Hopefinder Narrators Guide

A ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE HACK OF PATHFINDER SECOND EDITION
HOPEFINDER
NARRATOR’S GUIDE
A MINOTAUR GAMES SUPPLEMENT BY JASON BULMAHN

OCTOBER 2032
A ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE HACK OF PATHFINDER SECOND EDITION
HOPEFINDER
NARRATOR’S GUIDE
Table of Contents
Fiction Page 2
2.0 - Creatures Page 17
1.0 - Narrator Rules Page 4 Animals Page 17
1.1 - Adjudicating the Game Page 6 Humans Page 19
Table: Starting Challenges Page 8 Zombies Page 23
1.2 - Designing a Story Page 11 Zombie Animals Page 31
Table: Rewards per Session Page 15 3.0 - Seattle Gazetteer Page 34
1.3 - Converting Rules Page 16 4.0 - Sample Adventure Page 46
Designed by Jason Bulmahn

Art by Gary Dupuis, Earl Geier, Kiril Tchangov,
Maciej Zaborski (The Forge Studios)
Special Thanks to Dan, Rango, Ognar, the Basement Goblin,
and all of my amazing supporters on Patreon.
Some images copyright Kiril Tchangov, used with permission.
Some artwork © 2014 Earl Geier, used with permission. All rights reserved.
Hopefinder and the Hopefinder Narrator’s Guide © 2022 Minotaur Games
Compatibility with Pathfinder Second Edition requires Pathfinder Second Edition from Paizo Inc. See
paizo.com/pathfinder to learn more about Pathfinder. Paizo Inc. does not guarantee compatibility,
and does not endorse this product.
Pathfinder is a registered trademark of Paizo Inc. Pathfinder Second Edition and the Pathfinder
Second Edition Compatibility Logo are trademarks of Paizo Inc. The Pathfinder-Icons font is © 2019
Paizo Inc. These trademarks and copyrighted works are used under the Pathfinder Second Edition
Compatibility License. See paizo.com/pathfinder/compatibility for more information on this license.
Pathfinder and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Inc., and are used under license.
See paizo.com/pathfinder to learn more about Pathfinder.
Harper was still in bed when the alarm sounded. The bell could be heard throughout the
pre-dawn streets of Free Ballard and it meant only one thing: a zombie inside the walls of
the community.
She jumped out of bed, threw on a leather jacket and an old pair of boots, before
running to the door to grab her rifle. She lost valuable seconds looking for her bright
orange safety helmet before she remembered that she lent it to Kyle to go on a supply
run. Most folks were stingy with their gear, but Kyle was her best friend. She couldn’t let
him go without a helmet.
Leaving the door to her loft open, Harper bounded down the stairs, taking them two
at a time. She made it down to Ballard Ave in less than two minutes. It was a drill that
everyone in the Free Ballard settlement was forced to run once per week. Despite the delay
looking for her missing helmet, Harper was still one of the first people to reach the street.
Her eyes immediately went to the north gate. If that was breached, they were all
screwed, but the pile of welded cars and sheet metal was still standing strong. Turning
to the south, the source of the alarm was obvious. Jimmy was bolting toward her with
a runner right behind him. The kid was fast, but the dead thing was faster and in just a
dozen steps it was on him, snarling and snapping. The two of them went down in a heap,
and poor Jimmy was pinned under the agile zombie.
“Get this fucking thing off me!” Jimmy screamed, as he desperately tried to keep away
from its rancid bite. Nobody wanted to get bit by a zombie, that was a death sentence.
Harper’s rifle was at her shoulder in an instant. She let out a steamy breath and gently
pulled the trigger. A crack rang out and the runner’s head snapped back. It slumped over
as Jimmy quickly moved to wiggle out from underneath it.
By now, there were dozens of people on the street and after another couple of shots
to make sure the thing was dead, folks surrounded Jimmy to make sure he was okay. As
one of the few kids born after the Fall, everyone was protective of him.
“Did he bite you?”
“Where did he come from?”
“That’s the third one this week!”
Folks had more questions than answers. Harper took a squat next to the corpse. It was
more recent than most that they saw these days. Clearly turned in the past two or three
years by the look of the patchwork clothing it was wearing. Then she noticed its feet. They
were covered in thistles.
Big Swede had arrived and was getting Jimmy on his feet to take him to the hospital
and have him checked out. The usually gregarious man was all business right
now. If Jimmy had been bitten, there would be some tough decisions ahead.
He gave a nod to Harper.
“Nice shot.”
Fiction
She nodded in return and went back to her loft to grab her full kit. She had a theory,
but she did not want to go check it out without being fully prepared. Ten minutes later
she was back down on the street. The disposal crew was out front loading up the runner's
corpse so that it could be burned. She hated that job. It took days to get the stink out of
your clothes. She turned south and started walking toward the old dump.
In the early days, most folks in Free Ballard did not even want to leave the compound
to dump trash, so they used an empty lot on the south side just inside the wall. It only
lasted a few years before a more permanent solution was found, and the old lot was left
to rot. Even from a distance, the thistles that grew on the lot were clearly visible.
Harper ducked under the fence and crouched low behind an old refrigerator. If the
breach in the wall was here, there could be dozens of zombies wandering around, so a bit
of caution was in order. She checked her rifle one last time before moving on.
Toward the center, between two rusting dumpsters, she found a pair of crawlers
wrestling over what looked like the remains of a rabbit. They were easy to avoid, but just
to be safe, she put them down before moving on.
Climbing atop a nearby ruined car, she scanned the rest of the dump paying particular
attention to the east wall that led to the outside. Fortunately, the sun had come up,
making it easy to spot the breech. A piece of sheet metal had come loose, and there was a
clear hole in the perimeter. Harper shook her head and made her way toward the wall to
put up a temporary patch. There would be words with the wall crew about this.
Using some bits of scrap wood, Harper was nailing the last bits of her temporary patch
into place when she heard a small shift in the junk behind her, followed quickly by the
smell of rot. Cursing under her breath, Harper knew that she had missed one.
Dropping the hammer, she spun around, drew her pistol, and fired twice in quick
succession. While the first went wide, the second landed right in the center of the
shambling zombie’s forehead, right below the brim of the orange safety helmet it was
wearing.
Later that night, Harper was having a drink at the Smoke Stop. Her beers were on the
house, and everyone was in a happy mood now that the breech had been solved.
Big Swede was sitting next to her, enjoying a pint. “Jimmy is fine by the way, just got
few scrapes from the fall. He sends his regards.”
“Just doing my part,” Harper added between sips.
“Hey, where is Kyle? I’ve never known him to
miss a party.” Big Swede asked, scanning the bar.
Harper took another sip as her expression
turned cold.
“Kyle never came back.”
1.0 – Narrator Rules
As the NARRATOR, your role in Hopefinder is pivotal to ensure that the story
everyone is working to create is both thought-provoking and driven toward a
satisfying conclusion.
The players should have agency in this story, working to uncover the fate of
their survivor, while also never quite feeling like they are in complete control.
The world of Hopefinder is far from safe, and while the stories set in this world
are often grim, their purpose is to shine a light on the perseverance and drive of
the human spirit. The point of this game is to show that it is in our very nature
to carry on despite overwhelming adversity and that we are all made stronger
for the journey.
Your primary function is to narrate the story, serving as the voice of all the
characters not controlled by the players, describing scenes, laying out problems
to overcome, and adjudicating the rules. In most regards, this is much like the
role of GM in Pathfinder. One key place where it differs is that in Hopefinder, the
players can call for scenes where they narrate a part of their character history
and your job is to go along with their tale, helping to bring it to life through
the other minor characters that happen to be in the scene. These FLASHBACKS
are pivotal to character growth and the development of their story and should
be handled with care. See the guidelines for working with a player to narrate a
flashback on page 9.
Tone
One of the biggest changes to the Pathfinder game is the shift in tone from heroic
fantasy to grim horror. The player characters have plenty of tools to help them
succeed, but the foes they face are overwhelming and everywhere. They cannot
hope to fully beat the zombies, but they can keep the lights on for one more
day. That small victory and the personal stakes that go along with it is where the
players can “win”. They succeed by telling a good story about their desperate
survivor, how they overcame their problems, their differences, and their past to
keep things moving for a little while longer.
To make this work, as narrator, you must walk a narrow path. The weight of the
setting and the events that have unfolded must feel omnipresent to the players,
that they are facing an insurmountable challenge. At the same time, they must see
cracks in that facade and hope that they might find a way to a better future. In their
own small way, they should succeed. Maybe not all of them will make it, but if the
struggle was worth it, they will still walk away with a story to remember.
Themes and Consent

As the narrator, you have a very important role to play in controlling the themes
of the story and in working with the players to ensure that the table is a fun and
safe space for everyone to enjoy. Before starting a campaign, it is important that
you sit down with the players and talk about the themes of a zombie game, the
content they might experience, and what you hope to accomplish during the
PAGE 4
1.0 Narrator Rules
story. This is not about giving away your plot or spoiling any surprises. Think of
it instead as a trailer; a chance for the player's to get a preview of the story, to
make sure it is on that they are interested in experiencing.
The Hopefinder Survivor's Guide covers a wide variety of content types,
putting them into three categories: In, Hidden, and Out. All of the participants
are invited to review these lists and to make whatever modifications necessary
to ensure a fun time for all. Once that is done, it is your responsibility as narrator
to work within these categories. In content can freely be used as a part of your
story, whereas Hidden content can be a facet of the world and tale, but not the
focus. Out content should be kept out of the tale entirely.
The default content lists are repeated below so that you, as narrator, can
consider these content challenges yourself.
IN CONTENT: Blood, Cannibalism (zombies eating human flesh), Death

(animal, human), Disease, Gore, Mass Destruction, Mental Illness, Murder,
Profanity, Societal Collapse, Substance Use (alcohol, drugs), Zombies
HIDDEN CONTENT: Abuse (physical, mental), Child Endangerment, Nudity,

Pregnancy, Sexual Encounters, Self-Harm, Suicide
OUT CONTENT: Ableism, Animal Cruelty, Cannibalism (humans eating human

flesh), Child Abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Incest, Kidnapping, Sexism,
Sexual Assault, Sizeism, Slavery, Torture, Transphobia
During play, you might find that a topic has made its way into the discourse
that is making people uncomfortable. Do not hesitate to stop play and remove
or retcon such content out of your story. Doing so might break the flow for a
moment, but this is far better than to allow Out content to create a bad play
space the group.
Using this Book

This book contains rules for running a Hopefinder game, advice on how to write
a campaign set in this world, an extensive catalog of foes, a gazetteer of Seattle,
and a sample adventure. It does not contain all the rules for creating a survivor
or running a combat. Rules for dings, bruises, barter, and surprise are something
that the players and narrator both need to understand. Those rules, and more,
are contained in the Hopefinder Survivor's Guide and the narrator should be
familiar with everything contained in that book.
If a rule is not contained in either book, it is likely unchanged from Pathfinder.
As narrator, you can pull from a wide variety of Pathfinder books to add to your
game, but take care. Not everything from a fantastical world makes for a good
fit here and some of it might actively detract from the tone and themes of
Hopefinder. Adding a +1 flaming chainsaw might sound fun, but it could just as
easily play against the more serious undertones of the game.
PAGE 5
1.1 – Adjudicating the Game
While most of the tasks of a narrator are the same as they are for a GM in
Pathfinder, there are a handful of additional rules to keep in mind while running
Hopefinder. These rules specifically deal with mechanical aspects of the game,
like the plague, hope, and the rules of survival, as well as story aspects of the
game, like flashbacks.
The Plague
The Z Plague is a constant threat to survivors in the world of Hopefinder.
Whenever they combat a zombie, there is a chance for infection (usually from a
critical hit on a jaws attack). This plague works like most afflictions in Pathfinder,
except that once someone reaches Stage 2 there is no known way to cure it. See
the rules on page 39 of the Hopefinder Survival Guide for complete details.
The rules for how the plague works are not a secret to the survivors. They
have lived in a world with this disease for 10 years now, and its course and
effects are well known. Who has been infected, however, is still very much a
secret. Whenever anyone risks a possible infection, the narrator should roll their
Fortitude saving throw in secret and not immediately reveal the results. The
next time the survivors rest, the narrator should give each player a slip of paper
indicating whether they are infected. The players MAY NOT reveal this slip of
paper to the other players, but they can reveal the truth in character if they want.
The same goes for ongoing saving throws made against the plague and any
duration rolls made during stage 2. The narrator should roll these saving throws
in secret and only reveal the results to the player after their next rest, telling
them to lose 1 Hope if applicable.
While the players should feel certain about the health of their survivor, they
should never feel 100% certain about the other characters. This paranoia should
not be overwhelming, but the nature of this disease is generally hidden until it is
too late. Characters that get suspicious can attempt Perception checks to notice
something is amiss with an infected companion.
Using Cards (Optional): You can also use a deck of cards to indicate everyone’s
condition, giving each player a card at the start of each day based on their
status. A heart represents that they are healthy. A diamond means that they
risked infection in the past day, but they feel fine. A spade means that they
are infected and should lose 1 HOPE. A club means that they are infected
but have managed to stave it off for the time being and do not lose 1 HOPE.
Rising From the Dead

