[Unisystem/AFMBE] New Survivor Archetypes For "All Flesh Must Be Eaten"

[Mike Taylor]

Since I don't get to game much, I have a LOT of unused material laying about. One game in particular is the zombie survival horror RPG called All Flesh Must Be Eaten (AFMBE). In reality, it's a very cleverly disguised multi-genre RPG with the shambling hordes added for extra flavor. Back when I was living in Chicago, and later Georgia, I had been working on a "Deadworld" (AFMBE term for a campaign setting) or two and creating character archetypes for them. I decided to post the most unusual of the archetypes first, a sci-fi nerd with a twist-- the Quixotic Fanboy.

Quixotic Fanboy
Primary Attributes: STR 2, DEX 2, CON 3, INT 4, PER 4, WIL 5
Secondary Attributes: LP:30, EP:35, SPD: 10, ESS: 35
Qualities: Fast Reaction Time (2), Hard to Kill (3), Mentalism (2), Increased Essence (3)
Drawbacks: Delusions of Grandeur (-3), Honorable (-3), Obsession (Become a Space Knight Master)(-2), Trademark (Sword) -1
Skills: Computers 3, Computer Programming 3, Drive (Automobile) 2, Hand Weapon (Sword) 3, Martial Arts 2, Myth & Legend (Space Knight) 3, Stealth 2, Swimming 2, Trance 2
Powers: Psychokinetic Art 2, Psychokinetic Strength 2, Telepathy Art 1, Telepathy Strength 1, Read Mind Art 1, Read Mind Strength 1
Possessions: Replica “Space Knight” robes, cheap store-bought katana (or other sword), flashlight, laptop computer, late model sedan, several copies of “Space Knight” novels and comics in trunk of car

Character History: You’ve been a fan of Francis George Spielberg’s “Space Knight” movies since you were a kid in the 1970’s. Much to the consternation of your parents, and even a few of your schoolmates, you lived, ate, and breathed those movies about a heroic young warrior who battled the forces of evil with his trusty laser sword and mystical powers. The sad reality was that you were a pasty-faced scrawny kid who daydreamed as an escape from the constant bullying and teasing of the bigger kids. After a while, even your own parents thought you were weird.

As you grew into adulthood, your interest in science fiction expanded, but the “Space Knight” films were your first love always. You moved into computer programming in college in hopes of getting a job programming games based on those old movies, but instead you got a job as a data processor for one of the big local businesses. Where the time permitted, you joined a local sci-fi and fantasy club and subscribed to a variety of fan oriented newsletters, including “Space Knight Monthly”, the official movie magazine. You spent your summers attending sci-fi and gaming conventions meeting people who shared your interests.

When the dead started rising, you retreated into yourself and shut yourself off from the outside world for weeks. You watched your collection of movies and read your books over and over again until something in your brain snapped. Maybe it was thirst and starvation that did it. Maybe it was the stress that had accumulated over the past year prior to the Rise, but you became convinced of being a Space Knight. That you actually manifested psychic abilities only reinforces this delusion.

The strange thing, at least to those who get to know you, is that you’ve become a somewhat effective zombie fighter. The Space Knight code prevents you from using your powers in a fit of anger, but other still seem fearful of you. No matter, you will still strive to be the pinnacle of Space Knight perfection. Only a true Space Knight can drive back the forces of darkness that are rising from the grave.

(MORE TO COME... including the Pretty Boy Athlete, Truck Driver, Waitress, Martial Arts Instructor, and Harold Washington: Zombie Hunter)

[Plunder Down-Under]

I like it muchly.

[Mike Taylor]

Truck Driver
Primary Attributes: STR 4, DEX 4, CON 4, INT 2, PER 4, WIL 2
Secondary Attributes: LP: 42, EP: 41, SPD: 8, END: 20
Qualities: Contacts (Truckers)(2), Old Soul (Level 1)(4), Resistance (Fatigue), Situational Awareness (2), Status (Trucking Community)(2)
Drawbacks: Addiction (Smoking)(-1), Adversary (Rival Trucker)(-1), Honorable (-1)
Skills: Brawling 2, Drive (Automobile) 4, Drive (18-wheeler) 4, Electronics 2, Escapism 2, First Aid 1, Gambling 3, Guns (Pistol) 2, Guns (Shotgun) 2, Haggling 2, Hand Weapon (Knife) 2, Lockpicking 1, Mechanics 3, Notice 2, Smooth Talking 3, Streetwise 2, Swimming 2
Possessions: 18-wheeler, 12 gauge shotgun, 1911-style .45 automatic pistol, baseball cap, pack of cigarettes, extra carton of cigarettes in cab of truck, condoms, collection of Hank Williams Jr CDs.
Adversary: There is one trucker out there who doesn't like you at all, a former coworker who blames you for the loss of his job at the old trucking company. You don't deny that you had a hand in it, but it was his own fault for smuggling drugs against company policy.

