Horde of Zombies
Gargantuan • Swarm of Medium Undead • Neutral Evil
Armor Class 7
Hit Points 116 (8d20 + 32)
Speed 20 ft.
Initiative -3 (7)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 (+3) | 5 (-3) | 18 (+4) | 3 (-4) | 6 (-2) | 7 (-2) |
Saving Throws Str +6, Con +7, Wis +1
Skills Perception +1
Damage Resistances necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, slashing
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, stunned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages understands all languages it spoke in life but can't speak
CR 5 (XP 1,800; PB +3)
Horde. The horde has the height of a Medium creature.
Mass Undead Fortitude. If damage reduces the horde to 0 hit points, it makes a Constitution saving throw (DC 5 plus the damage taken). On a successful save, the horde drops to 1 Hit Point instead.
Overwhelm. Strength Saving Throw: DC 14, each hostile creature that starts its turn in the horde’s space. Failure: The target becomes knocked prone, grappled (escape DC 14), and is restrained until the grapple ends.
Swarm. The horde can occupy another creature’s space and vice versa, and the horde can move through any opening large enough for a Medium humanoid. The swarm can’t regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.
Unusual Nature. The horde doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The horde makes two Slam attacks and uses its Gnawing. If both Slam attacks hit the same creature, the target must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +6, reach 5 ft. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage.
Gnawing. Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 14, each hostile creature in the horde’s space. Failure: 15 (6d4) piercing damage, or 7 (3d4) piercing damage if the horde is bloodied. Success: Half damage.
BONUS ACTIONS
Staggered Rush (Recharge 5-6). The horde moves up to its speed toward a hostile creature that it can see. When the horde does so, it counts as bloodied for the purpose of its Gnawing action until the start of its next turn.
Horde of Zombies
Gargantuan • Swarm of Medium Undead • Neutral Evil
Armor Class 7
Hit Points 67 (5d20 + 15)
Speed 20 ft.
Initiative -3 (7)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 (+2) | 5 (-3) | 16 (+3) | 3 (-4) | 6 (-2) | 7 (-2) |
Saving Throws Str +4, Con +5, Wis +0
Skills Perception +0
Damage Resistances necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, slashing
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, stunned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages understands all languages it spoke in life but can't speak
CR 3 (XP 700; PB +2)
Horde. The horde has the height of a Medium creature.
Mass Undead Fortitude. If damage reduces the horde to 0 hit points, it makes a Constitution saving throw (DC 5 plus the damage taken). On a successful save, the horde drops to 1 Hit Point instead.
Overwhelm. Strength Saving Throw: DC 12, each hostile creature that starts its turn in the horde’s space. Failure: The target becomes knocked prone, grappled (escape DC 12), and is restrained until the grapple ends.
Swarm. The horde can occupy another creature’s space and vice versa, and the horde can move through any opening large enough for a Medium humanoid. The swarm can’t regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.
Unusual Nature. The horde doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The horde makes two Slam attacks and uses its Gnawing. If both Slam attacks hit the same creature, the target must succeed on a DC 12 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +4, reach 5 ft. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) bludgeoning damage.
Gnawing. Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 12, each hostile creature in the horde’s space. Failure: 10 (4d4) piercing damage, or 5 (2d4) piercing damage if the horde is bloodied. Success: Half damage.
BONUS ACTIONS
Staggered Rush (Recharge 5-6). The horde moves up to its speed toward a hostile creature that it can see. When the horde does so, it counts as bloodied for the purpose of its Gnawing action until the start of its next turn.
Horde of Zombies
Gargantuan • Swarm of Medium Undead • Neutral Evil
Armor Class 7
Hit Points 159 (11d20 + 44)
Speed 20 ft.
Initiative -3 (7)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 (+3) | 5 (-3) | 19 (+4) | 3 (-4) | 6 (-2) | 7 (-2) |
Saving Throws Str +6, Con +7, Wis +1
Skills Perception +1
Damage Resistances necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, slashing
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, stunned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages understands all languages it spoke in life but can't speak
CR 7 (XP 2,900; PB +3)
Horde. The horde has the height of a Medium creature.
Mass Undead Fortitude. If damage reduces the horde to 0 hit points, it makes a Constitution saving throw (DC 5 plus the damage taken). On a successful save, the horde drops to 1 Hit Point instead.
Overwhelm. Strength Saving Throw: DC 14, each hostile creature that starts its turn in the horde’s space. Failure: The target becomes knocked prone, grappled (escape DC 14), and is restrained until the grapple ends.
Swarm. The horde can occupy another creature’s space and vice versa, and the horde can move through any opening large enough for a Medium humanoid. The swarm can’t regain hit points or gain temporary hit points.
Unusual Nature. The horde doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The horde makes two Slam attacks and uses its Gnawing. If both Slam attacks hit the same creature, the target must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +6, reach 5 ft. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage.
Gnawing. Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 14, each hostile creature in the horde’s space. Failure: 21 (6d6) piercing damage, or 10 (3d6) piercing damage if the horde is bloodied. Success: Half damage.
BONUS ACTIONS
Staggered Rush (Recharge 5-6). The horde moves up to its speed toward a hostile creature that it can see. When the horde does so, it counts as bloodied for the purpose of its Gnawing action until the start of its next turn.
QUICK REFERENCE
Habitat
- Graveyards and crypts; necromancer’s lair
- Ancient battle battlefields or desolate wastelands
- Collapsed cities and plague-ridden ruins
Behavior
- Mindless and relentless, driven only by hunger
- Surges forward in a wave, overwhelming enemies by sheer numbers
Information (Intelligence Check)
- DC 7 History: A horde of humanoid undead brought back from the dead, attacking the living indiscriminately
- DC 10 Medicine: Hard to kill, especially in a large horde, can “survive” hits that even partially destroy their body
- DC 13 Insight: Often underestimated because of their lumberingly slow speed, but sudden sprints can quickly surround the foolish
Combat
- Closes the distance as quickly as possible, using Staggered Rush to get into melee range of creatures believing themselves to be far enough away
- Tries to get as many targets inside its space as possible to be affected by its Overwhelm trait and to deal the most damage with its Gnawing
- Keeps attacking regardless of injury, never retreats, and always attacks the closest creature it can reach
Loot Ideas
- Little to no material wealth (rotting corpses, scraps of ruined armor/clothing)
- Items from its past life (trinkets, rusted jewelry, burial goods)
USING MONSTER VARIANTS
Monster variants allow the GM to adjust encounters to better match the party’s strength, narrative needs, or world-building logic. A weaker variant may represent a juvenile, wounded, or lesser specimen, while a stronger variant can serve as a leader, champion, ancient creature, or apex predator.
Variants can be used to fine-tune difficulty without changing the core identity of the monster, making them ideal for scaling encounters, reinforcing hierarchy within a faction, or creating memorable boss-style enemies. You can even use the same stat block but different variants in the same encounter if you want.
Design Note. Each monster is primarily balanced around its normal version. Weaker and stronger variants are derived adjustments and may not always preserve every tactical nuance or “feel” of the original creature. GMs are encouraged to review variants carefully and adjust abilities or tactics as needed to best suit their table.