Zombie Mutation

A tree of mutation skills for zombies was proposed, and then later removed by a now-former moderator. It had previously been in the one-big-glop version of the Suggestions page. It is now here by itself.

I don't believe that this suggestion was so awful as to warrant unilateral deletion, so I resurrected it in a non-distracting location --mortimer shank 00:57, 24 Sep 2005 (BST)

The Original

• Mutation Level 1 - 10 less max hp. Requires level 10
  • Mutation Level 2 - -10% to hit with all attacks.
    • Mutation Level 3 - 1 less damage for all attacks.
      • Complete Mutation - Opens Mutation skills.
        • Hardened Mutation - Zombie has got used to the mutations it has been going through. All disadvantages from previous mutations are negated.
        • Malformation - Zombies body has become malformed. Humans now have a 20% chance of using 2AP when leaving the block the zombie is in due to being scared.
          • Mutilation - Zombies body is now hardly recognisable as once being human. Humans are now so disturbed by the sight that all attacks have a -10% to hit on this zombie. When in the same square as this zombie, humans will get a message saying, "You see a disgusting creature you assume to have once been human."
        • Horrifying Stance - Zombie looks so terrifying that all human's actions when in the same square have a 5% chance of failing.
          • Death Scream - Zombie can now scream for 1AP. After screaming, all human actions have a 20% chance of failing within the square. Stops working when the zombie moves.
        • Final Strength - Zombie is now so mutated that they cannot stay alive. All attacks do double damage however, the zombie also loses half as much hp as the damage it gives out. Skill disappears when zombie dies.

Good Points

• Zombie Advantage. This addresses the Player-Zombie Imbalance.
• Expensive. It takes four skills to get going.
• Fear. Terror makes people behave differently. Mutations make a perfectly decent source of fear.

Ambiguous Points

• Inconsistent. What theory of zombies does Urban Dead use, anyway? In many zombie worlds, headshots cause Permanent Death. That's not what happens in Urban Dead, so can zombies mutate? Sure they can mutate. This is a virus right. It is obviously in the air as whenever you die, killed by a zombie or not you become one. Well what if after being around the virus for a while, it gets worse. It's not unheard of for viruses to mutate and change to bring about new strands which for example resist antibiotics and stuff. This would the an equivalent to that. Plus, this is a fantasy world, you can do whatever you like, to make the game more fun. These skills are reasonably easy to implement and would add a new dynamic to playing a zombie, plus added fear for humans.

Bad Points

• Overly-powerful. This may only be a matter of tuning, but the cumulative effect of all the mutations seems too great. "Death Scream", in particular, seems very overpowered. Maybe that is a bit strong, maybe 10% and/or stops working after a few hours? I think some tuning is definately in order.

how about changing Death Scream for "Death Stench" from the suggestions page? I think its similar but better balanced.

• Someone could just save up 400exp and then buy them all at once, thereby ignoring all the hardship you were supposed to go through when attempting to get through it. One idea I had to solve this is that each mutation costs 100exp, but if you have more, it will be take as well. This way you would have to buy one, gain 100exp with the disadvantage in place, thereby inducing the original idea.
• It doesn't really fit with the atmosphere of the game, which is probably why it was removed from the suggestions page. See Ambiguous Points.

Further Suggestions

• Volatile Mutations. The mutation process is uncontrollable and unstable.
  • Mutations revert upon zombie death, but the zombie would retain mutability. That is, Complete Mutation is permanent, but everything else goes away at death. No headshot required for this effect. Good idea. This would make it a real challenge to gain the power. Accompanied with my idea for stopping stockpiling exp and buying all of them at once, this could really work.

I agree, though the Final Strength should preserve some or all other mutations, because it's very costly to start, and doesn't last long

• • Only one mutation could be active at a time.
  • Player may not choose which mutation they get. They purchase Further Mutation, and something happens.
  • Spontaneous Reversion. Volatility of mutations gives an opportunity for lots of transient mutation types. If they don't work out, then Poof!
  • Original Poster: I like this, how about, you can only choose one out of, "Malformation" or, "Horrifying Stance". At any time you can drop this skill and be able to choose the other once again. However you would lose all of that skill and not regain any exp. The, "Final Strength" skill should be available after choosing one of the 2 and then gaining the sub skill within. This would mean you can't just kill people under final strength, stand up and immedietly use it again.

