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The thing about zombie plagues in WH40k is that the really dangerous ones have a GOD behind them manipulating things in the worse case scenario. Even if Nurgle or Tzeentch isn't directly screwing around, zombie plagues can still be a problem if cultists are involved sowing things as much as they can, such as misinformation, etc. And Emperor help you if a Chaos Sorceror is involved (especially Typhus).

Anyways, getting back to the original point, planetary governors are consistently aware of Chaos in every fluff story I've ever read. Sure, it's debatable how aware the average Imperial citizen is, but Planetary Governors are NOT the average Imperial Citizen, and one can make the logical assumption that they are made aware of Chaos so that they can do their jobs (because every fluff story I've seen where applicable has the governor being aware of what Chaos is, and there really are more of those stories than you'd think, such as one where the Planetary Governor is despairing about how he didn't do more about reports from Arbiters of Khornate cults until it was too late).

 Ernestas wrote:
Then there is a little point of having zombies in the first place. Initial waves would be just as deadly as rotting corpses and survivors would have air-filters to negate disease. Zombies would simply starve out due to their explosive growth and non-existent feed rates.

I was looking at Nurgle's gifts and it seems that in w40k universe, you cannot posses human (to make him zombie) without having to fight with his will first. Previous link of that quote contained sister of battle fighting off T-virus and other sisters being completely immune to it. Also, take a look to others jewels that Nurgle can gift to you:
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Doubtworm#.Uk3goYanqYE
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/The_Vile_Savants#.Uk3h2IanqYE

Thing about 40K zombies is... they're walking corpses. They don't *need* to eat, they're already dead.

I don't really agree on medical aid and sanitary conditions being "much" better, but this is arguably a matter of how we imagine hives to look like and my idea may just be a bit more dystopian than yours. I also don't think their minds would be much more shielded than the gangers (perhaps even less? unlike a gang and its identity, the troops may just see their profession as a job). As for willpower, I lean towards only Schola graduates being fanatical enough to have a greater chance at resisting corruption - if we are talking about group averages rather than just individuals, that is.

Indeed, they are not much better against it, but I would bet my money that a humble solder, who says his prayers to the Emperor every evening and do his best to serve him, would have a better chance to resist the disease.

About sanitary and medical aid: I imagine that lower spire don't have any of that, so I'm just comparing nothing to something. I think that middle class in hive world would be similar to ours then it comes to health care. You get basics to function and are cured of "easy to get rid off" diseases while if you want something more expensive, you have to pay considerable portion of your income for it.


Also, that are your thoughts about this disease's spreading? I mean, if it's airborne then it will infect all lower and middle hive before any response could be made. On the other hand, such type of infection might be noticed by nasal filters on upper levels and it might betray that's happening. I believe that airborne infection is ineffective due to Imperium's air filters on middle and upper levels. Also, I do not think that Nurgle designed this plague on this method of transfer, knowing his deamonic roots, it might be that he created this plague from our own imagination and thus, disease can only be spread through saliva and blood.
Due to all of this, I would say that plague of unbelief needs to be spread by cults first, like pouring virus into water for the start.

Thing about 40K zombies is... they're walking corpses. They don't *need* to eat, they're already dead.

If they walk and are aware of their surroundings, then they burn away their energy. Since most of their flesh is rotten and brain can only perform basic functions, they need much less food than a normal human being would. Even so, they still use their energy doing their ''thinking" and shambling from place to place and thus, they burn their energy little by little. Even if that rotting flesh is not really rotting, but used up as fuel, they still are going to starve out eventually.

If they walk and are aware of their surroundings, then they burn away their energy. Since most of their flesh is rotten and brain can only perform basic functions, they need much less food than a normal human being would. Even so, they still use their energy doing their ''thinking" and shambling from place to place and thus, they burn their energy little by little. Even if that rotting flesh is not really rotting, but used up as fuel, they still are going to starve out eventually.

They don't have biological processes. They don't burn caloric energy. They walk around because they're magic. They don't keep rotting (and, in fact, their current stage of decay is vastly accelerated due to, well, magic) and eventually fall apart.

They have no need to eat. Their internal organs do not function. Their brains do not function. They do require neither food, drink nor rest. They are shambling corpses guided by a malignant will.

Yea, the zombies in WH40k are created by a disease that's at least partially magical (It's both physical and magical according to several sources, I believe. "Magical" meaning "Warp-related"). So physics of burning energy need not necessarily apply. In a Ciaphus Cain novel, curing it (well, vaccinating against it, I believe) required both a physical remedy AND a holy one (the cure had to be blessed by a priest).

If it's purely warp related survival then they would have a open link to the warp and leech energy from there. For me, it seems unlikely that chaos would bother to create such complex magic for such lowly creatures. For example, look at deamons that are being summoned, even they have extreme problems keeping their link with warp stable and thus have to undergo complex summoning procedures (if link is not opened by psyker to his own body) to get into real-space and even then, they have to generate more energy themselves. certain emotions to feed on in order to stay lively in real space.

Why not? It's not like you run out of Warp. The Chaos Gods eat, drink, breathe and dream complex and complicated magic. Tzeentch is just better at doing it than any of the others, but that is not to say that they are slouches.

There's also no indication that the zombies require any sort of active link to the Warp. The state of their being is caused through a magical virus, that same magical virus may be enough to keep them going for decades, centuries even.

