Zombies are staples of late night horror cinema. The walking dead have shambled across the countryside for the past several decades in their never ending quest for fresh victims. Theirs is an existence dominated by the driving urge to consume living cranial matter. Humanity has but one purpose for these rotting creatures: They’re what’s for dinner!

Much of the living world does not know that there a re several different types of zombies. The most common, of course, are the necromantic-spawned undead. There are those, however, who are created by chemical reactions or a rampaging, heretofore undiscovered disease. Such creatures could confound those who have fought their more mundane brethren as tried and true methods of defense may prove useless. Disease-born zombies could come from a variety of vectors. They may be given unlife from a new malady or the biological-warfare testing of a mutated virus that exploits a genetic Saw in the host body. Plague-carrying zombies could rapidly affect civilized areas as the uninfected might not have a natural defense against the virus they carry.

Those of chemical origin could be spawned by the chance mixing of common chemicals, nefarious drug pushers that sell tainted goods, or nanobots that break free of their parameters. Their rampages could spark bombardment with nuclear weapons in an attempt to eliminate such horrors once and for all. Of course, this might only intensify the problem if the fallout triggers further mutation. Disease- and chemical-spawned zombies can spring up virtually anywhere.

Heroes could find themselves fleeing a large city that’s overrun with the undead after toxic waste leaks into the water supply. Wild West locals might see the birth of these creatures when a snake oil salesman sells unstable chemicals to an embalmer, which causes the dead to rise. The carelessly dumped waste of secret government projects could also be the culprit. One may also be faced with a traumatic situation when forced to destroy the risen corpses of friends and loved ones.

Typical Chemical-Spawned Zombie

Reflexes 2D: brawling 2D, climbing 1D+2
Coordination 1D
Physique 5D: lifting 6D, stamina 6D
Knowledge 1D
Perception 1D
Presence 1D: intimidation 5D
Strength Damage: 3D
Move: 8
Fate Points: 0
Character Points: 0
Body Points: 25
Wound Levels: 3

Disadvantages: Achilles’ Heel (R3), nutritional requirements: living brain matter; Advantage Flaw: Infection (R3), victim becomes zombie 24 hours after the target is brought to Mortally Wounded or less than 10% of Body Points by zombie attacker; Hindrance: Movement (R1), base running. jumping, and swimming Move reduced by 2 meters; Reduced Attribute: Reflexes, Presence (R4 each), -1D each; Reduced Attribuce: Knowledge, Perception (R7 each), -2D each

Advantages: none

Special Abilities: Armor-Defeating Attack (R1), acidic couch negates +1D of armor when attacking non-sealed armor; Attack Resistance: Acid (R3), +3D to damage resistance rolls against related attacks; Fear (R5), +5 to intimidation totals against and combat defense difficulties by chose who fail a willpower attempt with a difficulty of 15; Hardiness(R2), +2 to damage resistance totals; Immortality (R1), ceases functioning when smashed to pieces or decapitated, with Additional Effect (R2), does not need to eat or drink; Skill Bonus: Mindless (R5). + 15 to willpower totals; Skill Bonus: Painless Wounds (R4), +12 to stamina total

Typical Plague-Carrying Zombie

Reflexes 2D: brawling 3D, climbing 2D+2
Coordination 1D
Physique 4D: infection 6D, lifting 5D, stamina 5D
Knowledge 1D
Perception 1D
Presence 1D: intimidation 6D
Strength Damage: 2D
Move:8
Fate Points: 0
Character Points: 0
Body Points: 22
Wound Levels: 3

Disadvantages: Achilles’ Heel (R3), nutritional requirements: living brain matter; Advantage Flaw: Infection (R3), victim becomes zombie 24 hours after the target is brought to Mortally Wounded or less than 10% of Body Points by zombie; Advantage Flaw: Stench (R3), +6 to stealth attempts; Hindrance: Movement (R1), base running. jumping, and swimming Move reduced by 2 meters; Reduced Attribute: Reflexes, Presence (R4 each), -1D each; Reduced Attribute: Coordination, Knowledge, Perception (R7 each), -2D each

