The Human Condition

 

“Humans” are any player or NPC (most commonly cultists) in the game that is not a Zombie or some other form of supernatural being.  They follow the below rules.

 

 

Health, Damage and Dying

 

 

Humans have three health levels – characters may have more or less due to physical fitness, equipment or previous injury.  A human may operate as normal as long as they have health levels remaining.  Once all health levels have been depleted, a human must stop moving – they are classed as Dying.  Dying Humans can only move with assistance; as long as an able-bodied player has an arm around their shoulder they may move as normal. Without aid they cannot move at all and may lay on the ground.  Dying humans will eventually die (covered later). 

 

 

Health levels are represented by Health Strips.  These are strips of paper, around ten inches long, with “Health” written on them.  They are affixed to the player’s shoulders and chest with tape, and when damage is taken, they must be cast off.  This ensures that a player is always aware of how much health they have remaining and provides a visual indication for others.

 

 

Damage

 

 

Health is lost by taking damage (rather obviously).  There are three levels of damage, with each level removing an appropriate number of health levels.

 

 

Level One Damage – Being touched by a Zombie.  Getting hit in a limb with a melee or ranged weapon.

 

 

Level Two Damage – Getting hit in the chest by a melee or ranged weapon.

 

 

Level Three Damage – Point-blank chest hits from ranged weapons.  Level three damage will result in an instant kill, regardless of remaining health.

 

 

Dying

 

 

Unless a player has been killed by Level 3 damage, they enter a state known as Dying.  As mentioned above, a player may not move without assistance when they are Dying but may otherwise operate normally – they can shoot, solve puzzles and the like.  Any Zombie GMs in the locale should also tell the Player GM of the occurance.  Dying characters can die in one of two ways.

 

 

-They take any levels of additional damage.

 

-It is dramatically appropriate  - "Go on without me, I'll hold them off!" etc.

 

 

What happens following Death is dependent on how the player lost their last level of damage.  If it was lost to a Zombie or other undead creature they become a Zombie and should act accordingly.  If it was lost to mundane weapons they simply die and should leave the play area once all other players are out of sight.

 

Playing a Cultist

 

Cultists are brainwashed devotees of the Emmerson and Kramer cult, armed with differing levels of weaponry.  As a Cultist you will have freedom of movement and action, unlike Zombies - so you can run, jump, flank players, call to each other for backup, etc. etc.  However, if you are playing a Cultist, you must consider the three following guidelines.

 

1) You are a person.  You have a sense of self-worth and self preservation.  You will not run headlong into combat with four heavily-armed men, assured that if you take one of them down you have served your purpose.  Your are not mindless and you feel pain.  You are not suicidal and if a problem is too much to deal with, run away from it or try a different means of combat.

 

2) The players are the stars of the show.  It is no fun to get geared up for your one chance at glory for the evening, walk through the first door and get summarily ganked by a group of twenty cultists in ambush position.  While it is entirely possible to outnumber and outposition the players at (almost) all times is not fair and is not encouraged.  You will get your chance to be a hero when you are part of the player crew.

 

3) If Emmerson, Kramer or Fecility tell you do something, do it.  Even if it supercedes the previous two guidelines.

 

The Rules

 

The Human Condition - Playing a Survivor or a Cultist

 

- Get in Character - The Character Classes 

 

Bringing the Dead to Unlife - Playing a Zombie 

 

The Power of Gods and Demons - The Magic Rules

  

Play nice - The Unavoidable Safety Rules