Zombie Apocalypse CYOA
Waking
Welcome to the end of the world, or perhaps the beginning of
a new one.
You wake up in strange surroundings, detritus of swift
evacuation all around. To your horror and confusion you read
the headline of a discarded newspaper, dated two weeks after
the last date you remember. In the last month the world was
swept away in a tide of living dead. They appeared
everywhere, somehow overwhelming even the militaries of
the world. More than 98% of the world's population has
succumbed, and now they hunger for the remainder. You
need supplies, and weapons. Perhaps you find friends and
allies. Perhaps you have changed, or found something
strange within yourself. Whatever it is, you'll need it to survive
in this brutal world.
By default the zombies are Walking Dead style. A bite will
transfer the infection, and swift amputation seems to be the
only way to stop it. Mere blood or scratches are fortunately
not sufficient to infect. The zombies can only be killed by
massive brain trauma. They don't need to eat, and can keep
going with ridiculous amounts of damage. On good terrain
they can shuffle at the rate of a light jog, and never tire.
Sadly humans can be a worse threat than the undead. Expect
the apocalypse to bring out the best, and mostly the worst in
your fellow man.
To improve your fortunes you are granted:
Points: 800
Favor: 2
Food
Note:
You could go on an empty stomach and trust to your
scavenging abilities, but it might be harder than you'd
think.
Backpack with Survival Kit.
Rope, matches, fishing line and hook, water purification
tablets, tent, sleeping bag survival blanket, first aid kit, a
few days worth of granola and power bars, and a few
miscellaneous items.
-50 Points
Ten Shipping Containers Filled WithCanned Food.
Hope you have a can opener
Good for 50 people for ten years. Awfully heavy.
-150 Points
Magical Pouch.
You can somehow always squeeze out a little bit more
tasteless gruel.
Provides 4000 calories per day. You'll need to
supplement this eventually to get necessary vitamins
and other nutrients.
-1 Favor, -50 Points
Automated Kitchen and Supplies.
Must be installed in large vehicle or shelter. Serves
three gourmet meals a day for ten people. Must be
supplied with organic matter and power. Just wood or
grass will do in a pinch.
-250 Points
Seeds.
Rebuild civilization one sprout at a time.
-25 Points
Shelter
Note:
You could try to find your own way, but the dead are
almost everywhere, and some places are burned. The
best places may well have survivors who don't want to
share holed up in them.
Tropical Island Paradise.
This beautiful island was a nature preserve. It's about a
mile off the coast, and it's completely lacking in
amenities, but the dead aren't getting here anytime
soon. Hurricane season isn't pretty.
Comes with a tiny canoe that could reach the mainland
with a lot of sweat. Coconuts and fish are plentiful.
It's well known, and near a big city, so let's hope the
living don't want a slice of paradise for themselves.
-275 Points
Top Floor Skyscraper.
A billionaire turned the entire top floor of this skyscraper
into a luxury suite. Now you've barricaded yourself in.
There's a rooftop garden, and a generator with some
fuel, but the floors below are crawling with the dead.
-75 Points
Cabin in the Woods.
Off the beaten path, but still just a few dozen miles from
the city. Some deer, a stream, and great mountain
views. The cabin is small and homey. A few dead
wander out here, but it's nothing like the cities.
-50 Points
Medieval Castle.
Just as good against Zombies as against knights. Good
thing, since it's surrounded by undead tourists. Kinda
drafty and no modern amenities.
-125 Points
Nuclear Bunker.
You are mentally stable, right?
This was abandoned in the chaos, but appears fully
functional, even the Minuteman III and it's trio of 500kt
MIRVs. You find the door wedged open with a rock.
There's no keys or codes, but enough documents that
you can figure out the military bases and offices that
might have them. They aren't close, though. Has room
for twenty five soldiers, but it would be cramped. Has
diesel supplies for a month of electricity, and 6 months
of food for 25. It's pretty much impenetrable, as long as
you remember to close the door.
-350 Points
The Room.
Rose petals included
You gain a key that opens any door with a lock. Inside
you will find a simple hotel room. Contains a bathroom,
two beds, and a closet. There's electricity and hotwater
when the door is closed. The window shows a prairie
waving in the wind, but you find the outside of the room
completely inaccessible. The TV shows reruns of classic
shows, but with subtle changes. Opens out to the same
location the door closed on, regardless of whether the
door is present or not. Without the key it can't be
accessed, and you'll have bigger problems if you close
the door with the key in the lock. Resets completely
when the door is closed with the key outside. Stuff
inside is gone permanently. You must leave the room for
at least a 20 minute period every 48 hours of use to let
the room rest. If you don't, you'll get kicked out, and the
room won't reopen for 20 minutes.
-2 Favor, -200 Points
Mall.
The symbol of suburbia. Now a fortress against the
undead. Poetic, isn't it? It's not? Well, never mind. Tons
of shops with a huge amount of useful stuff. Okay, it's
mostly clothing shops, but still, you are guaranteed a
great time looting. Surrounded by hundreds of poor
souls trying to get in for one last Cinnabon. Or maybe
your brains.
-75 Points
Undercity.
