# Headless zombie corpse **URL:** \ **Category:** The Drawing Board\ **Created:** [June 17, 2013, 3:17am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/headless-zombie-corpse/1794 "2013-06-17T03:17:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1

**Author:** ![CmdPrompt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9e5f3/32.png) [@CmdPrompt](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/CmdPrompt)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 3:17am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/headless-zombie-corpse/1794/1 "2013-06-17T03:17:13Z")

I’ve been wondering how zombies that die of headshot get reanimated. Maybe adding a headless zombie corpse that doesn’t reanimate after 6 hours would be a slight improvement. ---

**Author:** ![kilozombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e274bd/32.png) [@kilozombie](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/kilozombie)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 6:30am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/headless-zombie-corpse/1794/2 "2013-06-17T06:30:58Z")

Well, they’re not your conventional zombies… ---

**Author:** ![Pthalocy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/22d042/32.png) [@Pthalocy](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Pthalocy)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 6:43am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/headless-zombie-corpse/1794/3 "2013-06-17T06:43:14Z")

they really aren’t. ---

**Author:** ![kilozombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e274bd/32.png) [@kilozombie](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/kilozombie)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 6:44am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/headless-zombie-corpse/1794/4 "2013-06-17T06:44:29Z")

Basically, if apples are Romero zombies and oranges are 28 Days Later zombies, then Cataclysm zombies are misshapen fetuses. ---

**Author:** ![i2amroy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/i2amroy/32/909_2.png) [@i2amroy](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/i2amroy)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 7:19am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/headless-zombie-corpse/1794/5 "2013-06-17T07:19:56Z")

As mentioned, Cataclysm zombies don’t exactly follow other trends. In this exact case the alien goo repairs the dead body so it gets back up again. It is possible to stop zombies from getting back up by excessive damage IIRC, though. ---

**Author:** ![AerialK7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@AerialK7](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/AerialK7)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 7:21am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/headless-zombie-corpse/1794/6 "2013-06-17T07:21:43Z")

[quote=“i2amroy, post:5, topic:1794”]As mentioned, Cataclysm zombies don’t exactly follow other trends. In this exact case the alien goo repairs the dead body so it gets back up again. It is possible to stop zombies from getting back up by excessive damage IIRC, though.[/quote] Or excessive body burning ---

**Author:** ![GlyphGryph](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/glyphgryph/32/847_2.png) [@GlyphGryph](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/GlyphGryph)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 4:15pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/headless-zombie-corpse/1794/7 "2013-06-17T16:15:29Z")

So removing the head CAN keep them down… if you remove enough of it. A simple headshot probably isn’t going to do it though. ---

**Author:** ![CmdPrompt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9e5f3/32.png) [@CmdPrompt](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/CmdPrompt)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 5:26pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/headless-zombie-corpse/1794/8 "2013-06-17T17:26:10Z")

> [@GlyphGryph](#): > > So removing the head CAN keep them down… if you remove enough of it. A simple headshot probably isn’t going to do it though. You mean if the whole body explodes from over twice the damage it can take? ---

**Author:** ![esran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@esran](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/esran)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 5:39pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/headless-zombie-corpse/1794/9 "2013-06-17T17:39:25Z")

sometimes i punch squirrel so hard that it doesnt even leave behind any skin, bones, meat, or a corpse. i literally punch it right out of existence. i wish i could do that in real life. ---

**Author:** ![Pthalocy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/22d042/32.png) [@Pthalocy](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Pthalocy)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 8:38pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/headless-zombie-corpse/1794/10 "2013-06-17T20:38:44Z")

I guess butchering the corpse could just as easily involve smashing the head in to help ensure the zed’s stay dead. That was sort of how I imagined it, anyway. ---

**Author:** ![GlyphGryph](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/glyphgryph/32/847_2.png) [@GlyphGryph](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/GlyphGryph)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 8:57pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/headless-zombie-corpse/1794/11 "2013-06-17T20:57:52Z")

> [@CmdPrompt](#): > > [quote=“GlyphGryph, post:7, topic:1794”]So removing the head CAN keep them down… if you remove enough of it. A simple headshot probably isn’t going to do it though. You mean if the whole body explodes from over twice the damage it can take?[/quote] I’m not sure how much damage you need to do to render a zed permanently dead, but I /believe/ it may be less than that. ---

**Author:** ![Slax](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/slax/32/5385_2.png) [@Slax](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Slax)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 9:16pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/headless-zombie-corpse/1794/12 "2013-06-17T21:16:27Z")

Well, pulping is a recent feature I greatly approve of. Smash them corpses up good and they won’t get back up. Faster than butchery as long as you have an alright weapon for it. I take it pulping means you mash up the entire body enough so it won’t be able to get back up. Or, you know, vital parts. ---

