______________________________________________________________________ Warning! Horror, Violence, Zombies & the Supernatural The fictional world of Dead Reign™ contains subject matter that deals with the supernatural, death cults, zombies, conspiracy theories, the paranormal, magic, war and extreme violence. The setting is our modern world taken over by the walking dead – zombies. Hideous animated corpses that feed upon the living. The heroes are ordinary people who battle for their own survival and to re- claim the world from the dead. Human civilization has collapsed, our cities and towns are infested with zombies, madmen and cultists. Some parents may find the subject matter, violence, magic and supernatural elements of the game in- appropriate for young readers/players. Furthermore, the realistic manner in which the fictional horror material is presented may be disturbing for some young readers. WE STRONGLY SUGGEST PARENTAL DISCRETION. Please note that none of us at Palladium Books® condone or encourage the occult, the practice of magic, the use of drugs, vigilantism or violence. ______________________________________________________________________ Sample file Dead Reign™ is a complete role-playing game. 1 Dedications Thanks to Hilden, for letting me help get his dream project off the ground and into print, and to Kevin Siembieda, for giving me this opportunity to be published. I’d also like to acknowledge the fine people on the Palladium Books message board and chat room, who provided invaluable advice and input on this project. You know who you are, and you have my thanks! – Joshua Sanford, 2008 This book is dedicated to my wife Karen, you are my light and my inspiration. And to Joshua Sanford, my good right arm. And special thanks to Kevin Siembieda who believed in this. – Josh Hilden, 2008 To George Romero, father of the modern zombie, and all the people who love the zombie genre so much. This one is for you. – Kevin Siembieda, 2008 The cover,byE.M. Gist, depicts zombies converging on a husband and wife being pulled apart, and about to be slain. A short while after their death, they too will rise as zombies. First Printing – November 2008 No part of this publication may be scanned, OCRed, reproduced or distributed in any way for electronic publication on the Web/Internet or any other medium. Sample file Copyright 2008 Palladium Books Inc. & Kevin Siembieda All rights reserved, worldwide, under the Universal Copyright Convention. No part of this book may be reproduced in part or whole, in any form or by any means, without permission from the publisher, except for brief quotes for use in reviews. All incidents, situations, institutions, governments and people are fictional and any similarity, without satiric intent, of characters or persons living or dead, is strictly coincidental. Rifts®, The Rifter®, Phase World®, Megaverse®, The Mechanoids®, The Mechanoid Invasion®, The Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game®, Splicers®, Coalition Wars®, After the Bomb®, RECON®, Nightbane®, and Palladium Books® are registered trademarks owned and licensed by Palladium Books Inc. and Kevin Siembieda. Dead Reign, the Zombie Apocalypse, the Creeping Doom, Beyond The Supernatural, Apocalyptic Soldier, Altrucure, Benford Group, Brulyx, Hound Master, Brad Ashley, Nick “The Brick” Vicovsky, Reapers, Reaper Gang, Reaper Survival Guide, Shepherd of the Damned, Crawler Zombie, Fast Attack Zombie, Flesh-Eating Zombie, Mock Zombie, Pattern Zombie, Sloucher Zombie, Thinker Zombie, Half-Living, the Wave, S.D.C., I.S.P., Inner Strength Points, P.P.E., Potential Psychic Energy, Mega-Damage, M.D.C., and other names, titles, initials, characters, character likenesses and slogans are trademarks owned and licensed by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc. Palladium Online: www.palladiumbooks.com Dead Reign™ is published by Palladium Books Inc., 39074 Webb Court, Westland, MI 48185-7606. Printed in the USA. 2 Palladium Books® Presents: Dead Reign™ The Zombie Apocalypse™ Written and Developed by: Kevin Siembieda Conceived by: Josh Hilden Additional text and ideas: Josh Hilden and Joshua Sanford Some additional text and ideas: John Cooney Editors: Alex Marciniszyn Wayne Smith Proofreader: Julius Rosenstein Cover Painting: E.M. Gist Interior Artists: Amy L. Ashbaugh Sample file Nick Bradshaw Mark Dudley Michael Mumah Art Direction & Keylining: Kevin Siembieda Typography: Wayne Smith RPG rules written and created by Kevin Siembieda. Special Thanks to Josh Hilden for coming up with the idea and title for Dead Reign™ in the first place, Joshua Sanford for his ideas and contributions, Nick Bradshaw for his gruesome but wonderful zombie artwork as well as his ideas and input, Amy L. Ashbaugh for zombie artwork with a touch of