When an infected character dies, their chance of returning as a zombie depends
on several factors. When a character dies while in stage 1 of the Z Plague, the
narrator should make a flat check with a DC of 5 – the amount of Hope they had
at the time of death (assume 1 for most characters). If this check fails, they rise
as a zombie in 1d20 hours. Characters that die in stage 2 are more likely to rise.
PAGE 6
1.1 Adjudicating the Game
The DC of the flat check is 10 + the value of their stupefied condition. If this check
fails, they rise as a zombie in 1d8 hours. Finally, a character with stage 3 of the Z
Plague automatically rises as a zombie after 1d10 minutes.
The type of zombie is entirely up to the narrator, but most rise as shamblers
(see page 29), whereas experienced survivors can turn into an armored zombie
(see page 23).
Awarding Hope
Throughout the game, the survivors should find themselves spending and
gaining Hope with some frequency. It is an important currency that can be used
to influence their dice rolls to help them overcome daunting challenges. As
narrator, it is your job to ensure that they are rewarded with Hope whenever
they find inspiration or pull off something truly daring. Triumphs in this world are
fleeting and when they happen, they should be rewarded.
Hope represents the belief in a better tomorrow, a willingness to work with
others, and a spark of joy. The Z Plague feeds on this, until there is nothing left
but to succumb to death.
Spending Hope generally means that the survivor has been pushed to the
breaking point, where desperation requires that they pull from their deepest
reserves to try and succeed. It is an extra effort that leaves the survivor feeling
drained and out of options. If called upon too often, they might even find
themselves without Hope which is a very dangerous place to be.
The narrator should not reward Hope for a success that was only possible
due to the survivors spending Hope. Instead, Hope should
be a reward when a plan goes off flawlessly, when the
group gets through a dangerous fight without any
injuries, or when they complete an important
goal that will help a lot of people back in the
settlement. Hope can also be a reward for a
quiet moment of roleplaying,
when the survivors
look to each other for
support and care,
bolstering each
other’s spirits
against the tide
of darkness that
seems to be everywhere
around them.
PAGE 7
Survival
This game is about survival and as such it has rules that would not normally be a part
of a heroic fantasy game. Food and water are limited, damage to gear is an ongoing
concern, and the threat of contagion is ever present. As the narrator, it is your job
to work these challenges into the narrative. They should not be insurmountable,
nor should they ever really feel like something that can be entirely overlooked. The
system for dings, bruises, and starvation are critical to the survival narrative. The
survivors are always struggling with them in some way, making calculated choices
when it comes time to trade for more supplies or when deciding what to bring
back. Do they trade for more food, more bullets, or more meds? When it comes
time to patch their gear, do they focus on their armor or their weapons? These
choices should matter to the characters, and that starts with the narrator making
sure that nothing is too plentiful in this ruined world.
Starting Challenges
Characters should start out each session short on supplies, lightly wounded,
bruised, or facing other challenges. They can spend resources and supplies to
immediately negate these challenges if they so choose pooling resources if the
players agree. If a session happens directly after a previous session, with no
significant time to rest in between, you can forgo this system because they will
likely be carrying over challenges from the previous session.
To determine the SURVIVORS starting challenges for a session, as each player
to roll a d20 and consult the following table.
Table: Starting Challenges

Roll Challenges
1 Bad Shape: The survivor starts off not having had food or water for
1 day. They are stupefied 1, they have 1d6 bruises, and 1d6 dings to
their equipment.
2-5 Rough Morning: The survivor starts with 1d4 bruises and 1d4 dings to
their equipment.
6-9 Dehydrated: The survivor drank too much last night or has not had
hydration in 1 day. They are stupefied 1.
10-13 Worn: The survivor needs to do some maintenance and starts with
1d6 dings to their equipment.
14-17 Hungry: The survivor has not had food in 2 days and starts with 1d4
bruises.
18-19 Not Too Bad: The survivor is mostly doing okay. They start with 1
bruise and 1 ding to their equipment.
20 All Good: The survivor starts off with no challenges.
PAGE 8
1.1 Adjudicating the Game
Adjudicating Flashbacks
Throughout the game, the survivors will have flashbacks to their life before the
fall and the events that took place during the early days of the plague. These
are pivotal to not only their stories, but to their growth as a character as well, as
each one also unlocks new abilities for the survivors to use during play. Your role
in these stories is to serve as a companion to the narration that the player wants
to uncover. The setup and general scene of these flashbacks is entirely decided
by the player. The narrator is there to serve as the other characters in the scene,
but the overall direction of the tale is for the players to control.
Taking a back seat in the narrative like this may be challenging at first. The
players each have filled out surveys that go over the general stories of each
flashback and while the narrator is expected to improvise and react to the player’s
actions, care should be taken to not change the overall thrust of the story.
For example, if the player was a fast-food worker in their Before flashback,
and the scene is all about how they were fired the day before the plague started,
you would take on the role of manager, berating the character for not living up to
the duties of the job, or perhaps you would be an angry customer, complaining
to the boss about poor service. All the while, the player is portraying a younger
version of their survivor, one who was just figuring things out at a crummy job,
without a care in the world for what the future might hold. In this example, the
narrator has a broad latitude to help the player envision how they were fired
from their job, but as this is a flashback about time before the fall, there should
not be zombie or chaos injected into the story. The player’s narrative choices
should still hold true when the scene is done.
Flashbacks should NOT include checks or dice rolls of any kind. The player
decides whether they succeed on tasks or fail spectacularly. Players can
exaggerate these tales if they want, telling larger than life stories that few others
are likely to belief. These are the stories they tell others about themselves. They
do not have to be true or even believable.
It is possible that the players are in a rush to make their flashback happen as
soon as possible during a session, to unlock their new abilities. If two players try
to have their flashback at the same moment, have them each roll a d20 to see
who gets to go first. Try to limit the number of flashbacks to 1 per meaningful
scene in the adventure. Flashbacks should not take more than 5 to 10 minutes
each. They are a poignant moment and are not meant to be a lengthy diversion.
Reward Waiting (OPTIONAL): The narrator may want to reward those who wait
longer in the session to have their flashback. In this optional rule, the player
who goes first gets no benefit other than the usual new abilities unlocked
with the flashback. The last player to have their flashback is rewarded with
1 HOPE in addition to the unlocks. All others heal 1d4 damage or bruises
(player choice) at the end of their flashback in addition to the unlocks.
PAGE 9
Heroic Endings
It is quite possible that some, or even all, of the survivors don’t make it through
to the end of the story. The apocalypse is a dangerous place, and it is easy for
a survivor to die due to injury or the plague. The narrator should do everything
in their power to ensure that these deaths have meaning, that their sacrifice
contributed to the goal in some way. This could be anything from a cautionary
tale to a blaze of glory, the loss of a survivor should feel important.
Whenever a survivor perishes, another takes their place. Players should
create a NEW SURVIVOR for the next session. Survivors created in the middle of
a story start at the same level as everyone else, but in addition, they start with
extra equipment, adding double their level to their barter value. In addition, their
first flashback should be the Before flashback as normal, but they gain the initial
abilities plus an advanced feat for every level. For example, if a new survivor
joined when the rest of the group was 3rd level, their survivor would be 3rd,
starting with 6 extra barter worth of gear, and gain 3 advanced feats after their
first flashback.
Should everyone die in the same session, as narrator you have two options.
The first is to conclude the story, talking about the brave efforts of the survivors
who led to a better future, even if they did not survive to see it. In most stories,
it is easy to describe how their actions set up someone else to finish the task and
that without them, it never would have succeeded. The second choice is to ask the
players to create a new crew of survivors, set to finish what the first group started.
Hopefully they do not run into the zombie versions of their former characters…
Ending The Campaign

At the end of the campaign, any remaining survivors should be given a chance
to narrate what ultimately happens to them. This is their story to tell, but as
narrator you should instruct them to give a simple, 5 to 10 minute version of the
tale and that they should include one key MEMENTO from their life to be their
emblem, the mark by which they are known.
Once everyone has closed their stories, your final duty as NARRATOR is to
talk about how the efforts of the players and their survivors made a difference.
Emphasize what they accomplished and describe how it made life a little easier
for those who come after. They did not solve the Z Plague or wipe out all the
zombies, but their actions were important, and it is your job to highlight these
accomplishments. That task done, you should place this booklet in the
center of the table for someone else to pick up. It is their turn to be
narrator and tell their own tale of finding hope.
PAGE 10
1.2 Designing a Story
1.2 – Designing a Story
Hopefinder is not designed to be played as an epic multi-year saga. Life in the
apocalypse is nasty, violent, and often short and the campaigns told within this
setting should work toward a satisfying conclusion in a shorter period as a result.
The ideal length for an entire campaign in Hopefinder is 5 sessions, with each
session being several hours long, encompassing one plot point in the larger tale.
Stories About Hope

The stories in Hopefinder are about survival and building toward a better future.
The overarching plot should bend in this direction and by the end of the tale, it
should feel as if maybe things have gotten just a bit better. This is not a game
about “solving” the plague or ending the apocalypse, it is smaller than that, but
in many ways it is just as important. Finding fuel to keep the generators running,
providing food for another week, clearing out the zombies from a nearby arcade,
all of these and more are vital in keeping the flame of human existence lit and
making these feel momentous is what Hopefinder is all about.
Campaigns
Campaigns in Hopefinder should work toward one central goal that is too big
to achieve in a single session, although it might not seem that way at first. This
goal should be one that clearly works to improve the standards of living of the
survivors or the settlement that they call home. Try to avoid plainly self-serving
objectives as the main goal of a campaign, although these can certainly serve
as smaller plots for individual sessions. For example, venturing out of the safety
of the settlement to find and raid a food warehouse in search of vitamin C to
solve a scurvy epidemic is a good goal for a campaign, but going out to loot an
electronics store to get some good items to barter is better suited as part of a
larger story and not the central focus. The first contributes to the betterment of
all survivors, whereas the second is more about personal gain.
Here are a bunch of story ideas that would make for a great campaign. Feel
free to use these ideas or refer to them as inspiration for your own campaign.
• The settlement’s generator is dying and the survivors are tasked with finding
a new one or fixing the old one.
• The survivors are tasked with finding out whether the legend of a nearby
island that is supposedly free from zombies is true.
• The canned food supply is growing thin, and the survivors are sent to go raid
a farm supply store, far away from the city to find a good stash of seeds.
• A nearby gang of raiders has taken some people to fight in their zombie
arena and the survivors must go set them free.
• A strange radio signal is coming from a nearby industrial park. It’s new, which
means there might be people there to rescue.
• One of the ferry boats has long been anchored out in the sound and it might
make for a great refuge, if only the survivors can clear it and bring it to shore.
PAGE 11
• Medicine is always in short supply and the old hospitals are some of the
most dangerous places to visit, but the survivors must go for the good of all.
• A doctor in the settlement is close to understanding more about the Z
Plague, but he needs a better sample of the original contagion. The survivors
must prepare for a visit to The Hive.
• A group of settlers went missing on a simple gathering expedition and the
survivors are sent to find them and bring them home.
• A scout spotted a military camp that looks like it has not been looted. The
only problem, it is on the edge of the irradiated zone south of downtown.
Session Plots
Within each campaign there are several session plots that form the major points
in the overall story. These plots are the basis for each individual session and are
much more suitable for smaller, personal stories that work to advance the larger
overall campaign. These plots can be arranged around an individual scene or
location, or they can be a series of several smaller scenes linked together through
a single narrative purpose.
For example, your plot might take place in an abandoned warehouse grocery
store, and the survivors are trying to find canned chicken to trade to a nearby
information broker. The entire session would be about raiding the warehouse and
the dangers that lie within. Alternatively, the plot might be centered on a journey
to a nearby settlement, starting off with a scene at a garage to fix an old station
wagon, followed up by a scene at a gas station, then a scene at a bridge chocked
with cars, and finally a desperate race to reach the settlement before nightfall. This
second example takes place at multiple scenes, all organized around a single goal.
Before starting your campaign, you should arrange the story into a series of
plots, each one of which tells a part of the larger picture. You do not need all the
details worked out ahead of time but having a picture of how each session will
contribute to the plot of the campaign allows you to foreshadow and drop hints
about the future.
For example, if the campaign revolved around fixing or replacing the
settlement’s dying generator, the session plots might proceed like this:
• With the generator only days from dying, the survivors are sent to an old
firehouse in hopes of retrieving their old portable generator. The firehouse is
dangerous, but they do manage to get an old, working generator by the end
of the session. The only problem is that it is not powerful enough to sustain
the settlement. Fortunately, the generator has a calling card attached to it
for repairs, pointing toward a tool shop up north.
• In the second session, the PCs are asked to travel to a tool shop on the northern
edge of town to find the parts needed to fix the generator, but they won’t be
back by sunset, so they will need to hold up there overnight. They have a
scene going through a clogged underpass, then raid the small tool shop and
barricade themselves in for the night, dealing with wandering zombie before
making it home. During the night, they see bright lights further north.
PAGE 12
• In the third session, they are given a car and sent to go explore the bright
lights. After a trap encounter with raiders on the freeway, they make it to
an old baseball field where the power still works. After investigating, they
learn that it is connected to a nearby hydroelectric dam. They explore this
but learn that the power cannot reach the settlement, as the substation is
broken and its in the middle raider territory.
• In the fourth session, the survivors are sent to sneak into the raider camp
and get the substation working again. This is a stealth mission past multiple
raider groups and some of their “pet” zombies. Getting into the substation
is not that hard, but at the end of the session, they learn that the raiders are
using the power to fence in a horde. They can divert the power, but it will
cause chaos. It ends as they make the decision.
• In the fifth session, the PCs must race back home with either a horde of
zombies or a mass of angry raiders on their tail. They must then prepare the
settlement for the onslaught and defend the walls from the attackers. In the
aftermath, they can finally restore power, having either dealt with the raiders
or fought off the zombie horde. In either case, things are stable once again for
the people and new opportunities present themselves for the future.
Pacing and Story Beats