This once great city still bustles in the caverns below. A
maze of sewers, catacombs, subways, natural caves,
and who knows what else. Almost completely shut off
from the surface, there are tens of thousands of people
living and plying their trade here. The undead are kept
at bay, and hunted when they grow too bold. Even uses
the isolated port and underground train system to trade
with other remnants of civilization. Quarantine is treated
with deadly seriousness. An incredibly diverse group of
individuals and cultures thrive here. From modern
templar, to mafia, to zombie cultists (rather excluded), to
merchants. Anarchy and tribalism still reign here, but for
now the compact signatories keep the peace in a wild
west fashion. You are still going to need to watch your
back (and valuables) all the time, or find someone
trustworthy to do it for you. It would be really hard to find
something this advanced on your own. You get a
coveted entrance voucher, and even a chance to prove
your worth and maybe sign onto the compact.
-275 Points
Transportation
Note:
All come with full fuel.
Yacht.
45 ft, 30 million dollar luxury yacht. Life after the
apocalypse ain't so bad. The previous owners have
gnawed on the genuine walnut trim a little, but it's in top
shape otherwise.
-250 Points
Container Ship.
Kinda impractical, but it's really cool. You can't actually
run it without a crew, but it's currently anchored in a
major port. The containers are mostly empty, but if you
dig deep you might find a few with useful stuff. Who
doesn't want 50000 diapers?
-150 Points
Foldable Mountain Bike.
Offroads easily. Doesn't need fuel, but you do. Can fold
and be strapped to a backpack, but it's still bulky and
heavy.
-25 Points
Vespa.
Stylish, European, fuel efficient. What's not to love?
-25 Points
Hummer v2.
Burns three oil covered ducks a mile.
It's a tank, it can go off road, and it has plenty of space
for gear and companions.
-75 Points
Tank.
Okay, I lied. This is a tank. How could anyone in a tank
lose to zombies? No, seriously. What was the military
doing? Gets about half a mile to the gallon. No shells by
default.
-200 Points
-50 Points for 25 mixed sabot and HEAT shells.
Ammo and Ammo 2 apply to this.
Motorhome.
It's pretty comfy.
-75 Points
Bush Plane.
Used to reach secluded outposts in the wilderness. Not
hard to fly, but it would help to have some experience.
-175 Points
Rocket Belt.
Weighs only 35 pounds, but can lift up to 400. Fuel lasts
100 seconds for a 200 lb load. Recharges over the
course of 2 hours without doing anything, but just pour
in some water and plug it in, and it will take twenty
minutes to recharge. It has a learner's mode, limiting
maneuverability and speed, which is a good thing.
-1 Favor, -200 Points
Companions
Note:
Companions are by default friendly, though their
definition of that differs.
Crow.
Age: 7
Trained pretty well. Will fly above and caw to warn you
of zombies or humans.
-50 Points
Dog.
Age: 2
Smart, playful dog. Can fetch and guard. Very fuzzy.
-25 Points
Camel.
Age: 13
Female, named Scheherazade. Likes kicking zombies.
Inured to gunfire now. Good for long trips without food or
water.
-25 Points
Squad Four.
Age: 19-37
Eight men from Dog platoon. They got separated during
the chaos, and now are trying to survive or get back in
contact with command. They are losing hope of
contacting them though. Some want to find a nice place
away from the cities and settle down, some want to
search for their families (unfortunately several thousand
miles away), some think they can still find a cure. One is
just having a great time killing zombies and looting
anything he wants. They don't mind having you along,
and if you have a vision and good cause, or just
something to take their minds off things, you can
probably convince them to follow you. They are well
armed and trained, though boisterous, and they go
through ammo at a worrying rate.
-200 Points
Japanese Twins.
Might actually be Korean
Age: 18
Expert martial artists, Alice wields a set of genuine
Japanese swords, and Sakura a self forged spear. They
are hot, but surprisingly don't seem to realize it. They do
everything together, often taking turns as the 'talker.'
They are bi and rather adventurous. Once you get to
know them you'll realize that their personalities aren't
actually identical. They are blacksmiths, and Ren-Faire
enthusiasts. Maybe their knowledge of medieval
technology and customs will come in handy. Their family
is on the other side of the world, and they are resigned
to taking a long time to find them.
-225 Points
University Professor.
For some reason you can't find any Orwell in the
library
Age: 54
Armand Spring, PhD. Professor of Philosophy.
Disconcertingly enthusiastic about the end of the world.
"Despite life being nasty brutish and short, from
adversity the Manichean ubermensch will yet arise to
lead the world into the next dialectic." Or something like
that, you were paying attention to the zombies, not the
speech. Is already well on his way to implementing a
feudal system at his university. He would like for you
and your companions to serve as his lieutenants and
knights. He'll grant you a small plot of land, and an art
major to till it. Further advancement will be rewarded
with more land, servants and honor.
-125 Points
Grizzled Veteran.
Your liver won't thank you
Age: 61?
Calls himself Grigoriy, won't provide any other name.
Claims to have 'done stuff' for the NKVD. Full of
censored war stories. He has a conspiracy theory for
everything. You would laugh, but who knows what's true
anymore?
-75 Points
Companion AI.
If you date and break up it will be super awkward
Age: .2
A cutting edge digital assistant prototype. Runs on a
solar paneled, cellphone sized box. Comes with VR
sunglasses that will insert her avatar into your view.