Also, they're not Daemons, they're just animate human corpses. They don't suffer Instability or Malediction. The emotional state normally seen/applied to daemons simply doesn't apply to them.

Deamons require constant flow of energy to function well. If chaos can create a stable link between real space and the warp without help of humans for example, then we should see deamons being fed directly from it and they shouldn't drop in their power if for example, nearby warp storm calms down.

Warp energy who can be used by deamons are limited. If it were not so, then we wouldn't see fluctuations of gods power and their ever changing power levels among themselves. Also, if they would command limitless power, then they would give far greater presents in far greater numbers to their followers.
Chaos have to obey physical rules then they are in real-space or to actively spend their energy in order to overcome those rules. Virus cannot use warp energy if link is denied (carrier is no longer in control of himself) and thus, even those little bits of energy are denied to him.

Usage of warp for enchanting real-life applications are untouched subject. Personally, I do not know any source which would speak about specifics of such thing and thus, this discussion is pointless.

The Dark Mechanicus does exactly that. It's how they build things like Daemon Engines and Daemon Weapons, which are one part basic science and technology, mixed with the mysticism and occult practices of a Chaos Cult.

The T-virus (for lack of a better term) is, in essence, a form of daemon engine. It's a microscopic, biological machine that, individually, can probably survive on the latent psychic energy produced by living beings (especially ones with psychic potential, like humanity), and does not require any additional "Warp Portal"; there's simply enough Warp energy from the masses of humanity around the viral bodies to feed it. Collectively, though, these T-virus bodies are much, much greater than the sum of their parts.

Thinking about it, a (relatively) stable and constant passive link to the warp is a very common thing - psykers, anyone?
Even when not actively drawing on their powers, a Psyker can still feel their connection to the immaterium.

If a human mutation lets a human tap into the warp, why couldn't a magical plague from a God have a similar linking effect?

AFAIK, as regards the whole "do Z's need food?" debate, if it's Nurgle's will that animates a true Plague zombie, they shouldn't *need* to feed, big daddy N just wants the survivors to be infected too - sharing the love, y'dig?

You have misunderstood me. I was talking about specific workings of techno-sorcery. I don't know if any source which talks about how it works in greater detail, than just saying: "it's magic just go with it" or "look at this fancy word and imagine how cool it must be".


You say it works like machinery, but later you say that Curse of Unbelief have characteristics of deamons. Zombie Plague is indeed strange disease, those roots are questionable. It might be created either by Nurgle or Dark mechanicus.


I think, we can agree that stable warp link between reality and empyrean cannot be created and maintained without constant help of humans and thus, deamons and Curse of Unbelief have to look for other way to sustain itself. If it has characteristics of deamons then it explains why disease have to overcome its carrier will first before it can do something with its body. Sadly, even this process requires energy, disease have either have "emotional backing" from ''emotional radiation" which will be caused at the start of zombie apocalypse. Another, more reliable method is to hijack body's resources for its own ends as normal diseases do. But this raises another question, if warp-enhanced diseases have to obey physical laws, then where it ends? If Curse of Unbelief must use your own resources to do simple tasks then why it shouldn't obey most of other our nature's laws of "energy usage"?
It also raises another question, if disease uses your emotional state to fuel itself and with that, background ''emotional radiation" to sustain itself, then from where it will going to feed after civilization falls? There will be no civilians to slaughter and disease carrier will not produce any energy to sustain itself. Disease will have to get its energy from either feeding or stopping its body functioning to the maximum. I mean, to slowly digest itself (appearance of rotting) and thus, weaken itself further and further until there is just too little of "you" to be ''alive". This scenario would make zombies extremely inactive, basically just laying there they fell, buying more time with their minimal energy usage. Even more, brain is a demanding mistress, if you want to have your perception, you have to pay dearly for it. Due to that, zombies will have minimal brain-functioning and because of that, they only be capable of responding to only most obvious movement and loudest of sounds. Their motoric function should also make them barely able to walk and thus, reducing their threat to hardened survivors almost to nothing.

Thinking about it, a (relatively) stable and constant passive link to the warp is a very common thing - psykers, anyone?
Even when not actively drawing on their powers, a Psyker can still feel their connection to the immaterium.

If a human mutation lets a human tap into the warp, why couldn't a magical plague from a God have a similar linking effect?

That's the problem. All humans have that link, usually it's quite small for non-psykers, but it's just enough for deamons to pour smallest of things into reality, like diseases. This link is so fragile and small that situation has to be perfect for them in order to succeed. In this way, cults get their diseases and extremely suspectible individuals begins spreading Nurgle's gifts from nothing.

Interesting thing, supernatural diseases have no connection to the Nurgle or any other entity. Due to that, psykers, even without allegiance to dark powers can take control of virus and command it. Price to pay for such awesome power is suspiciously small- allow virus into your body and be his carrier (only carrier and not infected in common sense). I don't know if this rule applies to other supernatural diseases, but Curse of Unbelief had incidents there chaos-unrelated psykers used to command this T-virus.

Thanks a lot everybody ! All your opinions and advices helped me a lot in my campaign fluff !

I think if you imagine "turbo zombies" that can run fairly quick, they could probably overwealm an imperial world. Realistically head-shotting them from any distance is near impossible and you'd need to fill them with a fair few bullets before they dropped.

I think if an infection in a hive spontaniously broke out it would probably be enough to destroy it. Imagine a hive of say, a billion people, all being turned into zombies in the course of a few hours. The local PDF would have no chance.