priests who once prayed for salvation. Its flesh is pallid and diseased, peeling away in putrid layers to reveal blackened muscle and exposed bone. Hollow, sunken eyes burn with an eerie, corpse-light glow, and its lips are peeled back into a grotesque snarl, revealing broken, jagged teeth caked in dried blood. Some wear the splintered remains of helmets or the shattered symbols of their former faith, now twisted mockeries of the living.
Behaviour:
Unlike the slow, shambling dead of dark legends, the Apocalypse Zombie is a relentless, bestial predator, moving with terrifying speed and unholy purpose. It does not moan aimlessly but snarls, gurgles, and screeches as it hunts. Drawn to the scent of the living, it will chase its prey tirelessly across the land, climbing castle walls, crashing through barricades, and lurking in ruined villages. Its hunger is insatiable, and even in death, it spreads its corruption—exploding in a burst of filth that poisons all nearby.
Habitat:
Once, the Apocalypse Zombie was a knight, a farmer, a monk, or a noble, but now it roams the desolate remnants of the medieval world—burnt-out villages, overgrown graveyards, and forsaken castles where the dead outnumber the living. Infested plague pits, abandoned monasteries, and war-torn battlefields serve as breeding grounds for the infection, as unburied corpses rise again under a cursed moon. Even within the mightiest of walled cities, the foul rot of undeath spreads behind locked gates, turning fortresses into tombs.
Modus Operandi (Method of Attack):
The Apocalypse Zombie strikes without hesitation, launching itself at the living in a frenzy of tearing claws and snapping teeth. It fights like a rabid animal, grabbing its prey and dragging them down, ripping into flesh with unnatural strength. A victim who falls to its bite will soon rise again, their soul damned unless a holy blessing is given. Those who slay the creature are not safe either, for in its final moments, the Apocalypse Zombie bursts apart in a spray of putrid decay, ensuring its curse spreads further.
Motivation:
The Apocalypse Zombie exists only to feed and spread its blight. Whether born of necromantic sorcery, divine punishment, or an eldritch plague from beyond the veil, it is the harbinger of civilization’s end. Some say the plague of undeath was loosed by a jealous god, others whisper of a forbidden grimoire whose words birthed this nightmare. Whatever the cause, the Apocalypse Zombie is the doom of the medieval world—unstoppable, unholy, and ever-growing.
Apocalypse Zombie 5e
Apocalypse Zombie, Pathfinder
Apocalypse Zombie
Medium Undead, Chaotic Evil
Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
Hit Points 45 (6d8 + 12)
Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 (+3) | 8 (-1) | 14 (+2) | 3 (-4) | 6 (-2) | 5 (-3) |
Saving Throws: Constitution +4, Wisdom +1
Skills: Perception +1, Survival +1
Damage Resistances: Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from non-magical weapons
Damage Immunities: Necrotic, Poison
Condition Immunities: Charmed, Frightened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages: Understands Common, but cannot speak
Challenge: 3 (700 XP)
Traits
- Undead Fortitude. If damage reduces the apocalypse zombie to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5 + the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, the apocalypse zombie drops to 1 hit point instead.
- Plague Carrier. Any creature that is hit by the apocalypse zombie’s Bite or Slam attack must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or contract Zombie Rot (see below). The creature is infected for 1d6 days, and the disease can’t be healed except by magic or through the Cure Disease spell.
- Relentless Hunger. Once per turn, the apocalypse zombie can make a Quick Strike (see below) as a bonus action if it successfully hits with a Bite or Slam.
- Zombie Rot. (Disease) Injury. DC 12 Constitution saving throw; onset 1d4 days; frequency 1/day; effect: The infected creature loses 1d2 Constitution. This damage can’t be healed while the creature is infected. If the creature dies while infected, it rises as an apocalypse zombie in 2d6 hours, unless the corpse is properly consecrated. The disease can be cured by two consecutive successful saving throws, or through magical healing.
Actions
- Multiattack. The apocalypse zombie makes two Bite or Slam attacks.
- Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d6 + 3 piercing damage, and the target must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or contract Zombie Rot.
- Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d6 + 3 bludgeoning damage, and the target must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or contract Zombie Rot.
- Brain-Eating (Recharge 5-6). The apocalypse zombie rips open the skull of a creature it has killed within the last minute and consumes its brain. The corpse is destroyed, and it cannot be raised as undead except through True Resurrection or similar magic.
- Death Burst. When the apocalypse zombie is reduced to 0 hit points, it bursts into a cloud of necrotic decay. Each creature within 5 feet of it must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or take 2d6 necrotic damage and contract Zombie Rot. A creature that succeeds on the saving throw takes half damage and is not infected.