Unfortunately that's all they can do - no movies or
HUD's, unless you buy the minimap HUD. She's pretty
smart, though her mental abilities have some strange
holes, and occasionally alien thought process. You may
provide her a name, if you so choose.
-250 Points
Ancient Vampire.
Try not to introduce her to Twilight
Age: ???
Okay, maybe she's just crazy. You are pretty sure her
accent is made up, and she has a barcode tattoo on the
back of her neck that she refuses to acknowledge. On
the other hand she does drink blood, sizzle in sunlight,
and bend rebar with her bare hands, so does it make a
difference if she's real? She might be able to
mesmerize, but it's hard to distinguish from being very
good at hypnosis. Her combat skills would be explained
by hundreds of years of practice. She wears armor, and
wields every medieval weapon. She'll insist on feeding
from you directly, an ecstatically pleasurable experience
if she's favorably inclined towards you at the moment,
and a painful and humiliating one if not. You'll get
anemic if you are the only one she's feeding from. She
kills the 'abominations' with a cold fury. She can't be
infected, but they threaten her food source. That's the
only reason, she insists. She might turn you, but it's
obviously going to take a very strong connection before
she'll even consider doing so, and that's assuming she's
even capable of it. Calls herself Shindol, but tells you to
call her mistress.
-1 Favor, -450 Points
Pet Zombie.
Air out regularly to diminish odor
Age: 35
An unusual zombie, he didn't seem all that interested in
biting you in the first place. With some red meat, and a
switch you managed to train him. He's strong, and
untiring, but can only follow simple orders like a dog. He
doesn't actually need food, but he'll give you puppy eyes
if you are eating meat. He can pass as human with
some makeup and concealing clothes, as long as he
doesn't need to speak.
-50 Points
Weeaboo Neckbeard.
Don't take him with the twins
Age: 17
Overweight and he runs with his arms held out behind
him. Decent programmer, though his 'hacking' skills are
limited to sql injection and that anon op where he ran
LOIC for ten minutes before getting nervous and
shutting it off. He escaped from his apartment using his
well practiced zombie escape route. He's quite
prepared, and has already figured out the many of the
details of the infection's behavior. Is currently heading
towards his secondary likely zombie holdout location,
and is happy to have you along, especially if you have
girls in your group.
-25 Points
Psychic Little Girl.
You're lucky. It could have been Samara.
Age: 9
Her family went crazy, and then was eaten by zombies,
and then incinerated, or so she informs you. You are a
bit suspicious. She avoids people now, but for you she's
made an exception. If you manage to get through her
trauma and other issues, she would probably be very
loyal.
Roll a d4 to select her power.
1. Firestarter. Around her things burn. When she
grows angry or scared the room heats up. If she
doesn't calm down, or if she chooses to let it go,
the fire comes. It's like a tiny crack opens to the
center of the sun. She has little control over the
white flames erupting from the crack, but can gain
more with practice. Everytime she lets it off the
leash the crack is a little wider, and the fire burns
a little hotter. Is her power growing, or is the
barrier between this world and the fire eroding?
2. Telepathic. The mind is her realm. Lying to her is
difficult but not impossible, once you learn the
tricks. Her dreams will leak into yours while you
are close. She has many nightmares. At first she
can just read garbled surface thoughts from a few
feet away. She can't turn off reading surface
thoughts, so crowds overwhelm her. It takes time
and practice, but her control and power will
continue to grow, and she will learn new abilities.
If she puts in the time and effort she will be able
to drive someone insane, or heal their emotional
wounds. She will be able to dig into a person's
deepest secret, or hollow them out into a loving
puppet.
3. Telekinetic. She moves things with her mind. To
begin with she can hover an apple for a few
seconds. In a few months of hard practice she'll
throw a zombie against a wall, or lift five small
objects at once. Her growth will slow some after
that, but who knows where she will end up.
4. Reality warper. The world is clay, she the
sculptor. It starts small. A specific card drawn
when desperately wanted, an annoying fly eaten
by a frog that shouldn't survive in this climate, a
sudden coughing fit striking you when disciplining
her. This is a difficult power to practice, as she
seems to have no conscious control over the
manifestations, at least at first. Indeed sometimes
it seems that if she thinks of it as an ability
instead of just the way things are it weakens her
ability. Still, the potential power and versatility is
incredible.
-1 Favor, -300 Points
Buy twice for twins (roll separately, no repeat for
each). -2 Favor, -450 Points
Regular Little Girl.
Daww
Age: 11
Jaina is just a regular eleven year old girl - cute, but not
particularly useful. She's not good at anything except
crawling into tiny spaces and hiding. Still, that's kept her
alive so far. If you can get her out of her trauma induced
shell she's adorable and a fast learner. She'll be very
attached once you show that you won't just die like
everyone else.
-50 Points
Big Bertha.
No accounting for taste
Age: 32
An ardent Tumblr feminist, but only when she
remembers she's supposed to be one. She's physically
incapable of running, and will eat three times what
anyone else does. On the positive side she's a great
chef, and bafflingly good at fighting with a baseball bat.
She's stubborn and opinionated, but not hard to
manipulate.
Free
Ditzy Nurse.