Alternatives To "The Original" Mutation

• Perhaps an automatic mutation randomly occurs somewhere between levels 20 and 25 (anyone above 25 would mutate automatically) the virus having entered its more severe stages. This would clear all of your previous skills and actually be a seperate "character" class with an entirely different set of skills. Specific currently suggested zombie skills could be reserved for this new class of mutated zombie. Possibly, upon mutation, the player could choose a class of mutation to enter, each with a seperate skill tree.
• Original Poster: My original idea was to have something to aim for for high level zombies, it wouldn't be easy because of the disadvantages for the first few, but once you've made it through you are one mean zombie. Also, I was trying to address the imbalance and give something "cool" that would make more people decide to play zombies.
• Non-Mutations. Rather than a zombie's shape and form changing thanks to a genetic alteration (which has been argued against on the grounds that zombies don't mutate in the movies; and the fact that it's pretty much biologically impossible), it changes due to decomposition. This grants a reason more aligned with the spirit of the genre, but overall has the same end effect, which makes people ask the question "Is worth taking a temporary disadvantage which will eventually disappear and be replaced with an advantage?"

Personally I think everyone should ignore the roleplay part of it and skil names and such and just think about the skills themselves. It doesn't matter what they are called, or even what they do really. That can be tweaked. Its about a new dynamic of a tempory disadvantage for a gain later.

True, but the roleplaying part of the game is an important part. As an aside, another problem is that many of the abilities are based on hurting enemy's to-hit or damage or other properties which aren't hit points.

Classes of Zombies?

Rather than a mutation system, why not allow for different classes of Zombies at signup? A suggestion:

Trained ("Bub") Zombies - Necrotech has begun to train captured specimens to use firearms and target untrained undead. To upgrade to this class, untrained Zombies must spend 150 XP and enter a Necrotech building before buying. Bub Zombies can use pistols, flareguns and upgrade these in the same manner as human players. They must spend 120 XP to gain wild zombie skills thereafter, and since the training program involves repair of the cortex they cannot possess brain rot ("rotted" zombies lose this skill on upgrade). They are issued with a flak jacket and a loaded pistol. They gain equal XP from both zombies and survivors.

  I say it would be better if it 'flip floped' to full xp from zeds but half from surviviors.

• Here's some stuff I put in the "Bad Suggestions" because I thought it might upset the zombie/survivor ratio but since it's already off-set by the number of survivors, I thought these ideas could spice the game up in favor of the zombies. I cleaned it up a little bit for easy browsing. I was thinking, the class would show up to other zombies, Necrotechs, and zombie hunters, but remain the ambiguous "zombie" to normal survivors. When upgraded, there are immediate effects instated on the user i.e. health bonuses/deductions, passive skills, etc. However, there are still skills that can be learned by dwelving deeper into the class set.

• Zombie Berzerk - For zombies that have reached a fair level, they have the ability to upgrade to a zombie berzerk with health regeneration and the ability to search for and use melee weapons. If a zombie decides to be a berzerk but wants to become another zombie class, all skills and attributes learned from Berzerk class will be forfeited(same for others). Story: Uh, zombies learn how to use tools to kill people and destroy stuff.

Further Zombie Berzerk Class Skills:

Flinch Reflex - When attacked successfully, % chance that a counter-attack will hit the attacker(Further upgrades: increase % chance to counter-attack and/or counter-attack missed attacks); XP will be rewarded for successful counter-attacks

Dead Eye - increased hit ratio with melee weapons

Blood Crazy - when attacking injured survivors, non-bite damage hit ratios increase correlating with the severity of the survivor's injury.

• Zombie Spook - For zombies that have reached a fairly high level, they have the ability to upgrade to a zombie spook with less health but higher % bite hit ratio and additional bite damage. Story: Spooks have learned how to blend into the environment and, also, learned to secrete a sticky substance (most likely cuagulated blood) from their hands. They use the substance to climb surfaces, finding ways around most barricades. It has also been known to use the substance as a make-shift snare to trap victims. (Idea was influenced by the "Reapers" in Blade II)

Further Zombie Spook Class Skills:

Intrusion - Sneaking into barricaded buildings(every skill upgrade bypasses a barricade upgrade)

Hide - Expends a certain amount of AP to disappear in a building or the street and is not unveiled until another action is taken or a survivor uses search and happens to discover the user(possible upgrade to make it harder for a survivor to find the user and/or ability to attack without being unveiled)

Snare - Traps survivors in a square until they break the snare by attacking and destroying the snare, doesn't work on zombies(upgrades:increase snare durability) Cool idea, but it needs an HP cost to create, to balance large AP loss for victims. Snare then has (say) 5hp that has to be killed, at cost of 5 or 10 to zombie

• Zombie Juggernaut - For zombies that have reached a high level, they have the ability to upgrade to a zombie juggernaut with more health and upgraded claw attack damages but moves at a cost of 2AP(maybe more). Story: Something in the air must be reacting with the virus embedded in the zombies, reinstating HGH production and intensifying vibrations to the muscle fibers. Juggernauts are giant tank-like zombies but because of their high muscle mass, they walk slower because they are so heavy...even for themselves.

