Curse you Nighthawk. I was planning on suggesting three of those zombie types you suggested.
Personally, I would suggest calling the clawed zombie a Ripper and zombies capable of wielding weapons Slashers.
Rippers, the clawed zombies could be zeds with hyperactive adrenaline glands. They are more alert and jittery at all times, and this causes them to nervously chew at their own hands and fingers in mindless hunger until the bone shows. Perhaps they mutate to compensate, and their bones regenerate and fuse into horrible stiff claws where their fingers once were. Maybe there could be an advanced version called Lancers that have began on their wrists, leaving exposed jagged forearm bones.
Some ideas of my own:
Einstein: “This zombie looks much more alert than any of the others.” A zombie that reanimated very quickly after death, resulting in considerably less brain cell death due to oxygen deprivation. It retains some more advanced functions it had in life such as the ability to OPEN DOORS and perhaps path around traps. Maybe it sometimes mutters disturbing things under its breath? “Just like lamb chops.” “Kill me!”
Grease Wad: “This zombie is completely soaked in a viscous film of black-green liquid.” A mutated zombie with a growth of symbiotic photosynthesizing slime that has taken root on its skin and in its clothing. It’s rather non-aggressive, having a shorter field of vision and in place of attacking the player directly it would slime him. However, they walk to flames like moth, with a suicidal purpose and that slime they are coated in is highly flammable. When ablaze, they start throwing up black smoke and sprint full speed at the player, trailing burning globs of oil everywhere.
Ooze: “This zombie’s flesh has decomposed to a oily translucent pink jelly with the skeleton and veins visible underneath yet it somehow remains fully animate.” Thanks to powerful mutagens, this zombie is reduced to a smelly jello of what was once skin and muscle mass. It is weaker and slower than normal but slimes the player much like a boomer, subjecting them to risk of disease. Furthermore, it is nearly immune to cutting damage- blades and bullets glide right through, hardly leaving a mark. However it can easily be splattered everywhere with concussive force- explosives and bashing.
Dryad/Druid/Plant/Veggie: A zombie with a variant of the bark/leaves mutations. It’s covered in floral growth and either A) Drugs you heavily with narcotic pollen if you come close enough or kill it or B) Implants roots into you on a successful strike, draining moisture and increasing your Thirst rapidly. Likely fire resistant.
Inductor: Another CBM variant. This one generates a strong electromagnetic field with its malfunctioning implants. If you are holding a metal item if you get too close, you receive pain and have a chance to drop it. If you are wearing metal armour, you receive pain that might intensify to damage, and covered bodyparts rapidly build up heat. If you happen to have CBMs installed this effect is even deadlier, randomly turning them on and off while dishing out mild damage and plenty of pain. On the plus side if you don’t have many active or expensive CBMs you might come out with a net gain in battery juice.
Juggernaut: A brute in power armor? Just a particularly huge brute? Whatever it is, it walks with a purposeful stride instead of a zombie gait, a regular 100 speed (longer leg span allows its ordinary walking stride to keep up with running survivors) and counts as a vehicle for the purposes of collisions: Knocking aside cars, trampling smashables, destroying trees and walls with only marginal delay and causing terror in the player. Perhaps it should slap around the player by causing knockback with each hit?
Shepard/Ringleader: A zombie capable of discharging pheromones much like the craftable item. Regular zombies flock around this one and when it becomes hostile it releases pheromones that make every plain zed around it become slightly more alert and lively, boosting their speed and aggression.
Motorhead: A zombie that still retains a strong urge from its last living moments: the urge to get a car and drive away. It will randomly enter cars and push gas and maybe steer randomly until it smashes into something. It will only be actively hostile to a player who is in a car seat as if they’re a zombie breaking into its vehicle.