Age: 25
Matilda is really nice, very well endowed, and quite good
at her job. She is a devout Catholic, but fairly open
minded about other people's beliefs. She's happy to do
housework, but she'll burn food or forget to take out the
trash pretty regularly. Letting someone else take charge
is a relief for her. She kinda panics under pressure.
-75 Points
Enlightened Hippy.
Age: 21
Dawn is very spiritual, but what exactly she believes is
kinda vague. She'll bitch about animal products, and
inorganic food. She believes it's immoral to kill zombies,
and hates guns. She's very tough to budge on her pet
issues, but doesn't really care about the other stuff.
-25 Points
Bodybuilder Lawyer.
You aren't the envious type, are you?
Age: 29
Max is a bodybuilder and Harvard law grad. No
experience at survival skills, but he's naturally amazing
at everything. A natural leader, he knows what's best,
and is determined to make it happen. (Un)fortunately
he's usually right. Even worse, he's humble. He's smart
and charismatic, and besides a strange tendency to
validate his arguments with case law, just about perfect.
Pretty much everyone he meets gets a crush on him.
Even you.
-125 Points
Weapons
Note:
Weapons are all in good shape and quite sturdy. They
will last more than a lifetime with good care, and can be
repaired of minor damages.
Sawed Off Double Barrel.
Comes with 30 shells.
-25 Points
Lever Action 22LR.
Does the calibre matter when you have to hit the head
anyway? Comes with 200 rounds.
-25 Points
Sci-fi Laser Pistol.
Don't look at the beam.
Where did this come from? It fires a brilliant purple
beam up to a mile away, though it doesn't have sights,
so it's not that easy to aim at that distance. It will burn a
ten inch hole through a pair of brick walls, or a dozen
zombies. It has seven shots, and it takes a minute to
recharge one shot. Doesn't get extra shots from Ammo,
but Ammo 2 doubles its shot count. Fortunately it
doesn't seem to run out of battery. It was probably
supposed to come with safety goggles.
-1 Favor, -250 Points
FN F2000.
5.56 NATO with 40mm grenade launcher under barrel.
Comes with three full 30 round magazines, and two 40
mm grenades.
-125 Points
Dynamite.
Don't worry, you read how to do this on the internet
A storage shed filled with dynamite, detonators, timers,
and wire.
-100 Points
44 magnum six shooter.
Well, do ya, punk?
Reliable. Powerful. Classic. Comes with 42 bullets and
one speed loader.
-25 Points
Colt 1911 45ACP.
It's a 1911, what more needs to be said? Comes with
three seven round magazines, and 50 rounds.
-25 Points
Subtle Knife.
Best letter opener
A simple knife that cuts anything with ease. Eight inch
blade. Will somehow manage to claim the pinky finger
on one hand of any who wield it. Cannot be broken or
dulled, even by supernatural means.
-1 Favor, -100 Points
Two Shot Derringer.
Good for hilarious metal detector scenes
It's tiny, but not very deadly. Comes with 12 rounds.
-25 Points
Crossbow.
Reusing arrows is gross
You want to be Daryl? No problem. Comes with twelve
bolts.
-25 Points
Barret Light 50
For those with eyes bigger than their shoulders
Bring the boom. This was made to kill military vehicles,
so against zombies it's gratuitous overkill. Comes with
50 rounds.
-150 Points
Flamethrower
Great stress reduction!
Bring love and rainbows to everyone. In theory great
against the undead, as they tend to be pretty flammable.
However tends to make the zombies running at you into
flaming zombies running at you. After a few seconds
they'll typically collapse though. Tanks hold enough fuel
for 3 minutes of continuous stream. Can reload with
normal vehicle fuel.
-125 Points
Crowbar.
Opens crates, smashes alien brains.
Free
Ammo.
You get twice the default ammo for any weapons
purchased. Stacks additively.
-25 Points
Ammo 2.
You get ten times the default ammo for any weapons
bought. Stacks additively.
-125 Points
Psychic Powers
Note:
Must pay 1 Favor to unlock the entire Psychic
Powers section.
All of these powers can grow and change with time and
practice. The exact limits are unknown, but generally the
power will grow by 50% with a year of regular practice.
That'll slow down over time.
Stillness.
You have learned to still your body and mind, fading into
the background. You aren't invisible, but you just don't
attract notice much. If someone or something is actively
searching they can find you, but otherwise they tend to
just not notice you.
-75 Points
Listen.
By clearing your mind you can hear the barest whisper,
even through walls or a block away.
-100 Points
Illusion.
Create a visual and auditory illusion with 25 feet of
yourself. The illusion must appear to be within a fixed 6
ft to a side cubic volume. Establishing the area takes a
minute of concentration, and you can only have one
area at once.
-1 Favor, -100 Points
Distortion.
The air for 10 feet around you ripples like a mirage,
when you toggle this. The distorting effect makes it very
difficult for others to make out details or aim through, but
you are unaffected.
-50 Points
Telekinesis.
Exert up to 3 pounds over an area the size of a golf ball.
Must be able to see the object to 'grip it,' but then it may
move out of your vision and remain under your control.
Max objects: 3, range: 30ft.
-1 Favor, -125 Points
Telepathy.
He took disabled
You can hear surface thoughts of everyone within 25
feet. Touching someone makes the thoughts much
clearer. Eventually you will be able to dig through their
memories, or even change things in their mind. Try not
to break too much.