Advantages: none

Special Abilities: Attribute Scramble (R4), instead of damaging a target on a successful attack the zombie may reduce their Physique by 2D with a successful scramble attack; Fear (R5), + 5 to intimidation totals against and combat defense difficulties by chose who fail a willpower attempt with a difficulty of 15; Hardiness (R4), +4 to damage resistance totals; Immortality (R1), cease functioning when smashed to pieces or decapitated, with Additional Effect (R2), does not need to eat or drink; Skill Bonus: Mindless (R5), +15 to willpower totals; Skill Bonus: Painless Wounds (R4), +12 to stamina total

Over the years in the big cities, there have been crazes about exotic pets that people wanted to have, ignoring the fact that one day they would grow into an adult predator. Many collectors bought several eggs at once and let them grow until they became too big to house in the terrarium. Once that occurred, it was a question for the owner of what to do with them. Too large to simply Bush down the toilet, the collectors often dump the terrarium down the nearest storm sewer and assume that’s the end of it. Other creatures find themselves driven below by encroaching human developments.

In the idyllic conditions of the sewer system, with few natural enemies, these creatures have grown to prodigious sizes. Some lose their coloration, while others become as black as the tunnels themselves. Through mutagens or magical waste, other creatures have developed in the sewers, such as sewer tendrils.

Sewer tendrils consist oflong prehensile tendrils of slime, sewage, and other unidentifiable bits. The creatures are a collective of anywhere from four to eight individual whip-like strands. The end of each tendril is topped by what appears to be some sort of a red eye. As for the other end of the tendrils, nobody has been able to determine what lies there.

Although the creatures live within a city’s sewer system, their true hunting grounds are above the streets, within peoples’ homes. The impossibly long tendrils can wind their way through the plumbing systems and eventually make their way our to show up in such unlikely places as kitchens and bathrooms. Sewer tendrils can pop out of any plumbing fixture, and a collective entity can actually emerge from more than one at the same time.

The favorite trick of the sewer tendrils is to quickly stretch out of a sink drain and attack a victim. If the whip attack succeeds well enough, then it has grabbed the victim (usually around the neck). People that try to aid the first victim usually find that they themselves are victims as the tendril attack from a second source. The effective reach of the tendrils once outside of the fixtures is normally about four meters.

Being a particularly cruel creature, sewer tendrils are not above bashing a victim’s head into a sink, reaching up and turning on scalding hot water, or holding a victim’s head underwater until he drowns.

Typical Giant Alligator

Reflexes 6D: brawling 7D, sneak 6D+1
Coordination 1D+2
Physique 10D: swimming 10D+1
Knowledge 1D: navigation: sewers 2D
Perception 3D: hide: self-only 4D, survival: sewers 4D, tracking 4D+2
Presence 2D: intimidation 5D, willpower 3D+2
Strength Damage: 5D
Move: 15 (land)/30 (swimming)
Fate Points: 0
Character Points: 0
Body Points: 40
Wound levels: 3

Natural Abilities: bite (damage +3D; +5 to combat difficulty; Strength Damage only each round after first that alligator maintains grip on victim); death spiral (after having grabbed a victim, may spin around in the water, attempting to drown the victim and inflicting an additional 2D damage to bite damage); tail (damage +1D+2); scales (Armor Value +2D); night vision (can see in dim or dark conditions; disoriented or maddened by bright light); limited running (can only run at top speed for a few rounds before needing to rest for several minutes); cold blooded (lethargic in cold;+ 7 to difficulties of all actions until warmed up); large size (5-7 meters long; scale value 3)

Typical Giant Constrictor Snake

Reflexes 4D: contortion 4D+1, brawling 4D+2, climbing 5D, sneak 5D
Coordination 1D+1
Physique 4D: running 5D, swimming 5D+2, stamina 7D
Knowledge 2D
Perception 3D: hide: self-only 4D, search 5D, survival 4D, tracking 4D
Presence 3D: intimidation 4D+2, willpower 3D+1
Strength Bonus: 2D
Move: 10
Fate Points: 0
Character Points: 0
Body Points: 22
Wound levels: 3

