Kharille wrote:
So what penalty should one apply? The one for sorcerors? Maybe Zombies can fight effectively in heavier armour since they have the massive strength?
I would argue that skeletons and zombies, as unthinking automatons, have no combat skills to speak of. This is supported by their low Attack and Defence scores (skeletons have the same combat scores as those of an untrained peasant human), and zombies even less so. Whilst it is not clear what the penalties are for untained peasant folk wearing plate armour, I think it's reasonable for it to be the same as sorcerers (who are the least combat trained of all the professions).
However, who is going to make the armour? It's unlikely Murkyn can just skip down to the local blacksmith and order a dozen suits of plate armour - such armours need to be fitted and I doubt any blacksmith is going to want to measure up a load of skeletons. Plus plate armour is for knights, you can't just go around making it for anybody. Lots of practical and social obstacles for Murkyn to overcome before he can equip his skeletal horde with plate armour!
Kharille wrote:
Are there other ways to maximize the effectiveness of zombies and skeletons? Why didn't Murkyn think of that? Did his skeletons wear armour?
Beyond the obvious of just equipping them with magic items, there's loads you can do. Specifically, you need to use them such that their weaknesses do not disadvantage them too much. Even simple things like equipping skeletons with bows and putting them behind bars, or across a crevasse can make a huge difference to their effectiveness. Zombies are weak on their own, or against a group, but if you can isolate and surround someone with 3 or 4 of them, their high Health means that it can be slow to take them down (even with hitting every round), and the beleaguered guy in the middle will likely have zero Defence against one or more of them - suddenly their low Attack score doesn't seem so bad...
You also have the option of making the undead of creatures other than humans and tweaking their abilities a little - imagine a swarm of rat zombies with high Defence (because of their size) and relatively high Health (because they're, well, y'know, instilled with supernatural might from the Otherworld). Perhaps Murkyn animated a load of skeletal snakes that use tiny tunnels through crumbling walls throughout the castle to harry the adventurers with guerrilla tactics.
And, lastly, maybe all of this animating of undead has drawn the attention of the Blasphemous Lord of Bones, whose spirit now dwells in one of the skeletons with an agenda all of its own, unbeknownst to adventurers and Murkyn alike...
Kharille wrote:
Since I'm on this topic, what stops a skeleton riding a trained warhorse or other mount? Can we assume they have the skills to stealth around? Did they get a stealth and perception score in book 4? What's your thoughts on their intelligence levels and ability to operate doors or mechanical devices?
I would argue that as unthinking automota, skeletons and zombies could perform only the most basic of manual tasks - opening a door, but not manipulating a lock. I'm not sure what horse, however well-trained, would let an undead creature ride its back, but even if there were a tame mount available, I'd probably rule that a zombie lacks the agility to mount and balance sufficiently to ride. A skeleton, however, maybe... I'm not really a fan of meaningless combat encounters, so if I put a skeleton in an adventure, it would have to serve a purpose, and if that purpose involved it riding a horse, then it would be able to.
Or maybe all of this is just too 'ordinary' - skeletons that slowly reform when 'killed', zombies that cannot be stopped, etc., are more in keeping with the feeling of horror that sets DW apart from it's high fantasy and boringly clinical cousins. Otherwise, skeletons and zombies just become another creature to be put to the sword, whereas anything involving the supernatural should be an adventure in itself to determine how to exploit their weaknesses... In only my personal opinion, if your players\characters aren't afraid of the supernatural, then you're doing something wrong as a Dragon Warriors GM.
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