HEROES OF THE DEAD Part 2

Characters from Zack Synder’s remake of “Dawn of the Dead” (2004, Strike/Universal) for the All Flesh Must Be Eaten RPG

By TexasZombie

No copyright infringement is intended to anyone who made this movie – think of this as free advertising for your fine product.

original (non-Eden, non-Romero, non-Russo, non-Savini, non-Snyder, non-Gunn, non-anyone else’s) concepts © 2005, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com

WARNING  Some language and ideas herein may be offensive to some.  Exercise personal responsibility and read at your own risk.

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Introduction

I’m not sure why no one else has done this before – if you have, please accept my apologies in advance.

Also note:  this is my interpretation.  It is not a “definitive” description.  I’d encourage readers to work out their own statistics if so inclined.

Presented below are characters from the 2004 remake of “Dawn of the Dead” (directed by Zack Snyder) statted out for the AFMBE RPG.  As mentioned above, this is a tribute, not an attempt to take credit for anyone else’s work.

Character statistics were derived from a single source:

DAWN OF THE DEAD, Unrated Directors Cut, 2004, Snyder, et al., Strike/Universal, including Andy’s video journal

WARNING:  SPOILER ALERTS AHEAD!

Please note that it has been necessary to extrapolate and “fill in” missing information.  For example, we don’t know what Monica did for a living before the zombies overran Wisconsin, and we don’t know what Terry liked to do in his spare time. 

And we don’t know anything about Luda except that she was Russian and pregnant with Andre’s child.

Some of the characters also could have different interpretations. 

For example, C.J. seems to single out Kenneth for several insults at the beginning of the movie.  This could mean C.J. was racist, or could mean he didn’t like police officers, being a security guard (i.e. “rent-a-cop”) himself.  He ultimately treated the second group as being criminals until they gained control of the mall.  Therefore he may have simply been attempting to assert his control of the mall early in the film.

Monica might have been flirting with Andre at Hallowed Grounds when she suggested trying vanilla since the lemon flavoring had run out.  She also alternated between whining and being friendly, which could indicate either stress or a series of Emotional Drawbacks (it’s hard to tell since supposedly most of Monica’s lines were cut even from the Unrated Director’s Cut). 

Terry seemed to be flirting with Ana early on in a deleted scene, but not so much as to suggest Covetous (Lecherous). 

Kenneth was probably an ex-soldier, but I can’t recall whether or not this was clearly stated. 

Andre may have been a gang member, but this also is not clearly stated.  It is obvious that Kenneth thought he was a criminal of some sort.

Finally, whether a character was a Survivor or a Norm can always be debated.  In trying to sort out who could do what, it became obvious that several characters, most notably Ana and Michael, did not at first appear to be Survivors until their full range of skills and abilities were considered as a whole.

So, if you prefer that some or more of the characters be Norms, just downgrade their Attributes, Qualities, Drawbacks, and Skills appropriately.

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This is the group of characters as they appear in the film between the death of Frank (Nicole’s father) and the death of Andy.  Some of the skills listed weren’t used until later in the film, but the characters must have possessed them prior in order to have them at all (i.e. Ana shooting zombified Steve with a pistol). 

New Quality

Bullet Magic - 3 Point Physical Quality

Every character with a gun was capping zombies in the brainpan left and right with little or no apparent effort.  While this was a cinematic necessity, it should be reflected in game terms.  The Bullet Magic Quality allows Cast Members to shoot zombies in the head with no penalty for called shots, and with no penalty for multiple actions when shooting zombies within 20 feet of the character.  This doesn’t apply to zombies that are further away, but does apply to all zombies within range whether they are attacking or not.  It also allows one to shoot zombies with a shotgun at close range without hitting other living survivors; to shoot with either or both hands with no penalties; and to operate firearms with no apparent skill or training.  However, the character must also possess the Physical Quality Fast Reaction Time in order to use the Bullet Magic Quality. 

Bullet Magic explains how Tucker, after falling and breaking his leg(s), could use two pistols to consistently shoot zombies while being dragged through the storm drain by C.J. 

It also explains how Ana could pick up Kenneth’s shotgun, not know how to hold it, and then proceed to shoot the Ben Cozine zombie in the head/neck while it fought with Kenneth in the mall fountain, and not hit Kenneth in the process (unless we accept that Ana was a champion-level shotgunner in addition to being a nurse and that this fact was inadvertently left out of the film).

If you or your ZM disagree with this quality, please disregard and alter the characters to suit your individual gaming tastes or replace with a modified Number One with a Bullet. 

