There are plenty of grueling monsters for players to face in a game of Dungeons & Dragons. Sure, there are terrasques, stealthy displacer beasts, and mind flayers, but what about the humble zombie? Often overlooked, the zombie, or a group of them, can be a great fight for adventurers.
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PostsWhether you're running Curse Of Strahd and need some fodder enemies, or you want to create a homebrew zombie apocalypse, zombies have a surprising amount of variation and nuance to them. That is, if you know how to run them, thanks to these helpful tips.
1 Understand How They're Formed
Plenty Of Dark Options
Baba Yaga by Randy VargasThere are multiple ways in fantasy worlds, and in D&D alone, for how zombies are formed. Necromancers, viruses, and even curses are just a few of the options, each of which can alter how you should play the zombies in question.
This adds some nuance to your zombies and informs the players how they need to approach the situation. You can also use this to draw in players depending on their backstory: paladins would probably fight harder against a necromancer or dark cleric, wizards may want to know the ins-and-outs of a curse, etc. Understand how your zombies come into being, and you can pretty easily unravel some of the tougher questions about running them.
2 Decide On Using Undead Fortitude
It's Not Just About HP
Zombie Clot from Van Richtens Guide to Ravenloft via Wizards of the Coast.The go-to stat block of 5e zombies gives them an ability called Undead Fortitude. The basis of this is that when any zombie runs out of HP, they have to roll to see if they really die or if they are stabilized and fight on.
You don't have to use the 5e stat block at all, but Undead Fortitude does make the zombies feel more resilient, like they are in most media. You can modify this in a multitude of ways, but your zombies should feel like they have some sort of resilience that most mortal creatures don't.
One other way to show this resilience is by making your players roll against tougher ACs to aim for the head, like in classic zombie media.
3 Understand The Bite Mechanics
Add Some Tension
Castle Ravenloft by Zoltan BorosOne thing that makes zombies what they are is the threat of turning into one. The typical 5e zombie doesn't have this option in its stat block, but it is a fun homebrew idea to help bring out some tension in even the smallest zombie encounter.
One suggested way is to have zombies have the optional bite attack that does base damage, but also has the player attacked roll a Constitution Saving Throw. This will give the players extra incentive to play smart when approaching their next undead encounter.
This can be made harder by upping the success threshold for each consecutive bite or made easier by having the zombie go through the steps of grappling before a successful bite attack.
4 Prepare The Setting
Set The Scene
Castle Ravenloft via Wizards of the CoastZombies can be a random encounter rather easily in any dungeon or similar setting, but it can be even more fun to set the scene and make the zombies the set piece to a horror or other grim adventure.
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PostsIt doesn't have to be a full-on zombie apocalypse scenario, but your players don't need to know that. Some of the classic horror tropes thrown in there on top of NPCs remarking on some odd or scary occurrences is the perfect way to get your players talking.
5 Add Some Gore
They Are Zombies, After All
A Humanoid Zombie via Wizards Of The CoastThe setting isn't the only way you can set the scene for your zombie encounter. It is easy to forget, but it can help a combat encounter to slow down and describe the scene in all its grisly detail.
Of course, this doesn't work for every player or every campaign. But if the tone allows for it, then describing the combat and the gore that follows is a great way to make sure your players keep in mind just what the zombies are.
6 Modify With Non-Humanoid Zombies
Most Monsters Can Be Zombified
Priest by Michael Broussard.Not every zombie has to be a human, elf, or similar humanoid creature. There are some really fun stat blocks out there for animals and even dinosaur zombies. Depending on your encounter, throw in a special zombie every so often to keep the players guessing.
You can even take it as far as adding a draconic zombie as a boss, surrounded by its humanoid zombie cohort. This option is an ideal choice for modifying an encounter depending on the players' level, as you can take practically any monster and zombify it.
7 Know The Horde Mechanics
Strength In Numbers
Undead Battle from the 2024 Player's Handbook 5th Edition.One or two zombies is an annoying fight, but a group or horde is something that can put everything else the party was planning on hold.
The easiest way to do this is by modifying a swarm stat block (i.e. Swarm Of Rats) and changing it to be a group of the undead. This can be boiled down to modifying its HP to a group of humanoids, keeping movement at 30ft or below, and updating the attack to better reflect the zombies clawing or biting at their opponents. And, of course, increasing the space they take up.
8 Understand Their Intelligence
They Aren't Masterminds
Art by Helge C. BalzerZombies aren't usually the brightest creatures you can run as a DM. Compared to mind flayers and liches, they're rather singular in their ideas. Knowing the intelligence of a zombie is a great way to make them seem more 'realistic' in your game.
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PostsZombies controlled by a necromancer or similar creature should only react to simple orders. Other types of zombies should only act if they see something or are acted upon. Otherwise, they should roam or amble around rather aimlessly.
Coming upon a horde and having them suddenly react to the players can be a great way to push them towards stealth.
9 Prepare Ways For Your Players To Win
Set An End Goal
Art by Helge C. BalzerZombies can be an imposing fight, especially in larger numbers. Prepare before the encounter what your players will have to do to win against the odds, or at least survive the encounter.
Killing the necromancer, breaking a cultish curse, or just eradicating the zombies, the choice is yours to make, but your players should be able to reveal an end goal to solve their problem with the undead.
10 Combine With Other Monsters
Make Them Work As A Team
Archlich Acererak by Tyler JacobsonZombies are great, but why stop there? Combine a zombie encounter with other grim monsters for an added bonus. This will have your players thinking on their feet, as every mix has different options for cohesion among the monsters.
Zombies can be easily buffed by a spellcaster or made more difficult by other undead like vampires or even ranged combatants. You can even bring out the optional flanking rule for added difficulty in a zombie encounter.
