GM Quick Reference - Zombie Survival

👤 Survivor Names (d100)

Modern names for survivors, scavengers, and NPCs in the apocalypse

1-25

Marcus "Doc" Williams
Sarah Chen
Jackson "Jax" Rodriguez
Emma Blackwell
Tyler "Ty" Morrison
Maya Santos
Cole Harper
Nina Volkov
Deacon Price
Riley Walsh
Hunter Stone
Zara Martinez
Garrett "Ghost" Mills
Ivy Carter
Axel Cross
Phoenix Rivera
Maddox "Mad" Greene
Luna Park
Dash Cooper
Sage Reeves
Striker Kane
Raven Woods
Flint Hayes
Sky Bennett
Blade Turner

26-50

Iris Sullivan
Tank Morgan
Echo Ramirez
Brick Jackson
Willow Cruz
Diesel Knight
Autumn Lee
Razor Kim
Hope Daniels
Gunner Webb
Storm Patel
Forge Hamilton
Haven Torres
Blaze Myers
River Foster
Wraith Coleman
Mercy Gray
Jagger Ross
Faith Burton
Scar Peterson
Dawn Nguyen
Crash Ward
Eden Brooks
Thorn Wallace
Dove Garcia

51-75

Steel Barnes
Jade Mitchell
Hawk Rivera
Ember Flynn
Viper Santos
Winter Hayes
Rogue Chen
Star Patterson
Fang Lopez
Melody Price
Riot Crawford
Amber Reid
Nomad Blake
Crystal Moore
Spike Turner
Sunny Martinez
Wolf Henderson
Ruby Scott
Trigger Davis
Rose Campbell
Bandit Lee
Pearl Young
Ranger Thompson
Violet Carter
Grunt Wilson

76-100

Grace Taylor
Rebel White
Daisy Harris
Cannon Anderson
Angel Thomas
Bolt Jackson
Faith Martin
Smoke Garcia
Lily Walker
Stitch Robinson
Poppy Miller
Cage Clark
Joy Rodriguez
Flash Lewis
Blossom King
Chunk Wright
Serenity Allen
Reaper Hill
Harmony Scott
Nitro Adams
Peace Baker
Grinder Nelson
Destiny Carter
Bruiser Hall
Liberty Green

🗣️ Settlement Rumors (d20)

What survivors whisper about at safe houses and trade posts

d20	Rumor
1	"Herd came through last night. Moved past the settlement without stopping. Like they were running FROM something."
2	"Supply depot at the old Walmart is clean. Too clean. Someone's been there. Recently. Took specific things, left others."
3	"Radio broadcast on the emergency channel. Voice says there's a cure. Gives coordinates. Nobody who's gone to check has come back."
4	"The infected are getting smarter. Saw one use a tool yesterday. Broke a window with a rock. On purpose."
5	"Smoke signals from the city. Someone's alive in there. Been signaling for three days. We're not going. You going?"
6	"New group showed up at the border. Clean clothes, good equipment, plenty of ammo. Won't say where they're from. Or what they want."
7	"The dead stopped coming from the north. All of them. Two weeks now. Whatever stopped them might be coming this way."
8	"Found a survivor who says the outbreak was intentional. Says he worked for the company that made it. Says there's more."
9	"Military convoy passed through without stopping. Heading west. Fast. Left behind supplies. Left behind people who needed help."
10	"Someone's been marking routes with spray paint. Arrows, symbols, warnings. Following them leads to supplies. Or ambushes. Sometimes both."
11	"The infected avoid the old chemical plant. Won't go near it. Something in there. Something worse."
12	"Night watch says they see lights in the forest. Moving lights. Not fires. Not flashlights. Something else."
13	"Trader came through selling 'immunity shots.' Real medicine or snake oil? He's vaccinated himself. Or says he is."
14	"Kids are going missing. Not taken by infected. Just... gone. From inside the safe zone. Parents won't talk about it."
15	"Old rescue broadcasts are playing again. Same messages from three years ago. Government's gone. Who's playing the recordings?"
16	"Someone found a cache of government files. Details about 'contingency protocols.' About burning cities. About sacrificing survivors."
17	"The infected are migrating. All moving in same direction. Thousands of them. Like they're being called."
18	"Settlement over in Redford went dark. All 200 people. Walls intact, supplies untouched, bodies nowhere. Completely empty."
19	"Someone's organizing the bandits. Unified attacks, coordinated raids. They have radios, maps, a plan. They have a leader."
20	"Met a guy who says he's immune. Got bit two months ago, didn't turn. Proof? He's got bite scars and he's still breathing."

🔍 Scavenging Finds (d20)

