Zombies are a classic staple of both horror and fantasy genres, and if you’re like me, you just can’t get enough of them. So if you started with zombies in the horror genre then moved to D&D you might have found the zombie stat blocks…uninspired at best. Zogre aside (as my table loved referring to the zombie ogre they ran into early on based on their decision-making), it just seems like there wasn’t much interesting happening with zombies even if they came in groups.
Especially if you had a single cleric in your group. It’s amazing just how quickly that Turn Undead takes that zombie threat and makes them wander off while your ranged spellcasters, rangers, and ranged martial fighters start picking off zombies even quicker than fish in a barrel.
One of the major problems of zombies is they are meant to be a group threat – as a large group – and in a world where there are so many classes that can cure disease (Clerics, Paladins, Bards, Druids, Rangers, and even certain sub-classes of Warlocks, Artificers, and more), cure disease potions, and adventurer classes that even at low levels tend to heavily outclass zombies, it’s hard to be scared of the undead.
Especially in a world of dragons, and heroes that are beyond extraordinary, where almost any disease or affliction can be Rules Lawyered away with a low to mid-level spell, what threat are zombies?
Sorry, but as someone who loves horror and horror-fantasy, this lack of fear of zombies is unacceptable. So we’re going to put a spin on it and show you some of the many ways that Meeples have come up with to fix zombies in 5E (and 5.5E) Dungeons & Dragons.
5E Zombie Overview & Stat Block
An individual zombie is fairly unimpressive on its own in 5th edition, although it does have one feature (Undead Fortitude) that can cause things to go very wonky if the dice rolls start going sideways, as Shane can attest from two separate zero sessions where a Hulk Hogan level of zombie almost killed a player during their Zero Session.
Here is the stat block of a single zombie from the 5E Player’s Handbook.
As you can see the damage is low, the reach is mediocre, they don’t notice much and with an AC of 8, it takes some serious effort for even low level party members to keep missing them when attacking. But in fairness, an individual zombie even in horror isn’t a big threat. At least to non-stupid people.
It’s all about the horde, and considering how many hordes there are in the D&D universe…kinda disappointing that zombies weren’t put in that group, but let’s get to the better options we have to make zombies a horror again – even in a high fantasy D&D adventure.
Other Zombies
Officially, there are multiple other examples of zombie types, and mixing and matching can do some interesting things. The Zombie Ogre, or “Zogre” can provide a big target and some hard hitting extra damage and worry to a low level class that might otherwise have no concern with dealing with the basic undead.
There are several examples given in the Monster Manual and other supplemental 5E books (official and otherwise) of zombified creatures ranging from the Homebrew Page of Variant Zombies on DnD Wiki options (several clearly video game inspired but some other interesting ones) to the zombified dinosaurs, sprinters, or more.
The Ogre Zombie, aka the Zogre, is one of the favorite of our group and while still easy to hit, it has the hit points, the strength, and the attack damage to actually be a threat for a low level party.
How to Fix Zombies in 5E D&D
If you believe that zombies need to be fixed in 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons, then the right movement is to make them more of a threat. And borrowing from zombies in the horror genre, that means Constitution saving throws and fear of the spreading undead virus should be parts of what makes hordes of zombies so dangerous.
These can be amazing ways to spice up zombie encounters in D&D…and there’s no reason to stop there. Let’s dive into multiple ways to make the 5E zombies a threat that your players won’t soon forget!
The Contagious Zombie
At low levels in outer regions where access to a Cleric might be limited, having zombies infect others and spread the virus via classic zombie movies could one way to make the threat grow. What if your group doesn’t have the spell Lesser Restoration? What is the zombie virus spreads and Lesser Restoration only buys you time?
The Constitution save coming up once a day with a 3 strikes and you’re out rule can add a lot of tension – especially if they’re caught far away from civilization without a quick way back.
Hit zero hit points? Automatic Constitution Save fail against switching over. Nat 1 during a death save? Automatic turn.
This adds some serious tension and makes a zombie outbreak something to be feared. I’ve played with Greater Restoration being what is needed to fully cure the disease, and have played in a campaign where special ingredients had to be found or expensive potions from an apothecary, making outbreaks like this a serious threat not only to parties but to locations or even cities or kingdoms.
Having them contagious not only makes zombies dangerous in and of themselves but also opens them up as being a major problem that has to be dealt with and can be weaponized as a distraction to a Kingdom while the BBEG goes about their real plan.
The Sprinter Zombies
You don’t necessarily need to reinvent the wheel, especially when pop culture has hashed, re-hashed, and continued to do about everything imaginable with zombies the past 20 years. Here we borrow straight from the humans infected with the Rage in 28 Days Later and go to sprinter zombies.
They have speed, they have movement, and with that a higher DEX skill than your heroes would expect allowing them to dodge better and of course go for that grapple as the rest of the group rushes in. The barbarian might think it’s a good time, but with a half dozen zombies running full sprint are two front liners enough to keep the undead track stars from feasting on the unarmored back line?
Those aren’t the finest odds, and they definitely add some well-deserved terror back into the scourge of the undead.
