These strange, grotesque creatures begin as a normal deer common to North America, such as White-tailed, mule, or roe deer. They appear much like a regular deer until they get close enough to see clearly. These creatures have milky eyes and patchy coats covered with a dusting of what looks like bluish pollen (see below). Strange fungal masses, resembling toadstools, grow around their mouths and in any open wounds they might have. These growths become more pronounced and gruesome the longer the zombie deer lives. Zombie Deer move with a strange wobbly,trembling motions and reek of rotting milk and rancid flesh. They tend to be solitary, spreading out from one another to better spread their infection (see below).
The Cause – These creatures are created when a deer ingests a strange purple fungus that resembles a morel mushroom. These mushrooms are incredibly rare, have never been properly
catalogued, and are not native to earth. In areas where they appear locals refer to them as Devil
Fingers, Corpse Makers, or Purple Reapers (which is how we’ll refer to them henceforth).
Purple Reapers are found in remote areas with a reputation for strange happens (i.e. – whispers in
the darkness, mysterious lights in the sky, unexplained disappearances…). It’s no coincidence
that these places are always hotbeds of Mi-Go activity. While currently unproven a connection
between these strange mushrooms and the Fungi from Yuggoth is almost a certainty.
Purple Reapers are deathly poisonous if ingested, acting at a Terminal level of poisoning (see
page 124 of the Call of Cthulhu Keeper Book). However, if ingested by deer these mushrooms
have a very strange effect. The deer, like everything else that eat a Purple Reaper, dies. This
doesn’t last long, as shortly after death (5D4 minutes) the deer rise up. They aren’t fully alive nor
are they dead, but something in between; their bodies animated by the strange alien fungus they
devoured. Zombie deer then spread out seeking prey, which they then kill in order to devour their
internal organs. Zombie deer prefer human victims and strangely never attack other deer, and
sometimes even move about with them in the same herds.
Zombie Deer Attacks – Zombie deer don’t behave as normal deer. They are bold, fearless
hunters able to deliver powerful kicks from their hooves, savage bites, and can gore victims with their antlers (in the case of a zombie stag). Zombie deer leave obvious trails to follow (+2 bonus
dice to tracking), and allow themselves to be seen in order to lure hunters close enough to attack.
They’ll tear into tents, break into hunting cabins, and wander onto roadways, allowing
themselves to be struck by cars, in pursuit of human prey.
Infected Wounds – These creatures are coated in a dusting of alien spores, which get into any
wounds they inflict on victims. This should be treated as a Moderate Attack via Other Forms of
Damage (see page 124 of the Call of Cthulhu Keeper Book), taking effect roughly thirty minutes
after exposure and lasts 1D4+1 hours. If victim dies from this they suffer from convulsions,
cramps, vomiting, and seizures during the final hour of the spore’s duration. Humans dying from
spores infected wounds don’t arise like zombie deer, but their corpses have a 50% of growing a
bed of 2D12 Purple Reapers.
Reanimation – These creatures aren’t permanently harmed by conventional forms of damage.
Non-magical attacks cause half damage. When reducing to zero HP a Zombie Deer collapses as
if dead. However, after 5D4 minutes the creature reanimates, rising up with jerky motions and
the sound of cracking bones to resumes its hunt for human victims with its HP fully restored.
Destroying a Zombie Deer – The only way to slay a zombie deer is with damage from spells or
enchanted weapons. They can also be dispatched by destroying their body once “killed” but
before it reanimates. This can be done by setting fire to the body, dousing it in acid, alcohol or
bleach, or covering it with a layer of lye or similar caustic agent. Extreme cold, such as from a
Mi-Go Mist Projector, also works in destroying a zombie deer.
The Mi-Go Response – Mi-Go often deploy human agents to hunt down and eliminate both
Zombie Deer and Purple Reapers. They do this in order to prevent attracting unwanted attention
to areas where they’re conducting operations. Mi-Go agents always an antidote for the spores
coating the fur of zombie deer, and mist projectors to destroy their bodies. Mi-go agents on such
assignments often pose as hunters, hikers, or campers. These agents might even team up with
investigators to sanitize an area of zombie deer if the outbreak is too difficult to handle on their own. However, once their mission is accomplished these agents sometimes attempt to eliminate
their former allies in order to protect their alien master’s secrets.
Spreading the Outbreak – Zombie deer devour the organs of living creatures for a very specific
reason – to create more Purple Reapers. When zombie deer defecates after ingesting human
organ meat their droppings have a 25% chance of creating a patch (1D4+1) of Purple Reapers. In
these cases, the alien fungus grows quickly, reaching full maturity in 2D4 days.
Zombie Deer, Infected Undead Cervids
Char. Averages rolls
STR 80 (3D6+6 x 5)
CON 65 (3D6+3 x 5)
SIZ 50 (3D6 x 5)
DEX 50 (3D6 x 5)
INT 50 (3D6+6 x 5)
POW 90 (4D6+4 x 5)
HP 11
Av. Damage Bonus: +1D4
Average Build: +1
Average Magic Points: 18
Move 12
ATTACKS
Attacks per round: 1
Fighting attacks: Kicks, antler gore, or bite
Fighting 45% (22/9), damage 1D6+DB
Dodge: 60% (30/12)
Armor: Takes half damage from non-magical weapons, but only temporarily (see .
Skills: Jump 70%, Listen 50%, Stealth 45%.
Sanity Loss: 1/1D6 for Sanity points to see a Zombie Deer
1/1D4 to see a Zombie Deer reanimate
