Undead Races

[Bill]

Why only humans become zombies? (A lot of people that like warhammer maybe will throw rocks at me) I love the games of Total War series and I love warhammer too. The point I wanna make here is: Why don't we have Orcs, Goblins, Gors, Ungors, Dwarfs, Bestigors, Centigors and all other races like that in a zombie version, or skeletons of dwarfs marching whit their hammers and weapons smashing everything that moves in the way and undead Big Uns smashing the empire units one more time. Why don't we have this? I would be awesome to see undead Giant runnig to smash the gate of the empire followed by tons of skeletons whit half size pushing the big weapons to smash the enemy. (Sorry for bad english and let's make this dream comes true togheter.)

[Ysthrall]

The tabletop answer: because that's more models to make, and mass producing human zombies etc is easier.

The computer game answer: More models = more development time and more runtime?

The lore answers

1) Because few races are suited for being raised. Elves are too magical, and may rebel even in death. Dwarfs are magically resistant. They can be raised, but it's more trouble than its worth. Goblins are too fragile, and orcs don't take commands properly. The beastmen are naturally chaostic, which causes the same problems as raising dwarfs. Humans are the simple and efficient ones to raise.

2) The Raise Dead spell was pioneered and developed by Nagash. He made it for use on humans. Raising anything else with it will take centuries of development. So far in setting this has been expanded for use on wolves (Dire Wolves) by the VC, and for Giants and giant scorpions (by the Tomb Kings). And the latter are more like complex construction and engineering projects than spell effects.

Given the mechanical difference between elf/ungor/dwarf/goblin/human zombies (ie minimal for the effort), few necromancers can be bothered.

[Bill]

Thats a very nice answer(s), but as a player, just for fun, whould you like to have it ingame?

[Ysthrall]

Trouble is, many of the army niches are filled already.
Centigor zombies: fast, no armour... oh that's dire wolves.
Dwarf zombies: slower, tougher.... grave guard
Orc zombies: a bit tougher than regular but less morale.... crypt ghouls.
Even Ogre zombies: bigger and smashier and tougher... Crypt Horrors....

I'd go for Ungor zombies. A touch more expensive, and twice the speed.

Zombie dragons are possible but very rare (Manfred can ride one).

Of course, why stay humanoid...
Stitch zombies to the arms of dead ogres, so each one is quad-wielding big cleavers.
Add a zombie to each shoulder and hip of an undead horse for too many mounted attacks.
The mancipede: all those zombies who've been chopped in half across the waist, stitch 'em together into one long undulating thing.... with a spare axe wielding arm atop each segment.

Undead crows? Undead snakes? Undead halflings (if the ghouls stop eating them for 5 minutes)?

I read the first on the Nagash novels, where he works out necromancy, and is a complete git to everyone. Nasty innovations in desert warfare: My army doesn't need water: poison the wells. It doesn't need food: destroy the granaries. It doesn't need to breath or really see: attack during the sandstorm.

And I also play Warmachine, which features some very nasty steam-punk zombie pirates. And nastier things to do. Zombies filled with noxious slime? Zombies filled with nauseous gas (shoot em as they come, their buddies march through. engage them in combat, and you collapse). Zombies with implanted bombs...

I ran a fantasy RPG game which featured at one point zombies in a room full of carbon monoxide. Breath heavily in combat guys...

And finally in horrible things to do with zombies, the nice one from Pirates of the Carribean (1). March them across the seabed... Or up the rivers...

[Shandor]

Well i dont know about Zombies.. but i know for Vampires. They cant drink from Chaos affected Lifeforms.
They even have little chaos Stars inside thier blood. a Vampire gets sick from that.

[Tenshin51]

Zombie are cannon fodder nothing more. Maybe that's why CA never add some variety on it but it will be cool some human zombie have bretonia and norscan on it. Also it seems CA wanted to make this game w/ Rock,paper or scissor. Meaning every unit have counter and weakness on it.

Also makes every faction unique. Zombie are useless against late tier unit except for being a cannon fodder and good for sieges.

[The Hat]

Skaven would make for good fodder, there is a lot of them too. It is likely though lore wise as others have hinted, anything chaos doesn't mix with vampire or the magic of the dead, so it would rule them out if that were the case.

[Bill]

Originally posted by The Hat:

Skaven would make for good fodder, there is a lot of them too. It is likely though lore wise as others have hinted, anything chaos doesn't mix with vampire or the magic of the dead, so it would rule them out if that were the case.

I forgot the skaven, they are very cool, love to see them too.