Custom Abilites - Collected

[LSD]

I want a place where we can collaborate and collect all the user based variants on rules and custom abilities in one place. Basically any new ability you can think of post here. We can discuss the proper names of them as well as debate ways to make them balanced. For the most part I think it's good to have new rule options that are "Scenario or session specific".

I've made up a few of my own (and borrowed some from the forums), so I'll start things off by sharing them with you:

Structural Modifications:

Reinforced Windows: Zombies must break through a window in order to move into any building with a success roll of 4+

Reinforced Wall: Two zombies must be in a square to break through the walls to enter a building and both need a success roll of 3+

The above abilities are meant to be played when using a house rule where the zombies cannot simply travel through any square into a building without out first "breaking in". The reinforced wall rules is intended for "save the manor" scenario.

Hero Abilities:

Agility: Heroes Roll 2 dice for movement keeping the highest of the two rolled.

Pickup & Go : Heroes Can spend 2 of their move points to search while moving (limit: one search per turn)

Sharp Shooter: This hero adds +1 to any ranged weapon attack roll, unless a 1 is rolled

Sharp Shooter Drawback: Heroes get a -1 penalty to their movement roll when using this ability


Basic Zombie Abilities:

Plague Hunger: Zombie Hunger range is 2 squares instead of 1

Rabid Attack: Once a hero takes a wound, this zombie "locks on" and will not let go until the player passes a fight check of 4+ to break free. Each failure results in a new wound and the process repeats.

Extended Range: This zombie may attack any adjacent square as well as the square it currently occupies

Grave Dead Zombie Types:

Dogs
Grave Dead are zombie dogs. Zombie dogs have "plague hunger", "Rabid Attack". (Use the Plague Dead guidelines when adding to a scenario,)

Spitters
Grave Dead may make a Ranged Attack in addition to moving. The attack has Range 1 and hits on 5+

Persistent
Grave Dead have the ability to re-roll their attack die once per fight (or they attack twice per turn, still not sure if thats too powerful)

Hunters
Grave Dead are immune to Zombie Hunger

Radioactive
Grave Dead in a space with any Heroes at the end of the Fight phase inflicts a wound on each Hero on a 4+. Roll separately for each Hero for each Grave Dead

[Sarku]

This is an excellent list. I'll have some to add in a little while as I finish up some of the customizations I'm making.

[mqstout]

An easy custom ability is to allow any zombie heroes to continue to use any weapons they were carrying when they became a zombie hero.

[Emp]

mqstout Wrote:An easy custom ability is to allow any zombie heroes to continue to use any weapons they were carrying when they became a zombie hero.

This would go against the basics of being a zombie. Ofcourse this is up for debate (as it has always been) but in my mind zombies can't use things.
That's what I hate about the "Land Of The Dead" movie.
Some say they might evolve into learning or that they might remember how they have to use things. But I think in order to do that, especialy the last one, they need to have blood flowing wich means a pumping heart. And since they are dead...no beating heart in my book

[zombie67]

Emp Wrote:

mqstout Wrote:An easy custom ability is to allow any zombie heroes to continue to use any weapons they were carrying when they became a zombie hero.

This would go against the basics of being a zombie. Ofcourse this is up for debate (as it has always been) but in my mind zombies can't use things.
That's what I hate about the "Land Of The Dead" movie.
Some say they might evolve into learning or that they might remember how they have to use things. But I think in order to do that, especialy the last one, they need to have blood flowing wich means a pumping heart. And since they are dead...no beating heart in my book

But of course there is a card in GH which allows a Zombies to use weapon in a fight, hence:



Your interesting comment about Land of the Dead brings up the question can zombies think on any level? I have heard arguments on both sides.

You seem to come down on the negative BUT if they are mindless why do we accept them "remembering" things like the Mall in "Dawn" or Bub learning in and remembering in "Day"?

BTW....if you don't like Land for the above reason, don't watch Umberto Lenzi's Nightmare City (Incubo sulla città contaminata) (1980). At the beginning of that Zombies fly a plane and run around using guns!!

[LSD]

So we could call this a zombie ability:

Cognitive: When this hero is turned into a zombie while carrying a hand weapon that zombie hero may continue to use the item but with a -1 penalty on all checks.

I need to work on the explanation but I think the word is proper. Basically the zombie hero is smarter than your average zombe so he hangs on to his meat cleaver or baseball bat but with a penalty due to poor coordination. What do you think?

[mqstout]

LSD Wrote:Cognitive: When this hero is turned into a zombie while carrying a hand weapon that zombie hero may continue to use the item but with a -1 penalty on all checks.

That -1 penalty is devastating when you only have a range of 1-6. Take the meat cleaver, for example (Which would wound a hero automatically if a six were rolled, even if the heroes had an ability to win and fend off the zombie.), would never trigger.

"...continue to use the item, but must roll any item break rolls twice. If an item does not have a chance to break, it now breaks on a roll of 1 whenever it is used."

[Emp]

I'm not sure if they really "remember" the mall. Zombies tend to be drawn by lights and noise.
But you are correct about Nightmare City, and I don't realy like that in it. But like I said...it has always been talked about it.
Pro's and Con's but it's all fine by me.
Just like I think the savage running zombies are really cool and very mean...I also have a problem with that
I kinda tend to think that if they are just dead they still have these abilities but as they decay, all these things gadualy go away.

[Artanis]

I like the two hero abilities you posted. Anybody have any others?

[Artanis]

I was rolling this around in my head. Since I have not played the game enough yet to get a feel if it overpowers character, can any of you give me your thoughts?

The hero gets two wounds before the third kills him/her

Abilities:
Bulls-eye - The hero can add one to any ranged weapon attack roll, unless a 1 is rolled.

However, to counteract this ability:

Old War Wounds - The hero must subtract one from the highest fight dice rolled.
Bad Knee - The hero must subtract one from his/her movement roll.