Pacing the flow of time in your campaign is a key tool for increasing or decreasing the
pressure on the survivors and their resources. If there is no break in time between
sessions the survivors will be slowly ground down, taking more and more bruises
and dings that they do not have the time and resources to heal. Alternatively, if you
give the survivors too much time to rest and repair, they may not feel much survival
pressure at all. Take the campaign example above. Giving the survivors a break
between the second and third session is fine. They have earned a bit more time
with the generator and should be able to take a day or two to recuperate, but from
that point on to the end there is no time to rest. The story goes on until the end
and the survivors are likely to feel exhausted by the conclusion of the campaign.
Note that this is often a thing you can control during the campaign, using time off
as needed to ensure that the survivors are feeling the pressure at the right time.
Finally, consider the narrative “beats” of your campaign. Is the scene positive
or negative? Upon its conclusion are the survivors getting ahead or being set
back? Are they struggling with adversity or finding success? Avoid too much
repetition in these narrative beats to keep the story interesting. Survivors should
face setbacks and challenges that force them to reassess their approach just as
much as they should be excited when a plan goes off perfectly. This is also a good
time to consider the overall arc of these beats and how they work together to
create an overall feel for the campaign.
The example above is a traditional arc of beats. It starts with success, as the
party discovers a generator, but leads into a challenge, the generator they found
is not good enough. Again, they have success in finding the parts they need,
but now a new opportunity presents itself, there are signs of massive power
nearby. The third session opens with a hopeful note but ends with a decidedly
PAGE 13
downbeat situation. The ample nearby power is blocked by a significant threat,
the raiders. In the fourth session, the survivors hit bottom. They must make a
terrible choice to either deny the settlement power or to unleash a massive
horde of zombies in the area. Both have upsides, but they are very uncertain. In
the final session, the survivors live with their choices and help the settlement
thrive by overcoming the threat that they unleashed. Everything is better than
it was, even if the costs were steep.
There are many ways that you can assemble these beats into an engaging
narrative. Here are a few simple frameworks to consider when putting your plot
points together.
Roller-coaster
The story starts off with modest success that leads to a bigger challenge.
This then goes wrong in several ways, leading to a crisis. Resolving this
challenge leads to a well-earned success. This story structure is good for a
wide variety of campaigns, but best for those with one clear goal.
Rocky Road
Every step on the path of this story is met with a setback and each new step
is an attempt to correct past mistakes. The climax will require one major
push to see it through to the end. This story structure is great for when the
survivors are trying to assemble a thing or build to some great plan.
Journey to the Depths

Nothing is going right in the beginning of this campaign. Despite their best
efforts, things continue to deteriorate or go wrong in some meaningful
way. If it was not for the survivor’s efforts, everyone would be doomed,
but they just manage to hold on and find a way through at the end. This is
a good story structure for campaigns involving flight from a problem or the
collapse of a major system or settlement. Finding a new home at the end is
a massive reward that makes up for all the hardship.
Combat Encounters
You can design combat encounters much in the same way as you do in Pathfinder.
One thing to keep in mind is that large encounters with less powerful zombies
and other threats are more thematic and satisfying in Hopefinder than a series of
single, powerful foes. Zombies frequently come in large waves, slowly advancing
on the survivors, giving them ample opportunities to use ranged weapons, traps,
and barricades to prevent the zombies from getting too close. Since zombies
attacks carry the risk of infection death and as a result, the survivors are likely to
try and keep their distance, at all costs.
Part of your narrative planning should be focused on giving the survivors a
wide variety of combats. They should be given plenty of opportunities to ambush
zombies and maybe even raiders on occasion. They should likewise be surprised
by zombies that are hiding in an area, just silently waiting for their next meal.
PAGE 14
Zombie Tactics
For the most part, the zombies are not tactically minded. They move to the
nearest foe and attack. If they set up a flank, it should be a coincidence, not
an intentional plan. What they lack in tactics they make up for in numbers and
relentlessness. It is important to keep these tactical considerations in mind
because when the survivors do encounter a zombie capable of some tactical
thought, it should be a surprise and they should take note that something has
changed. This is especially true if an overmind is in the area (see page 27).
Rewards
Survivors should gain a level after the conclusion of each major story in a campaign,
typically at the end of each session. Other than this advancement, the other
primary means of rewarding the characters is through new gear and story options.
New gear, meds, food, and ammunition should be among the things the
survivors find during their adventures, both replace old gear and to give them
the barter to get the items they want from traders in the nearby settlement.
The following table gives you an idea of how much gear to give out in each story,
including a total barter value and maximum value of any one item. Note that for
simplicity, the total barter value refers to the value of all the items together, not
what they would be worth if combined in a trade. You can exceed these limits if
you want but should be careful in giving out too much as it will make it easy for the
characters to survive and overcome threats. Survivors are not expected to carry
everything back with them of value and in most cases the rules for encumbrance
will prevent them from carrying back anything other than the most valuable items.
Table: Rewards Per Session

Level Total Barter Max Barter
1 10 per survivor 5
2 12 per survivor 8
3 15 per survivor 12
PAGE 15
1.3 – Converting Rules
Many of the feats and monsters in Pathfinder work almost entirely as written in
Hopefinder. Whether or not a feat or other options is allowed is entirely up to the
narrator to decide, but the group should talk about how to handle these options
at the start of play so that everyone has the same expectation.
Feats
Feats are the most common rules element that the survivors try to acquire. Part
of their leveling process gives them skill feats, which are drawn directly from
Pathfinder. Use the following guidelines when determining if a feat is appropriate
for Hopefinder.
No Magic: Magic does not exist in the world of Hopefinder, so feats that grant
magic abilities do not exist. This includes elements that are born out of a
connection to the magical world, such as those that grant a familiar.
Level: The level requirements of a feat are not as important. When it comes to
skill feats, most level requirements can be ignored entirely, relying on the
other requirements instead. The levels for class feats should still be used,
but at only 1/2 the listed level. This means that a 4th level Rogue feat can be
taken by a 2nd level survivor in Hopefinder.
Class: Feats that belong to a Pathfinder class can be taken without taking the
multiclassing feat, but the narrator might assign them a trait, marking them
as a specific advanced feat (see page 51 of the Hopefinder Player's Guide).
Otherwise, the class feats can be taken by the Open Feats selection as part of
leveling up. Narrators may wish to note that some class features can be taken
as feats in this way. For example, the narrator might declare that the Ranger’s
Hunt Prey ability can be taken with an open feat or any advanced feat pick,
treating the ability as if it had the Cunning trait.
Prerequisites: While level and class prerequisites are frequently ignored, others
generally apply, especially those that require a specific level of proficiency in
a skill. If that skill does not exist in Hopefinder, then neither does its skill feats.
Creatures
Adapting a monster to Hopefinder requires very little work, but the choice of
monster here is important. Creatures that rely on magical abilities are not a good
choice, as such abilities do not work in a world without magic. Most fantastical
creatures also make for a poor choice unless you are making drastic changes to
the story of the world. Various types of low level undead (zombies especially)
and animals are all great pickups for use in the game.
Note that creatures in Hopefinder are not quite as powerful as they are in
Pathfinder and that you should either adjust their statistics or treat them as a
higher level accordingly. As a simple rule, most creatures can be treated as one
level higher than they are in Pathfinder, making them an appropriate threat for
the less powerful survivors in Hopefinder.
PAGE 16
2.0 Creatures
2.0 – Creatures
The world has fallen into ruin. While zombies are the largest danger, by far, animals
and other humans can prove to be equally deadly in the right circumstances.
In the following pages you will find all the stats and abilities for a variety of
dangerous animals, desperate humans, and the hungry dead. The animals and
zombie animals here are generally among the more dangerous ones found in the
pacific northwest, to match the starting setting. Other regions undoubtedly have
other threats.
Note that creatures that appear here may have different statistics from those
found in Pathfinder.
Animals
While many mammals are susceptible to the Z-Plague, there are just as many
who have taken the fall of human civilization as an opportunity to reestablish old
hunting grounds, prowling through the ruins of abandoned towns, looking for an
easy meal. The following represent only some of the more dangerous animals
that the survivors might encounter.
Bear, Black Creature 2

Medium, Animal
Perception +7; low-light vision, scent (imprecise) 30 feet
Skills Athletics +8, Survival +5
Str +2, Dex +2, Con +2, Int -4, Wis +1, Cha -2
AC 16; Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +5
HP 30; Armor Resistance 2 slashing
Speed 35 feet
Melee [one-action] jaws +8, Damage 1d8+2 piercing
Melee [one-action] claw +6, Damage 1d6+2
slashing plus grab
Maul The black bear gains a +1
circumstance bonus to damage
rolls against creatures it has
grabbed
Bear, Brown Creature 4

Large, Animal
Perception +9; low-light vision, scent
(imprecise) 30 feet
HP 50; Armor Resistance 5 slashing
Speed 35 feet
PAGE 17
Melee [one-action] claw +12, Damage 1d10+4 slashing plus grab
Demolish The brown bear is particularly effective at tearing down barricades.
The brown bear deals twice as many dings when it Batters an object.
Maul The brown bear gains a +2 circumstance bonus to damage rolls against
creatures it has grabbed
Rush [two-actions] The brown bear Strides and makes a Strike at the end of that movement.
During the Strike, the brown bear gains a +10-foot circumstance bonus
to its Speed.
Cougar Creature 3
Medium, Animal
Skills Acrobatics +7, Athletics +8, Stealth +7
HP 40
Speed 30 feet
Melee [one-action] jaws +8, Damage 1d8+3 piercing plus grab
Melee [one-action] claw +10, Damage 1d6+3 slashing
Drag Whenever the cougar takes a Step while grappling a creature, that creature
moves with it.
Pounce [one-action] The cougar Strides and makes a Strike at the end of that movement.
If the cougar began this action hidden, it remains hidden until after this
ability’s Strike.
Sneak Attack The cougar deals 1d6 extra precision damage to flat-footed
creatures.
Dog, Wild Creature 0

Small, Animal
Skills Acrobatics +5, Athletics +4, Stealth +5, Survival +3
HP 15
Speed 30 feet
Shred [one-action] The dog rips and shreds a creature it has grabbed. This deals 1d4
piercing damage. If the damage fails to penetrate the target’s armor
resistance, their armor takes a ding (instead of dealing them a bruise).
Wolf, Timber Creature 1

Medium, Animal
PAGE 18
2.0 Creatures
HP 20
Speed 35 feet
Melee [one-action] jaws +6, Damage 1d6+2
piercing plus Knockdown
Pack Coordination The wolf is treated as
flanking a creature if it is adjacent
to a foe and an ally with this ability is
also adjacent. They do not have to
be on opposite sides.
Humans
While most know to be weary of the
dead, other humans can be even more
dangerous, using guns and armor just like the survivors. While not everyone they
meet while wandering the wastelands is going to be aggressive, the following
stats represent some of the most common threats they might encounter.
Most humans have gear that is still of some use, but most of it has dings or
other damage. Items that are useful should be counted against the rewards of
the adventure. All the rest is at least broken during the fight and some of it may
be destroyed, granting a handful of parts at best.
Big Boss Creature 5

