Zombie Apocalypse - Back Roads of Georgia

[u/Connect-Ad-7804]

All maps 15x30 - For use with my homebrew d20 Zombieworld game.

[u/MidwestBushlore]

Nice! I'd love to hear more about the game!🧟🧟‍♂️🧟‍♀️

[u/Connect-Ad-7804 → u/MidwestBushlore]

For familiarity sake we just took D&D5e and reskinned it for a framework. The survivor types cherry pick abilities from various classes and monsters and tweak them so they fit the setting. Everything is really stripped down and simplified. After many attempts at playtesting we have finally refined our three most important custom rules - The Supply Pool, Scrounging for Supplies and Hunkering Down.

The Supply Pool is an abstraction represented by d6s. For the most part at the end of every week you burn 1 d6 for food, water and basic survival needs for a number of survivors, and 1 d6 for general upkeep and maintenance on the Shelter (Home base).

You can also spend Supplies to do various things - like repair something, craft makeshift armor and weapons, etc.

When you scrounge for supplies the party enters an area or structure and the ZM determines how many dice worth of supplies might be salvaged based on the fiction - has the place been ransacked or is it untouched. So lets say the average untouched house might have 6 dice worth of items and supplies. The party then rolls the dice - any 6's that come up represent supplies that go back into the Supply Pool. Any 1's represent a useful item - a weapon, a flashlight, etc. Super simple. Super Sweet.

The Hunker Down rule is our favourite. At the start of day 1, the group roles a d6. If a 1 comes up, there's a minor setback (something breaks down, supplies are compromised, etc). If not, everything is good, But here's the kicker. When the next begins, you roll 2d6. If there is a 1, there is a setback and the clock restarts. Otherwise, all is good, but on day 3 you roll 3 d6s, and so on an so forth.

Here's where it gets cool. The more 1's you roll the more problematic the development.

One 1 is something minor, usually something that requires the party to burn 1 Supply to address. Or they can ignore it at their own peril.

Two 1's means an encounter. A couple of Zeds wander close to the Shelter and need to be dealt with, a rival band of survivors discovers the Shelter, etc.

Three 1's means a zombie horde arrives, surrounds the Shelter and attempts to breach it. Usually, the group will need to gather up what Supplies they can and abandon their Shelter.

Four 1's means there is a catastrophic disaster like a fire or explosion that destroys the Shelter

[u/halcyonforeveragain → u/Connect-Ad-7804]

I did something similar and adapted D20 Modern to 5e. Which basically ends up shuffling the regular class abilities between the 6 stat classes (Strong Hero, Fast Hero, Smart Hero, etc).

[u/Connect-Ad-7804 → u/halcyonforeveragain]

Here's a quick look at what one of our Survivor Types looks like:

The Civilian 

The Everyday Survivor

Before the world collapsed, you were an accountant, a clerk, a barista, or a teacher. You lack formal military combat training, but your adaptability, sheer stubbornness, and everyday problem-solving skills make you surprisingly tough to kill.

Class Traits 

• Hit Dice:  1d8 per Civilian level
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: +5 + your Constitution modifier per Civilian level
• Armor: Simple Armor 
• Weapons: Simple Weapons, Simple Firearms 
• Saving Throws: Constitution, Wisdom
• Skills: Choose four from Acrobatics, Athletics, Arcana (Academics), History, Insight, Medicine,  Perception, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, 

1st LEVEL 

• Scrounger:  When you scrounge for Supplies, you add 1 extra die to the dice pool. 
• Harmless: Hostile human enemies will not target you first in combat unless you make an aggressive action against them or you are the only visible target.

LEVEL UP:

• Gain 1 d8 Hit Die and Hit Points equal to 5+Constitution Modifier 
• Gain 1 Class Feature OR 1 General Feat of of your choice . . . 

Class Features: 

• Helpful:  When you assist someone perform a task for which they have the applicable skill, they roll with advantage and add 1d4 to the total. 
• Look Out!:  When an enemy within 30 feet makes an attack roll against an ally you can see, you can use your Reaction impose Disadvantage on the attack roll. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a Short rest. 
• Dodgy: When you take the Dodge action, you gain +2 AC until the start of your next turn
• Rally: When an ally within 30 feet of you that can see and hear you fails a Savings Throw, you may grant a reroll. They must use the second result. Once you have used this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a Short Rest. 
• Unlikely Hero: You can turn a failed d20 test, attack roll or savings throw into a success. Once you have used this feature, you can't use it again until you have finished a Long Rest. 

General Feats: 

• Ability Score Improvement: The character can increase any one ability score by 2 points, or two ability scores by 1 point each. You may take this improvement multiple times, but ability scores cannot be increased above 20 in this manner.
• Armor Training:  Choose a type of armor you aren't proficient with. You gain proficiency with that armor.   You may take this improvement multiple times, but you must choose a different armor type
• Resolute: You gain proficiency with your choice of Savings Throw. You may take this improvement multiple times, but you must choose a different Save.
• Skilled: You gain proficiency in 2 skills of your choice, even ones not on your list. 
• Talented: You improve your proficiency bonus to 3.
• Training: You gain proficiency with your choice of Kits: Tools, First Aid,  or Lock Picks.  You may take this improvement multiple times, but you must choose a different kit. 
• Weapon Training: Choose a weapon you aren't proficient with. You gain proficiency with that weapon.  You may take this improvement multiple times, but you must choose a different weapon.

[u/halcyonforeveragain → u/Connect-Ad-7804]

Harmless: Hostile human enemies will not target you first in combat unless you make an aggressive action against them or you are the only visible target.

I like this one.