Natural Abilities: constriction (damage +4D when using a grappling attack); highly developed sense of taste (+3 to smell- and taste-related skills); cold-blooded (lethargic in cold; +7 to difficulties of all actions until warmed up); large size (scale value 3, due to slenderness)

Typical Giant Piranha

Reflexes 7D: brawling 7D+1, dodge 7D+1
Coordination 1D
Physique 3D: swimming 6D+2
Knowledge 1D
Perception 2D: hide: self-only 3D+1,
search 4D, survival 3D+1, tracking 3D
Presence 3D: intimidation 4D
Strength Damage: 2D
Move: 11 (swimming)
Fate Points: 0
Character Points: 0
Body Points: 19
Wound levels: 3

Natural Abilities: bite (damage +2D; +5 to combat difficulty); swarm attack (roll a single brawling total for the entire school; treat school as small scale value of 1; +8 to damage total of successful swarm attack); size and coloring (+1 bonus to dodge, sneak, and hide); breathes in water; small size (scale value 5)

Typical Giant Rat

Reflexes 4D: acrobatics 4D+1, brawling 5D, climbing 4D+2, jumping 4D+2, dodge 4D+2, sneak 4D+2
Coordination 1D+2
Physique 2D: running 3D, swimming 2D+2
Knowledge 1D
Perception 3D: hide: self-only 5D+1, search 4D, survival 3D+1, tracking 3D+2
Presence 2D: intimidation 3D+2, willpower 3D
Strength Damage: 2D
Move: 25
Fate Points: 0
Character Points: 0
Body Points: 16
Wound levels: 3

Natural Abilities: bite (damage+ 10; +5 to combat difficulty); swarm attack (roll a single brawling total for a pack of 10; treat pack as small scale value of 1; +8 to damage total of successful swarm attack); coloring (+1 bonus to dodge, sneak, and hide); small size (scale value 5)

Typical Sewer Tendrils

Reflexes 40+1: contortion 6D, brawling 5D+2, dodge 5D+1, sneak 4D+2
Coordination 2D
Physique 3D+2
Knowledge 2D
Perception 4D: hide: self-only 4D+1, search 4D+1, tracking 5D
Presence 2D+2: con 5D, intimidation 5D+2
Strength Bonus: 2D
Move: 10
Fate Points: 0
Character Points: 0
Body Points: 18
Wound levels: 3

Natural Abilities: whip (damage +1); constriction (damage +4D when using a grappling attack; for first tentacle only – each additional tentacle that beats the difficulty by 5 or more points adds +1D to strangulation, up to a maximum of 3 additional tendrils); numerous tendrils (ignore multi-action penalties for first four attacks on the same individual, but attacking more than one person brings standard penalties); vulnerability to salt (damage 5D per round)

Typical Suffocating Sewer Slime

Reflexes 2D: brawling 5D, climbing 4D, sneak 3D+2
Coordination 1D+1
Physique 6D
Knowledge 1D
Perception 2D+2: hide: self-only 4D+1, survival 3D+1, tracking 3D+2
Presence 2D: intimidation 3D, willpower 3D
Strength Damage: 3D
Move: 4
Fate Points: 0
Character Points: 0
Body Points: 18
Wound levels: 3

Natural Abilities: suffocating attack (after a successful brawling attack, the slime makes a Physique roll versus the victim’s Physique or lifting, which counts as an action for both participants; damage dealt increases by +1D per round as the slime sucks victim further into itself); immune to mental attacks; small size (scale value 1)

Quick Sewer Creature

To turn any creature into a giant sewer version of itself, add a minimum of +1D to Reflexes, Perception, Physique, intimidation, and natural weapon damage values and increase its scale value by l to 4 toward the larger side.

A robot is a mechanical construct that’s created to do a specific job; it has little to no independent thought. An android takes this idea to the next level: It may be a mechanical construct, but it can think, learn, and adapt.