Medium, Human
Perception +12
Skills Athletics +11, Deception +13, Diplomacy +13, Intimidation +11, Performance
+11, Society +8
Str +4, Dex +2, Con +4, Int +1, Wis +3, Cha +4
Gear heavy machinegun (60 rounds), police body armor, sledgehammer
AC 23; Fort +13, Ref +9, Will +12
HP 49; Armor Resistance 7 all (helmet)
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] sledgehammer +13, Damage 2d6+4 bludgeoning
Ranged [one-action] heavy machinegun +11 (burst, clip 30, deadly, range 30 ft.), Damage
2d8 piercing
Demand Results [one-action] The big boss calls out to all their allies, demanding that they
do better. All allies of the big boss within 60 feet gain a +1 status bonus
to attack and damage rolls until the start of the big boss’ next turn.
Devastating Smash [two-actions] The big boss makes a melee Strike that deals one extra
die of damage (3d6+4 damage with the sledgehammer, for example).
This attack deals 2 dings to the target’s armor if it gets past its resistance
and 2 bruises if it does not.
Spray [two-actions] The big boss sprays heavy machinegun fire in a 30-foot cone, dealing
2d8 piercing damage to all targets in that area (basic Reflex DC 21). This
attack uses 15 bullets.
PAGE 19
Katana Guy/Gal/Pal Creature 4
Medium, Human
Perception +10
Skills Acrobatics +10, Computers +6, Crafting +6, Stealth +10, Thievery +8
Str +4, Dex +2, Con +3, Int +0, Wis +2, Cha -1
Gear bandages (2), climbing kit, compound bow (10 arrows),
katana, ration bar (2), sports protection
HP 39; Armor Resistance 5 all (helmet)
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] katana +12 (deadly), Damage 1d10+4
Ranged [one-action] compound bow +10 (range 60 ft.),
Damage 1d8+4
Fluid Draw [one-action] The katana guy/gal/pal draws a melee weapon
and uses it to make a melee Strike.
Overhead Cut [two-actions] The katana guy/gal/pal makes a melee
Strike that deals one extra die of damage (2d10+4
damage with the katana, for example).
Sneak Attack The katana guy/gal/pal deals 1d6 extra
precision damage to flat-footed creatures.
Pyro Creature 2
Medium, Human
Perception +5
Skills Acrobatics +7, Crafting +7, Deception +6, Intimidation +6
Str +1, Dex +3, Con +2, Int +1, Wis -1, Cha +2
Gear beer, branch, crude pistol (10 bullets), lab gear, lighter, Molotov cocktail
(3)
AC 16; Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +3; +4 item bonus on saving throws against acid, fire,
infections, poison, and smoke
HP 22; Armor Resistance 2 all
Immolate If pyro takes a critical hit by a bludgeoning weapon, several of the bot-
tles of flammable liquid strapped to their body burst. If they are wield-
ing a burning branch or they take fire damage, these liquids ignite and
the pyro takes 2d6 persistent fire damage and all of its melee attacks
deal an additional 1d6 fire damage.
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] branch +5, Damage 1d6+1 bludgeoning
Ranged [one-action] crude pistol +7 (clip 1, deadly, range 10 ft.), Damage 1d6 piercing
Ranged [one-action] Molotov cocktail +7, Damage 2d6 fire plus 1d6 splash fire
Burning Branch [one-action] Using a lighter, the pyro lights a branch on fire. For the
next two rounds, any attacks with the burning branch that hit deal
an additional 1d4 fire damage. The branch takes 1 ding at the end of
pyro’s turn.
PAGE 20
2.0 Creatures
Raider Creature 0
Medium, Human
Perception +3
Skills Athletics +4, Intimidation +2, Stealth +3, Thievery +3
Gear crude pistol (10 bullets), crude spear, expired canned goods, workwear,
wrench
HP 14; Armor Resistance 2 B/P/S
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] crude spear +4, Damage 1d6+2 piercing
Ranged [one-action] crude pistol +5 (clip 1, deadly, range 10 ft.), Damage 1d6 piercing
Menace The raider gets a +1 circumstance bonus on Intimidation checks made
to demoralize for each other visible raider or road warrior in the area
(maximum +4).
Reckless Charge [one-action] The raider Strides and makes a melee Strike at the end of
that movement. The raider is flat-footed until the start of its next turn.
Road Warrior Creature 3

Medium, Human
Perception +8
Skills Athletics +10, Drive +9, Intimidation +6,
Machinery +6
Gear baseball bat, biker gear,
crowbar, liquor,
ration bar, pump
action shotgun (10
bullets)
HP 28; Armor Resistance 3 B/P/S (helmet)
Speed 20 feet
Melee [one-action] baseball bat +8, Damage 1d8+3 bludgeoning
Ranged [one-action] pump action shotgun +10 (clip 5, deadly,
range 30 ft.), Damage 2d6 piercing
Drive-By The road warrior does not take any penalties from
making ranged Strikes from a moving vehicle.
Menace The road warrior gets a +1 circumstance bonus on
Intimidation checks made to demoralize
for each other visible raider or road
warrior in the area (maximum +4).
Swipe [two-actions] The road warrior makes two
Strikes with a bludgeoning or slashing melee
weapon against two different adjacent foes. Both count toward your
multiple attack penalty, but not until both attacks are resolved.
PAGE 21
Starved Creature 1
Medium, Human
Perception +4
Skills Athletics +5, Intimidation +4, Stealth +5, Survival +4
Gear bottle (2), golf club, workwear
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] golf club +5, Damage 1d6+2 bludgeoning
Ranged [one-action] bottle +5 (range 20 ft.), Damage 1d4 slashing
Hangry [one-action] The starved flies into a hangry rage that lasts for 1 minute. While
raging the starved’s AC is 13, but its melee attacks receive a +2 status
bonus to damage. If the starved finds food while in a rage, it eats the
food as soon as possible.
Wanderer Creature -1
Medium, Human
Perception +2
Skills Athletics +3, Crafting +3, Diplomacy +3, Survival +2
Gear crude bow (10 arrows), expired canned goods (2), kitchen knife, lighter,
winter clothes
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] kitchen knife +3, Damage 1d4+1
slashing
Ranged [one-action] crude bow +3 (range 30 ft.), Damage
1d6 piercing
Scavenge [one-action] The wanderer spends a moment
scrounging through the area within
reach, finding any item worth 0
barter, such as an improvised shield,
a brick, a bottle, or a shiv.
PAGE 22
2.0 Creatures
Zombies
The Z Plague can have a variety of effects on the dead, as the parasites that
inhabit the body rewire the nervous system, allowing it to keep functioning after
death. In most case, the dead return as runners and as their body decays, they
turn into shamblers, and then finally crawlers. Some, however, take a different
path becoming the corpulent bloated, lean sneakers, taut leapers, or something
even worse. Very rarely a zombie will go through a strange transformation into a
mutant, where their parasites begin to replace living tissue, growing new organs
and appendages. Given enough time, these mutants become either massive
death dealing hulks, or the sinister intelligences known only as the overminds,
whose entire heads have been replaced with massive, clicking parasites.
Zombie Immunities: As dead things, zombies are immune to a number of

things that affect the living. Unless otherwise noted, zombies are immune
to disease, mental effects, poison, and anything that would render them
unconscious. Zombies do not take bruises nor do they need to eat or drink
(although some gain abilities if they have recently consumed living flesh).
Zombies are destroyed immediately upon being reduce to 0 Hit Points.
Z Plague: Every zombie can transmit the Z Plague, usually through a critical
hit. The exact details of the Z Plague are described on page 39 of the
Hopefinder Survivor's Guide, but the DC and the method of transmission
for each zombie is described in its statistics.
Armored Creature 2
Medium, Human, Zombie
Perception +6; darkvision
Skills Athletics +7
Gear light patchwork, a random item with a barter value of 1 or 2
HP 20; Armor Resistance 3 all; Immunities zombie
Block [reaction] Trigger An adjacent creature hits the armored with a melee Strike;
Effect The armored’s resistance against the attack is doubled. Then
permanently reduce its resistance by 1.
Speed 15 feet
Melee [one-action] fist +7, Damage 1d6+3 bludgeoning
Double Fisted Smash [two-actions] The armored makes a terrifying two-fisted overhand
smash attack. The armored makes a fist Strike that deals one extra die
of damage (2d6+3) and the target must attempt a DC 17 Reflex save,
falling prone if it fails. This counts as two attacks for the multiple attack
penalty.
Z Plague DC 16; The armored transmits the Z Plague through its jaws and only
on a critical hit.
PAGE 23
Bloated Creature 1
Skills Athletics +7
Slow A bloated only takes 2 actions each round and cannot take reactions.
HP 30; Immunities zombie; Weaknesses slashing 5
Death Burst When the bloated dies, its body bursts open, spraying all adjacent
creatures, dealing 1d6 acid damage (basic Reflex DC 16). If its death also
causes a gore spray, the target of the spray is immune to this effect.
Zombies are immune to this damage.
Gore Spray [reaction] Trigger An adjacent creature critically hits the bloated with a
Strike that deals slashing damage; Effect The bloated sprays viscera at
the attacker, dealing 2d6 acid damage (basic Reflex DC 16).
Speed 20 feet
Z Plague DC 16; The bloated transmits the Z Plague through its
Gore Spray and Death Burst, but only to those who critically fail
the saving throw against the effect.
Crawler Creature -1
Small, Human, Zombie
Skills Athletics +4
Str +1, Dex -1, Con +2, Int -4, Wis +0, Cha -2
Slow A crawler only takes 2 actions each round and
cannot take reactions.
HP 12; Immunities zombie
Low Profile The crawler receives a +4 circumstance bonus to AC
against ranged attacks that are made from more than 10 feet away.
Speed crawl 10 feet
Melee [one-action] fist +3, Damage 1d4+1 bludgeoning plus grab
Ankle Bite [one-action] (Attack) Requirement The crawler has a creature grabbed or
restrained. Effect The crawler attempts to bite the grabbed or restrained
creature with an attack modifier of +5 that deals 1d4+1 piercing damage.
Creepy Crawler A crawler does not trigger reactions from crawling on the ground.
It automatically fails all saving throws to avoid setting off traps on the
ground.
Z Plague DC 14; The crawler transmits the Z Plague through its Ankle Bite and
only on a critical hit.
PAGE 24
2.0 Creatures
Hulk Creature 5
Huge, Human, Zombie
Skills Athletics +18
Str +7, Dex +1, Con +5, Int -2, Wis +1, Cha +0
AC 20; Fort +14, Ref +8, Will +10
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] fist +14, Damage 2d10+7 bludgeoning plus grab
Consume [two-actions] (attack) Requirement The hulk has a creature grabbed or
restrained. Effect The hulk attempts to swallow a human whole by
attempting an Athletics check against the grabbed or restrained target’s
Fortitude DC. If successful, the creature takes 2d6+7 piercing damage,
is exposed to the Z Plague, and is transferred to the Hulk’s mouth. It can
then attempt to swallow whole.
Obliterate The hulk can tear through nearly anything in its path, dealing four
times as many dings when it Batters an object.
Swallow Whole [one-action] (attack) Medium, 3d6 acid plus Z plague, Rupture 20
Throw [one-action] (attack) Requirement The hulk has a creature grabbed or restrained.
Effect The hulk attempts an Athletics skill check against the target’s
Fortitude DC. If successful, the target is thrown 20 feet, landing prone
and takes 3d6 bludgeoning damage (30 feet on a critical success). If the
target hits an object, it takes 1d6 additional bludgeoning for every 5 feet
it did not travel. A basic Reflex save (DC 24) can reduce this damage.
Z Plague DC 22; The hulk transmits the Z Plague through its Consume and
Swallow Whole abilities.
Zombie Vomit [one-action] Creature’s that die inside a zombie hulk become zombies one
round later that the Hulk can vomit into an adjacent square. These are
usually armored or runners. The new zombies start their turn prone.
Infested Creature 3
AC 18; Fort +10, Ref +10, Will +5
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] jaws +7, Damage 1d6+2 piercing plus Z Plague
Melee [one-action] fist +9, Damage 1d4+2 piercing plus grab
Horrid Kiss [two-actions] (Attack) Requirement The infested has a creature grabbed or
restrained. Effect The infested forces parasites into the grabbed or
restrained creature’s mouth. The infested attempts an Athletics check
against the target’s Reflex DC. If successful, the target is exposed to the
Z Plague and their initial save is made at a -2 penalty.
PAGE 25
Spew Parasites [two-actions] The infested unleashes a cone of parasites and stomach acid
in a 15 foot cone. Living creatures in this area take 3d6 acid damage
(basic Reflex DC 18). Those that fail this save are also exposed to the Z
Plague. It can’t use Spew Parasites again for 1d4 rounds.
Z Plague DC 20; The infested transmits the Z Plague through its jaws attack, its
Horrid Kiss, and its Spew Parasites.
Leaper Creature 2
Skills Acrobatics +10, Stealth +8
Hop [reaction] Trigger An adjacent creature targets the leaper with a melee strike.
Effect The leaper gets a +2 circumstance bonus to AC against the trig-
gering attack. If the attack misses, the leaper may Step to an adjacent
space.
Speed 25 feet, climb 20 feet
Leap [one-action] The leaper attempts a high jump or a long jump, using Acrobatics. It does
not need to move 10 feet before attempting these jumps and all DCs are
reduced by 10.
Spring and Attack If the leaper’s previous action was to jump using Acrobatics
and its next action is a jaws attack, that attack gains a +2 circumstance
bonus to the attack roll and damage roll.
Z Plague DC 16; The leaper transmits the Z Plague through its jaws and only on
a critical hit.
PAGE 26
2.0 Creatures
Mutant Creature 4
Large, Human, Zombie
Skills Athletics +15, Intimidation +8
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] tentacle +11 (reach), Damage 2d6+5 bludgeoning plus grab
Ranged [one-action] polyp +9 (range 20 ft.), Damage 1d8+5 acid
Destroy The mutant can rip apart barricades and obstacles. The mutant deals
three times as many dings when it Batters an object.
Gnaw [one-action] (Attack) Requirement The mutant has a creature grabbed or restrained.
Effect The mutant attempts to bite the grabbed or restrained creature
with an attack modifier of +11 that deals 1d8+5 piercing damage.
Overrun [two-actions] (attack) The mutant charges through obstacles and foes, moving up
to twice its speed in a straight line. It must attempt an Athletics check
against each obstacle (using its Break DC) or creature (using its Fortitude
DC). If it succeeds, the obstacle is broken or the creature is pushed aside
(or knocked prone if no space outside the line is available). If it fails a
check, it just before that obstacle or creature. Creatures pushed aside in
this attack take 1d6+5 bludgeoning damage (basic Reflex DC 20).
Swing Around [two-actions] (attack) The mutant swings its tentacle is a wide arc, hitting all
targets within 10 feet. The mutant makes a tentacle Strike against each
target individually. This only counts as one attack for its multiple attack
penalty and only after all the attacks are resolved. It cannot grab anyone
after using this ability.
Z Plague DC 20; The leaper transmits the Z Plague through its Gnaw ability and
Overmind Creature 6
Perception +16; darkvision, sense infected (60 feet)
Skills Acrobatics +16, Deception +14, Diplomacy +14, Intimidation +16, Stealth
+16
Sense Infected The overmind knows whether any creatures within 60 feet are
infected with the Z Plague. It can detect these creatures as an impre-
cise sense if it cannot see them.
AC 24; Fort +12, Ref +16, Will +14
Clouded Mind (aura, olfactory) 10 feet. A living creature that enters the area
must attempt a DC 24 Will save. On a failure, the creature is stupefied 1,
and on a critical failure, the creature is confused for 1 minute, but may
attempt another save at the end of each of its turns to end the effect.
PAGE 27
Speed 30 feet
Melee [one-action] mandibles +14, Damage 2d6+8 piercing plus Z Plague
Ranged [one-action] egg +16 (range 20 ft.), Damage 2d4+4 piercing plus Z Plague
Acidic Spray [two-actions] The overmind unleashes a 30-foot line of acidic parasites. Living
creatures in this area take 6d6 acid damage (basic Reflex DC 22). Those
that fail this save are also exposed to the Z Plague. It can’t use Acidic
Spray again for 1d4 rounds.
Command the Dead The overmind can command any undead with 60 feet,
causing them to act with tactics and intelligence not normally seen
by the dead. They will avoid obstacles, move to get flanking attacks,
and focus on vulnerable foes. The undead still act on their turn with
their normal number of actions. The overmind can spend an action to
specifically direct an undead in this radius to act in any way that the
overmind desires.
Override [one-action] (mental) The overmind reach out to the parasite infecting a living
creature within 60 feet, attempting to take control. The target must
attempt a DC 24 Will save. On a success it is immune to this ability for
24 hours. On a failure, it is slowed 1 for 1 round. On a critical failure,
it must take a simple action dictated by the overmind (as per the spell
command) and it must also make another save against the Z Plague, as
the parasites within them become empowered.
Z Plague DC 24; The overmind transmits the Z Plague through its mandibles and
egg attacks, and through its acidic spray.
Rad Zombie Creature 4

