"Zombies: Undead or Ragers?" Topic

Question came up in a D&D game as to the undead status of Zombies. For example in Zombieland and several other movies and games Zombies suffer from a virus and therefore they would put off a heat signature and are sub-classed as ragers. Whereas we speculate that a ghoul is a risen from the grave type of undead and therefore truly undead and has no heat signature.

What do you think?

Why not both and more? In my WWW2 games i intend to use magically reanimated, accidental scientific and intentional scientific ones and give them all different traits, the latter 2 could have different versions as well.

For example ones who have died in a toxic accident and then come back to life could have poisonous attacks.

I also really like the idea of absinth being used in a resurrection serum which would create particularly crazy zombies, as well as give their skin a nice green tint.

I had a game idea where they are all present and you play a soviet rescue team trying to get civilians out of danger.

If the zombie is truly "dead" but reanimated, the microbes and other carrion animals living on the creature will themselves, or by result of their function, give off heat. Thus, thermal imaging devices will work in detecting the threat.

Modern thermal and IR sensors are quite sensitive and are able to detect even minute differences in temperature.

Zombie

1. classic voodoo mouth sewn shut etc. slow, cold, no heat signature to speak of…I imagine the magic + herbs prevent quick decay

2. classic Romero slow hungry for organs/blood/meat, heat signature would be slight as they rot and decay

3. Romero II slow hungry for brains, heat signature would be slight as they rot and decay

4. Romero III faster, slightly intelligent, hungry for brains, heat signature should be slightly higher then I or II due the faster movement potential

5. Rager fast, fast, fast infected people, normal to much higher heat signature depending on level of virus fever

6. Ghoul…this is a twisted version of a man that eats people, usually dead people in classic references, and not as a snack…main and only coarse…normal human heat signature picture

Check out the computer game Left 4 Dead.
Boomers, Hunters, Smokers and Witches along with Ragers and Zeds. All considered as Zombies.

A ghoul is a mythological demon from ancient Arabian folklore that dwells in burial grounds and other uninhabited places living on and eating the dead.

D&D (and Lovecraft) has made the ghoul a bit more mundane, however, and "ragers" are basically angry ghouls.