Robots refer to systems ranging from an autonomous mobile unit with manipulation capability to a simple arm controlled by an operator. They can be used for a variety of tasks, including assembly of mechanical items, remote repairs, medical operations, and structure maintenance.

Robots also vary in their level of autonomy. Some robots act independently, performing tasks with little to no supervision. This is not the same as intelligence. Such an autonomous robot still only performs an assigned set of tasks. Although the robot may have sensors and be capable of altering its activities to deal with variations in its environment, it does not independently choose to alter its basic function. On the more basic side, a manipulator arm may be directly controlled by an operator. This robot only does what the operator commands via user interface, such as a joystick. Such systems are known as teleoperated systems.

Though the concept of robots is old (some suggest that the ancient Greeks experimented with mechanical movable figures), the creation of “automations” or “automatons” (as they were termed before the movie R. U.R. introduced the world to “robot”) gained popularity in the late 1700s. Generally little more than elaborate puppets, the fuse truly working and commercially viable robots didn’t become available until the 1960s. The technology community is still working on artificial intelligence systems and mimicking humanoids movements more closely.

Nonetheless, it’s possible that there are rare android individuals, mechanical beings that have been given independent thought through magic, super-science, or supernatural means {such as being animated by ghosts).

Typical Android

Reflexes 3D: brawling 3D+2, dodge 4D
Coordination 3D: piloting 4D, throwing 4D
Physique 4D: lifting 6D, running 5D, stamina 6D
Knowledge 3D: scholar 4D, tech 5D
Perception 3D: investigation 4D+2, repair 5D+2, search 5D
Presence 2D
Strength Damage: 2D
Move: 10
Fate Points: 0
Body Points: 22
Character Points: 3
Wound levels: 3

Disadvantages: Achilles’ Heel: Metabolic Difference (R3), requires an energy source; Hindrance: Lack Social Graces (R2), +6 to streetwise difficulties; Hindrance: Android Appearance (R5), + 5 to command, con, and persuasion difficulties; Quirk (R3), cannot lie

Advantages: none

Special Abilities: Atmospheric Tolerance (R1), airless environments with Additional Effect (R3), need not breach; Immunity (R5), +5D to Strength or stamina checks against illness or poison; Iron Will (R4), +4D to all willpower rolls and +6 to standard interaction difficulties

Androids as Player Characters

Depending on the setting (Western or Victorian steampunk, super-hero, and post-apocalyptic being the most common), Game Masters may allow players to choose androids as characters. The character package presented here is one suggestion of the minimum combination of Disadvantages, Advantages, and Special Abilities needed to represent an android character. Gamemasters may impose other restrictions on or provide other benefits to android characters, to better represent them in their settings. Nonetheless, being an android can serve as a simple excuse to gain many Special Abilities. (Realize, though, that androids may nor take any mental- or psionic-related Special Abilities, such as Fear.)

A few notes about androids: By default, they don’t look human and they keep the same appearance for their entire existence, unless they makes changes to it. To ensure that components last more than 100 years, they need to get a full systems check done about once per year. Should the android be separated from the creator (for example, because the android ran away), this could pose a challenge as the android figures out how to get his annual maintenance done.

The repair skill is used by and for androids and robots in the same way as the medicine skill is used by and for organic beings.

To give this archetype to a character, the player pays the cost in points or skill dice and then creates the character as normal (though, in this case, with fewer starting dice). Disadvantages gained by taking the android package do not count toward the maximum allowed. To elimininate a Disadvantage or Special Ability that comes in the base package, the player must give his character the opposite Special Ability or Disadvantage.

Total creation point cost: 3 points

Total defined limit cost: 3 skill dice

Disadvantages: Achilles’ Heel: Metabolic Difference (R3), requires an energy source; Hindrance: Lack Social Graces (R2), +6 to streetwise difficulties; Hindrance: AndroidAppearance (R5), +5 to command, con, and persuasion difficulties; Quirk (R3), cannot lie

Advantages: none

Special Abilities: Atmospheric Tolerance (R1, total cost 5), airless environments with Additional Effect (R3), need not breath; Immunity (R5, cost 5), +5D to Strength or stamina checks against illness or poison; Iron Will (R4, cost 8), +4D to all willpower rolls and +6 to standard interaction difficulties

Creatures created out of the devastation of an atomic war, nuclear shadows are ghostly beings that look like flat, white silhouettes of humanoids with smudged black auras surrounding them. They continually moan and howl in pain and glow with a faint luminescence in the dark.