Cherenkov Glow The rad zombie glows with a blue light. It fails all Stealth checks
made to Hide in dim light or darkness, but in such environments it is
concealed from attacks made from greater than 20 feet away.
Radioactive (aura, poison) 10 feet. Living creatures that start their turn in this
aura take 2d6 poison damage (basic Fortitude DC 20). Living creatures
that critically fail this saving throw also gain radiation sickness.
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] jaws +9, Damage 1d8+3 piercing plus 1d6 poison plus radiation sickness
Melee [one-action] fist +11, Damage 1d6+3 bludgeoning plus 1d6 poison plus radiation
sickness
Radiation Sickness Living creatures that are damaged by a rad zombie’s melee
attacks must attempt a DC 20 Fortitude save. Those that fail gain
radiation sickness (as well as those who critically fail the save against the
radioactive aura). At the start of each day, those with radiation sickness
PAGE 28
2.0 Creatures
take 1d4 poison damage that cannot be resisted or healed. They then
attempt a DC 20 Fortitude save. Those that succeed end the sickness.
Iodine supplements give a +4 item bonus to this save.
Z Plague DC 20; The rad zombie transmits the Z Plague through its jaws and only
on a critical hit.
Runner Creature 1
Skills Acrobatics +5, Athletics +5
Speed 30 feet
Body Slam [two-actions] (attack) The runner moves up to twice its
speed, ending in a space adjacent to another
creature. It slams into that creature, attempting
an Acrobatics check against their Fortitude DC.
If the check succeeds, both the target and the
runner are knocked prone (only the target on
a critical success). On a failure, neither are
knocked prone and on a critical failure only
the runner is knocked prone.
Z Plague DC 15; The runner transmits the Z Plague
through its jaws and only on a critical hit.
Shambler Creature 0
Skills Athletics +5
Slow A shambler only takes 2 actions each round and
cannot take reactions.
Speed 20 feet
plus grab
Gnaw [one-action] (Attack) Requirement The shambler has
a creature grabbed or restrained. Effect The
shambler attempts to bite the grabbed or
restrained creature with an attack modifier
of +6 that deals 1d4+2 piercing damage.
PAGE 29
Groan Shamblers emit small moans and growls as they move, giving them a -4
circumstance penalty on Stealth checks.
Z Plague DC 14; The shambler transmits the Z Plague through its gnaw and only
on a critical hit.
Sneaker Creature 1
Speed 20 feet
Ambush Sneakers often lie in wait, hiding until prey comes to within 20 feet
before springing forth to attack. Sneakers deal an additional 1d4
precision damage on Strikes made against foes that are surprised on
the first round of combat.
Z Plague DC 15; The sneaker transmits the Z Plague through its jaws and only on
a critical hit.
Soldier Creature 3
Skills Athletics +11
Gear bulletproof vest, military helmet, semiauto pistol (1d20 bullets) or a com-
bat knife, a random item with a barter value of 4 or less
HP 30; Armor Resistance 5 B/P/S; Immunities zombie
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] fist +11, Damage 1d4+4 piercing plus grab
Demolish The soldier is particularly effective at tearing down barricades. The
soldier deals twice as many dings when it Batters an object.
Pry Open [one-action] (Attack) Requirement The soldier has a creature grabbed or
restrained. Effect Using its immense strength, the soldier pries open the
target’s armor to bite flesh. The soldier attempts a jaws Strike on the
creature it has grabbed or restrained, with a -2 circumstance penalty. If
the Strike hits it ignores their armor resistance.
Z Plague DC 18; The soldier transmits the Z Plague through its jaws on a critical
hit and on a successful pry open jaws attack.
PAGE 30
2.0 Creatures
Zombie Animals
The Z Plague only affects a subset of mammals and for many it is fatal, but it does
cause a few to come back as zombies. Pigs, being the source of the plague to begin
with, were the most common in the early days, but dogs, wolves, and rats are
now a frequent danger. None, however, are nearly as dangerous as zombie bears.
These towering hulks of rotting flesh can destroy entire settlements with ease.
Big Ben Creature 6
Large, Animal (bear), Zombie
AC 19; Fort +18, Ref +9, Will +12
HP 120; Armor Resistance 5 slashing; Immunities zombie
Speed 20 feet
Melee [one-action] jaws +18, Damage 2d6+8 piercing plus Z Plague
Melee [one-action] claw +20, Damage 2d8+8 slashing plus grab
Destroy Big Ben can rip apart barricades and obstacles. The zombie bear deals
three times as many dings when it Batters an object.
Maul Big Ben gains a +4 circumstance bonus to damage rolls against creatures it
has grabbed
Rush [two-actions] Big Ben Strides and makes a Strike at the end of that movement. During
the Strike, Big Ben gains a +10-foot circumstance bonus to its Speed.
Terrifying Growl [one-action] (mental, fear) Big Ben unleashes a terrifying growl, attempting
an Intimidation check to demoralize all living creatures within 60 feet. It
only rolls once and applies that result to all targets. After resolving this
check, all targets are immune to further terrifying growls for 24 hours.
Z Plague DC 24; Big Ben transmits the Z Plague through its jaws and only on a
critical hit.
Brood Mother Creature 3

Large, Animal (pig), Zombie
Ferocity [reaction]
Speed 20 feet
Melee [one-action] tusk +9, Damage 2d6+4 piercing
Rage [one-action] Requirement A dead hog was slain within 60 feet during the previous
round. Effect The brood mother goes into a rage for 1 minute, gaining a +2
status bonus on attack and damage rolls, and a -2 status penalty to its AC.
Z Plague DC 19; A brood mother transmits the Z Plague through its tusks and only
on a critical hit.
PAGE 31
Dead Hog Creature 1
Medium, Animal (pig), Zombie
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] tusk +5, Damage 1d6+2 piercing
Hog Charge [two-actions] The dead hog Strides twice and then makes a tusk Strike. As
long as it moved at least 20 feet, it gains a +2 circumstance bonus to its
attack roll.
Z Plague DC 16; A dead hog transmits the Z Plague through its tusks and only on
a critical hit.
Howling Hound Creature 0

Small, Animal (dog), Zombie
Speed 30 feet
Howl [one-action] (mental, fear) All living creatures within 30 feet must attempt a DC 14 Will
save. Those who fail are frightened 1 (frightened 2 on a critical failure).
Other howling hounds in the area can howl as a reaction to enlarge the
area. Targets are then immune to the howling howl for 24 hours.
Z Plague DC 14; A howling hound transmits the Z Plague through its jaws and
Rat King Creature 1

Medium, Animal (rat), Zombie
R.O.U.S. The rat king large size is because it infested with smaller Z rats, carried
within. When a rat king dies, 1d4 Z Rats emerge from the body on the
next round.
Z Plague DC 15; A Rat King transmits the Z Plague through its jaws and only on
a critical hit.
PAGE 32
2.0 Creatures
Warg Creature 2
Medium, Animal (wolf), Zombie
Speed 35 feet
Melee [one-action] jaws +7, Damage 1d6+3 piercing plus Knockdown
Pack Coordination The warg is treated as flanking a creature if it is adjacent to a
foe and an ally with this ability is also adjacent. They do not have to be
on opposite sides.
Silent Stalker The warg is silent when it moves and does not need to attempt a
Stealth check to remain undetected if no creature can see it.
Sneak Attack The warg deals 1d6 extra precision damage to flat-footed creatures.
Z Plague DC 17; A warg transmits the Z Plague through its jaws and only on a
critical hit.
Z Rat (Zat) Creature -1

