Zed Skill: Play Dead

[Ty]

After reading through the sniper thread again, and realizing that zeds would need some kind of counter-ability, I came up with this. Something similar to this may have been suggested a while ago, but I'm doing a new take on it.

After getting this skill, a zed may spend 1 (discuss this) ap to drop to the ground. Doing this, they will appear as a dead body and cannot be attacked (ie no sniping). Likewise, they will be able to stand up again for 1ap, regardless of whether they have Ankle Grab, though they will still have the same amount of hp as when they lied down.

As an interesting sub-skill, zeds could gain the ability to prepare a sneak attack for survivors entering the square. If a survivor passes through the square where the zombie is playing dead, there is a % chance (I'll say half the zed's normal attack chance) that the survivor will be bit/mauled by the zombie. This will, however, reveal the zombie for what it is and leave it vulnerable to further attack, so zed players would have to weigh the risk.

Thoughts?

[Scorpio]

This seems pretty good. One question though.

Say someone is in a square when a zombie enters. Then the zombie plays possum. What message on this action does the survivor see?

[mrnoname001]

hmmm, I like the idea, but a few questions.
one- does this count as an automatic attack? I thought they were no no's?
two- If a zed is playing possum in a building can a person toss there body out?(assumeing that they don't have the ambush skill setup)
three- I actually like the idea, it provides a balance to people being able to shoot at them from range, it allows them to draw people unaware into close combat.

[Ty]

elscorpio said:

This seems pretty good. One question though.

Say someone is in a square when a zombie enters. Then the zombie plays possum. What message on this action does the survivor see?

Actually, come to think of it, it shouldn't be possible when survivors are around. So, we'll make it only available in survivor-free zones, like with ransack.

mrnoname001 said:

hmmm, I like the idea, but a few questions.
one- does this count as an automatic attack? I thought they were no no's?
two- If a zed is playing possum in a building can a person toss there body out?(assumeing that they don't have the ambush skill setup)
three- I actually like the idea, it provides a balance to people being able to shoot at them from range, it allows them to draw people unaware into close combat.

1- Yeah, but to tell you the truth, I was always against that no-no business. Besides, it's only one attack, and not guaranteed to hit.
2- Yes, they'd be treated like a normal body if they don't have the ambush skill. If they did have the skill, then they'd risk the % chance of being attacked. Likewise, I think a survivor would incur the same risk every time took an action in the building, so that would discourage leaving bodies lying around.
3- Thank you.

I'll update the first post appropriately if needed, but I don't really feel like it right now. (Darn, my meds are wearing off already )

[mrnoname001]

cool well that answered my questions. Sounds good to me.

[Lina]

Should be more AP without ankle grab to get up, and Ankle Grab makes it one AP. Maybe six without? That. And they need to wait a certain amount of time before getting back up.

[kain703805]

I think that the automatic attack would be a bit unfair on the zombie player. You lie down to try and hide in a pile of corpases only for the automatic attack to reveal you again and you get riddled with bullets and dragged outside. Not really balanced that.

[Ty]

kain703805 said:

I think that the automatic attack would be a bit unfair on the zombie player. You lie down to try and hide in a pile of corpases only for the automatic attack to reveal you again and you get riddled with bullets and dragged outside. Not really balanced that.

That's the point. They don't have to take the risk if they don't want to. They could just play dead for safety, or sneak attack unsuspecting survivors at the risk of getting shot, which isn't much of a risk for zeds since they can just stand up anyway.

Hey, what about this: the auto attack is a bite, so if the zombie also has infected bite, they can infect a survivor.

[Khallos]

Nah, i dont like the auto attack idea. If its done in high traffic areas (like, say, i dunno, a square near a buulding with a sniper in it because thats likley to be some kind of stronghold) the Zombies going to be getting up every 5 seconds. I like the idea of a paying dead idea - it buts a little bit of the in character "is that body dead or will it try and attack me" feel back into it, but it does kind of violate my usual "THERE ARE NO SAFE PLACES IN ZOMBIE OUTBREAKS" that i try and get across... but then, if you take away the auto attack, this is just a safe place rule... argle x.x

[Ty]

Well, there's one flaw I hadn't thought of yet: This would be pretty brutal on newbies. Finding a building that's not EHB is hard enough. Doing that while getting clawed and bit every few squares would really suck.

[mrnoname001]

I can almost guarantee you that there would no longer be any zeds just standing around anymore either. At least not any that were a couple levels in. Hell it would suck for a person thats been playing for a while that wants to take a walk outside! Imagine you leave a building during a seige and you die instantly because 150 zeds all spontaneously attack you! How much would that suck! Although I still like the idea of them being able to play dead for some reason?

[Ty]

I know what you mean. To some degree, though, I like that. I mean, if you step outside a building with 150 zeds, it seems like you should be screwed. And yet, as it is now, people run through entire hordes unharmed. I don't know if I like that.

[mrnoname001]

<---- image pops into my head of a man jumping out of a building and body surfing across a sea of zeds......untill they eat him!

[Kan]

*has fond memories of walking along a unending zombie road in Dead Rising*

Good idea Ty, and just for the record the auto attack should be able to be toggled, for example when someone decides to lay down they could have two options, just lay there like regular, or an attack state.

[Khallos]

kanian said:

*has fond memories of walking along a unending zombie road in Dead Rising*

Good idea Ty, and just for the record the auto attack should be able to be toggled, for example when someone decides to lay down they could have two options, just lay there like regular, or an attack state.

I approve. Hehe, now that you mention it, it is kind of weird people running through a horde of 150 zombies...

[Ty]

kanian said:

*has fond memories of walking along a unending zombie road in Dead Rising*

Good idea Ty, and just for the record the auto attack should be able to be toggled, for example when someone decides to lay down they could have two options, just lay there like regular, or an attack state.

Well, that's what I was thinking. I don't want the attack to be mandatory. Like, if you play dead with the skill, then a 'poise attack' option or whatever would be there for you to select.

[mrnoname001]

Ok so we all like it and are intrested in it. When ya gonna put it up for us to vote on the wiki?

[Ty]

mrnoname001 said:

Ok so we all like it and are intrested in it. When ya gonna put it up for us to vote on the wiki?

Sorry, I've been busy. I'll condense everything and post it on the wiki sometime this week. If I don't, you can beat me with steel pipes until I do.

[Kan]

*Beats Ty with steel pipe*

[Ty]

Not yet, dammit!

*Dragon Kicks Kan*

[Kan]

*continues to beat Ty with pipe*

[Ty]

I said IF I DON'T! IF!

*hits Kan with a wooden crate*

[Kan]

*Continues hitting Ty with pipe*

[Ty]

*takes Kan's pipe*

[Kan]

*Cries, then hits ty with a stick*

[Ty]

wiki.urbandead.com/index.php/Suggestion:20071126_Zombie_Skill:_Play_Dead

Graaagh! and stuff.

Well, they're damn sure not liking it so far. Guess I should've reworded it in some parts.

EDIT:
Okay, the vote's basically lost. Fine. The discussion's still on, though. If anyone wants to back me up, I'd appreciate the help, but only if you honestly think the idea would be a good/cool/useful new dynamic.