Mini-Endless Dead Sneak Peek

[Kevin]

Mini-Endless Dead Sneak Peek

Dang, Endless Dead is another great book! No time to talk about it though, still have plenty to finish. Here is just one, small Table in this book. There is a vast number of tables and information to expand your Dead Reign campaign. And the zombies . . . oh, man. Looking Great.

Death Cult Random Encounters Table

The Death Cults that have emerged since the Zombie Apocalypse complicate matters between Survivors and the undead. The Cult of Brulyx is the most notable, but there are many other groups, some claiming to worship the Devil or demon, others worship a smart zombie, and others following a flesh-and-blood messiah or prophet.
01-35% Spread the Word of Death! Wandering amongst the bones of civilization looking for easily-influenced Survivors are 2D4+1 missionaries of Brulyx or another Death Cult. They come bearing promises of salvation, and are likely to offer food, medical supplies and a safe place to live to those who join them. The missionaries are soft spoken and seem beneficent and kind, but will become ruthless and sinister in the conduct of their recruitment drive if need be. The missionaries are lightly armed Death Priests and can influence zombies, and will fight to protect themselves and enforce the will of the damned against those who resist it or threaten them and their cult.
36-50% Compromiser: The compromiser’s job is to locate Survivors’ Hideouts and Safe Haven Communities and mark their location, attract zombies to them and compromise their defenses. Their job could be as simple as placing a lantern outside or on top of the building, starting a fire or painting a blood trail from a zombie swarm to the hideout’s doorstep. Killing a compromiser before he or she can complete his assignment is the only way to prevent a zombie attack; once the job is done it is already too late.
51-75% Zombie Delivery: A truck driven by a pair of Death Priests stops in an area known to be sheltering survivors or is regularly frequented by them. Out of the back of the truck come a few dozen zombies crudely dumped and unloaded. They slowly rise to their feet and begin searching for human prey. The Death Priests might even direct them further, leading them with lights or scent lures towards known groups of Soldiers, Road Reaper and Survivor groups, camps and Safe Havens.
76-90% Death Cult Assassins: Several elite assassins are dispatched by the Death Cult to kill the leaders of an influential survivors’ group, military operation, Safe Haven or even a messianic figure that seems to be rallying Survivors against the zombies. Where the dead have failed, the living must succeed, and the target has been marked for death. The 1D4 assassins could be planning an ambush, waiting to snipe the target from afar, use explosives or some kind of booby-trap, or they may use zombies or bribe or trick Bandits, Raiders, Retro-Savages and other malevolent forces to do their dirty work for them. Better still if they can trick an unsuspecting hero or innocent survivor to do it. These villains may intend to direct a zombie attack, probably sabotaging the victim’s defenses beforehand to help ensure success, or they could use an IED, home-made land mine or a simple pit to stop a convoy of survivor vehicles deep in zombie country. Assassins may attack their target directly like a hostile military force or could be masquerading as normal survivors until they get their chance to strike.
91-00% Prepared Battle Zombie: Occasionally a Death Cult will capture a unique and interesting zombie and decide to turn it into a specialized weapon. A Juggernaut, Thinker, or Fast-Attack Zombie wrapped in home-made armor and weapons and unleashed upon unsuspecting victims are common types of battle zombies. However, a Walking Grave and just about any zombie can be deployed in this manner. Battle Zombies are often part of the centerpiece of cult-led zombie attacks. What follows are some common types:
Fast-Attack Zombie Drone: Fast-Attack Zombies are more deserving of “upgrades” than other zombies due to their reflexes and running speed. They can only support light armor without losing their namesake velocity, (A.R. 12, S.D.C. 50) but come equipped with blades implanted in their arms and legs or may have nails hammered through parts of their bodies as added threats. +5 S.D.C. damage on all attacks.
Thinker-Soldier: Thinkers are better survivors and more efficient hunters than normal zombies. They can also be outfitted with makeshift armor (A.R. 13 S.D.C. 65) and close combat weapons (+5 S.D.C. damage on all attacks). The armor makes them tougher in the face of Survivors’ weapons, but even just dressing a Thinker in sturdy boots and outdoor clothing can slow down the rate at which they decompose and are affected by the elements.
War Juggernaut: Has the equivalent of light armor, (A.R. 14, S.D.C. 150) as well as blades, barbed wire or glass shards embedded in its fists, arms and head. Add +10 S.D.C. damage on all attacks. This is an undead war machine, the likes of which are rarely encountered.

Lermuria Update:

The hardcovers ship on Friday. The guys are doing prep work now. We’ll be signing the special ones tomorrow, and they’ll be shipping from our ware house Friday! PDFs will start being made available on Friday as well.

All of us are doing so much to get ready for the Open House and surprise and please all of you with other good things, including those of you not attending the Open House, that our heads are spinning in a whirlwind of activity.

Exciting times!

Sincerely,
Kevin Siembieda
Publisher, Writer, Game Designer and Optimist

© Copyright April 18, 2012 Palladium Books Inc. All rights reserved.

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