Character History: You used to work for one of the big trucking companies before the world was overrun by the walking dead. You were at a truck stop in Virginia one night when you had your first encounter with them. You had just finished a run to one of the big discount store distribution centers and were returning home the next day for your week off. As you sat eating your fried chicken and mashed potatoes at the truck stop, you looked up to see a fellow trucker tussling with a man and woman who appeared to be drunk.

Fights weren't all that unusual, hell you'd been in a few yourself, but things got really scary when the man and woman wrestled the trucker to the ground and started tearing huge hunks out of him. He screamed bloody murder, at which point you and several other people drew their weapons and demanded they stop. They didn't and it it took several rounds of ammo to convince them to stop-- by blowing their heads off.

The horror wasn't over yet. The poor soul they'd been chewing on started to move again after a few minutes. Then one of the other truckers pointed out to the lot at a group of figures staggering around over by some of the trucks. You made quick work of the zombiefied trucker (as much a mercy killing as anything) in the restaurant while the rest locked the building down and the staff called the state police. Eventually, help arrived and you were able to fight your way back to your vehicles. You discovered that the zombies burn real nice, but they take longer to kill that way-- and when you got home you realized that the trouble had only just begun....

[Crazeyal]

This is pretty interesting keep it up!

[Mike Taylor]

Next Up... The Waitress. Saying she's got issues doesn't even begin to cover it.

[Crazeyal]

Next Up... The Waitress. Saying she's got issues doesn't even begin to cover it.The waitress?? (http://www.deadwinter.cc/index.htm)

[Mike Taylor]

The waitress?? (http://www.deadwinter.cc/index.htm)

Nothing like that at all. This woman is a mess... and there's something out there that refuses to leave her alone.

[Mike Taylor]

Waitress
Primary Attributes: STR 2, DEX 4, CON 4, INT 2, PER 5, WIL 3
Secondary Attributes: LP: 46, EP: 37, SPD: 8 ESS: 20
Qualities: Attractiveness (1), Good Luck (Level 2) (6), Hard to Kill (Level 4) (4), Nerves of Steel (3), Situational Awareness (2)
Drawbacks: Accursed: Followed by a Revenant (-4), Covetous (-2), Cruel (-1), Emotional Dependency (-1), Fear of Commitment (-1), Fear of Rejection (-1)
Skills: Acting 3, Beautician 3, Computers 1, Dancing (Night Club) 3, Dodge 2, Driving (Automobile) 2, Guns (Handgun) 3, Hand Weapon (Knife) 3, Martial Arts (Karate) 2, Running (Dash) 2, Seduction 4, Smooth Talking 4, Streetwise 2, Creative Writing 4
Possessions: .38 Revolver, cellphone, 1999 Honda Accord LX Sedan

Character Personality: This particular character requires a slightly different approach than the other two in order to convey how to properly role-play her. To put it simply, she's got some problems. Born into a poor family rife with alcoholism and physical abuse, and a reputation for loose morals besides, she hasn't had the best role models in her life. In her mind, everyone is selfish, lying, and cruel, especially men, and so she projects that back. This has made her tough and self-reliant, but it has also left her feeling isolated and ostracized. The tragedy is that she's unaware that she is often a factor in how people treat her.

Despite her distrust of others, she does get lonely. Her weekends are often spent in clubs and bars looking for someone to hook up with for the night. The few times she hasn't kicked them out of the bed the next morning, the relationships only lasted until her insecurities got the best of her and she sabotaged them.

That said, there's an opportunity for her to realize her potential as a person. Her past has made her tough in many respects already. If she can get past her hang ups, she can become a truly remarkable fighter of the walking dead.

Recent Character History: At her last job she was a waitress at the local greasy spoon, the only place that would hire her. She worked the overnight shift, dealing with the dregs that were often out during those hours. The tips were lousy, but she was just keeping ahead of her bills. The unreliability of her other coworkers kept her in hours, but often exhausted and feeling overworked. Then there was the night things really got weird.