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DAWN OF THE DEAD (2004)

Ana Survivor, Hospital Nurse Attributes Str 2 Dex 4 Con 4 Int 4 Per 3 Wil 4 Life Points Endurance Points Speed Essence Qualities Fast Reaction Time Bullet Magic Nerves of Steel Hard to Kill 4** Drawbacks Honorable 1 Skills First Aid 5 Medicine 2 Dodge 4** Brawling 2** Drive (Car) 2 Guns (Handgun) 2 Sports (Rollerblade) 3 Bureaucracy 4* Computer 2* Notice 2* Questioning 2* Science (Pharmacology) 3*

Gear Only incidental items. Personality "The bleeding is not going to stop on its own.  I need to stitch his arm. “Am I a f**king doctor?  No, I’m a f**king nurse.” Quote “You guys had really rough childhoods, didn’t you?” WDR, 2005 eviloverlord668@yahoo.com *Part of being a nurse **Fought off Vivian and Luis zombies while unarmed, and escaped without injury.

Kenneth Survivor, Police Officer Attributes Str 5 Dex 3 Con 4 Int 2 Per 3 Wil 4 Life Points Endurance Points Speed Essence Qualities Nerves of Steel Fast Reaction Time Bullet Magic Hard to Kill 4 Situational Awareness Drawbacks Minority 1 Dependent 1 (first brother, then Andy) Fear of Commitment 1 (“F**k y’all!”) Skills Guns (Shotgun) 4 Guns (Handgun)* 3 Brawling 4 Streetwise 3* Mechanic 2 Humanities (Law Enforcement) 2* Bureaucracy* 2 Notice 2* Questioning 2* Fine Arts (Gaming – Chess) 2* Rituals (Christian) 1 Weight Lifting 4 Intimidation 4

Gear Pump-action 12-gauge shotgun, 20 rounds of ammunition, police uniform, binoculars, duffle bag full of ammunition and spare weapons. Personality “That’s my problem? “How ‘bout I put my foot up your a$$?  Will that be your problem?” Quote *points shotgun* “Say something.” WDR, 2005, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com *Part of being a cop

Michael Survivor, Jack of All Trades Attributes Str 2 Dex 3 Con 3 Int 4 Per 4 Wil 4 Life Points Endurance Points Speed Essence Qualities Photographic Memory (how far to Graceland) Charisma 1 (everyone seemed to like him) Fast Reaction Time Bullet Magic Jury Rigging Jack of All Trades Quick Learner Drawbacks Honorable 1 Fear of Commitment 1 (3 ex-wives, 20+ jobs) Skills Guns (Handgun) 2 Hand Weapon (Club) 2 Drive (Car) 2 Drive (Truck) 2 Drive (Snowplow) 2 Repair 2 Mechanic 2 Streetwise 2 Smooth Talking 3 Haggle 3 Electronics 3 Computers 2 Questioning 2 Brawling 2 Bureaucracy 2 Fine Arts (Trivia) 2

Gear Incidental. Personality “Look.  There’s no point in arguing.  We need to come up with a plan…” Quote "Well done.” WDR, 2005, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com

Andre Survivor, Tough Guy Attributes Str 3 Dex 4 Con 4 Int 2 Per 3 Wil 4 Life Points Endurance Points Speed Essence Qualities Fast Reaction Time Bullet Magic Hard to Kill 5 (took two hits from .357 Magnum and returned fire while holding undead baby) Situational Awareness Nerves of Steel Jury Rig (barricades in deleted scenes) Charisma 2 (everyone except Kenneth seemed to like him) Drawbacks Minority 1 Dependent 3 (Luda, unborn child) Honorable 1 (always helped Michael) Skills Guns (Handgun) 5 Streetwise 5 First Aid 3 (taking care of Luda) Notice 3 Brawling 3* Dodge 3* Intimidate 4 Driving 2 Language: Russian 1** Humanities (African Cultures) 2*** Stealth 3 (walked quietly while exploring mall) Job Skill 3****

Gear .40 Semi-automatic handgun (damage D6X5 [15]), 2 clips for pistol, 40 rounds of ammunition Personality “I just want a chance to give my baby everything I never had.” Quote "You throw that $hit out your head right now!” WDR, 2005, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com *Part of being a tough guy. **Probably picked up some words from Luda. ***Wanted to his and Luda’s child to have an African name. ****Andre must’ve had some way to make a living for his family before the zombies attacked, but what he did is never mentioned.

