Theater

If you’re anything like me (and woe to you if you are), you can’t watch an action-oriented movie or TV show without thinking “How would that work in a D&D game?”

Lately, it seems that’s been happening to me with increasing frequency. So in order to give that particular creative impulse an outlet, I created "D&D Theater," a column dedicated to taking cool scenes and ideas from movies and TV shows and turning them into game material. That, and you’ll get some capsule reviews of the movies or shows in question.

Warning: These columns are likely to contain spoilers for the movies or shows I’m dealing with. If you haven’t seen them yet, proceed with caution.

No, it's not a sequel to Sandra Bullock's 28 Days. Rather, it's an homage to the proud tradition of zombie flicks (updated to our modern SARS-crazy world), mixing in some Omega Man-style last-people-on-Earth flavor. This grainy, low-budget British film (directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland) treads a lot of familiar ground--the lone hero wandering empty city streets, normal humans turned into slavering killers by an unstoppable (and largely unexplained) force, and the bleak thought of existence without a future--but manages to feel "different" enough from a traditional American movie (thanks in large part to the cast of complete unknowns) that it pulls it off well. I can personally vouch that it had the complete attention of our webmaster, as proven by the finger-shaped bruises on my arm. :)

The premise of the movie is that a horrible "rage" virus has been unleashed upon the unsuspecting populace, thanks to the efforts of the scientists who created it and the animal-rights activists who became infected while "rescuing" the chimpanzee test subjects. Maybe five minutes into the film, the world is effectively over.

Twenty-eight days later we rejoin the world, through the eyes of our hero Jim, who has just woken up in an abandoned hospital after being unconscious for at least the last month. This is perhaps the most effective part of the movie, as we get lots of great scenes of Jim walking through the empty streets of London in search of, well, anybody.

On that note let's just say, "Be careful what you wish for," because the population of London (and, by inference, the rest of the world) has become infected with insane rage, wanting nothing more than to kill and destroy (and infect more victims, of course). This, of course, is the "hook" of the film: Like classic zombiefests such as George Romero's Night of the Living Dead, the protagonists must battle against creatures that look like the humans they once were, but now exist as little more than feral beasts. To survive, the uninfected must "dehumanize" their enemies, but in doing so risk losing their own humanity as well.

That's all well and good, but what any DM watching this movie really wants to know is, "Where can I find me some fast, angry zombies for my game?"

Below are two different ways to present this concept in terms of the d20 system. The first preserves the vision of the infected as living creatures tormented by an overpowering physiological urge of rage, while the second transfers the concept to the literal undead, creating raging zombielike creatures.

Rage-Infected (template)

A rage-infected creature suffers from a strange affliction that turns it into a slavering, feral monster. Rage-infected creatures' only drive is to infect more with their horrible sickness. Once transformed, the creature can only be returned to normal with a remove curse, followed within one round by a heal spell.

A rage-infected creature speaks no languages, nor can it understand speech.

Creating a Rage-Infected Creature

"Rage-infected" is a template that can be added to any animal, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, or monstrous humanoid, hereafter known as the "base creature." (If you are using version 3.0 of the D&D rules, the template can also be added to beasts and shapechangers.) The creature's type remains the same. It uses all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Attacks: A rage-infected creature retains all the attacks of the base creature and also gains a slam attack and a bite attack. Rage-infected creatures rely on their natural attacks rather than using weapons.

Damage: A rage-infected creature's slam and bite attacks deal damage as follows (if the base creature's damage with these attacks is greater, use that value instead): up to Tiny, slam 1/bite 1; Small 1d2/1; Medium 1d3/1d2; L 1d4/1d3; H 1d6/1d4; G 1d8/1d6; C 2d6/1d8. Bite attacks add only half the rage-infected creature's Str bonus to damage unless the creature normally has a bite attack (in which case add the normal amount of Strength bonus to damage as per the base creature).

Special Attacks: A rage-infected creature retains the base creature's extraordinary and supernatural abilities, but if those abilities require an action to activate, the rage-infected creature cannot activate them. It loses any spell-like abilities it had, and cannot cast spells. In addition, it gains the following special attacks.