-1 Favor, -125 Points
Catfall.
Extra long leg splay takes practice
You can land lightly on your feet, taking less injury from
a fall. At first it reduces the effective height by only two
stories, but before too long you will be able to sky dive
without a parachute.
-100 Points
Premonition.
Plenty of time for you
When activated, you realize that the past seven seconds
have been an instantaneous waking dream. The next
seven seconds will play out very similarly if you take the
same actions. You can activate this power at will, but it
will also activate if you take serious injury or are
knocked unconscious. Two charges, one replenishes in
5 min. That means that if you use all charges, you will
replenish one after period, and another each
subsequent interval.
-1 Favor, -375 Points
Maze.
City of doors
A single building or small, convoluted area is twisted
and spatially expanded. Rooms and passages are
repeated and arrayed in a dizzying, geometrically
impossible maze. The size increase is up to 50 fold. You
have an intuitive understanding of the layout, but most
other people will be easily lost. You must be inside this
effect to maintain it.
-1 Favor, -175 Points
Hold Breath.
You can hold your breath for 10 times as long as you
otherwise would be able to.
-50 Points
Speed Burst.
A sudden burst of energy allows you to sprint for 2
minutes longer than you otherwise would be able to.
Cooldown 20 minutes.
-75 Points
Backbiter.
Great for pranks
You stare at a weapon within 25 feet. When next used it
will twist or slip in the hand as if trying to injure it's
wielder. Cooldown 10 seconds, and the curse lasts one
week.
-1 Favor, -75 Points
Cheat.
Worst Jedi or best Jedi?
A game of chance tends to go in your favor. Three
charges, one replenishes after 2 hr.
-50 Points
Multicore.
Now you can procrastinate twice as fast
You can run two independent lines of thought
simultaneously for up to an hour (total) a day.
-150 Points
Disorient.
Drugs are in the Gear section
A sudden vertigo and disorientation overcomes
everyone (including you and zombies) within 30 ft of
you. It's not completely debilitating, but it's distracting
and makes it tough to move straight. Cooldown 30
minutes, and lasts 5 minutes.
-1 Favor
Knick-Knack.
You find a small, minor item (such as a comb or pair of
tweezers) in your pocket or on a shelf. You checked
there just a minute ago and it wasn't there, but you
aren't complaining. Item would be something you
probably want at the time, but isn't guaranteed to be
what you want or need. Occasionally it's just a
humorous ceramic piece. Cooldown 3 hours.
-1 Favor
Hammerspace.
You can store five cubic feet of supplies
extradimensionally (shape doesn't matter), and access
them whenever you want. The space is effectively
connected to any pocket on your clothing. You must
deposit and retrieve the supplies with your hands.
-1 Favor, -225 Points
Creeping Fear.
You can toggle an aura of fear. This gradually causes all
in your presence to grow to fear you. Little actions,
words or posture will seem threatening and unnatural.
With a few minutes of this, those nearby will be in near
panic attack terror of you. The fear tends to make those
affected cower or flee, attacking you requires courage.
-1 Favor, -25 Points
Unreasoning Rage.
Speaking to your victim for a minute is enough to drive
them into an unreasoning rage for twenty minutes. You
can direct this somewhat, but in general the most
convenient target will suffer the brunt of the ensuing
meltdown. Three charges, one replenishes after 2 hr.
-1 Favor, -75 Points
Servant from Beyond.
Your loyal servant crawls forth from the muck of the
ground, or the static of the television, or perhaps the
darkness between the stars. Its form is unclear, for no
eye or camera can truly see it, though it certainly has
way too many limbs and tentacles and teeth and eyes
and other organs of unclear purpose. It is fast, very
strong, and utterly fearless. It is an excellent tracker,
and surprisingly stealthy for its size. It can be killed,
though that is harder than killing an elephant. If it is
killed it will dissolve into silvery fluid. It will then take 1
week to regenerate in the other realm, and cannot be
summoned in this time (there is only one). Cooldown 3
month, but lasts indefinitely.
-2 Favor, -550 Points
Incorporeal.
You turn incorporeal for 6 seconds. You can walk or run
on the ground at normal speed during this, but pass
through physical objects. If you overlap with an object
when you return to normal you will be ejected violently,
potentially causing serious injury. Three charges, one
replenishes after 4 minutes.
-1 Favor, -100 Points
Pyrokinesis.
You can feel the flames hidden within every (not living or
undead) object within 100 feet of you. They want out.
You will let them out, won't you? Each time you release
the fire from an object you gain a stack. Each stack
means the duration, intensity, and untargetability of the
next fire will be increased by 25%. Stacks decrease by 1
every 12 hours. You have somewhat increased fire and
heat resistance, but can definitely still burn.
Approximately every stack divisible by 10 starts a
number of random (but not on people directly) fires
equal to the stack count divided by 20. If you light all
flammable objects (must be a substantial amount) in
your range, and let them burn out completely, your stack
count will drop to zero.
-1 Favor, -300 Points
Blink.
When no one living is looking at you, you can teleport 20
feet. If you overlap with an object when you return to
normal you will be ejected violently, potentially causing
serious injury. Three charges, one replenishes after 45
seconds.