**Author:** ![Pthalocy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/22d042/32.png) [@Pthalocy](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Pthalocy)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 4:48pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/headless-zombie-corpse/1794/13 "2013-06-18T16:48:30Z")

I was unaware of this new action feature and I wholeheartedly approve for the sheer functionality and grossness it offers. ---

**Author:** ![KA101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/278dde/32.png) [@KA101](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/KA101)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 3:29am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/headless-zombie-corpse/1794/14 "2013-06-19T03:29:53Z")

> [@GlyphGryph](#): > > So removing the head CAN keep them down… if you remove enough of it. A simple headshot probably isn’t going to do it though. Uh, not all headshots (especially in gaming) are created equal, GlyphGryph. Someone coming from UT or Dirty Harry\* may expect a Headshot! to mean clean decapitation, which I think ought to put a damper on the zed’s rezzing. JA2 players would realize that most headshots leave something head-looking attached, and firearm fans like ballfairy could probably tell me the exact formulae. \*Hope they aren’t using a Ruger Redhawk… It’s probably worth adding a “Splat!” or “Pop!”, some way to let players know when they’ve blown the head off rather than just bade a great shot. ---

**Author:** ![Pthalocy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/22d042/32.png) [@Pthalocy](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Pthalocy)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 3:56am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/headless-zombie-corpse/1794/15 "2013-06-19T03:56:12Z")

I like the idea of descriptive cues as opposed to outright confirmation. ---

**Author:** ![GlyphGryph](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/glyphgryph/32/847_2.png) [@GlyphGryph](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/GlyphGryph)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 5:23am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/headless-zombie-corpse/1794/16 "2013-06-19T05:23:18Z")

> [@KA101](#): > > [quote=“GlyphGryph, post:7, topic:1794”]So removing the head CAN keep them down… if you remove enough of it. A simple headshot probably isn’t going to do it though. Uh, not all headshots (especially in gaming) are created equal[/quote] That… yes. That was my point. A “simple headshot” “probably” isn’t going to do it. A particularly damaging headshot like from heavy weaponry certainly could. ---

**Author:** ![Morrigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Morrigi](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Morrigi)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 8:16am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/headless-zombie-corpse/1794/17 "2013-06-19T08:16:32Z")

> [@GlyphGryph](#): > > So removing the head CAN keep them down… if you remove enough of it. A simple headshot probably isn’t going to do it though. It’d really depend on what the head is being shot with With rounds like .22 LR, .38 special, or an arrow, it would make sense that enough tissue is left intact or at least in usable reach of the slime to facilitate repairs. However, something like a .45 ACP, a rifle shot, or a shotgun loaded with anything heavier than birdshot is quite likely to wreck the head and brain beyond repair. With higher-powered rounds, it becomes less of a question of how much damage it does as opposed to how much is left afterwards, with the rest painting the landscape as a fine red mist. At first glance this appears to be reasonably well-modeled in the dev builds, though I have not had a chance to test anything more than a 9mm pistol and a shotgun. Slightly off-topic, but the differences in real life in soft-tissue damage when you compare standard military surplus 7.62x54mm rifle ammunition with commercial soft-point rounds of the same caliber is quite striking. I tested this several years ago using a Mosin-Nagant and two watermelons at a range of around twenty five meters. With the military surplus round, it punched a relatively clean entry wound and created a nasty crater of an exit wound, after which the bullet was clearly visible ricocheting off the ground behind the target. With the soft-point round, the watermelon simply ceased to exist. Upon closer inspection, some pieces were flung six or seven meters in all directions and the scent of watermelon lingered in the air for several minutes in about a ten-yard radius. Simply put, not only does the caliber matter but the composition of the bullet itself. While a military surplus 7.62x54mm rifle round is easily capable of doing lethal damage to something similar to a human, a lead-core soft point will blast it into a fine pulp and decorate the surrounding area. What this really boils down to is “More ammo types, please!” ---

**Author:** ![Stevensonz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Stevensonz](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Stevensonz)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 10:15am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/headless-zombie-corpse/1794/18 "2013-06-19T10:15:55Z")

@Morrigi so you want more ammo types eh? well that’s easy when my IGNITE effect is added we can have Dragons Breath Rounds,Fragmenting Rounds to be worked and Freezing Rounds. ---

**Author:** ![GlyphGryph](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/glyphgryph/32/847_2.png) [@GlyphGryph](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/GlyphGryph)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 12:03pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/headless-zombie-corpse/1794/19 "2013-06-19T12:03:44Z")

Yeah Morrigi, that’s the sort of stuff I’d expect - but even with those, the vaporization is somehat dependent on a solid hit. And if you did that much damage to he zombies torso it would probably be just as effective, heh.