Small, Animal (rat), Zombie
Melee [one-action] jaws +5, Damage 1d6
piercing
Z Plague DC 13; A Z Rat
transmits the Z
Plague through its jaws
and only on a critical hit.
PAGE 33
3.0 – Seattle
The Emerald City has seen better days. With a population of just under 3,000,
much of the city is occupied by the dead and some of it is so irradiated that it
will not be inhabitable again for several thousand years. It is a ruined metropolis,
filled with every sort of danger, but from the ash springs new hope. Somewhere
in this vast urban wasteland is a sample of the original Z Parasite and finding it is
the key to humanity’s salvation.
History
The Z Plague arrived in Seattle on October 5th, 2022, when an infected farmhand
from the Midwest landed at SeaTac airport on a trip to visit friends and family.
Over the next two days he would visit the Market and take in a Football game,
and all the while he was contagious with the Z Plague. In 48 hours, he would
spread the contagion to hundreds of people around the area. The first bloom
hit the Market two days later and, in the chaos and violence, the police erected
a barrier around the place to try to get things under control. Meanwhile, across
Lake Washington, in a small home in Kirkland, the farmhand died and turned on
everyone in his immediate family. This would be the start of a horde that would
go on to menace the outlying suburbs of Kirkland and Bellevue.
As the situation worsened, the national guard was called in and the governor
declared a state of emergency. Setting up camp just south of downtown, the guard
cleared out several nearby warehouses and used them to triage the infected. This
mistake would soon become a massive horde that overran the guard and caused
citywide panic. Business, community, and government leaders all began drawing
up desperate plans to ensure the survival of their people and interests.
With few options available to them, the national guard began corralling the
dead in a site just south of downtown. Over the coming days, they lured the dead
into large sports stadiums, using living bait to draw them on to the fields where
they could be contained. Wealthy business leaders fled the city, while some
enacted emergency procedures to lock themselves and their key staff in fortified
bunkers. Outlying communities took action to prevent the massive hordes in
Seattle from traveling far by blowing up one of the two massive floating bridges
and heavily barricading the other.
On October 18th the military undertook a desperate gambit, firing a strategic
nuclear cruise missile on the assembled dead at the stadiums. In an instant, one
of the two stadiums was destroyed and the other took massive damage.
Worse still, it did not work.
While many of the dead were incinerated in the blast, the radiation seemed
to have little effect on those nearby. They continued to march on the living,
now emitting deadly radiation. The following month was one of complete
panic in Seattle and the surrounding communities. Many tried to fortify their
neighborhoods, but the parasite was insidious and found its way into most
settlements. Within 6 months, almost everyone in Seattle was dead, and the
undead population was over 1 million. A year later, the living population was
PAGE 34
3.0 Seattle
PAGE 35
below 10,000. With the rest of the world suffering the same fate, the people of
the Pacific Northwest were on their own, cut off from help or rescue.
In the years since, the number of fortified settlements has dwindled down to
just a few hardened colonies. While the number of undead is not nearly so high
as it once was, they are still an ever-present threat to those who venture outside
the walled communities. To make matters worse, there are several nomadic
raider gangs in the area who demand tribute from settlements and enact terrible
retribution on those who do not pay.
The year is 2032. The past decade has been filled with nightmares, but things
are more stable than they have been in quite some time. The dead still wander
the streets and although the hordes are not as large, they are no less dangerous
to those caught unprepared. Three large settlements remain, with a handful
of smaller enclaves in the area doing whatever necessary to keep on living. Of
those, the Free Ballard enclave is a bastion of safety and hope in this dark world,
working hard to secure the surrounding neighborhoods and claw back these
lands from the dead.
Gazetteer
What follows is a description of notable settlements, survivors, threats, and
points of interest located in and around the greater Seattle area. This is by no
means an exhaustive list and narrators are encouraged to add their own locations
to the map, along with whatever is needed to tell an engaging story.
Settlements
The following locations are safe zones where survivors can rest, get medical
attention, find food, and do some trading. Some are less friendly to outsiders
than others, but most are willing to open their gates to allow in someone in
search of aid.
Free Ballard
The largest fortified settlement in the greater Seattle area, Free Ballard is
home to over 700 people living in apartments and houses in the old Ballard
neighborhood, northwest of downtown. The settlement encompasses the
entire area between Salmon Bay to the south up to Market Street to the north
and 15th to the east. There are ongoing efforts to reclaim the areas north of
Market, and the settlers here have just recently reopened the old Majestic
Movie Theater (although the stock of films right now is very limited to what
was in the theater in 2022).
Anyone who is not showing any signs of infection is allowed to enter the
Free Ballard settlement, but those who cause trouble or commit crimes can find
themselves banished for weeks, months, or even permanently (as determined by
the Settlement Committee). Those who stay in the good graces of the community
and prove that they are an asset to the settlement can apply for citizenship.
Citizens are assigned odd jobs to ensure that everything runs smoothly in the
community and are paid 2 food and 2 hydration each day.
PAGE 36
3.0 Seattle
Listed below are several important people who can be found in the Free
Ballard community. Everyone in the community knows these people and they
turn to them for news and gossip.
Big Swede: This big, gregarious man can be seen all around Free Ballard,
working to ensure that the businesses have what they need, and everyone is
being treated fairly. Big Swede was once a fisherman with the boats that would
sail to Alaska to trawl for crabs, but these days he serves as the “constable” for
Free Ballard and while he is usually easy going and quick to crack a joke, he is
quick to anger if anyone is threatening the community and not afraid to use the
massive hand cannon that is always at his hip.
Dan (the Man) Thorn: Everybody knows Dan. A source of endless rumors and
stories from the “before time”, Dan can point you in the direction of anything in
the neighborhood that you might be looking for, including things outside in the
uncontrolled parts of Ballard. Dan is found most afternoons at the Smoke Stop,
enjoying whatever Keri is serving that day.
Harper Ladipo: Few are a skilled with a gun as Harper and Big Swede relies
on her to work the walls and travel beyond the settlement on important tasks
or when someone goes missing. She has seen much since the fall, and although
some find her to be rather stoic, she warms up around close friends and allies.
Her talents are in high demand and as such, she frequently delegates important
jobs to those she can trust.
James Bolgar: Jimmy was the first child born to Free
Ballard after the Fall, but this nine year old kid is already
pulling his weight around the community. Jimmy does
a fair bit of lookout work and can frequently be seen
crawling across roofs with an old pair of binoculars. He
dreams of going out beyond the walls of the settlement
and having adventures. The people of Free Ballard are
overprotective of Jimmy and would go to every length to
ensure his safety.
Ma Ballard: Having lived on this street since
before the Fall, Ma Ballard was pivotal in securing the
neighborhood in the early days, blocking off streets
with trucks and vans, turning them in their
sides to make more effective barriers. When
the first survivors took a vote on who should
lead them, Ma won all but one vote (and there
is speculation to this day on who voted for Big
Swede). Ma is tough as nails and is always on
the line when a horde comes wandering too
close to the community, but her age is starting
to catch up with her and there is talk in the
Smoke Stop that she is looking for someone to
take over as the leader of this place.
PAGE 37
While there are dozens of other small businesses and craftspeople living in
Free Ballard, the following are some of the most critical to the community.
Ballard Locks: Located on Salmon Bay, this lock used to allow boats to cross
from Lake Washington out to the Puget Sound, but it has not worked in over 5
years. The salmon ladder, however, has proved to be a vital source of fresh meat
for the people of Free Ballard. It is overseen by Ma Ballard, who makes sure that
the people do not exhaust this critical source of food.
Botanical Farm: The parkland north of the locks was once a botanical garden,
but it has been converted into a walled off farm for the Free Ballard Settlement.
Ma Ballard oversees the work here as well, but the farm is technically owned by
the community itself. This farm marks the furthest west are that the settlement
controls. Visitors can come here to trade for fresh vegetables
Dave’s Garage: If you need a working vehicle or are looking to trade in some
parts, Dave’s Garage is the only place to go. Dave has been here since before
the Fall and he is the settlement’s automotive expert. He often has odd jobs and
supply runs for those willing to make trips outside.
Erik’s Esoterica: Located in a basement shop below Ballard Avenue, Erik’s
Esoterica is the place to go if you are looking for something strange and unusual
(and not related strictly to survival). An avid collector of books and old comics,
Erik is the settlements go-to for knowledge from before the Fall and he is willing
to offer premium barter for odd things to add to his collection. There have been
whispers that say he is looking to the occult to solve the zombie crisis, but he
flatly denies this as baseless gossip. Erik is never found without his trio of pugs
that roam the shop in search of snacks.
HH Mart: This old bar was converted into a general store shortly after the Free
Ballard settlement was founded. Although other traders have deeper inventories
of specific objects, HH Mart is the place to go to for a fair deal on tools, simple
weapons, and light armor. They often have food and water for trade as well (above
and beyond the standard ration allotted to most citizens of Free Ballard). The shop
has almost everything with a barter value of 2 or less, although the supply may be
limited. There is a 50% chance the Mart has any individual item with a barter of 5
or less, and a 20% of having an item with a barter value of 8 or less.
King of Cards: What was once an old game store is now the place to trade for
weapons and armor in the Free Ballard community. Run by Iron Eli, this shop has
most weapons and armors with a barter value of 4 or less. “In Back” he also carries
a handful of items with a barter value up to 8 (2d4 items of the narrator's choice).
He also has a large supply of ammunition, but he does not have any Z rounds for
sale (these are kept for community defense). Eli will accept most things in trade,
but he is particularly interested in finding a good snowboard. He dreams of one day
returning to the nearby mountains to catch some “fresh powder”.
The Majestic: Recently reclaimed from the ruins, this old Theater has become
a highlight for the people of Free Ballard. The only movies they have are the
three that were showing when the world fell (a superhero movie, a terrible rom-
com, and a period thriller), and folks are already talking about sending out an
PAGE 38
3.0 Seattle
expedition to find more films from places around town. Henry Anderson is the
tinkerer who managed to get the projectors working again and he is looking for
parts to make sure he can keep it up and running.
The People’s House: This old German bar features a massive window in the
back, overlooking the nearby Salmon Bay. It is used as a community center for
the Free Ballard Community, and it is here that folks meet to discuss important
matters and to have trials for those who are accused of breaking the rules. Ma
Ballard runs these meetings on most days, but Big Swede sits as judge for all
trials. Stealing and fighting carries the penalty of hard labor, but murder and
dereliction of duty can lead to banishment.
Polymed Hospital: Although it was overrun during the Fall, Ma Ballard made
clearing this place to get it up and running a priority. Stories around the Smoke
Stop claim that Ma Ballard personally cleared out the morgue by herself with
little more than a machete. In the 7 years since, the Polymed Hospital under
Dr. Willa Ross, has become a critical part of the Free Ballard community. Ross
is a skilled surgeon, but she constantly faces a shortage of critical supplies and
frequently hires runners to go out into the ruins to find what she needs. Survivors
can also trade for basic medical supplies here (first aid kits, bandages, aspirin,
and cold packs are almost always available).
Smoke Stop: Although there are a number of places to get a drink in Free
Ballard, the Smoke Stop is well known the hub for gossip and to hear news from
the outside world. Wandering traders often set up shop here in a booth in back,
bringing news and stories from other settlements. Weapons are not allowed in the
Smoke Stop, but lockers up in front allow guests to store them safely. Keri, who
runs the place, is pretty forgiving of folks who have a bit too much to drink or end
up in a small scuffle, but if blood is spilled, the offenders get shown the door quick.
Keri has an old double barrel shotgun above the bar, and she is not afraid to use it.
Golem Collective
In Redmond, a small group of people managed to survive the fall by locking
themselves inside the warehouse of a small game company. When the food ran
out, they moved to a nearby wholesale warehouse taking the company’s giant
purple golem mascot with them. Over the years, they have grown to a population
of over 300, reclaiming much of the neighborhood and an entire nearby apartment
complex. The collective functions as a pure democracy, with every member of their
union being given a vote on important issues. They elect a "Voice" to speak for
the community in negotiations or when visitors arrive. The current Voice is Caiden
Hillax, who was the last new employee hired by the game company before the Fall.
Caiden invites all visitors to stay for up to a week, but after that time, they must
either join or depart. Everyone in the collective is expected to do their part, from
foraging for food and supplies to fending off zombies.
People of the Golem Collective are renowned storytellers, and they gather on
most nights to play story games. They will eagerly trade for new games and other
forms of entertainment. Dice are a valuable commodity and can easily be traded
as if they had a barter value of 4 or even 5 for a more exotic set.
PAGE 39
Haunted Bellevue (Ruin)
When Seattle descended into chaos, the nearby suburb of Bellevue went
into lock down and the town council acted quickly to seal off the downtown
core and built checkpoints to let those showing no signs of infection inside.
What started as an emergency measure ended up being one of the largest
fortified communities on the west coast. Two years after the Fall, they boasted
a population of almost 20,000.
All that came undone just one year later though when the Z Plague finally
found its way inside their walls. Some claim it was sabotage, others say it was
part of some sadistic plan to thin out the population, whatever the cause, the
entire place collapsed in a matter of days. Many of the people spread throughout
the greater Seattle area came from this nightmare and for most it was like the
early days of the Fall all over again. Power failed, the dead started stalking the
living, and order broke down as everyone tried to escape.
Now the place is a haunted ruin, filled with the dead. There are legends that
the Bellevue council had a sizable stockpile of military gear and equipment,
much of which is still locked away in the basement of the town hall. According
the stories though, the place is surrounded by dead soldiers, still wearing their
body armor, making them incredibly hard to kill.
Mercer Island Commune

Sitting in Lake Washington, the people of Mercer Island quickly realized that
they could secure their island by simply destroying or barricading the bridges
that connected it to Seattle and Bellevue. In the early days of the Fall, they used
mining explosives to scuttle the I-90 floating bridge and then erected a massive
barricade on the bridge leading to Bellevue to the east. Since the dead do not
swim, it was a simple enough matter to secure the rest of the island by fortifying
the beaches where they might wash up.
The commune was one of the more prosperous and safer communities in the
first years after the Fall, and while they were once welcoming to visitors, today
there are massive "Keep Out, No Visitors" signs at the barricade. Now no one is
allowed inside, and no one ever leaves.
Four years ago, a respected member of the island council by the name of
Mark Hallman started to preach to folks that contact with the outside world and
a return to their wicked ways is what caused the plague. He promised safety
and immunity to the contagion by following his teachings. Calling it The Path to
Purity, Mark and his faith has come to dominate the daily lives of everyone in
the Mercer Island Commune. They believe that through clean living and avoiding
contact with the outside world that the people on the Path can avoid even
the smallest chance of illness or contagion. Those who fail to live up to Mark’s
standards are banished without supplies or much chance of survival.
In truth, Mark is slowly becoming unhinged, and he believes that he is immune
to the Plague. He plans to prove it to the faithful one day soon by intentionally
infecting himself and his chosen with the Z Plague.
PAGE 40
3.0 Seattle
Museum of Flight
Located in a flight museum south of downtown, this small community has several
engineers and pilots who are hoping to one day get back to the skies. They have
cleared a nearby runway to test smaller craft with the hope of reestablishing
contact with far away cities. Led my Flight Chief Julia Dray, they are welcoming of
outsiders and even have gone so far as to send invitations to the other settlements
asking them to pay them a visit (bring the kids!). Dray hopes that through better
communication she might be able to acquire some of the parts and supplies that
her team needs to get one of the large passenger airliners up and running. Despite
her overtures, they have gotten very few visitors at the museum, as most are not
willing to go anywhere near the radiation zone to the north, making the journey
around that danger long and perilous.
The Spheres
Located on the former campus of a giant internet company, these three glass-
enclosed spheres are one of the enduring mysteries from the time of the Fall.
When everything came apart, the chief executive and board of the company
sealed themselves, and a few trusted staff members, inside three massive glass
domes. Filled with flora from around the world, the domes quickly became
overgrown on the inside and in the years since no one has entered or exited these
glass bubbles. Made from bullet-proof glass, they have stood against several
attempts to breach them, but this seems to agitate whatever still lives inside,
so most just give the place a wide berth. There is one function door leading into
the spheres, but it will only open with the right keycard and as of yet, no one has
been able to find it.
University Square (Ruin)

