NPC Monster, Soldier Scrap Zombie

The Soldier is the most common of all Scrap Zombies (30%). Their reconstruction is exceedingly simple. Take a corpse of the crew, bolt on some plates for armor, replace one hand with a sharp object or weapon limb of some sort, and you’ve got a Soldier ready for combat.

Almost all Soldier Boys have at least one mechanical weapon limb. Half of them have a ranged weapon, usually a pistol, sometimes rifle or machinegun, and many have one or two other weapons at their disposal if not built directly into them. However, one hand is always articulated so that it can open doors, climb, grab and operate weapons.

Some Soldiers look like a human crewmember– the only giveaway being their slow, herky-jerky gait or a strange piece of armor or strange-looking arm. Most Soldiers, however, wear a Frankenstein hodgepodge of reconstructed armor (and perhaps a reconstructed body) made from scrap metal and salvaged parts. Many look like they have bionic limbs or robot appendages, but even those only wearing body armor tend to look cyborg-like or robotic. Many Soldiers have robotic-looking face plates bolted to their heads, making the cyborg illusion all the more compelling. This is because the style of armor skews towards an obviously mechanical appearance. That said, armor may be literally bolted right to the zombie’s body and normal arms replaced by weapon limbs or mechanical appendages optimized for combat.

The uncomplicated nature of these zombies allows them to be created very quickly. Many of the weapons they use are military and industrial-grade, items gathered from the battlefield. A few may even have weapons that are unheard on Caspia or the Dungeon.

Soldier programming is simple and straightforward. They are aggressive and relentless, charging forward without fear, guns blazing or melee weapons flailing. However, they do not act like soldiers, insofar as they employ few tactics. Their usual combat strategy is simply marching slowly at living targets, firing or swinging at everything that moves. Despite the limited nature of their tactics, Soldiers can use melee weapons and guns. They may take time to aim, they can make Called Shots, and stand their ground as a defensive line against enemy forces. This, however, should not be mistaken for teamwork. One Soldier or a an army, they all tend to fight as individual zombies, unaware of anything but their job to find, target and kill the living. As a result, Soldier Boys are usually interspersed among the wandering Chaos Zombie hordes, though they do seem to gather in small groups or squads of 1D6+4. The members of such squads generally stay together, but if one or a few get separated from the rest, they just shuffle onward fighting alone or until they come upon some other Soldiers.

Though Soldier Boys, like most zombies, fight as lone individuals programmed to attack the living, they are also programmed to protect Doctors and Gatherers, and to fight alongside other Soldiers and  Zombies. Somehow, they are able to recognize other zombies, including Living Dead Boys, and know not to fire upon them.