Luda Norm, Andre’s Wife/Significant Other Attributes Str 2 Dex 2 Con 3 Int 2 Per 2 Wil 3 Life Points Endurance Points Speed Essence Qualities Resist Fatigue 5 Hard to Kill 3 (took a long time to become a zombie) Drawbacks Dependent 3 (Pregnant) Skills Language (English) 3 Streetwise 2* Driving 2** Job Skill 3** 21 points of non-combat skills***

Gear None. Personality *rapidly speaking in Russian* Quote "Please, we go to hospital?” WDR, 2005, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com *Didn’t meet Andre in church… **Extrapolated skills.  What Luda did for a living was never described. ***Your guess is as good as mine.  Luda is probably the least defined character in the movie.

C.J. Survivor, Mall Security Guard Attributes Str 4 Dex 4 Con 4 Int 2 Per 3 Wil 3 Life Points Endurance Points Speed Essence Qualities Nerves of Steel Jury Rigging Fast Reaction Time Bullet Magic Situational Awareness Hard to Kill 5 Bag of Tricks* Drawbacks Cruel 1 Addiction (Smoker) 1 Prejudice 2 (your choice) Delusions of Grandeur 1 Honorable 1 (did the right thing…eventually) Skills Guns (Handgun) 4 Guns (Shotgun) 4 Guns (Rifle) 3 Demolitions 3 Hand Weapon (Club/Axe) 2 Notice 3 Intimidation 3 Weight Lifting 2 Streetwise 2 Questioning 3 Gambling 3 (playing cards with Bart) Mechanic 3

Gear .357 Magnum revolver, 18 rounds, .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, 30 rounds in two clips), mall security uniform. Personality “Not to $hit on anyone’s riff here, but let me see if I’ve grasp this concept, okay…” Quote "F**king nursery school!” WDR, 2005, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com *Always seemed to have what everyone needed, or know where to find it, from Andy’s rifle, to an improvised bomb, to a cigarette lighter.

Bart Norm, Mall Security Guard Attributes Str 3 Dex 3 Con 4 Int 2 Per 2 Wil 2 Life Points Endurance Points Speed Essence Qualities Acute Senses (Vision) Drawbacks Cruel 1 Covetous (Lecherous) 1 Covetous (Greedy) 1 (wanted Ben Cozine’s car) Addiction (Smoker) 1 Skills Guns (Handgun) 2 Fire Arts (Gaming – Cards) 3 Seduction 3(“I was gonna tap that $hit fer sure!” Drive (Car) 2 Gambling 3 (playing cards with C.J.) Drive 2* Questioning 2* Notice 3** Sport (General)* 2 Streetwise 2* Brawling 2* Dodge 2* Fine Arts (Popular Culture) 2

Gear .357 Magnum revolver, mall security uniform, Ben Cozine’s car (sorta) Personality “Hey, look at Ben Cozine!  He’s a twitcher!  TV says you gotta shoot ‘em in the head.” Quote "See?  I told you I saw something.” WDR, 2005, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com *Extrapolated skills **Spotted the zombified guy who’d put a stereo in his car

Terry Norm, Mall Security Guard Attributes Str 2 Dex 3 Con 3 Int 2 Per 2 Wil 2 Life Points Endurance Points Speed Essence Qualities Fast Reaction Time Bullet Magic Charisma 2 (seemed like a nice guy) Drawbacks Honorable 1 Dependent (Nicole) 1 Skills Guns (Handgun) 3 Craft (Make Fancy Coffee) 3 Mechanic 3 (helped with vans) Drive (Car) 2* Computers 2 (automated mall systems) First Aid 3 (helped Ana) Notice 5** Seduction 2*** Dodge 2* Questioning 2* Fine Arts (Popular Culture) 3****

Gear .38 Special revolver, 16 rounds, mall security uniform. Personality “Dude, everyone’s dead, okay?  Your mom’s dead.  Your brother’s dead.  That fat chick at Dairy Queen?  Dead.” Quote "Holy $hit!” WDR, 2005, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com *Extrapolated skills **Always seemed to be watching monitors and listening to everyone else. ***Didn’t work on Ana in a deleted scene, but seemed to work on Nicole. ****But not current news – see above

