How To Play

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The RPG, proceeds in turns, each turn represented by a post on the thread. During each turn, the player is given a maximum of 3 actions. Each action, requires a roll to determine the outcome of the action (success or fail), and if applicable, the damage dealt, and the number of targets hit. The percentages of success or fail are based upon the player's stats.

Overview of Stats
Description of stats taken from "Outbreak: Undead" book

Strength
"Strength is not just a measure of physical power, it's also a measure of endurance and overall health. Be sure to choose appropriate skills that represent your true ability as far as endurance, climbing, swimming, etc, as simply a high strength score may not be accurate (although it may be tempting to do so). This is probably one of the easiest scores to measure as it is easily quantified, the other attributes are somewhat more subjective.

Perception
A majority of perception has to do with the ability to see and hear. For this reason, if someone is reliant upon prescription eyewear or heating aids then their perception may be lower than average. In an outbreak scenario, not being able to see or hear with clarity could mean the difference between life and death. Another crucial component of Perception is reaction time. This can be influenced by a number of factors, but being able to think quickly is a trait that is absolutely vital to survival. Therefore, Perception is also a measure of applied intelligence. This means if a person is clever but not book-smart, they can still benefit from a high Perception score, as Perception is just a measure of their sense as it is one's ability to understand and perceive the world around them.

Empathy
This attribute is the measure of one's ability to relate to others. This is one of the most polarizing statistics that exists in Outbreak:Undead. it will not only determine a preferred method of survival, determining if a character will be a loner or work with a group. It will shape every reaction to obstacles in an outbreak. However, a low Empathy score does not immediately put someone at a disadvantage they way other scores might.
Scoring low on Empathy will indicate decisiveness and quick thinking in a situation that might paralyze someone who is too empathetic. In fact, a low score on this attribute is a good predictor of one's ability to survive on their own. Whether or not being alone is the result of a tragedy or because they threw the rest of their party to the wolves is another question entirely.
It is people with high Empathy that are the glue that holds groups together by keeping peace among members who would otherwise turn on each other. Even if they are not the leaders, they often act as effective mediators. Although when dealing with polar opposites as far as Empathy goes, someone with low Empathy will see someone with high Empathy as a hopeless idealist and themselves as a realist. Someone with high Empathy will see someone with low empathy as rash, selfish and uncaring and themselves as level headed and calm.
Empathy will also affect how easily you are coerced into doing things by other people, especially those in distress. In this way, a person with high Empathy is sometimes taken advantage of. Answering a call of distress has been the end of many would-be heroes, and though selfish, is one more advantage a person with a low Empathy score will have. While someone with high Empathy will be psychologically bogged down by moral controversy, a low Empathy person will simply act, albeit their own self-interest.

Willpower (Will)
Determining Willpower, or Will, is not easy. Some indicators of will are one's stress management, patience and ability to completely sometimes tedious or stressful tasks, Low willpower is characterized as being impulsive, skittish and unreliable."

Common Actions
Melee Attack
Any attack using a non-projectile weapon. This attack can only be carried out within a 1 cell range. Attack Damage is calculated via the following formula

Melee Damage = (Strength + Weapon Attack) damage
Melee Hit Percentage = (Perception + 30%) % chance of hit.

Throwing
Any Object may be thrown, provided that the object is in the character's inventory at the time. Range of throwing is calculated via the following formula:

Range = (0.33*Perception) cells (rounded to the nearest cell)

Throwing Objects also damages targets, calculated by the following formula:

Throwing Damage = (Strength + Weapon Attack) Damage
Throwing Hit Percentage = (Perception + 20%) % chance of hit.

Shooting a Projectile Weapon
Shooting a Projectile Weapon, unlike throwing and melee attacks, the attack and range are weapon specific.

Projectile Hit Percentage = (Perception + 30%) % chance of hit.

Interaction with an NPC
Interaction with an NPC covers a variety of actions, basically put, it refers to the ability to order an NPC to do an action. This is calculated based upon empathy.

Chance of Success = (Empathy + 15%) % chance of success

Searching for Items
Searching for items is the result of two things: Willpower, and Perception. One needs to be able to see the item, as well as apply oneself for searching in order to persevere. Percentage of success is based upon the following formula:

Chance of success = (Willpower + Perception)/2 % + 20 % chance of success

****Note: when searching for items, you may not specify the exact item, only the item type ie) weapon, first aid item, etc.). This is to prevent people finding rocket launchers every 3 turns, etc. ****

When searching for an item, one must wait until the next turn, as the GM provides the character with items.

Movement:
Movement counts as one of the 3 actions given on a per turn basis, however does not require rolling dice, however it requires specific instructions, as to where the character is moved on a map. A player may move a maximum of 8 cells per turn in any direction(s)

All zombies, vehicles, item stashes (see: below) and characters occupy a space of 1 cell.

Item Stashes
Item Stashes are random caches of items that occur in various areas of the map, with many items of which are useful to the player. In order to obtain an item stash, one must move to the cell upon which the item stash is located (will be marked on the map) and will require a "protected check". If the item is designated as "protected", it is probably locked or in some way booby-trapped. If the "protected check" is failed, the character will be unable to obtain the items during that action phase and have to attempt the check again, or suffer some damage before obtaining the item (a value of 50 or greater on a d100 is required in order to pass a "protected check")

All Other Actions
All other actions, unless specified by the GM is considered to have a success rate of 60% (60 or less on a d100)

Encounters
Periodically, more zombies will appear, the types, number and location are determined by the GM (via rolling dice).

Infected Status
During combat with a zombie, when a zombie strikes a human, there is a small chance that they transmit their condition to the human. Players who have been wounded by a zombie must therefore pass an "infection test", if the test is failed, the player receives "infected status". Players with "infected status" become zombies, and are given the choice to become a zombie 4 turns after being labeled with "infected status" (9 turns for hemophiliacs). In order to pass the "infection test", a 5 or less is required to be rolled on a d100.

Leveling
After every 5 zombie kills, the player levels up, and hence is granted a permanent +10 stat points to distribute amongst stats. Stat points MUST be completely used before the player may proceed with his/her next turn. Every 5 levels (5, 10, 15, etc.), the player may choose an additional virtue at the cost of an additional vice.

Food
People need food. Without nourishment, the body beings to eat itself. 1 ration of food is required at every 8 turn increments per person. failure to procure food results in a reduction of -10 to each stat per turn without food until food is ingested.

Turn Etiquette
Turns should proceed in the following order:
1: Pre-turn checks (ie) leadership checks, etc.)
2: Action #1 - roll and state result
3: Action #2 - roll and state result
4: Action #3 - roll and state result

The following, should be used to roll for turns:
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/dice/dice.htm

Any other story element you wish to add, can be written in between.

Please be clear when writing intermittent story-actions, the intended action you wish to preform so no one gets confused about what you intend your character to do

Example Turn

John Smith was nervous, he looked rather edgy, and he had good reason to be, as there was a horde of about a billion (in actuality 5) zombies stalking around him. He decided to look around for a weapon.

Search = (Willpower + Perception)/2 % + 20 % chance of success
= (3 + 3)/2 + 20
= 23% chance

Roll: 20. Success!

He then moved as stealthily as possible towards the counter without being caught.

Roll: 70. Fail.

Having been caught, he decided to run like hell as many cells as he could away from the zombies in the opposite direction.

Running: 2 cells down, 1 cell left.