Zombie (EvilHack)
In EvilHack, zombies can be any of the variations encountered in NetHack, with the addition of a few new variations:
- Z kobold zombie
- Z gnome zombie
- Z orc zombie
- Z dwarf zombie
- Z hobbit zombie
- Z elf zombie
- Z drow zombie
- Z human zombie
- Z gnoll witherling
- Z ettin zombie
- Z giant zombie
- Z draugr
Description
EvilHack zombies behave similarly to the zombies in GruntHack, though they have their own entries in monst.c rather than racial monster templates, and several modifications are made to keep them distinct and less overwhelmingly difficult while still being quite challenging.
Zombies can transfer their zombifying illness the same way as in GruntHack, either via their bite or a player consuming their corpse, and monsters with zombie forms that are killed by a zombie or any illness they transfer will eventually revive as one—this includes a hero that succumbs to illness or dies at their hands, though heroes killed this way may rarely be able to continue on as a zombie with permanent unchanging. A zombie's claw attack is also poisonous, which occurs with frequency similar to that of a rabid rat, and their brain-eating bite can cause intelligence drain along with illness—in previous versions, the bite can also cause amnesia.
All zombies have cold resistance, sleep resistance, poison resistance, drain resistance, and immunity to sickness, and possess a vulnerability to fire damage. Compared to GruntHack zombies, EvilHack zombies have a lower chance of reviving from their corpse, and they will not revive at all if they are cancelled or beheaded. Wielding Sunsword or the Hammer of the Gods will permanently vaporize zombies that are killed (whether by Sunsword or other means), with a chance of instantly destroying them on hit as with other Bane-style weapons in EvilHack.
Playable zombies
The draugr is a form of zombie that is available as one of the many playable races of hero. Draugr heroes possess a bite that can drain intelligence and cause zombifying illnesses in their victims like other zombie monsters, and have the standard suite of resistances that most zombies do along with an ability to revive from death a limited amount of times (anywhere from 1 to 3). Draugr heroes also have an innate vulnerability to fire damage, cannot read spellbooks or cast spells, cannot use normal life saving methods, and start each game with negative alignment record.
Draugr are obligate carnivores that can only eat eggs and corpses, and gain more nutrition from rotted meat and eggs—they also do not have to worry about cannibalism penalties in any regard. As undead, they cannot safely touch Sunsword or the Hammer of the Gods and have the standard chance of being instantly destroyed by either artifact.
Mirroring the grudge between zombies and other living heroes, almost all live monsters in the dungeon will generate as hostile towards a draugr hero: shopkeepers will bar draugr heroes from their shop, and those that manage to get in will have highly-unfavorable price adjustments for buying and selling; the watch will immediately become hostile upon noticing a draugr hero; and domestic animals cannot be tamed with thrown food (though they can be pacified).
Monster attribute
Zombies are given the MH_ZOMBIE monster attribute flag to distinguish them from other non-zombie undead such as skeletons. This enables same-race sacrifice for a draugr hero, and both zombies and some other undead monsters may generate as peaceful for a hero that is undead themselves (i.e. a draugr or vampire). This includes draugr and vampire player monsters that are randomly generated in the dungeon, which will generally be hostile to a live hero otherwise.
Strategy
The same methods for permanently disposing of zombies in GruntHack and trolls in NetHack are generally applicable in EvilHack, with some notable differences and several additional means of killing zombies or disposing of their corpses.
Zombie corpses will always cause terminal illness when eaten, making it possible to permanently get rid of them by eating one and then using a reliable illness cure such as a unicorn horn. Lava is slightly more common in the main dungeon, making it easier to burn up the corpses by dipping, throwing or dropping them into the lava square; dipping a zombie corpse into a forge will also incinerate it.
Helms will more reliably prevent the effects of a zombie's bites compared to GruntHack, and helms that are greased or oilskin will block them outright; applying barding to a a steed can protect them from zombie bites. Illithids and mind flayers have psychic resistance, giving them immunity to the brain-targeting secondary effects of a zombie bite, though they can still be poisoned and made ill. The cure sickness spell (which is made directional) can not only reliably cure zombification for you and monsters that you cast it at, but also damages zombies in the path of the beam.
Hack'EM
Hack'EM retains most of the zombies from EvilHack and their behaviors, except for the drow zombie, and adds two more zombies to the zombie monster class:
In addition to the above traits from EvilHack, zombies can cause amnesia with their bites and are vulnerable to the wands of healing and extra healing. Draugr are part of the zombie monster class as in EvilHack, but are not considered a type of zombie.
