Harvesting PPE

[azazel1024]

If you are going to do cross over, sure. If you stick with the intent of the game, then you wouldn't have it.

If I did have it I don't know if I would have it work, neccesarily. Something like this to me would imply magic being able to work as well as leylines, etc, even if weak leylines. If that was the case zombies either wouldn't see non-'inbody' PPE (otherwise leylines, areas of magic, etc would blind them) or else they can visually distinguish PPE sources. So they'd see the PPE, but it would look environmental, instead of living thing. In Rifts at least some gem stones naturally contain PPE, if that carried over then you'd have zombies trying to nom jewlery stores if they couldn't distinguish or could see environmental PPE. Might not stop something as stupid as a sloucher from checking it out or trying to nom it, but a thinker probably wouldn't be fooled.

The books specifically mention that zombies will go after animals, but that the animal PPE appears different to them in some way (less attractive or what not).
-Matt

[azazel1024]

In Rifts, Psistalkers (who feed on PPE, and prefer to kill to get it) can easily distinguish between PPE from a sentient being and the PPE from leylines, gems, animals, rifts, etcetera. If magic were to crop up in DR, I'd expect the zombies to be able to tell the difference between things the same way. Psistalkers *can* feed on PPE from leylines, but they have to be starving to do it, as it doesn't "taste" right, and it can make them sick IIRC. To survive they will go for PPE from other sources, otherwise . . .

So I'd say a zed in DR could tell the difference, and wouldn't be interested in the PPE from leylines or gems at all (and wouldn't be able to feed/regenerate with it either). They'd be aware of it maybe, especially as those would be sources of PPE that *their* food would be interested in, so they might actually stay near it knowing that eventually, dinner will show up.

Problem is that Zeds are completely mindless and with the exception of a couple anomalies, they can't think or reason. Even the most powerful thinking zombies can only give basic commands like "follow" "go here" "attack" and so forth. I think that is a long way away from the brain activity required to draw a conclusion that: A) They know what PPE is. B) They know that it is PPE that they are seeing. C) It is PPE that is feeding them and not the kill. They just act on instinct like animals, far as I know, animals couldn't make that conclusion either.

But animals can tell the difference between an elephant and a cow. A zombie might not be an intellectual, but that doesn't mean it doesn't 'understand' PPE differences on an instinctual level. Animals won't generally drink from salt water, they know it is bad for them, but they will drink fresh water.

Why wouldn't a zombie be able to both differentiate types of PPE and also only go after the kind that is good for them. I do believe the books mention that zombies can only feed on PPE that is released at the time of death. Death cultists are special because they are some how able to specially channel PPE from living people to zombies in a ritual. This is not something that can normally happen. So a zombie should be able to feed on environmental/object PPE in any way (unless someone comes up with some special ritual to make it happen). So that said, just like salt water vs. freshwater, the zombie is probably going to be able to see both types of PPE, but they are going to understand that only the one type is what they need/crave/can use.

Yes you should be able to make a zombie lure with animals. Maybe stick a few cows in a truck trailer and haul it around using a remote control or something.
-Matt

[azazel1024]

I don't really agree with you. They might not have the ability to learn, but that doesn't mean they don't have the instinctual ability to descern between PPE sources. The book mentions they CAN tell the difference between animal and human PPE and are going to go after human PPE even if a similar size/PPE level animal comes along.

That to me says they can do a lot of distinguishing. Also if they can't distinguish one iota, that would also indicate to me that if you were in an area of high magic, such as a nexus point (if you are going to bring all the PPE/magic goodies in to DR) then it would function to partially blind or totally blind zombies from your PPE aura.

So I agree, a sloucher can't learn at all, but it does have instinct and a resonable amount of it. Animals rely on instinct, senses and learning. Even taking out learning a zombies sense can probably tell them the difference in PPE and their instinct is going to tell them what to do about it, IE environmental = 'no nom'. If we are bringing in magic from all the other game systems from PB auras appear different and the part of an aura that indicates PPE looks substantially different from that of a leyline or magical object.

Mosquitos know instinctively to go after warm blooded things based on their infrared sense. They can tell the difference using their infrared sense to know what a mamimal looks like compared to a lizard. A snake with infrared pits can tell the difference between prey and a large animal that isn't prey. In all of those cases, sometimes they get fooled, but it is not the norm.
-Matt

[The Beast]

IIRC, in the DRMB it mentioned that the zombies will feed on animals, it's just that they prefer to go after humans because there's more PPE available at once. So I imagine that a group of rats in a cage wouldn't "glow" as much as a human would, due to each rat having less PPE than a human. Now if there's enough rats to have a higher PPE amount than a human, then a zombie might go after it first.

[gaby]

If someone killed themsleves do the Zombies get the PPE? and they trun into one?

[azazel1024]

Turned in to one, certainly not. The books specifically state that the person must be killed by a zombie. As for getting the PPE, I don't think the books are specific enough to say one way or another. I'd vote no, as the zombies didn't unleash the PPE. It takes a death priest using a special ritual to transfer PPE to the zombies from their 'flock', of course the ritual might be simply liberating PPE that the zombies can then feed on instead of actually funneling it to them.

The books make no mention of "If a person were to die near a zombie, but not be killed by one, then their PPE is absorbed by the zombies".
-Matt

[azazel1024]

If someone killed themsleves do the Zombies get the PPE? and they trun into one?

I'd be inclined to say that the zombies could get a portion of the PPE, but they wouldn't be entitled to all of it.

If someone were to die in the vicinity of a zombie, then the zombie would sense the release of PPE in the area. Zed would be drawn to the source of this outburst, and would start feeding on the corpse in an attempt to get to the PPE. Depending on how long it takes for the PPE to disperse, how long it takes zed to reach the corpse, and how much PPE is actually released, I'd rule that a zombie may be able to get a small percentage (no more than 5-10%) of the total PPE released at the time of death.

Speaking of I would deffinitely say that anyone dying would act like a flare to zombies. Nothing in the books, but I'd say zombies can detect the release of PPE at a distance of 50ft per point of PPE released. So if someone with 10PPE died it (20PPE at the time of death) would be detectable within 1,000ft by all zombies and probably cause them to home in on it.
-Matt