Tactics
- Swarm and Overwhelm. Apocalypse Zombies prefer to fight in numbers. When they encounter a group of enemies, they surround them and use their Quick Strike ability to continuously overwhelm targets. If faced with a weakened enemy or lone adventurer, they will relentlessly pursue, using their climbing ability to find alternative routes of attack.
- Relentless Hunger and Quick Strike. If the apocalypse zombie manages to hit with a Bite or Slam, it will immediately use Quick Strike to follow up with another attack. This tactic allows them to increase damage output, especially when focusing on a single target.
- Brain-Eating Priority. If the zombie successfully kills a creature, it prioritizes Brain-Eating over other actions. It will tear open the skull of the victim and feed, preventing any attempts to revive the body.
- Death Burst. In case of death, the apocalypse zombie will make sure to spread its disease through Death Burst, hoping to infect nearby creatures and swell the ranks of the undead. It is important for adventurers to deal with them swiftly or risk being overwhelmed.
Legendary Actions (Optional, for when fighting multiple zombies)
The apocalypse zombie can take 1 legendary action, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time, and it can only be used at the end of another creature’s turn. The zombie regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
- Grab (Costs 1 Action). The apocalypse zombie attempts to grab a creature within 5 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be grappled. The zombie can use its Slam attack on a grappled creature as part of the same action.
Description
The Apocalypse Zombie is a grotesque remnant of life that now embodies death, driven only by an insatiable hunger for the living. Its decayed and ravaged body reflects the horrors of plague and destruction. Whether risen from the corrupted soil of a ravaged battlefield or created by a twisted curse, the apocalypse zombie continues to spread its disease, turning the living into more of its kind.
Relentless in its pursuit, the apocalypse zombie is a terrifying foe, capable of infecting and overwhelming entire villages, cities, or even armies. These creatures do not stop until there is nothing left to feast upon, leaving nothing but a trail of death and ruin in their wake.
Apocalypse Zombie
Relentless, brain-eating undead born from a plague that sweeps across battlefields and cities, the Apocalypse Zombie represents the collapse of civilization itself. These horrors are mindless predators, driven by an insatiable hunger for flesh and an unstoppable urge to spread their disease. Once human, these wretched creatures now serve only to consume and multiply, stalking the living with terrifying persistence. Their very presence signals the end of life in a region, as each victim slain by their gnashing teeth joins the ranks of the undead, a grotesque army of the damned.
| Apocalypse Zombie CR 2 |
| XP 600 Relentless brain-eating plague human zombie NE Medium undead Init +2; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Scent; Perception +0 |
| DEFENSE |
| AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dexterity, +2 natural) hp 22 (4d8+4) Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +4 Immune undead traits |
| OFFENSE |
| Speed 40 ft., Climb 20 ft. Melee bite +6 (1d6+3 plus disease and grab), slam +6 (1d6+3 plus disease and grab) Special Attacks brain-eating, create spawn, death burst, quick strikes |
| STATISTICS |
| Strength 17, Dexterity 14, Constitution -, Intelligence -, Wisdom 10, Charisma 10 Base Atk +3; CMB +6 (+10 grapple); CMD 18 Feats ToughnessB Skills Climb +11, Survival +0 (+4 to Track by smell) |
| SPECIAL ABILITIES |
| Brain-Eating (Ex) After killing an opponent, the zombie’s ravenous nature takes hold and it uses its next turn to break open its victim’s skull and eat the brain. This prevents others from raising the body from the dead by any method that requires an intact corpse. Create Spawn (Su) Anyone killed after being bitten by an apocalypse zombie rises as an apocalypse zombie 2d6 hours later unless the corpse is blessed or similar measures are taken. Death Burst (Ex) When an apocalypse zombie dies, it explodes in a burst of decay. All creatures adjacent to the apocalypse zombie are exposed to its plague as if struck by a slam attack and must make a Fortitude save or contract zombie rot. Disease (Su) The zombie’s natural attacks carry the zombie rot disease. Zombie rot: Bite or slam -injury; save Fort DC 12; onset 1d4 days; frequency 1/day; effect 1d2 Constitution, this damage cannot be healed while the creature is infected; cure 2 consecutive saves. Anyone who dies while infected rises as an apocalypse zombie in 2d6 hours. Quick Strikes (Ex) Whenever an apocalypse zombie takes a full-attack action, it can make one additional slam attack at its highest base attack bonus. |
| ECOLOGY |
| Environment any Organization solitary, pair, or pack (3-12) Treasure none |
Section 15: Copyright Notice – Pathfinder Adventure Path #45: Broken Moon
Pathfinder Adventure Path #45: Broken Moon. © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Tim Hitchcock.