Nicole Norm, Innocent Bystander Attributes Str 1 Dex 4 Con 3 Int 2 Per 2 Wil 2 Life Points Endurance Points Speed Essence Qualities Sidekick (Chips) 3 (smart dog) Artistic Talent (Painting) Drawbacks Dependent 2 (Chips the Dog)* Lazy** Skills Craft (Animal Training) 1 Fine Arts (Tagging/Graffiti) 5 Drive (Car) 2* Drive (Truck) 2 Fine Arts (Popular Culture) 5 Beautician 3 (trendy clothes) Seduction 2**** Notice 2*** Haggling 3 (Specialty – Dad) 5*** Dodge 4 (dodging zombies)

Gear None. Personality “Oh, Chips.  Don’t you ever leave me again!  Such a good doggie, yes he is…” Quote "Come on, Chips!” WDR, 2005, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com *This represents the attachment to Chips that caused Nicole to drive to Andy’s Gun World alone through the zombie horde. **Didn’t seem to do much to help. ***Extrapolated skills.  For example, to drive a truck Nicole must have been able to drive a car. ****Had Terry hooked in no time.

Norma Survivor, Truck Driver Attributes Str 2 Dex 3 Con 5 Int 2 Per 4 Wil 4 Life Points Endurance Points Speed Essence Qualities Fast Reaction Time Bullet Magic Hard to Kill 5 (took several rounds from Andre’s pistol to kill her) Nerves of Steel (shootout with Andre) Situational Awareness Charisma 2 (everyone seemed to like her) Drawbacks Addiction (Smoker) 1 Honorable 1 Skills Drive (Truck) 5* Guns (Handgun) 5* Craft (Operate Radio) 2 Beautician 3 Mechanic 4** Notice 3 Streetwise 3** Haggling 3** Brawling 3** Dodge 2** Drive (Car) 2**

Gear .357 Magnum, 20 rounds. Personality “I got this call on the radio from that guy, Glen, saying that these people were trapped in the chapel.  I was in the neighborhood so I stopped to pick them up.” Quote "Yes, you can borrow my truck officer.  I’m not using it.” WDR, 2005, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com *Could shoot a pistol from a moving truck and still get headshots on zombies. **Extrapolated skills – seemed like a streetwise, tough lady

Tucker Norm, Blue Collar Guy Attributes Str 2 Dex 2 Con 3 Int 2 Per 2 Wil 3 Life Points Endurance Points Speed Essence Qualities Fast Reaction Time Bullet Magic Number One with a Bullet* Drawbacks Busted leg 1 Skills Guns (Handgun) 5* Guns (Shotgun) 5** Notice 4 (Man, he’s good!) Craft (Gun Knowledge) 5*** Drive (Car) 2**** Job Skill 3 Mechanic 2**** Streetwise 2**** Guns (Rifle) 2****

Gear .357 Magnum revolver, 6 rounds, 12-gauge pump shotgun with pistol grip, 14 rounds, baseball cap. Personality “Well, we got a bunch of these pu$$y nine-mils, and sixteen of these .357 Magnums.” Quote "Man, Andy’s good!” WDR, 2005, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com *shooting zombies in the head while being dragged by C.J. through the storm drain **Headshots with pistol-gripped shotgun at long range from top of truck. ***Obviously knew a LOT about guns. ****Extrapolated skills

Glen Norm, Church Organist Attributes Str 2 Dex 1 Con 2 Int 3 Per 3 Wil 3 Life Points Endurance Points Speed Essence Qualities Artistic Talent (Music) 2 Photographic Memory Charisma 2 (seemed like a nice guy) Drawbacks Secret 1 (Homosexual)* Secret 1 (Atheist)* Skills Perform (Organ) 4 Craft (Operate Radio) 2 (called for help from St. Verbena’s) Beautician 2 Disguise 2 – Specialty (Crossdressing) 4** Storytelling 3 Rituals (Christian) 3*** First Aid 2 (was taking care of bloated woman in Norma’s truck) Smooth Talking 3 (part of keeping secrets) Notice 3 (“He had the most astonishing blue eyes…”) Acting*** 3

Gear None. Personality “I played organ in the church.  It was a job.  I don’t believe in God.  I don’t see how anyone could.” Quote "He had the most astonishing blue eyes…” WDR, 2005, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com *Part of working at a church **Remember the shoe store scene?  Glen’s poise indicated more than a passing knowledge of walking in women’s heels. ***Extrapolated skills

Steve Norm, Rich A$$hole Attributes Str 2 Dex 2 Con 3 Int 3 Per 2 Wil 2 Life Points Endurance Points Speed Essence Qualities Resources 7 Drawbacks Charisma -4 Lazy Coward 3 Covetous (Lechery) 1 Skills Pilot (Yacht) 3 Sports (Golf) 3 Guns (Handgun)* 2 Drive (Car) 3 Bureaucracy 5 (businessman) Seduction 3 (i.e. Monica and the boat girls) Smooth Talking 5 (he was still alive) Beautician (stylish hair and clothes) 2 Gambling 5 (loved Vegas)

Gear Nice clothes, expensive watch, keys to the yacht, big semi-automatic pistol with one clip of ammo Personality “Wait a minute!  Why does he get to stay here while I go on the suicide mission to save Terry’s already-dead girlfriend?” Quote "Is everyone there dead? Well, dead-ish.” WDR, 2005, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com *Thoroughly inspected handgun and magazine when abandoning Ken in the crashed truck.