Items found while looting buildings, cars, and corpses

d20	Item Found
1	First aid kit, partially used. Morphine missing. Syringe caps on the floor. Fresh blood on the bandages.
2	Working radio. Batteries at 23%. Tuned to frequency that shouldn't exist. Someone's broadcasting. In real time.
3	Duffel bag full of pre-outbreak money. Completely useless. Unless someone's collecting. Or unless society comes back.
4	Polaroid camera with film. Four shots left. Last photo shows a family. Happy. Normal. Dated three days after outbreak began.
5	Vehicle repair manual for a car you've seen. Perfect condition. Someone's been using it. Left it behind. Wonder why they left.
6	Antibiotics, full bottle. Prescription for someone you know. Someone who died. Months ago. Prescription was filled yesterday.
7	Map with safe routes marked. Recent markings. Shows settlements, supply caches, danger zones. Some info you recognize. Some you don't.
8	Dog tags from soldier. Blood type AB-. Same as yours. Name is similar. First initial same. Birthday off by one day.
9	Unopened can of soup. Expiration date three years from now. That can't be right. Can it?
10	Journal belonging to previous occupant. Last entry: "If you're reading this, check the basement. I left something for you."
11	Box of ammunition for gun you don't have. Yet. Specific caliber. Next building over, you find that exact gun. Coincidence?
12	Child's backpack. School supplies, lunch box, note from parent. "Stay safe. I'll find you. I promise." Never did.
13	Functioning smartphone. Somehow still charged. No signal but has photos, messages, life of person who owned it. Still logged in.
14	Military flare gun, one flare. Note attached: "Use this when you're ready to leave. They'll come get you." Who's 'they'?
15	Bottle of whiskey, unopened. Premium label from before. Last bottle in existence? Worth drinking or worth trading? Choose.
16	Hazmat suit, like the ones from the early days. Clean room gear. Has biological warnings. Pocket contains vial. Full.
17	Wedding ring on skeleton hand. Inscription matches survivor you met. They said their spouse died. They're not wearing their ring.
18	Backpack full of seeds. Vegetables, fruits, herbs. Planting instructions. Someone was planning for the future. Long-term.
19	Surveillance camera SD card. Still recording. Battery pack kept it going. Contains footage of this room. From angle you can't find.
20	Handwritten note addressed to you. By name. Describes you accurately. Gives warning about person you trust. Signed with your own name.

🎭 Survivor Personality Quirks (d20)

Quick traits to make other survivors memorable

d20	Personality Quirk
1	Obsessively maintains pre-outbreak routine. Brushes teeth twice daily, makes bed, acts like world didn't end. Coping mechanism or denial?
2	Collects momento from each person who dies. Photographs, jewelry, personal items. Has dozens. Remembers all their stories.
3	Refuses to use real name. Changes names weekly. This week they're "Falcon." Next week, who knows? Won't explain why.
4	Counts everything. Steps, bullets, heartbeats. Compulsive. Gets anxious if interrupted mid-count. Starts over. Every time.
5	Talks to the infected like they're still human. Apologizes before killing them. "Sorry, ma'am. Sorry, sir. Rest now."
6	Never sleeps at night. Only during day. Won't explain. Just says "safer this way." Always on watch when darkness falls.
7	Obsessed with finding their family. Shows everyone photos. Asks everyone if they've seen them. They've been dead for years. Everyone knows. Not them.
8	Jokes constantly. Inappropriate humor at worst times. Laughs at death. Laughs at danger. Not coping well but won't show fear.
9	Documents everything. Photos, notes, recordings. "For the future," they say. "People need to know what happened."
10	Won't waste anything. Saves every bullet casing, scrap of fabric, crumb of food. Survived early days by hoarding. Can't stop.
11	Former soldier, can't turn it off. Gives coordinates instead of directions. Times in military format. Calls everyone by rank they don't have.
12	Reads constantly. Saved books from library. Trades supplies for literature. Has full conversations about plot points of novels. While zombies roam outside.
13	Extremely superstitious about specific things. Lucky hat, special route, won't go out on Thursdays. It's kept them alive. They think.
14	Shares nothing about their past. Not name, not profession, not where they're from. Present tense only. Future maybe. Past never.
15	Obsessed with finding cure. Every pharmacy, every lab, every hospital. Collects medical books. Takes samples. Has no training. Won't stop trying.
16	Treats infected like puzzle to solve. Studies them, tracks them, names them. "Fred the Runner" and "Sally the Screamer." Disturbing but effective.
17	Plants gardens everywhere they go. Leaves seeds, plants crops, tends soil. "Someone might need this someday." Planning for future they might not see.
18	Constantly training. Exercises, practices combat, runs drills. Never stops improving. "The moment you stop getting better, you start dying."
19	Guilt-ridden about surviving. Everyone they knew died. Why not them? Dangerous because they don't value their own life. Takes unnecessary risks.
20	Believes outbreak has purpose. Divine plan, natural selection, aliens, government culling. Has whole theory. Maybe they're crazy. Maybe they're right.

⚠️ Survival Complications (d12)

When scavenging is going too smoothly, roll for obstacles

d12	Complication
1	Horde Migration: Massive horde moving through area. Hundreds. Maybe thousands. Either hide for days or risk running through them.
2	Rival Scavengers: Another group wants same supplies. Better armed. More desperate. Or both. Negotiate, fight, or flee.
3	Trapped Survivor: Someone's trapped, alive, screaming. Attracts infected. Saving them risks everyone. Leaving them haunts you. Choose.
4	Structure Collapse: Building unstable. Loot inside but floors are weak, walls cracking. Go in and risk it or walk away from supplies you need?
5	Infection Risk: Someone got bit. They swear it's just a scratch. Could be truth. Could be denial. Could be lying. What now?
6	Territory Dispute: You're in someone else's territory. They're armed, organized, and mad. Didn't know this area was claimed. They don't care.
7	Equipment Failure: Critical equipment fails. Vehicle, weapon, radio, medical gear. At worst possible time. Fix it fast or adapt without it.
8	Weather Disaster: Storm, flood, extreme heat, or cold. Need shelter now. Usual safe places are compromised. Infected don't care about weather.
9	Child Survivor: Found a kid. Alone, scared, slowing you down. Can't fight, needs protection, might not survive anyway. Take them or leave them?
10	Supply Sabotage: Food is poisoned/tampered with. Medicine is fake. Ammo is bad. Someone's setting traps disguised as supplies. Who? Why?
11	Moral Choice: Can save life but costs supplies you need. Can take supplies but someone dies. Utilitarian math of apocalypse. Neither choice feels right.
12	The Variant: New type of infected. Faster, smarter, different. Rules changed. Tactics that worked don't work. Learn fast or die trying.

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