-1 Favor, -125 Points
Mist.
A thick mist rises in a 750 foot radius area centered on a
talisman you carve from human bone (taking 3 hours of
work). If someone holds the talisman they can see
through the mist. Lasts 6 hours, and can have 5
prepared or active talismans at one time.
-1 Favor, -75 Points
Eyes in the Forest.
Meditate for 30 minutes to connect to an animal within
50ft. You can only be connected to one animal at once.
You can shift your consciousness (a process taking 30
seconds) to or from this animal 3 times a day (sunset to
sunset). You share its senses and can guide the
creature. It won't do anything significantly against its
instinct. You lose all your own senses other than touch
during this time, and using other powers or moving
requires more concentration. Death of this animal while
you are connected causes debilitating feedback,
equivalent to a serious migraine for a full day.
-1 Favor, -50 Points
Control Zombies.
All zombies (other than the Witch, Tank, and the Night's
King and his lieutenants) within 30 feet of you at
activation will follow your simple directions for 3 minute.
Cooldown 1 hour.
-1 Favor, -125 Points
Waking Nightmare.
You look an enemy in the eyes, and bring them into a
waking nightmare. For the victim the world goes silent,
dim, and distorted, and a dozen shadowy figures assault
them for five minutes. They take real injuries from these
assailants, but the figures will not kill or maim. The
victim can fight back, or, if they realize the figures are
illusory, mentally fight to end the dream in the same way
a lucid dreamer can. Cooldown 3 minutes. Two charges,
one replenishes after 3 minutes.
-1 Favor, -125 Points
Momentary Invisibility.
Go invisible for 9 seconds. Clothes and carried items
included. Two charges, one replenishes after 2 min.
-1 Favor, -125 Points
Shapeshift Human.
You can change your features and shape somewhat.
You can't make complicated changes like shifting your
gender, or major changes like changing your height or
musculature, and must remain the same mass.
Changing takes 20 minutes of meditation. You might
look a little off, on close inspection.
-75 Points
Shapeshift Human 2.
Requires Shapeshift Human.
You can now change to any human form, though those
not of your gender or approximate age are much more
difficult, and can only be maintained for about an hour.
The new form also retains your lifespan, and diseases
or disabilities. Changing takes 10 minutes. It will take
practice to make a viable form, and adjust to the
difference. If you are touching someone throughout the
meditation, you may take their form exactly. You may
eventually memorize people's form in this fashion.
-1 Favor, -175 Points
Shapeshift Animal.
Choose a specific dog, house cat, or horse. You can
shapeshift into this form or back with a 15 minute,
painful mediation. The new form also retains your
lifespan, and diseases or disabilities. Two charges, one
replenishes after 4 hours.
-1 Favor, -125 Points
Shapeshift Animal 2.
Requires Shapeshift Animal.
To acquire a form you must meditate for twelve hours in
the presence of a live friendly animal. You can have four
animal forms at once, and transitioning is a painful, two
minute process. The new form also retains your
lifespan, and diseases or disabilities. Transitioning has
three charges, one replenishes after 3 hours.
-1 Favor, -300 Points
Enchant Item.
Enchant a (50 lb or less) item with minor power. You
can enhance the function of the item to about 25%
beyond perfect functioning, or imbue it with some aspect
of your other powers. These will be weaker more
specific than your own ability, will share cooldowns if
used by the same person, and particularly powerful
external effects will have a limited number of uses.
Takes about 12 hours of work to enchant each item,
less for mere enhancement, much longer for more
powerful or extensive effects. You can also purchase
powers that can only be used to enchant items for half
cost. There is still only one possible Servant from
Beyond, and it will lose much of its power if most
recently summoned by an item.
-1 Favor, -150 Points
Greater Psychic Talent.
You have a gift for arcane forces. This natural talent
increases your power's strength and control by 50%.
This also makes your powers grow 50% faster.
-1 Favor, -100 Points
Gear
Note:
Gear is all in good shape and quite sturdy. They will last
more than a lifetime with good care, and can be repaired
of minor damages.
Night vision goggles.
Also good for pranks
Once owned by a serious hunter, these goggles provide
low light and heat source vision.
-50 Points
HUD with Mini Map.
Heartrate monitor built in
A slim heads up display with mini map. Can project to
your whole visual range, but doesn't block your vision.
EM detector marks moving people and creatures dog
size and larger within 100 feet. Can interface and
integrate with any other headgear. Allows the AI
companion to project arbitrary, lifelike video.
-1 Favor, -200 Points
Portable Electric Fence.
Get out the popcorn
Once used for backpacking in areas with powerful
predators, this can also defend you against zombies.
Turned up to maximum the shock can kill a human, and
disable zombies for several minutes. The capacitor can
only dispense about ten shocks in a minute.
-50 Points
Gasifier
Keep the good times rolling
Takes any organic matter and makes fuel usable by any
of the vehicles. Needs power, and the more the faster it
makes fuel. The solar panels will only provide enough
power to make about 2 gallons a week. Max output 300
gallons a week.
-125 Points
Swat Armor.
Comes in black and extra black
Some policeman really wishes he had this. Good cut
and pierce protection all over. Bullet proof vest and groin
pad. Riot shield, face mask, and attitude comes
standard. Handlebar mustache extra.
