The Walking Dead: Psychologies

[Germaine]

Incidentally, I believe scienceBorg is thinking of the story "This Year's Class Picture" by Dan Simmons from the old anthology Book of the Dead 2. A number of the stories from both Books of the Dead put interesting spins on the idea of the cannibal zombie, assuming you can find copies of them. Also, Jack of Tears, I rather like your take on what sounds to me almost like a zombified Andrei Chikatilo.

[Germaine]

Also, while I wholeheartedly agree about both Toben's Lecter vibe and that vibe's general overuse, I still find him fascinating and very useful. I tend to think of him as being more like The Joker myself. And by that I don't mean the buffoonish "Clown Prince of Crime" version, but rather the Alan Moore/Heath Ledger one. In short, a sadistic complete monster- utterly insane and utterly devoid of both empathy and morality- who is amusing to himself, but is only disturbing and horrifying to everyone around him.

[Hazgarn]

I think I remember using the Joker to explain Toben to somebody once: "Okay, take your basic zombie plague. Now make it sentient. Okay, now pretend it has the personality of the Joker. So, you're playing, right?"

They never played.

[Jack of Tears]

Another Idea; "The Mutilator". The Mutilator is a person who engaged in self mutilation and cutting during life and died as a direct result - often do to severe infection. In death the mutilator continues to cut at itself and its body is covered in open and oozing sores, foul with the stench of gangrene. In combat the Mutilator's physical weapons cause deep, bleeding wounds; but of more concern is the fact that survivors of a Mutilator's attacks contract a gangrenous infection of their own - onset a few hours to a day - depending on what is best for the story. The infection reeks of rot and is hideously painful for the victim, ultimately forcing him to have the infected limb removed. However, the act of blood letting on the infected area alleviates the pain and horrible advance of the infection for a day. On the first day 1hp of blood must be shed on the infected limb, (in the case of multiple infected areas, one hp must be shed for each) on the second 2 and so forth - up to a max of 5hp per day. (per wound) At the point where the victim is shedding 5hp a day, he also discovers that the act of shedding blood removes other pains - such as hunger pangs, exhaustion from lack of sleep, and so forth. (negating up to -5 in penalties caused by other sources) At this point, if the victim dies, he becomes a Mutilator and continues to spread the infection; and even if she lives, she must save vs insanity or pick up the tendency for self wounding. (this latter is non magical, rather it is a result of classical conditioning - the victim has come to associate blood letting as a means to alleviate pain)

When confronted with objects or people from its life, the Mutilator is likely to retreat from combat and fall into a stupor like that caused by severe depression, for 24 hours.

[scienceBorg]

You might find this list of sexual fetishes from Planewalker of interest: http://www.planewalker.com/forum/ps-ins ... ment-63168

I liked Vorephilia, arousal of watching others getting eaten.

[Jack of Tears]

While interesting, most of those aren't really appropriate for Ravenloft. (Attraction to Angels?) Though I may have to mine that for Planescape material, to spice up encounters and the like. (in fact, I don't know how many paraphilias I'd use in this general subject of the Walking Dead ... I suppose there are possibly Risen Dead Exhibitionists ; but that doesn't seem quite as frightening ... though it would certainly be disturbing)

These might be more useful for the subject at hand:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personality_disorder

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eating_disorder

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anxiety_disorders

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental ... ical_list)

[Hazgarn]

(in fact, I don't know how many paraphilias I'd use in this general subject of the Walking Dead ... I suppose there are possibly Risen Dead Exhibitionists ; but that doesn't seem quite as frightening ... though it would certainly be disturbing)

I don't know... How about an undead who was a necrophiliac in life, who now has an undying lust for carnal coupling with the living? That'd be utterly terrifying. Especially if they took a particular shine to one of the party...

[Jack of Tears]

As I mention in my thread about the Leering Molester, undead aren't going to be able to engage in acts of sex any longer, and as such they're appetites are going to translate into the closest thing they know: hunger. (similar to how murderers who cannot perform sexually take out their frustrations on women through mutilating the bodies) Thus, it isn't likely a Walking Dead would actually attempt to engage your PCs, or anyone else, in the act of sex. This doesn't mean they might not have a memory of sexual desire strong enough to make them behave in deviant manners ... again see my previous example ... but sex as a behavior in itself is beyond the ability of most walking dead. (any which could still manage to perform the act, in some twisted and horrifying way, would be a unique creature with an appropriate history and adventure to showcase it; perhaps a man who was, in life, a cassanova, now undead is a monstrous rapist who attacks women in dark alleys and spills its inhuman seed in them ... the seed either kills the woman or impregnates her in some foul way, with an inhuman child)

[Manofevil]

You were much nicer about it than I would have been Jack. I was just going to ask how...stiff... the subject would be.

[scienceBorg]

Looking at Cotard delusion (belief that you are dead or lost internal parts such as blood/organs) it might be interesting to have intelligent undead that think they are alive but constantly worry over being dead.

Separation anxiety for undead children looking for guardians would be interesting if they decide a PC reminds them of a loved one. They might protect the PC but grow more and more angry/hateful toward the rest of the party.

I find the idea of sexual desire in undead being transformed into hunger rather interesting. In the same way that someone with a particular fetish might need specific circumstances/items to become aroused, do some undead only feed when recreating the sexual situations they enjoyed in life?