Nice Twist: Have a horde of zombies start with the classic shambling from a distance, then as they close several suddenly double dash to close the distance and cause problems as the shamblers close in. You can think of them as zombie “shock troops” and it makes sense they would have a little bit extra Dexterity and two attacks as their sheer
The Herded Zombies
This could be like the Whisperers in The Walking Dead, or it can be as simple as Wraiths and other intelligent undead using a group as cannon fodder or support. You could have some necromancers using a giant herd as a nasty surprise while they try to steal a powerful magical artifact, or even have one faction at war with another, having a way to herd zombies as a weapon.
While a high level cleric still has plenty of options for dealing with this, it is still an additional annoyance even at that level – and can be terrifying at low to mid levels, leading to travel changes, interesting things you can do with moving “safe zones” or “danger zones” on a map as hordes are herded across trade routes, roads, or even used to beef up the siege of a nearby settlement or garrison.
One zombie might not be terrifying, but dozens or hundreds herded by intelligent shepherds? That’s an entirely different stories when looking at using zombies in D&D!
Weird Twist: What if one of the locations you must go involve a lot of living dead and the herded zombies are actually being herded via Druids trying desperately to keep them from overconsuming the few Oases of life that were hanging on by a thread? This is just one way of creating a weird balance of trying to understand what’s happening vs how to handle the situation in a unique spin for your adventurers at the table.
Pack Hunting Zombies
Zombies are a threat in groups, not one on one, and the larger the group, the more scary they become. This isn’t just a group of zombies that wander around or can run, but a literal hunting pack. Can they smell, do they move as one at a failed stealth check? Set up ambushes?
From a mechanics standpoint it should go without saying that zombies should get advantage from flanking. They might not know that the wizard is the easy up close versus the heavily armored fighter or high level barbarian, but when they attack they should attack as a group.
This should include flanking, potentially basic hit and run tactics to surround an overly aggressive responder, and oh yeah – definitely advantage on attacks from working
Nice Twist: Basic pack tactics that you wouldn’t expect from zombies. They might have a basic strategy developed from accidentally using it to get food earlier, like making a noise at night to draw attention one way then attacking from another. I’ve also labeled these as ‘feral zombies”
The Hive Mind Zombies
All are connected, one is all, all are one, and they can coordinate in a way that makes even the pack zombies look weak in comparison. Creating a hive mind of zombies creates a LOT of potential questions and plot points that can work in a campaign. Is it a hive mind that serves a Queen like an ant colony or a single master?
Or is this a zombie-borg thing where all seem a true collective that is almost unknowable (yes, I know later seasons had a Borg Queen and then they…ruined it…but that’s for another article)? Maybe something else is controlling the zombies creating a different creature.
Even more terrifying about this is how it can combine the other types. Have sprinter zombies? Use them effectively with shamblers to surprise a group and close in on the spellcasters of a party. Are there Ogre Zombies that can be used as pure power?
Do others hunt like a pack? The mix and match of various zombies controlled to actually be strategic can be doubly terrifying and add an entire dimension to a campaign that really breathes new life into these undead minions.
Nice Twist: Think more than “Leader Zombie” or “Necormancer.” This could be a Lich’s long-term project, the movement of an aboleth’s reach, or something else equally strange and terrifying. Maybe they are the minions of a terrible creature, or the sign of an oncoming disaster – or even the terrifying Big Bad themselves.
A Little Surprise Can Make Zombies Terrifying
You know that saying “Power perceived is power achieved?” The same thing can sort of be applied to monsters and maybe you don’t want super strong zombies, but you can still use the basic undead zombie to create that fear or concern in a party with a little detail. They act normally shambling through the underground caverns, but then when they close with 10 feet they sprint and leap straight over the heads of the front line.
No more special AC – just that one quirk that makes them act weird. This is great to even set veteran players on their back foot since they are going to be familiar with this enemy…and they’re not going to see those curve balls coming.
Putting your own spin on zombies can be a great way to bring the terror back into zombies, as it should be, instead of a loud yawn. These types of new spins also bring in a lot of fun with potential crazy stories, new experiences, and just something different.
And I’m all about breathing new life into the game for long-time veterans, as well as giving a much needed boost to zombies, which have long been one of my favorite horror fiction genres but were clearly done dirty in fifth edition.
Better Zombies in 5E: The Conclusion
There are many ways to make zombies more dangerous, more fun in 5th Edition D&D. Low level undead generally just don’t have much of a spot in most campaigns other than cannon fodder, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But in my opinion in over 10+ years of TTRPG games, there are plenty of low level cannon fodder among the undead.
That is something that is best left for skeletons, or re-skin basic zombies as “ghouls,” or something else simple. When it comes to zombies there are just so many excellent options to make them interesting again, and hopefully this post has given you some ideas to spice up that next 5th Edition campaign that involves zombies.
Other Great D&D Articles
- Giant Spiders 5E
- 5E Wolf & Direwolf Guide
- How do I use passive perception?
- Complete 5E Feat Guide
- Best 5E Racial Feats
- Complete 5E Half Feat Guide
Proud to embrace the locally created moniker of “Corrupt Overlord” from one of the all time great Lords of Waterdeep runs, Shane is one member of the Assorted Meeples crew and will be hard at work creating awesome content for the website. He is a long-time player of board games, one time semi-professional poker player, and tends to run to the quirky or RPG side of things when it comes to playing video games. He loves tabletop roleplaying systems like Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, Werewolf, Fate, and others, and not only has been a player but has run games as DM for years. You can find his other work in publications like Level Skip or Hobby Lark.