Further Zombie Juggernaut Class Skills:

Grab/Toss - % chance to pick up a survivor or zombie(cost 1 AP), if successful 5-10 damage will be issued and juggernaut can throw user for additional 1-5 damage into an adjacent square with splash damage hitting others within that square for 1-5 damage(costs 2 AP to throw; 0 AP to put down) Note: % chance user will escape whenever AP is used and is automatically dropped after a 30 minute period, if another "Grab" is attempted, or if damage is taken

Wide Swipe - % chance to hit multiple users in the same square when attacking with hands

Safety Release - Expends 5 AP and increases hit ratios to 90%(more or less) for the next 10 AP used.

• Zombie Defiler - For zombies that have reached a very high level, they have the ability to upgrade to a zombie defiler with less health(can be healed to 50 but always starts at 40 or whatever) and attacking costs 2 AP but everytime a defiler dies it lets out a flaregun-esque howl and bonus XP will be planted on the head of the attacker. Story: It was only a matter of time before the zombies have learned to disguise themselves and learn more advanced techniques to get to our insides. These advanced zombies have learned to concentrate the virus within their bodies to build psuedo-parasites and toxins to infest both the living and dead alike.

Further Zombie Defiler Class Skills:

Deception - Will appear as a survivor to survivors and can enter buildings(upgrade:able to change name and descriptions)

Noxious Gas - % chance to infect some(possibly all) survivors in the same square and deducts 1HP per hour and per AP until healed, passive but more likely to infect when attacked

Mutual Sacrifice - Other zombies who use bite attack on the user will gain a temporary (10 or so AP uses) boost to their claw hit ratio and damage but XP made will be split between the user and the zombie

Cold Touch - % chance to infect a survivor when attacking with claws; will slow their movement to 5AP and successful attacks on the survivor deal +2 damage to survivor, effects will wear off after healing

Hate Puppet - Successful bite attack on a survivor transmits a parasite linked to the defiler user who can use the survivor to attack any users in the same square as the survivor host for defiler's 2AP but not for survivor's AP, the parasite will die if a different host is chosen, the survivor reaches 25HP or lower, or defiler dies, only half XP will be rewarded to defiler for "puppet" attacks but none will be rewarded to the host

Alternative Set Up: Zombie Decomposition

Subskill of Brain Rot, since a zombie with it could not be believably revivified. Makes roleplaying easier and the thing becomes less annoying.

• Worn Skin: Your skin wears away and leaves you vulnerable. -10 HP.
  • Rigor Mortis: Your limbs become slower and less mobile. -10% to hit on all attacks.
    • Pale Bone: Your bones begin to wear away, making you less harmful. -1 to damage on all attacks (except infectious bite)
      • Complete Decomposition: Opens up Decomposition skills.
        • Hardened Decomposition: Removes disadvantages from Decomposition.
        • Malformation: Your form becomes disgusting and putrid. All humans who interact with you become frightened, dealing less damage. You gain a "natural flak jacket", reducing damage to you. Doesn't stack with Flak Jacket.
          • Mutilation: Decomposition becomes total. Your insides emit a foul stench. Any time a human interacts with you (attacks which hit, DNA Extractor, Revivification Serum), they take one damage.
            • Doomed: The zombie's skin begins to fester and boil, and becomes coagulated with blood. He becomes, as such, "hardier" The zombie gains ten HP. Doesn't stack with Body Building.
        • Death Scream: The zombie emits a powerful wail, attracting nearby zombies. Think Flare Gun.
        • Smell of Doom: The decomposed zombie is a vicious, maurauding beast. Any zombies within a certian small radius which have a Scent ability will smell you, and may come to your aid, knowing of your location.
        • Scent Survivor: The decomposition of certain restricting parts of the brain enable the zombies Smell-based abilities to improve. He can tell if there are any survivors in the building that is within his square.