The shadows are incorporeal spirits and are dangerously radioactive. They hate all life and seek to destroy any living creature that approaches them. The touch of a nuclear shadow inflicts terrible burns – and possibly a lingering radiation sickness that will kill her in a matter of days.

Any character who is killed by damage inflicted by a nuclear shadow or dies from the radiation sickness inflicted by one will become a nuclear shadow after death. The character’s body explodes with nuclear flames until only the blasted silhouette of a nuclear shadow remains.

Physical attacks have no effect on these creatures. They can be affected by magic, miracles, and psionics. They are considered enemies by any any mythos that has the concept of evil spirits.

Typical Nuclear Shadow

Reflexes 3D+2: brawling 4D, dodge 4D, flying 4D+1
Coordination 2D
Physique 2D+1
Knowledge 2D
Perception 3D+1: search 4D, tracking 4D
Presence 3D: con 5D+1, intimidation 4D, willpower 5D
Strength Damage: 1D
Move: 20 (flying)
Fate Points: 0
Body Points: 17
Character Points: 3
Wound levels: 3

Disadvantages: Advantage Flaw: Infection (R3), a target killed bya nuclear shadow through damage or sickness becomes a nuclear shadow herself; Hindrance: Atypical Movement (R1), flying only

Advantages: none

Special Abilities: Attack Resistance: Non-enchanted Weapons (R10), +10D to damage resistance rolls against relevant attacks; Flight (R2), base flying Move 20; Natural Hand-to-Hand Weapon: Energy Touch (R4), damage +4D, with Additional Effect (R6), when damage beats damage resistance total by 8 points or more, the victim is afflicted with radiation sickness, which kills her in a number of days equal to 3 times the number in front of the “D” of her Physique or stamina score – a medicine total of 28 or more cures the sickness

Megalomania is a psychopathic condition that’s predominated by infantile delusions of wealth, power, or omnipotence. Individuals stricken with this malady of the mind are often obsessed with grandiose actions or extravagant things. People such as these feel they deserve the best life has to offer. Thus, their hidden hide outs have all the creature comforts money can buy and are protected by cutting edge, often ridiculously lethal weaponry, while stunning companions attend to their needs. The villains make excellent leaders for secret societies, cabals, and organizations that demand fanatical loyalty from their followers.

Adversaries of this nature can launch drawn-out schemes. Unlike merely evil or greedy villains, megalomaniacs long to prove their superiority and may pause the implementation of world domination plans to toy with important captives. Dangerous prisoners are typically forced to endure a long-winded monologue while their captor boasts of their world conquest plans: Their audience will soon be dead anyway, and corpses tell no tales. Besides, a quick demise would mean little and do nothing to prove why the villain is destined to rule the world! The ensuing tirade can prove useful: Captives may be able to shrug off the effects of being drugged, gain time to loosen their bonds, or accidentally receive information needed to escape an impending death trap. In many ways, the megalomaniac’s ego is their own worst enemy because personality flaws of this nature are often a great boon to those who attempt to thwart their schemes.

1he very nature of megalomaniacs makes staples for espionage games. Modern settings featuring these villains can utilize a myriad of locals as the advent of the internet allows world domination attempts to be spawned from nearly anywhere. Wild West games might feature smaller scale events such as a land baron who is angered by heroes whose meddling is blocking attempts to add land acquisitions to her empire.

Someone who feels the heroes have slighted them could turn into a megalomaniacal villain. Such a person would be bent on getting revenge from those who have wronged them!

Some megalomaniacal villains prefer to discard their foes rather than go through the trouble of slaying them; it makes their victory more sweet to think that the heroes will live forever with a humiliating defeat. (Of course, it also gives the would-be heroes an opportunity to rally together to bring down a seemingly unstoppable foe.)