humanity, Mark Dudley and Mike Mumah for their artistry, Doug Lamberson, Shawn Hall, John Cooney, Jeff Hansen, Carmen Bellaire and others who let me use them as a sounding board for my ideas. And to the heroes who help keep Palladium run- ning every single day since its own apocalyptic crisis a few years back, Alex, Wayne, Kathy, Julius, Jason, and Hank. – Kevin Zombieda, 2008 3 Contents Zombie Speed ······················35 Zombie Senses ······················35 The Wave ························7 Zombie Sense of Smell ··················35 Who Dunnit? ·······················7 Track Humans by Scent ················35 The Zombie Apocalypse ·················8 Zombie Armor Rating (A.R. 14) ·············36 Still the first 24 hours ···················10 S.D.C. & Zombies ····················36 An example of becoming a zombie ···········10 Targeted Attacks ···················36 Who I Am and Where We Are Today ··········12 S.D.C. by Location ····················36 The Reaper’s Survival Guide ···············12 Inflicting Damage to the Neck or Head ·········37 According to rumor and speculation ··········12 Depleting the S.D.C. of the Main Body ·········37 Larger Cities ·····················12 Zombie Hit Points ····················37 Woods and remote areas ················13 Recovering Hit Points & S.D.C. ············38 The Wave is over ···················13 Zombie Descriptions ··················38 Zombie Death Cults ··················13 List of Zombie Types ·················38 A Thump in the Night ··················13 Slouchers ························38 The Day the Dead Rose ··················14 Crawlers ·························40 The Dead Reign ·····················17 Fast Attack Zombies ···················43 Cities & Towns, USA ···················17 Flesh-Eating Zombie ···················45 Know Your Enemy ····················17 Thinkers ·························47 Zombies 101 ·····················17 Mock Zombies ······················50 There is more to fear than zombies ············20 Pattern Zombies ·····················53 Dog Packs ·······················20 Using these Zombies in Other Game Settings ·······55 Vehicle Graveyards ··················21 Fighting Zombies ····················56 Secrets of the Dead ···················22 Stop the Moan ······················56 Zombies are always hungry ················23 Staying Alive is Rule Number One ············57 Zombies & P.P.E. ····················23 You don’t have to kill a zombie to stop it ·········57 P.P.E. feeds zombies ··················23 Vital Zombie Combat Note ···············57 P.P.E. heals and restores ················23 Pin them to the wall ··················58 After Feeding Zombies Remain Active ·········24 Fire scares and kills zombies ··············59 Zombies See Life Energy/P.P.E. ··············24 Other Menaces ·····················60 Sensing Range ·····················25 Retro-Savages NPC Villain ················60 How Zombies Hunt ···················25 Death Cults ·······················62 The Zombie Moan ····················25Sample file Terror Cults ······················62 Range of the Moan ··················26 Random Terror Cult Leader Table ···········63 The Convergence ·····················26 Death Cults ·······················64 Convergence Multiplier ················27 Sinister Secrets ····················67 Duration ·······················27 The New World Order ·················67 An example of Convergence ··············27 Death Priest NPC Villain ·················68 Zombies Go Dormant ···················28 Characters ·······················70 When there is no food ·················28 The Half-Living O.C.C. ··················70 You Must Die to Become a Zombie ············29 Hound Master O.C.C. ···················72 The Myth that Won’t Die ···············29 O.C.C. Special Abilities ················72 A Zombie’s Bite is Dangerous ··············30 Reaper O.C.C. ······················75 Likelihood of Infection ················30 O.C.C. Special Reaper Skills ··············76 Infection Symptoms & Penalties ············31 Reaper Tactics & Info ·················77 Save vs Disease/Poison ················32 Scrounger O.C.C. ·····················78 Zombie Attributes ····················32 Shepherd of the Damned O.C.C. ·············80 Zombie Intelligence ···················32 Soldier O.C.C. ······················82 Seldom Use Weapons and Tools ············33 M.O.S. Options ····················83 Zombie Mental Endurance ················33 Survivor O.C.C./Ordinary People ·············85 Zombies fear fire ···················33 Available Survivor Occupations Table ···········86 Zombie Physical Strength ·················34 Survivor Occupation Descriptions ···········87 Zombie Physical Endurance ················34 Notable Resources ····················97 Extreme Cold Temperatures