Blood Gout (Ex): Once every 1d4 rounds, a rage-infected creature can vomit forth a gout of infectious blood and bile upon a target within 5 feet. Unless the target succeeds at a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 rage-infected creature's HD + Con mod), the target becomes infected as well, and is transformed into a rage-infected creature within 1d4+1 rounds (assuming it is one of the eligible creature types listed above). During this period, the infection can be cured by a remove disease spell.

Infection (Ex): A rage-infected creature's melee attacks can infect its foes with a fast-acting illness. Any creature (of among the types listed above) that suffers damage from a rage-infected creature's melee attacks must make a Fortitude save (DC = 10 + damage dealt) or become infected as well, transforming into a rage-infected creature within 1d4+1 rounds. During this period, the infection can be cured by a remove disease spell.

Rage (Ex): A rage-infected creature can enter a rage at will. This is identical to barbarian rage (+4 Str, +4 Con, +2 Will saves, -2 AC) and lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the rage-infected creature's new Con modifier. This effect doesn't stack with barbarian rage or other similar abilities. After a rage subsides, the creature is fatigued for 1 minute, during which time it cannot enter a rage.

Special Qualities: A rage-infected creature retains the base creature's extraordinary and supernatural abilities, but if those abilities require an action to activate, the rage-infected creature cannot activate them. It loses any spell-like abilities it had.

Abilities: A rage-infected creature's Int score becomes 1. Its other ability scores are unchanged.

Skills: A rage-infected creature cannot use any Dex-, Int-, or Cha-based skills except for Balance, Hide, and Move Silently.

Feats: A rage-infected creature gains Improved Initiative and Iron Will as bonus feats.

Climate/Terrain: Same as base creature.

Organization: Solitary or pack (5-10).

Challenge Rating: Same as base creature +1. If the base creature relied heavily on spell-like abilities or spellcasting, treat its CR as 2 points lower than normal. For example, a rage-infected Wiz5 would be treated as a CR 3 creature, and would thus become CR 4 when rage-infected.

Treasure: None.

Alignment: Always chaotic evil.

Advancement: Same as base creature. A rage-infected creature cannot gain levels.

The creatures in the film weren't undead, but the genre owes enough to the zombies of yore that the following creature seemed like a natural extension of the concept.

Rage Zombie

Medium Undead

Hit Dice: 2d12+3 (16 hp)

Initiative: +4

Speed: 30 ft.

AC: 10, touch 10, flat-footed 10

Attacks: 2 slams +3 melee and bite -2 melee

Damage: Slam 1d3+2, bite 1d2+1

Special Attacks: Infection, raging fury

Special Qualities: +4 turn resistance, undead traits

Saves: Fort +0, Ref +0, Will +3

Abilities: Str 14, Dex 10, Con --, Int 1, Wis 10, Cha 10

Skills: Climb +7

Feats: Ability Focus (infection), Toughness (bonus feat)

Climate/Terrain: Any land

Organization: Solitary or pack (5-10)

Challenge Rating: 2

Treasure: None

Alignment: Always chaotic evil

Advancement: None

The rage zombie seethes with terrible fury, wanting nothing more than to kill and destroy all living creatures. Its eyes flicker with the barest sentience, their red-rimmed gleam betraying the creature's pure hatred for its prey.

Rage zombies remember none of their previous lives. They cannot speak or understand any languages.

Combat

A rage zombie knows no strategy or tactics. It simply launches into a fight with howls of anger, attempting to tear apart the flesh of its enemies.

Raging Fury (Ex): The rage zombie can enter a fury at will as a free action. While in a fury, the rage zombie gains a +4 bonus to its Strength score, +2 hp per HD, and DR 2/-. The fury lasts for 1 minute per point of the rage zombie's (new) Strength score. After a fury ends, the rage zombie suffers no ill effects, though it cannot enter a fury again for at least 1 minute.

Infection (Ex): Any humanoid creature reduced to 0 or fewer hp by the melee attack of a rage zombie must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 12; includes +2 bonus from Ability Focus feat) or die 1d4 rounds later, only to rise 1 round afterward as a rage zombie. During the interim between a failed save and death, the infection can be delayed or eliminated by any spell that would normally delay or remove diseases or poisons.

Once transformed into a rage zombie, the creature can only be returned to normal with a resurrection spell (or more powerful magic).