I Cast...Brainstorm issue 30!

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This week — Our 30th Issue falls on Halloween, with a fast-moving Infected Zombie, and three Eerie Adventure Hooks

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Let’s brainstorm some fun!

In this issue...

• My Take on a Modern Zombie — The Infected

• Eerie Adventure Hooks

• Brainstorming Links

• What I’m DM-ing

• Gifts for Gamers

Today is Halloween, and this is the 30th issue of I Cast…Brainstorm! In honor of Spooky Season, I created a modern, fast, infected zombie that I’m really eager to add to a session and see how much trouble just one or two can create on an unsuspecting populace. There are also some creepy adventure hooks below to give your Halloween night sessions a little mystery.

Now its time to watch scary movies and hand out candy. Happy Halloweeen, happy gaming, and thanks for reading!

My Take on a Modern Zombie — The Infected

D&D zombies are slow, plodding monsters, with a fun mechanic that makes it tough to put them down for good, but in honor of Halloween, here are some 28 Days Later/ World War Z inspired fast, infected zombies. I dropped the Undead Fortitude feature from the standard zombie, moved some numbers around, and created this CR 1 version with 40’ movement, multi-attack and a bite attack that infects the target so the unfortunate victim becomes an infected zombie upon death.

A few infected zombies could make a challenging encounter for low-level characters, but even one infected let loose in an unsuspecting village or hamlet? That might just lead to some pure, terrifying, Halloween-appropriate chaos!

Infected Zombie
Medium Undead, Neutral Evil
AC 10
HP 13 (2d8 + 4)
Speed 40 ft.

STR 14 (+2) Save +2
DEX 10 (+0) Save +0
CON 14 (+2) Save +4
INT 3 (-4) Save -4
WIS 7 (-2) Save +0
CHA 5 (-3) Save -3

Damage Immunities — Poison
Damage Resistances — None
Condition Immunities — Exhaustion, Poisoned

Skills — Athletics +4
Senses — Darkvision 90 ft., Passive Perception 8
Languages — Understands languages it knew in life, but can’t speak
Proficiency Bonus +2
CR 1 (XP 200)

Traits
Unusual Nature
The infected zombie doesn't require air, food, drink, or sleep.

Actions
Mulltiattack
The infected zombie makes two slam attacks, or or one slam and a bite attack.

Slam
Melee Attack Roll: +4, reach 5 ft.
Hit: 5 (1d6+2) Bludgeoning damage
Instead of doing damage, the infected zombie can grapple the target. An infected zombie can only grapple one target at a time. A grappled target can escape by using its Action to make an opposed Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check vs the infected zombie’s Strength (Athletics).

Bite
Melee Attack Roll: +4, reach 5 ft.
Hit: 5 (1d4+2) Piercing damage
If the Bite attack hits, the target is Infected. If an Infected creature dies, it rises 1d6 rounds later as an infected zombie under the DM’s control.

Before the Infected dies, the infection (a disease) can be cured with an Elixir of Health, a Paladin’s Lay on Hands feature, or the following spells: Lesser Restoration, Greater Restoration, or Heal. After the target dies and becomes an infected zombie, only a Wish spell can return the target to its normal, living self.

Eerie Adventure Hooks

The Infected
The priest of a small remote village is said to have gone insane and bit one of her worshipers. Chaos erupted in the village, but the current state of affairs there is unknown, since no one has been in or out of the village since.

The Thing in the Painting
An abandoned house was once the home of an art dealer and his family, who all disappeared over a year ago. The town guard investigated at the time, and found no sign of the family, only that the inside of the house was bathed in dried blood and gobbets of unidentifiable meat. Rumor has it that the blood spatter led to a large, dark painting — the last painting the dealer ever bought — of a long dimly lit hallway, with a shadowy figure in the distance.

The Noise
A few moments after entering a village, the heroes can hear it — an incredibly loud sound echoing off the walls of the valley. The noise is unlike anything they’ve heard before, a bit like the pluck of an enormous lyre string, pitched so low that it’s felt in the chest as much as heard with the ears. According to the rattled townsfolk, the sound started weeks ago, with just one blast. Then a few days later there was another, and a couple days after that a third. More followed, and its now clear to all who can hear the noise that the interval between each blast is becoming shorter and shorter, like a countdown to something truly dreadful.

Brainstorming Links

You probably already know about the folks below, who are real inspirations to me, but if not, do yourself a favor and check them out.

The Arcane Library — masterpiece adventures, and Shadowdark, too!
https://www.thearcanelibrary.com

The Angry DM — so angry….so many great ideas….
https://theangrygm.com/

DMDave — on point analysis of D&D rules, and a ton of fun ideas
https://bsky.app/profile/dmdave.bsky.social

RPGBot — whip smart critique and explanations of 5e rules
https://rpgbot.net/

Sly Flourish — a DM’s best friend who is also a better DM
https://www.slyflourish.com/

Treantmonk — years of helpful advice and clever ideas
https://www.youtube.com/@TreantmonksTemple

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What I’m DM-ing

• A high level campaign via Roll20 using 2014 5th edition rules.

• A weekly Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign, in-person, with 2024 5th edition rules

• A series of one-shots in a bi-weekly game at a bar in LA. If you’re interested in joining in, the next event is October 22. Invites are sent via the Partiful app, and you can sign up at Ye Rustic Inn — 1831 Hillhurst Ave, Los Angeles, California.

• Two different campaigns with my kids, (Rime and Storm Kings Thunder) when schedules align

What I’m Playing

• Vecna: Eve of Ruin as Clybb Thistlebridge, a 9th level Halfling great-weapon Fighter

• If you play Hearthstone, find me at BigKahuna (#1802)

• The gold-box D&D CRPG Ravenloft: Strahd’s Possession
  
  
  

Gifts for Gamers

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 www.totalpartykits.etsy.com

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The original ideas in this issue of I Cast….Brainstorm! are covered under the Creative Commons BY-SA license — all content is free to use (including commercially) and change, with proper attribution.

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