They got homeless people in the restaurant occasionally. Usually one or two regulars that the shift manager would spare a water or a cup of coffee for before sending them off. There were occasional belligerent drunks as well, and this one fellow looked as though he was going to be one of those. He came in, smelling of filth and complaining about the cold (it had dropped to below 30F that night) and demanding a hot meal. It wasn't until the insects started crawling off of him in droves, apparently awakened by the warmth of the restaurant, that anybody, including the vagrant, noticed what was wrong. He was a corpse. The patrons & staff panicked, he panicked, and then he was brained and decapitated by a very frightened waitress. After the police reports and court appearance, she thought it was over. A week later, head in his hands, he came back! Again, he was brought down. More police reports were filed, but before the waitress could make another court appearance, she was fired for inappropriate conduct with the grill cook and moved out of state.

Now she lives and works in another town, hoping to put her entire life behind her and escape the strangeness. Unfortunately, it seems to have followed her. She doesn't know who the creature is or why it is following her. She just wants it to stop. So far, he hasn't harmed anyone, but she has found her apartment broken into several times. Desperate to find an end to this, she has spoken to local church ministers (they thought she was crazy), hit the New Age section of local bookstores, and spent several hours in self-defense classes. A seemingly chance conversation with a fellow Karate student may have answered her prayers, though. He claims to know some folks who can help her out.

[Mike Taylor]

Hong Kong Gunfighter up next.

[Mike Taylor]

*bumped so I can find this more easily tonight*

[Sehson]

no you must wander through the darkened corridors... in the dark other wise the shambling zombies don't have an advantage...

:neener:

[Mike Taylor]

Hong Kong Gunfighter
Primary Attributes: STR 3, DEX 4, CON 4, INT 3, PER 3, WIL 3
Secondary Attributes: LP:47, EP:35, SPD: 16, ESS: 30
Qualities: Essence Channeling (Level 2) 8, Fast Reaction Time (2), The Gift (50), Hard to Kill (3), Increased Essence Pool (2), Nerves of Steel (3)
Drawbacks: Addiction (Habitual Drinker) (-1), Addiction (Habitual Smoker) (-1), Honorable (-1), Humorless (-2), Reckless (-1)
Skills: Brawling (2), Climbing (1), Computers (1), Craft (Gunsmithing) (1), Dodge (3), Driving (Car) (2), Guns (Handgun) (3), Guns (Assault Rifle) (3), Haggling (1), Myths & Legends (Undead) (2), Language* (English) (3), Language (Cantonese) (5), Swimming (1)
Metaphysics**: Blind Firing (3), Instant Reload (2), Quick Draw (2), Two-Fisted Firing (2)

Possessions: Tailor-made three-piece suit, black sunglasses, pair of large caliber automatic pistols, assault rifle, cell phone, flask of booze, pack cigarettes, a lighter, and LOTS of ammunition

Character History: The underbelly of Hong Kong is filled with lots of ugly, dirty secrets, some of which refuse to stay dead. That is where you come in. Others have tried to do what you do and failed. You don't care who pays you, as long as they meet your price. You've done jobs for the Triads and the Hong Kong police, getting in and doing things where they can't-- and killing things that they can't kill. Outwardly grim and fearless, the work nevertheless takes its toll. Smoking and drinking take the edge off long enough for you to start work on your next contract.

Note: This character is not suited for most survival horror games, but is instead intended for a much more action adventure-style setting.

*Most characters are assumed to have 100% fluency (Language (5)) in their native language. This is normally not represented in the skill list, but since this character come from a multilingual city, I decided to include the character's native tongue, as well as his second language.
**Hong Kong action flick gun fu is simulated in the AFMBE game by using the rules applied to metaphysical abilities like magic and divine inspiration.

[sableagle]

That sounds like Feng Shui, where the various schticks you can take include one that lets you change magazines between frames of the camera, so you're shooting like Doom where everyone else has to reload like Half Life.

It's got one for a particular weapon with which you get insane bonuses and an extension to that for spotting that one crucial weak point in the enemy's armour, so all enemies are unarmoured for you and your signature weapon.

Me, I took shapeshifting, flight, water-breathing, blood-drinking and extra melee damage. Knights Sabers had nothing on me.

[Mike Taylor]

Yeah, this character was built using the Enter the Zombie sourcebook, which covers the martial arts and action movies that come out of China and Japan. There's even a nod to their American "cousins" Big Trouble in Little China and the Mortal Kombat movies. With the zombie PC creation rules, you could create something like MK's Scorpion or Darkstalkers' Lord Raptor.