When the plague hit, students at the University were quick to secure the campus
on the northeast side of the city, including the immensely valuable research labs. It
was here that Dr. Avanti Kepler did some of the first research on the Z Plague after
she fled the Zynocol Research Lab with the only remaining original specimens. This
work would create the first inoculation against the plague (Z Noc) and it would
lead to the creation of the Z Round, an ammunition capable of killing zombies with
ease. And the work would have continued too, had catastrophe not found it was
within the walls of the university. Four years ago, a horde of the dead broke into the
campus from below through a light rail tunnel that most thought was thoroughly
blocked. In just a matter of hours there were thousands of zombies within the walls
of the University Square community. Hundreds died and Dr Kepler, along with the
coveted Z Parasite samples, disappeared during the panic.
All that remains of the University Square community is about 100 former
students and teachers, living in a natural history museum and nearby apartment
complex on the north side of campus. Led by Professor Edwin, the group is
hoping to find a way to retake the labs and continue Dr. Kepler's work. That day,
however, seems long off, as the campus is still overrun with the dead. Those
looking for work or in need of knowledge can find both at the University Square.
PAGE 41
Points of Interest
There are several locations around the greater Seattle area that make for
interesting adventure sites. The following points of interest are well known by
those who live in the area, and each includes a few adventure hooks for you to
use in your campaign.
Arena Raiders
People avoid the area around the Space Needle for a good reason, as it is the
home of a vicious gang of raiders that have been known to take captives. Hiding
out in the remnants of an old basketball stadium and nearby science museum,
some say that these raiders force their captives to fight zombies in The Pit, a
caged off fighting area on the old arena floor. According to the stories, if you can
earn your freedom decapitate a zombie and throwing its head through the one
remaining hoops at either end of the Pit. As of yet, no one has ever survived to
corroborate that story.
Hooks: Rescue a survivor from the Pit. Sneak into the science museum to
steal some rare equipment for the hospital. Climb to the top of the Space Needle
to scout out the area.
Dead Lenin
A 10-foot tall statue of Lenin stands in the middle of the Fremont neighborhood
just north of downtown (east of Free Ballard). For reasons that no one knows,
the zombies in the area tend to stand around the statue, staring up at the grim
visage. Someone leaves carcasses out for them for some unknown purpose.
Hooks: Discover who is feeding the dead.
Downtown Core
The central core of downtown Seattle is a ruin. A few of the buildings suffered
serious damage during the Fall, from fires or the nuclear blast that went off just to
the south. This was made much worse 6 years ago when a powerful earthquake
hit the region and several skyscrapers collapsed. Now the area is incredibly
treacherous and the only way to get into the heart of the area is to crawl through
teetering buildings or to risk the nightmare that is the Tunnels.
Hooks: Venture inside to find important documents from the time of the
Fall. Find the military checkpoint that was in this area and raid it for weapons
and armor. Locate the scavenger who lives in the ruins and convince him to help
navigate twisting tunnels.
The Evergreen Ferry

The Puget Sound was once one of the busiest bodies of water in the world with
container ships and ferries making dozens of trips across it each day. Now it
is quiet, but one of the Ferries remains afloat, anchored in the middle of the
Sound. With cars still rusting on the deck, most folks assume that the boat is
infested with zombies, but no one has made the trip out to confirm one way or
the other. Ma Ballard has drawn up plans to retrieve the ferry and try to get it
PAGE 42
3.0 Seattle
up and running again. Such a mode of transport would allow entire communities
to move to a new location if the need arose. It could also serve as an emergency
shelter if a community was overrun.
Hooks: Board the ferry and see what needs to be done to fix it. Loot one of
the delivery trucks on board to see what it contains.
The Market
The Market is made up of dozens of small shops, spread out across 10 floors that
stretch from the waterfront all the way up the level of the city streets in downtown
Seattle. The Market was once a prime tourist destination for people visiting the
city and when the Z Plague came to town, this bustling shopping center was its
first stop. Dozens of workers and locals were infected in the very first days of the
plague, along with many tourists who would go on to spread it around the world.
When those same workers fell sick, some died in the market, rising to attack their
former customers. A police cordon soon turned into a barricade, which was soon
reinforced with solid walls. Today locals call it The Hive and it is filled with some
of the oldest and strangest undead. Some even think that there is some sinister
intelligence and work in this place, directing their actions of lesser zombies and
making coordinated attacks on anyone who draws too near.
Hooks: Rescue a pair of survivors who were dragged inside the market by a
trio of zombies. Find a perch nearby that will allow you to do some surveillance
on what is going on inside the Market. Plant a bomb in the heart of the Market.
Macrosoft Campus
Before the Fall, Macrosoft was one of the most powerful software companies in
the world and its corporate headquarters is a massive, sprawling place, located
across dozens of buildings. According to legend, the engineers tried to fend off
the dead here, but they were quickly overrun by the first large horde. While the
dead have mostly moved on from this place, some say that there are still engineers
and senior executives hiding out somewhere on campus in a massive underground
bunker, completely unaware of what has happened over the past 10 years.
Hooks: Break into an engineering building to steal computer parts. Locate the
bunker and see if anyone is alive inside. Locate the massive data center on site to
retrieve some critical files.
Northtown Gang
A large gang of raiders live in the ruins of an old shopping mall on the north side of
town. Calling themselves the Northtown Gang, they roam the streets demanding
tribute from anyone they find. This gang often clashes with the people of Free
Ballard, but they have never gotten so bold as to attack the community outright.
For now, at least, the numbers favor the community, but should the raiders ever
find reinforcements or locate more powerful weapons, they might become a
serious problem for the growing settlement.
Hooks: Take the fight to the gang. Destroy the gang's new weapon before
they can find the ammunition to use it.
PAGE 43
Queen of the Deep
The port of Seattle was home to several cruise ships that sailed up and down
the west coast, but only one was in port when the plague hit: the Queen of the
Deep. Those on-board did their best to fight off the dead, but when the cook got
infected, he spread it to the rest of the crew. The ensuing battle led to a fire that
severely damaged the vessel, which began to list to one side. Today the rusting
hulk lays fully on its port side, half submerged and leaking sludge into the waters
of the Puget Sound. No one has ever bothered looting the wreck, and most think
it is too dangerous to even try.
Hooks: Release the life boats from the vessel and bring them back to the
harbor. Find a way to stop the hulk from polluting the nearby waters.
Sorcerers of the Shore

One of the many game companies that called Seattle home, this place was
abandoned in the early days of the plague. A rumor has been going around that
there is now a strange cult lurking in the old cubicles and meeting rooms of the
burned-out office building. They claim to be waiting for the 6th Sign and that it
will usher in a new era for the whole world.
Hooks: Investigate the cult and its growing influence over the area. Enter the
old headquarters and steal a prototype game to trade to the Golem Collective.
Southtown Mall
When the plague hit, several hundred people took refuge in the Southtown
Mall, and the building was secured with roll-down gates and concrete barriers.
Unfortunately, these protections were their undoing, as the plague was on the
inside with them. To this day, the Southtown Mall is one of the few places that
has not been looted in the past 10 years because of the several hundred zombies
locked inside.
Hooks: Loot this place and survive.
Stadium Ruins
As the undead hordes roamed the streets of Seattle, the military came up with
a desperate plan to see if there was a way to neutralize the dead using nuclear
weapons. Over several days they lured the dead down to the area around the
football and baseball stadiums, using live soldiers in
cages as bait. The tactical nuke was small yield, but
the devastation it caused was immense. The baseball
stadium is now nothing more than a crater and the
nearby football stadium entirely collapsed on
PAGE 44
3.0 Seattle
one side. While the blast did kill the zombies in the area, those that were not
destroyed seemed to suffer no ill effects from the radiation. To this day, this place
is off limits, emitting deadly radiation and crawling with undead that glow from
all the deadly fallout they have absorbed.
Hooks: Find a source of Iodine to treat someone who got too close to the
crater. Using Hazmat suits, recover the body of a scout who got died to the
irradiated zombies in the area.
Radiation Sickness Living creatures that spend more than 10 minutes in the
Stadium Ruins must attempt a 20 Fortitude save (DC 25 in the crater).
Those that fail gain radiation sickness. At the start of each day, those with
radiation sickness take 1d4 poison damage that cannot be resisted or
healed. They then attempt a DC 20 Fortitude save. Those that succeed end
the sickness. Iodine supplements give a +4 item bonus to this save.
The Tunnels
Much of downtown Seattle is built upon a series of old tunnels, chambers, and
entire streets that were paved over a century ago. What was once a quirky tourist
attraction has now become a terrifying maze of corridors and tunnels, crawling
with the dead. The only reason to venture into this light-less hell is to gain access
to the downtown core, a maze of twisted and collapsed buildings that likely hides
plenty of valuable and rare resources.
Hooks: Chart a path through the tunnels to the core. Find the source of a
signal that is coming from the tunnels.
The Zoo
During the Fall, one of the workers at the local zoo decided that, rather than let the
animals start, that the right thing to do was to let all loose. While many of those
animals fled or died during the Fall, a few stayed behind, lurking in the nearby
woods and preying upon anyone who got too close. Today, the place is home to a
massive and terrifying zombie bear that the locals call Big Ben (see page 31).
Hooks: Put down Big Ben. Find a rare animal to bring back to the community.
Zynocol Laboratory
While their primary laboratory was located outside Madison WI, Zynocol had
a research laboratory located on the shores of Lake Washington. When the
corporate leaders realized what they had unleashed, they quickly ordered their
labs to destroy all samples and data related to the Z Parasite. Fortunately, Dr.
Avanti Kepler disobeyed that order, stole her samples, and took them to the
University for further study. Two days later a fire was intentionally set in the
Lab to cover up any remaining evidence. Some believe that there may be secret
facilities located underground, with secrets about the plague. Today it looks just
like any other ruin, but the corporate sign out front is still visible, even though
someone spray painted it with the phase “We Killed the World”.
Hooks: Break into the laboratory and look for information about the plague.
PAGE 45
4.0 – Sample Adventure: Fire Station #13
This sample adventure can be used as the start of a campaign or dropped into
an existing story. The narrator should feel free to change the overall goal of the
adventure to suit their needs (instead of finding the generator, perhaps the
survivors are sent looking for a hazmat suit or medical supplies). This adventure
assumes the survivors are 1st level, but it can be modified to any level by simply
swapping out the zombies for more powerful version or by increasing their number.
Setup
The adventure begins in the Free Ballard community, located on the north side
of Seattle (see page 36 for more information). As of late, the power has been
flickering and word around the settlement is that the main generator is on its last
legs. Big Swede comes to find the survivors to give them an important job. He
asks them to go find a portable generator so that they have one on hand should
the main fail. It won't serve the whole community, but it will keep power on at
the Hospital and a few other critical places. He suggests they go talk to Dan to see
if he knows where they might locate a generator.
Dan can be found at the Smoke Stop, having one of Keri's signature drinks,
made from fermented apples. He orders a round for the table when the survivors
sit down next to him. After some idle chatter about local problems (narrator's
should drop seeds for future adventures here), Dan is more than happy to answer
their generator question and thinks they might be able to find one up to the north,
inside an abandoned fire station. He then gives them directions to Fire Station #13.
Journey to 13
On their way out of Free Ballard, Harper is manning the walls and she tells them
that its been pretty quiet to the north as of late, but that they should definitely
try and make it back by nightfall. The shamblers prowl at night and they could
easily get overrun. The journey up to Fire Station 13 goes without incident, but
the narrator should feel free to add a trivial encounter here to get folks familiar
with the game.
Fire Station #13

This part of the adventure is relatively free-form. The survivors are free to explore
this fire station in any way that they want, approaching from different sides or
with varying levels of caution. They have no idea what is waiting for them inside
and prowling around the exterior does not give them much information. Notable
locations are described in simple details below, but the narrator should feel free
to embellish and add personal details to bring the place to life. If a location is not
mentioned, it is filled with rotten junk and debris of little value. If a location occurs
multiple times on the map, its creatures and loot are spread out between them.
During the fall a small handful of folks used this fire station as a safe house,
but when the zombies came, they made a last, desperate stand against the
horde. There were no survivors.
PAGE 46
4.0 Sample Adventure
Outside the Station