-100 Points
Personal Shield.
For boring, safety conscious individuals
A DARPA prototype, or something more unusual? Drops
after a couple of good blows, be it fist or bullet. Takes 8
seconds to replenish after dropping. Needs to recharge
after 6 hours of use, or 250 hits.
-1 Favor, -350 Points
Solar panel.
Also a good tanning reflector
Charges stuff. Provides about 150W in good sun. Rolls
up small.
-25 Points
Mr Fusion.
I'm sure you will use it for the world's sake
Safe, portable, lasts forever, and can use anything with
hydrogen as a fuel source. Produces 1 gigawatt max.
Adjustable output voltage. Can power pretty much
anything that needs electricity, and a sizeable industrial
base besides.
-275 Points
Kindle Loaded with 300 Books.
Also displays great survival gear ads
Half from your library or reading list, half from best of
lists.
-25 Points
Laptop with Internet.
Don't let the apocalypse get you outside
There are still a few of us out here. Uses a hacked CB
radio to provide a 6k modem connection. You won't find
it easy to set this up on your own. Host your own BB.
Post ascii images to 4chan. Regain your pixelation
fetish.
-150 Points
Recreational Drugs and Alcohol.
High zombies are hilarious
A wide variety here. Probably a rich guys party stash.
You've got years worth. They'll keep your spirits up, but
is now really the time to be off your game?
-50 Points
Quirks
Partial Infection.
Tortured brooding isn't as attractive as you were lead
to believe
You are infected, but haven't died. The disease has
found some sort of symbiosis with your body. You will
hunger for flesh, and must fight base impulses clouding
your mind. When you exert yourself dark veins start to
spread, and your mind erodes to the growing hunger.
On the positive side your muscles lose their mental
limitations and your strength doubles. Of course you
lose fine motor control, and your body will break down
under the strain. You can sustain three times the injuries
you would otherwise, and you'll heal three times faster
than normal, but that advances the disease as well.
Resting, meditating, and eating lots of red meat can
tame the corruption in your blood and mind. You will
have a prominent, nasty looking bite mark that will never
quite heal. Best you hide it from other survivors, unless
you are confident they will be exceptionally
understanding. You won't die if you get bitten again, but
it will cause you to lose control for a few days.
-1 Favor, -100 Points
Half Speed Aging.
Nice to see you are optimistic
You age at half speed.
-200 Points
Mundane Man
I also have an invisible dragon in my garage
You don't believe in this Codswallop, and (perhaps
uniquely) that makes a real difference. Psychic powers
don't work very well within 50 feet of you, especially if
you can easily see or directly experience the results. On
average 10% of the time they will fail completely, 55% of
the time they will function at about half strength, 25% of
the time they will function normally, and 5% of the time
they will backfire or malfunction unpredictably (and
usually hilariously).
-2 Favor
Bonus: Allows you to now take:
-1 Favor, +175 Points. Can be purchased multiple
times.
Form
Gender Swap.
See you in a couple of days
If you always wanted to see what the other side was
like, here's your chance. You will be put in the body of
yourself as if you were born as the opposite gender.
Don't worry about gender dysphoria, though it will still be
weird.
+75 Points
Child Form.
Relive your halcyon days in the apocalypse
Roll 1d8+3 for new age.
+1 Favor, -50 Points
Peak Form.
Oil comes extra
Your body's age is (re)set to 20, any illnesses or genetic
defects are healed, and you are top shape athletically.
You will find it easier to maintain this good shape,
though you still have to work out often to do so. Doesn't
fix any disadvantages or quirks. The Child Form age
takes precedence.
-200 Points
Touch Up.
Watch out for oversaturation
Always hated your nose? Want a different eye color?
Can also provide a general beauty buff. Can be bought
multiple times.
-25 Points
Form of Another.
Don't make it weird
Choose one other person of same gender and
approximate age. You get their physical form. Hafthor
Bjornsson? Why not. You automatically gain instincts
necessary to control this form as if you had practiced
moving in it for a year.
-150 Points
World Disadvantages
Note:
Unfortunately things aren't so simple. Regular zombies
aren't all you have to contend with.
You must take at least one. You may choose to take
a single one randomly (roll d8, 1 is the first option,
and so on) for +1 Favor.
The world would be the same regardless, don't feel
guilty about screwing over the world for a few bucks.
Dead is Undead.
All humans will rise a couple minutes after death,
infected or no.
+200 Points
Animal Vector.
Plays fetch with your heart
Around ten percent of one animal type can now become
infected. They are unimpaired by the conversion,
making them silent, swift, and indefatigable. Roll d4:
1. Dogs
2. Cats
3. Pigeons
4. Horses
+225 Points
Plant Zombies.
They can't be infected by bites, but there's something
about hanging around undead that causes large plants
to turn. They can move quite slowly, but with crushing
force. Think slow, varied Ents. You must burn them to
destroy them, but they are often waterlogged.
+225 Points
Fast Zombies.
Black Friday for brains
World War Z style fast zombies. They sprint all the time,
and the conversion process takes seconds. The wall
climbing scene is still physically implausible though.
+350 Points
Elysium.
