Scaring Mid-Level Parties with Zombies in DD 5e: Strategies and Tips

Creating a truly terrifying zombie encounter for mid-level parties in Dungeons Dragons 5e (DD 5e) can be a challenging yet rewarding task. This article delves into the strategies and tips to make zombies not just scary, but also engaging and memorable for players. Whether you're using a Zombie Beholder from the Monster Manual or a Zombie Orge, there are key elements to consider that will ensure your encounter scares the players and keeps the game exciting.

Key Elements to Make Zombies Scary

The core of making zombies scary lies in several factors:

Make them hard to kill: Increase the zombies' hit points and ensure they can make saving throws to get back up. Give them numbers: Use large groups of zombies to overwhelm and limit the players' movement. Limit escape routes: Ensure the players can't easily escape or fight smart. Introduce the fear of consumption: Make sure the players understand the zombies will eat them. Create a diseased or cursed area: Have zombies or the area they inhabit spread the disease or cause a cursed zone where the dead rise. Give zombies intelligence: Introduce a guiding intelligence that the players can't simply neutralize. Target companions, pets, and friends: In addition to the players, zombies can also target NPCs, companions, and friends, increasing the pressure on the players.

Handling Large Groups of Weak Monsters: The Horde Rule

The simplest and most effective way to create a scary encounter is to send a horde of zombies at the players. However, managing a horde can slow down gameplay due to the need for individual turns for each creature. To address this, I devised a rule for handling hordes of weaker monsters as a single, cohesive entity. This rule has proven to be very effective and significantly adds to the stress and excitement of the game.

The Horde Rule

The rule is concise and easy to understand, yet it has made a significant impact on my players' experience. Here is the rule for handling hordes of weaker monsters:

Single Group Attack: The horde makes one attack as a group per person within its range. The hit chance increases by 1 for every 2 adjacent members, and the damage increases by 1 die for each additional adjacent member beyond the first. The die type ranges from d4 to d8 based on the strength of a single member in the horde. Damage Split: If hit, the player makes a Dexterity save with a DC equal to the hit modifier of a single horde member. Success means taking half damage. This damage cannot be negated with evasion or similar effects, representing the combined successes and failures of the horde. Targeting Focus: Each horde member can only target one creature, determined by the distribution of the horde. The horde focuses on minimizing the number of creatures targeted. Penetration Through Hordes: Damage from player attacks can penetrate through horde members, meaning extra damage beyond what is needed to kill one member carries over to others. Melee attacks travel radially, and ranged attacks travel in a line.

This rule allows for a large number of creatures to act as a singular, coherent force, making combat appear more daunting and tension-filled. It's a great way to exhaust player resources before or during a boss fight.

Examples and Implementation

I have successfully implemented this rule with zombies and kobolds, but it can be applied to any other creature that poses little to no threat to a single PC. Even with 30 kobolds, combat has moved at a normal pace, but it has lasted for more rounds than a typical combat, making it an excellent method to exhaust player resources.

Remember, while combat will still move at a normal pace, the horde rule can significantly extend the duration of battles, making it a transformative tool for your game.

Implementing this rule, accompanied by the other key elements mentioned, will ensure your zombie encounters in DD 5e are not just memorable, but also genuinely scary and challenging for your mid-level parties.