Fire Station #13 sits in the middle of what was once a residential neighborhood
and the surrounding area is filled with single family homes. The station sits at the
end of the block with houses to the east of it. When the survivors approach the
area, read the following to them.
Even from a distance, it is clear that Fire Station 13 saw heavy fighting during
the Fall. Emergency vehicles are parked on the lawn, serving as a makeshift
barricade and the withered corpses of long dead zombies are arrayed around
the place. What windows you can see are heavily barricaded and you see no
signs of movement within.
The survivors can enter through a number of places. The most obvious is
the vestibule, the doors to which were smashed during the Fall. The door to the
training room is barricaded, but the door to the dining room is open. Finally, if
the survivors circle to the back, they can easily enter through the bay doors on
the north side, one of which is open. They can also enter through any one of the
windows by destroying the barricade (DC 20, Break 6).
An ambulance and firetruck are parked in front of the building (to the west),
but both of these rusting hulks were thoroughly looted years ago. These were
placed here to serve as barriers to the bunk rooms on the other side. If anyone
thinks to scramble over the fire truck (Athletics DC 10), they can find a first aid kit
in a locker on the far side.
PAGE 47
Apparatus Bay
Old, rusted vehicles and dumpsters converted into mobile barricades litter this
large garage that was once used to store the fire station's vehicles. One of the
north bay doors is open, leading outside. The doors leading into the building
have both been battered open.
The rusty dumpsters provide cover and can be moved around with a DC 13
Athletics check. Doing so makes a lot of noise though, drawing zombies from
nearby rooms (see gear storage).
Creatures: 3 Crawlers (page 24) hiding behind the ambulance
Loot: Bottle of aspirin (ambulance), flashlight (in a car), rusty fire axe (buried
into the back of one of the crawlers, 2 dings)
Bunk
When a number of folks from the nearby community took shelter here, they
slept in these bunk rooms. They are filled with small personal effects, like torn up
teddy bears, old family photos, and suitcases filled with clothes. There are also
signs of struggle everywhere.
Creatures: 3 Shamblers (page 29)
Loot: Backpacks (4), beer, canteen, canned food (2), clothes (10, basic and
winter), pair of hiking boots, kitchen knife, tool belt
Chief's Office
The door from the fire chief's office to the bay is heavily barricaded (DC 22, Break
10) and the door leading into the building is locked (DC 20). When everything
came undone, the chief locked himself in here to wait out the end. Unfortunately,
he was already infected.
Creatures: Bloated (page 24)
Loot: Chief's key, fire axe, firefighter gear, a revolver (4 rounds)
Electrical Room
This room is not labeled electrical and appears to look like any other storage
room (but it is identified on building map in Police Office). The sturdy metal door
leading into this room is locked and can only be opened with the Chief's Key.
Inside this drab, windowless room is all of the fuse boxes for the fire station and
the backup generator! If the generator is turned on, the building gets power,
lights turn on and the key card door to the Hazmat Room can be opened.
Loot: Generator hooked up to the building's power supply. Can be carefully
removed with a DC 15 Machinery check (otherwise it takes 1d6 dings).
Hazmat Storage
This room is labeled Hazmat Storage, but the sturdy metal door leading into this
room is locked and can only be opened with the Key Card found in the Lt. Office
once the power has been restored. The door can also be opened by using the
computer in the IT Room (again if power is restored).
Loot: Bandages (4), cold pack (2), Hazmat suit, headlight
PAGE 48
Gear Storage
This area was used to store firefighter gear between calls. Rows of lockers line
both sides of these rooms, and while most of them have been looted, there are
still a few odds and ends here to grab.
Creatures: 2 Shamblers (page 29) who enter the bay to investigate if the
survivors make too much noise.
Loot: Battery radio (no batteries), firefighter gear (2 sets, one with 4 dings,
one with 2 dings), a hand axe, a screwdriver
IT Room
An old, dusty computer sits on the desk in the middle of this room, nest to an
open panel on the wall that contains all of the data and phone lines for the fire
station. This is one of the few rooms that looks untouched from the fighting that
took place here.
The computer still works and if power is restored to the building, this
computer can be used to open the door to the Hazmat Storage (DC 15 Operate
Computers check).
Loot: Desktop computer (Bulk 4, Barter 6)
Kitchen
The kitchen, and neighboring Day Room, are where the firefighters spent their
time when not out on a call or asleep in the bunks. During the Fall, this was the
only kitchen they had, and food was running out.
Creatures: 4 Z Rats (page 33))
Loot: Canned food (4 total, 3 expired), lighter, skillet, soft drink. There is a
vending machine here with 4 additional soft drinks that can be looted by a DC 15
Machinery check (10 if the power is on).
Lobby
The lobby was the sight of a terrifying firefight during the Fall, and it is clear
that they used Molotov cocktails and
guns to put down the dead. This
entire area is terribly burned
and there are blacked bones
on both sides of the ruined
barricade on the east side of
the room.
Creatures: 2 Crawlers (page 24)
Locker Room
Barricades were put up in
front of both of the doors
leading into the locker room,
to provide protection to the bunk
rooms beyond. They did not hold.
PAGE 49
The north barricade is completely shattered and surrounded by old, dried blood
stains. Inside the lockeroom is chaos. Old withered zombie corpses are mixed
with the bodies of those who made their last stand here. Some of them clearly
took their own lives rather than face the dead.
Loot: Baseball bat, Double barrel shotgun (1 shell), improvised shields (2),
raincoat, workwear
Laundry
Large room filled with laundry machines and piles of old clothes.
Creatures: 2 Sneakers (page 30) hidden under a pile of clothes
Loot: Clothes (12, basic and winter), toolbelt
Lt. Office
These officers were used by the lieutenants and they are nicer than the nearby
bunk rooms, having their own private bathroom and bunk. The west most office
was the sight of a terrible fight and a badly mangled corpse is on the floor in the
middle of a long dried puddle of blood. The lieutenant may have won that fight,
hacking the zombie to death with an axe, but he caught the infection himself and
now hides in the other office.
Creatures: armored (page 23) but in firefighter gear (resistance 4 all)
Loot: fire axe (1 ding), firefighter gear, key card, liquor (3), vitamins
Mechanical
This room contains the heating and air conditioning units for the fire station.
Loot: Machinery kit
Patio
The firefighters used to host cookouts here in the summer, but now it is just the
site of two rusted grills. One of the propane tanks still has enough gas in it to
make a crude bomb (treat as a frag grenade that requires a DC 15 Crafting check
and 1 electronic part to set up)
Creatures: 2 wild dogs (page 18) easily scared away by firing a firearm
Police Office
This the office for the station's police officer. The table in here has been put on
its side to function as a barricade. The room is a mess of papers and old, dried
blood. The body of the officer is torn apart behind the desk. On the wall is a map
of the fire station that labels all of the rooms, including the electrical room.
Creatures: crawler (page 24), this was the officer, his body is partially pinned
under the desk and must spend an action to get free
Loot: pump shotgun (4 rounds), riot shield
Storage
Located all around the building are a number of storage rooms. These mostly
contain ruined cardboard boxes filled with moldy pamphlets, binders filled with
PAGE 50
training material, and replacement parts for the fire engines.
Loot: Each room contains 1d4 parts (cloth, tool or electronic) and there is a
50% chance to find 1d4 useful items with a barter value of 3 or less
Toilet
The rooms are scattered throughout the building, containing a toilet and a sink.
Creatures: Shambler (page 29)
Loot: In each room there is a 25% chance to find a bandage or a single dose
of aspirin.
Training Room
The door leading into this room is barricaded (DC 15, Break 4). It was once used
by the firefighters to keep up on their training. When two of them got infected,
they locked their former comrades in here rather than face what they were
about to become.
Creatures: 2 Runners (2page 29)
Loot: Pocket knife, workwear (2)
Water Room
The door leading into this room is locked, but it can be opened with the Chief's
Key. Inside are the water mains for the department and a storage tank that still
contains several gallons on water. The need to be boiled or purified to be made
drinkable.
Loot: Water (5 gallons)
Creating Content for Hopefinder

You can create your own content for the Hopefinder game. The world is a big
place and the Z Plague affected each city and country quite differently. Tell the
world about what happened where you live and set adventures in your region!
The rules for this game are covered under the Open Game License (see
page 52). In addition, the terms the Fall, Z Plague, Zynocol, and Zynocol Amebic
Encephalitis are hereby declared open content as well. Feel free to include them
in your work. Note that the names, people, and locations in the Seattle gazetteer
are not open content.
You may reference the events listed in the timeline of the Fall and add new
events relative to the location of your creation, but please do not invalidate any
of the events presented here or in the any other Hopefinder game product.
Please include the following in the credits of your product, using the same
font and size as the other copyright statements.
Based on the Hopefinder Roleplaying Game © 2022 Minotaur Games. Some

concepts and terms used with permission. All rights reserved.
PAGE 51
OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a
The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. (“Wizards”). All Rights
Reserved
1. Definitions: (a) “Contributors” means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b)
“Derivative Material” means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations (including into other computer
languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form
in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) “Distribute” means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell,
broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d) “Open Game Content” means the game mechanic and includes
the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an
enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means
any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product
Identity. (e) “Product Identity” means product and product line names, logos and identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts,
creatures, characters, stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs,
depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio representations;
names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities;
places, locations, environments, creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic
designs; and any other trademark or registered trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the Product Identity,
and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f) “Trademark” means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs
that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated products contributed to the Open Game License
by the Contributor (g) “Use”, “Used” or “Using” means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create
Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h) “You” or “Your” means the licensee in terms of this agreement.
2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may
only be Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms
may be added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be
applied to any Open Game Content distributed using this License.
3. Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License.
4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide,
royalty-free, non-exclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content.
5. Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your
Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License.
6. Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to include the exact text of the
COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You are copying, modifying or distributing, and You must add the title, the
copyright date, and the copyright holder’s name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open Game Content you Distribute.
7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as
expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to
indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open
Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered
Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that
Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to
that Product Identity.
8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing
are Open Game Content.
9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized
version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this
License.
10. Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content You distribute.
11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You
have written permission from the Contributor to do so.
12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the
Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material
so affected.
13. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within
30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License.
14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent
necessary to make it enforceable.
15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Open Game License v 1.0a © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

System Reference Document © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc; Authors: Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook,
Skip Williams, based on material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
Pathfinder Core Rulebook (Second Edition) © 2019, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Logan Bonner, Jason
Bulmahn, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, and Mark Seifter.
Hopefinder Narrator's Guide © 2022 Minotaur Games; Authors: Jason Bulmahn.

Product Identity: The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity, as defined in the Open Game License
version 1.0a, Section 1(e), and are not Open Game Content: All trademarks, registered trademarks, proper nouns
(characters, deities, locations, etc., as well as all adjectives, names, titles, and descriptive terms derived from proper nouns),
artworks, characters, dialogue, locations, organizations, plots, storylines, and trade dress. (Elements that have previously
been designated as Open Game Content, or are exclusively derived from previous Open Game Content, or that are in the
public domain are not included in this declaration.)
Open Game Content: Except for material designated as Product Identity, the game mechanics of this Minotaur Games
game product are Open Game Content, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a, Section 1(d). The terms the
Fall, Z Plague, Zynocol, and Zynocol Amebic Encephalitis are declared as open content. No portion of this work other than
the material designated as Open Game Content may be reproduced in any form without written permission.
PAGE 52

Hopefinder Narrators Guide

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

You might also like

Hopefinder Narrators Guide

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Hopefinder Narrators Guide

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

A ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE HACK OF PATHFINDER SECOND EDITION

A MINOTAUR GAMES SUPPLEMENT BY JASON BULMAHN

Designed by Jason Bulmahn

Themes and Consent

IN CONTENT: Blood, Cannibalism (zombies eating human flesh), Death

HIDDEN CONTENT: Abuse (physical, mental), Child Endangerment, Nudity,

OUT CONTENT: Ableism, Animal Cruelty, Cannibalism (humans eating human

Using this Book

Rising From the Dead

Table: Starting Challenges

Ending The Campaign

Stories About Hope

Pacing and Story Beats

Journey to the Depths

Table: Rewards Per Session

Bear, Black Creature 2

Bear, Brown Creature 4

Dog, Wild Creature 0

Wolf, Timber Creature 1

Big Boss Creature 5

Road Warrior Creature 3

Zombie Immunities: As dead things, zombies are immune to a number of

Rad Zombie Creature 4

Brood Mother Creature 3

Howling Hound Creature 0

Rat King Creature 1

Z Rat (Zat) Creature -1

Mercer Island Commune

University Square (Ruin)

The Evergreen Ferry

Sorcerers of the Shore

Fire Station #13

Outside the Station

Creating Content for Hopefinder

Based on the Hopefinder Roleplaying Game © 2022 Minotaur Games. Some

Open Game License v 1.0a © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

Hopefinder Narrator's Guide © 2022 Minotaur Games; Authors: Jason Bulmahn.

You might also like