Doctor Zahd

Reflexes 1D+2: sneak 2D
Coordination 2D: piloting 4D
Physique 1O+1: running l D+2, swimming 1D+1
Knowledge 5D: business 7D, scholar 5D, tech 6D
Perception 3D: investigation 3D
Presence 5D ( +2): charm 6D, command 7D, intimidation 6D, persuasion 6D, willpower 7D
Strength Damage: l D
Move: 10
Fate Points: 2
Character Points: 5
Body Points: 14
Wound Levels: 3

Disadvantages: Bad Luck (R2); Enemy (R3), the free world; Infamy (R3), wanted by various national and international law enforcement agencies; Quirk (R3), deathly afraid of heights

Advantages : Authority (R3), the head of a world-domination effort; Equipment (R4), protected by cutting-edge weaponry; Wealth (R4) Special Abilities: Increased Attribute: Presence (R2), +2 to related totals; Quick Study (R1); Skill Bonus: Leadership (R1),+1 to command, intimidation, and persuasion

Few labels are quite so evocative as that of mad scientist. They are a constant source of conflict for those who become embroiled within their schemes, not necessarily because the scientist’s goals are evil, but because their judgment is inherently flawed.

A mad scientist can come from any walk of life, with the only requirements being a brilliant mind and a seriously damaged sense of ethics. Some may be legitimate professionals who become deranged as a result of exposure to extreme circumstances, possibly stemming from their research. Others may suffer from innate mental instabiliry, perhaps as a means of natural balance to their disproportionately vast intellect. Still others may be genuine in their belief that their research is a necessity for the good of all humanity, and that certain evils are absolutely necessary in order for the greater good to be served. These last individuals can be the most dangerous, as they can often recruit others to their cause by convincing them of the benefits their experiments can offer to the world at large.

Mad scientists are a variable foe to encounter, ranging as they do from a genuine, genocidal madman bent on creating new weapons of mass destruction to a benevolent but determined surgeon intent on solving a terrible disease by experimenting with new treatments on kidnapped vagrants and other innocents. Some are legitimate villains, while others are simply misguided and could potemially be rehabilitated if the circumstances were appropriate.

Inevitably, the most significant challenge when overcoming a mad scientist is not the scientist himself, brilliant and twisted he may be, nor is it the scientist’s minions, regardless of their numbers. It’s a mad scientist’s creations that pose the real threat, and an infinitely variable threat at that. Highly advanced technological weapons, chemical weapons, viruses or microbes, dimensional portals, genetically engineered monstrosities … there’s no end to the diversity of threats that a brilliant scientist can create when unhindered by ethics or the restricting influence of a government, corporation, or other patron.

Ultimately, the mad scientist is a serious threat not because of their physical capabilities, but because their brilliance allows them to threaten large numbers of people over a vast area in a fashion that most law enforcement official are incapable of addressing effectively. lnstead, these men and women often become threats, overt or covert, that can only be dealt with properly by small groups of highly trained individuals who are capable of operating outside the confines of normal law enforcement.

Typical Mad Scientist

Reflexes 2D
Coordination 2D: marksmanship 2D+1, piloting 3D+1
Physique 2D
Knowledge 4D (+2): business 4D+2, languages 4D+1, medicine 5D+1, scholar 6D, tech 4D+2
Perception 3D: investigation 4D, know-how 5D, repair 3D+1
Presence 3D: command 3D+2, intimidation 4D, persuasion 3D+2
Strength Damage: 1D
Move: 10
Fate Points: 1
Character Points: 4
Body Points: 16
Wound levels: 3

Disadvantages: Infamy (R1). bad rep- utation as a lunatic; Uncoordinated (R1). +1 difficulty to all brawling, melu com- bat, and lockpicking attempts

Advantages: Wealth (R1); Equipment (R4). various unique devices

Special Abilities: Increased Attribute: Knowledge (R2). +2 to all related totals

Equipment: illicit laboratory stocked with high-end equipment; handgun (damage 4D)