Tenpenny tower is for plebs
Humans are the at the root of it, aren't they. Turns out
the raving conspiracy theorists were right. Whether it is
called the illuminati or something else, the gist is the
same: a secret organization composed of the wealthiest
and most influentual caused this, or at least planned to
benefit from it. They locked themselves away in
amazing opulence. Either in vaults deep in the earth,
roving submarines or titanic space stations, all prepared
in secret. Then they sabotaged the rest of us. Helped
the zombies scourge the world clean of the human
refuse.
Their private militaries with cutting edge weaponry are
still intact and ready to swoop in to fell any organized
resistance or threat to their ultimate hegemony.
Promising individuals or things of power or mystery are
snatched up and studied under no code of ethics. They
aren't afraid to rule over a charred earth. There are
signs, though that things have gotten away from them.
Have they delved too deep? Are the undead and the
esoteric really so easily mastered? Unfortunately even if
these rumors speak true, their fall could be far worse
than their ascension.
+450 Points
Super Zombies.
Maxim spread
Randomly a tiny percentage of zombies will start feeding
on their own to fuel their evolution. If they consume
enough they will become something more. These
zombies are stronger, faster, and more cunning.
Moreover they have special abilities along the lines of
the special infected in Left 4 Dead.
The Hunter can leap enormous distances. It likes to hide
on tall objects and pounce onto its prey from behind,
long claws first.
The Smoker can scale any surface with its sucker like
pads, and lasso victims from a hundred feet away with
its long tongue.
The Boomer swells up with corrosive bile, launching it at
the living. This also attracts nearby undead. When it is
killed it bursts, spreading its bile on a large area.
The Tank is large, strong, and very tough. It smashes
through concrete walls, and throws cars. Only shows up
a tenth as often as the others.
The Charger is very fast and overwhelming in a straight
line charge.
The Jockey latches on and controls the living.
Don't startle the Witch. She's very fast, agile, and can
cut through kevlar armor with her claws. Really tough to
put down too. Fortunately she only attacks if you startle
her with bright lights or loud noises.
+1 Favor, +525 Points
Night's King.
Bring it
Winter is coming. The Night's King and his twelve
lieutenants stalk the world. A deep cold precedes them
and lingers after their departure. The King himself can
increase night's duration by five hours in any area within
3000 miles of himself. They have direct control over
every undead within a mile of themselves, and can
influence those further away. They seek out strongholds
of the living, or exceptional individuals, and destroy
them.
Each has unique and dreadful supernatural abilities, but
as a whole they are organized, skilled, and very
intelligent. Weapons and armor shatter on contact, and
they possess hideous strength.
Twice a week they can raise all dead within a 100 feet of
themselves that have even vaguely intact bones.
Undead they raise are imbued with winters chill; their
heads must be completely burnt or shattered and
scattered to kill them, and they are much faster and
stronger than the norm when it is nighttime.
+2 Favor, +200 Points
Cult of the Dragon Below.
Even now, Sithrak oils the spit
It is an age of wonders, though the wonders are fell. Is it
any surprise that the people turn to gods? Of course
some religions are more malevolent than others.
The Cult of the Dragon Below seems to be brand new,
though it already has an intricate hierarchy and
traditions. It worships the purported cause of this
disaster: The Dragon Who Devours his Own Tail, and
the World with it.
They say this god, or perhaps demon, sleeps in the
earth eternally, and that something has disturbed his
slumber. His lazy shifts have caused the dead to walk,
while his disturbed dreams have caused the psychics to
return.
The cult wishes to shout in his metaphorical ear, driving
him to abandon his respite, and devour the world as he
has done an infinite number of times before. Of course
he's in no rush to leave his nap, but for some reason
they are.
The cult has some way of awakening psychic powers in
the miniscule percentage with the talent. This process
leaves both the successes and the failures with horrible
mental and emotional trauma, and drives no few insane.
The cult takes this in stride. Despite its horror, the
Awakening means that the cult has more active
psychics than any other organization, probably all others
combined.
Needless to say, the cult is anathema to civilization,
progress, and human decency, even if they are merely
lunatics. Despite this, it has been rather successful in
recruitment. It is still a fringe movement, but it is no
underdog anymore.
What appeal does this horrible religion have that so
many are willing to give all of themselves to it? Does its
dogma have any real claim to truth?
+3 Favor, +225 Points
Personal Disadvantages
Disabled.
Differently abled to kick your ass
What it sounds like. They stack logically, ie you can't get
the points from paraplegic or amputee if you also take
quadruplegic. There are no existing methods to heal any
of these, even with more esoteric approaches.
Quadruplegic: +1 Favor, +500 Points
Paraplegic +425 Points
Amputee (one arm): +150 Points
Blind +1 Favor, +225 Points
Deaf +300 Points
Narcolepsy +1 Favor, +175 Points
Mute +100 Points
Diabetes.
Paging Dr. Saxl?
Type 2. Somewhat under control, but still needs insulin
occasionally.
+425 Points
Zombie Bait.
Rub in the Worcestershire sauce a little more
They can smell you for miles away when the wind is
right. You smell really good.
+175 Points
Thinking Aloud.
Wait, did I say that aloud? Great for harem comedy and
letting zombies know where you are. Can't take with
mute.
+125 Points
Yellow.
not upon us oh king
not upon us
+9 Favor, +999 Points, -1 mask
The End
You are on your own from here.