U.S. Military vs. the Undead

[heretic]

Some contemplation about the flaws within "World War Z" raises the question, of... exactly how much 21st century first world military force is needed to deal with a serious Undead onslaught?

So taking the Open Source d20 route, what is the minimum force needed to deal effectively with 300 hit die (presuming human base creatures) worth of:

• Skeletons?
• Zombies?
• Ghouls?
• Mummies?
• Mohrgs?
• Vampires?
• Liches?

[Cleric of Hell's Brigade]

The simple fact is that a single, well armed and fueled up tank could handle just about any zombie crowd or gathering by it's lonesome, mainly due to the sheer weight and power it has. They can't get in, and you could literally steam roll over every one of them without even having to use the main weapon(s).


That's always been my problem with 99% of zombie apocalypse stories. Once you set it up in a world with military might, the zombies can't win.

[heretic]

That's always been my problem with 99% of zombie apocalypse stories. Once you set it up in a world with military might, the zombies can't win.

Setting up a plot where the Zombies have an overwealming initial advantage (airborne transmission and everything dead rising at once are steps in the 'right' direction) can work, but the zombies themselves are not that much of a large scale threat if there is an intact infrastructure.

Any of the other critters do any better?

[The MunchKING]

With the tank scenerio, It depends. If this is a virus/biological agent, rather than some dark ritual, messily spraying blood all over the place may only help to spread it. ESP if it's an airborne contaminant.

EDIT: If we're dealing with 300HD of D&D style Ombies, then yeah, the main way they're going to win is if they have a huge base-creature. with ordinary human base creatures, then they get tank splattered.

[The MunchKING]

Vampires and Mummies OTOH are different because they have additional powers (like turning into mist, or rotting people away into ghouls) it'll take some additional effort to eradicate them. Liches... Well it depends on how good they were, but IIRC most liches are at least 15th level casters, so you're looking at dark-freaky magic in addition to the undead powers, life draining touch, and regen. If they appear holding their Phylactaries, then humans have a chance. If they get a chance to hide them before they start trouble, then it'll take serious effort (and I mean CRAZY searching) to root them out.

If they left them back in thier home dimension, and are still animate in this one, there is literally no way short of Divine intervention we're KEEPING them down.

[Guy Smiley]

If they appear holding their Phylactaries, then humans have a chance.

Nope. The military's not going to have a chance to mobilize before they have a chance to cast teleport or dimension door or whatever. Liches aren't dumb and know their weaknesses. Those phylacteries are getting hidden.

If they get a chance to hide them before they start trouble, then it'll take serious effort (and I mean CRAZY searching) to root them out.

Yup. And then you get to figure out how to reach the things behind stuff like permanent walls of force and similar stuff. Liches are the type to do serious prep before any world-conquering.

If they left them back in thier home dimension, and are still animate in this one, there is literally no way short of Divine intervention we're KEEPING them down.

I may be misreading you here, but this isn't so bad. Killing them becomes a dimension dump - we don't kill them, but they get sent back home to conquer their own world instead. Of course, they may be able to plane travel and hold a grudge...

[The MunchKING]

You know I didn't think about that...

Of course they got here in the first place...

That said do the rules actually SAY a Liche reforms at its Phalanctropy?

*checks it out*

Yeah, the rules just say it "reforms" after the time has past. Whether it does it where it dies or where it's phanlatrapy is, appears to be open for interpretation.

[Guy Smiley]

You know I didn't think about that...

Of course they got here in the first place...

That said do the rules actually SAY a Liche reforms at its Phalanctropy?

*checks it out*

Yeah, the rules just say it "reforms" after the time has past. Whether it does it where it dies or where it's phanlatrapy is, appears to be open for interpretation.

I could have sworn the rules forced them to reappear within a small radius of the phylactery, and possibly to require there be a dead body there for the lich's spirit to inhabit, but I might be mixing it up with 2nd edition or something.