Monica Norm, Dilettante Attributes Str 2 Dex 3 Con 3 Int 2 Per 2 Wil 2 Life Points Endurance Points Speed Essence Qualities Attractiveness 4 Artistic Talent (Acting) Hard to Kill 2 (took Glen several seconds to accidentally kill her with a chainsaw) Drawbacks Addiction (Smoker) 1 Covetous (Attention) 2 Cowardly 1 Skills Seduction 3 Dancing 3 Beautician 3 Fine Arts (Popular Culture) 4 Acting 4* Drive (Car) 2** Computers 2** Smooth Talking 3** Notice 2** Streetwise 2** Sports (General) 2 (stays in shape)

Gear Cool clothes. Personality “Thank God!  I didn’t think I could spend another minute in that truck!” Quote "I’d go to Graceland.” WDR, 2005, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com * I’m guessing she was a performer of some sort.  Seemed like she was used to people taking care of her and living the good life. **Extrapolated skills.

Andy Norm, Gun Shop Owner Attributes Str 2 Dex 4 Con 2 Int 2 Per 2 Wil 2 Life Points Endurance Points Speed Essence Qualities Number One with a Bullet Nerves of Steel Fast Reaction Time Bullet Magic Drawbacks Weird Delusions (Talks to His Fish) 2 Dependent (Daughter) 2 Skills Guns (Rifle) 4 Guns (Handgun) 3 Haggle* 4 Bureaucracy* 3 Humanities (Gun Law)* 3 Notice 3 Drive (Car) 2 Fine Arts (Gaming – Chess) 4 Brawling 2 Craft (Gunsmith) 2*

Gear Gun shop and a couple tons of guns, ammunition, camping gear, etc. Personality *talking to fish* “We’re gonna be alright, baby-girl!” Quote "So what’s the bad news?” WDR, 2005, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com *Part of owning/operating a gun shop

Chips Dog Attributes Str 1 Dex 3 Con 4 Int 2 (Dog Intelligence, not Human) Per 4 Wil 3 Life Points Endurance Points Speed 25 (‘cause dogs are faster) Essence Qualities Acute Senses (Smell) Acute Senses (Hearing) Sense Zombies* Drawbacks No Hands Skills Follow Orders** 4 Stealth 2 Track 3 Brawl 3 Running (Marathon) 3 Running (Sprint) 3 Notice 5

Gear Doggie packs, collar, tags. Personality *bark bark bark* *bark bark bark* *bark bark bark* *bark bark bark* *bark bark bark* *bark bark bark* Quote *bark whine bark bark* WDR, 2005, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com *Chips barks when zombies are in the area, probably within a couple hundred yards but outside human hearing/smelling range. **This represents that Chips was a smart and well-behaved dog. You may have noticed that Chip’s points don’t add up to anything.  That’s because he’s a dog.

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Anyway, there’s that.  Might be useful, might not…

Enjoy!

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Sincerely,

TexasZombie, a.k.a. Evil Overlord 668, the Neighbor of the Beast

eMail comments to eviloverlord668@yahoo.com

All Flesh Must Be Eaten, icons, personalities, and images are copyright 2000 Eden Studios. All Flesh Must Be Eaten is a trademark of Eden Studios. Use of the All Flesh Must Be Eaten trademark on this site has been expressly granted by Eden Studios, but Eden exercises no editorial review or responsibility for the content of this site. Requests for such permission should be directed to Eden Studios.  None of my work is their fault.  They’re nice folks.

This document was directly based on the concepts presented in the following movie.  No copyright or creative infringement is intended.  This is intended as a tribute, not a rip-off.

Dawn of the Dead, Unrated Director’s Cut, 2004, Snyder, et al., Strike/Universal

In addition to the core rulebook, the following Eden Studios publications are recommended for this document: One of the Living, Book of Archetypes, Fistful o’ Zombies.