LEFT 4 DEAD

WITCH

Val	CHA	Cost	Roll	Notes
20	STR	10	13-	Lift 400 kg; 4d6 HTH Damage [2]
20	DEX	20	13-
20	CON	10	13-
8	INT	-2	11-	PER Roll 14-
10	EGO	0	11-
20	PRE	10	13-	PRE Attack:  4d6

8	OCV	25	
7	DCV	20	
3	OMCV	0	
3	DMCV	0	
4	SPD	20		Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12

6	PD	4		Total:  6 PD (0 rPD)
6	ED	4		Total:  6 ED (0 rED)
8	REC	4
40	END	4
27	BODY	17
50	STUN	15		Total Characteristic Cost:  161

Movement:	Running:	16m/32m 
		Leaping:	4m/8m
		Swimming:	4m/8m

Cost	Powers & Skills
35	Long Claws On Fingers:  HKA 1 ½d6 (2 ½d6 w/STR), Autofire (2 shots; +¼), Reduced Endurance 
	(½ END; +½); Reduced Penetration (-¼), END 1
15	Incapacitating Strike:  Double Knockback (+½) for up to 2 ½d6 of HKA, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); 
	Only To Determine Knockdown (-1)
20	Green Flu Infected Resistance To Harm:  Physical Damage Reduction, Resistant, 25%; STUN Only (-½) 
	plus Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 25%; STUN Only (-½)
30	Increased Green Flu Infected Resistance To Harm:  Physical Damage Reduction, Resistant, 25% 
	(total 50% versus STUN, 25% versus BODY) plus Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 25% (Total 50% 
	versus STUN, 25% versus BODY)
4	Fast:  Running +4m (16m total), END 1
4	Never Loses Her Balance:  Usable Flight (+¼) for up to 16m of Running, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); 
	Only Along Reasonably Horizontal Surfaces (pipes, narrow planks, catwalks, and so on; -½)
9	Sensitive To Light, Noise, Touch:  +3 PER with all Sense Groups
5	Can Apparently See In The Dark:  Nightvision
6	"They Don't Eat, They Don't Sleep, What Keeps Them Going?":  LS  (Eating: Character does not eat; 
	Sleeping: Character does not sleep)

	Talents
3	Hits Just As Well With Either Hand:  Ambidexterity (no Off Hand penalty)
3	Unhealthy Pallor And Appearance:  +1/+1d6 Striking Appearance (vs. all characters)

	Skills
3	Acrobatics 13-
3	Breakfall 13-
3	Climbing 13-
5	Rapid Attack; HTH Multiple Attacks Only (-1)

Total Powers & Skill Cost:  148
Total Cost:  309

175+	Matching Complications (50)
15	Distinctive Features:  constant crying and sobbing (Not Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; 
	Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)
30	Enraged:  if startled (see text) (Common), go 14-, recover 8-
20	Physical Complication:  Reduced Level Of Intelligence/No Sense Of Self-Preservation (see text) 
	(Frequently; Greatly Impairing)
20	Psychological Complication:  Incredibly Hostile To Non-Infected (Common; Total)

Total Complications Points:  50
Experience Points:  134

Background/History: A Witch is a form of Special Infected. They’re normally found sitting alone on the ground, hunched over and rocking back and forth while crying. although some (known as Wandering Witches) stand pacing back and forth. If left alone, the Witch will remain where she is, but if startled (by any number of stimuli) she’ll fly into a rage, attacking the person responsible. Once she’s killed her target, she’ll then run off sobbing, holding her face in her hands.

Usually only one Witch is encountered at a time, and those are often widely scattered. However, there’s some evidence the smell of sugar attracts Witches, as a partially dismantled sugar mill was seen to have upwards of a dozen in its vicinity. These same Witches vanished as soon as a driving rain washed the scent of sugar out of the air.

Personality/Motivation: It’s possible the Witch partially understands what’s been done to her, hence her constant crying and sobbing. That said, there seems to be no way to reach this last remaining spark of humanity (if it even exists) as approaching a Witch is a good way to startle one, and people who startle Witches often end up dead soon afterwards. You can startle a Witch by coming too close, looking at her for too long, shining a light on her, throwing something at her (like a Molotov cocktail), shooting at her, or touching her. A Witch will start to growl once she’s aware of an intruder’s presence (usually defined by her making a PER Roll), this growling rising in pitch as the intruder gets closer or the affecting stimuli continues. The growl will become a snarl and the Witch will start to stand moments before the Enraged Roll is made. It’s possible, by going still, turning off all lights, and even closing one’s eyes, to calm a Witch at this point, but it requires strong nerves (the GM should make an EGO or PER Roll for the Witch to determine is she’s no longer aware of or aroused by the intruder.) However, if the Witch does become Enraged, it’s pretty much all over.

Quote: Constant crying and sobbing, unless she’s startled, in which case she screams in rage.

Powers/Tactics: Unlike most other Special Infected, a Witch possess almost no morphological mutations aside from her hands. However, she’s incredibly strong, despite her slender build, and has been witnessed punching her claws through a fire door. A startled Witch will make a Full Move towards whomever startled her, running full out with arms extended. Once she arrives at her target she’ll engage in a rapid one-two slashing attack with her long claws, using her Incapacitating Strike Advantage to knock her foe down so she can rend them into ribbons. She won’t stop until her target is dead, and once it is, she’ll run away crying, her face cradled in her hands. Attacking the Witch while she’s killing someone will only result in the Witch turning on her attacker once she’s done with her initial target (and so on.) Thus, a party attacked by a Witch needs to either A) leave the Witch’s victim to his fate, or B) try to kill the Witch as quickly as possible, before she eliminates everyone in the vicinity.

Appearance: A Witch resembles a Common Infected in that she has pale grayish skin, a sickly pallor, and a somewhat gaunt physique. She has long, pale hair, which normally hangs down into and across her face, and eyes that glow a faint red. It’s possible she posses a distinctive odor as well. The most frightening thing about the Witch is her hands, which end in elongated fingers and claws. Her clothing is scant and tattered, lending credence to the idea the infection brings on a fever (which would also explain her general sluggishness and irritability.) Most Witches wear only panties and a ragged midriff-baring tank top. However, at least one Witch was seen to be dressed in the remains of a wedding dress, while another Witch was seen in a bikini.

Designer's Notes: The Witch is a boss-level encounter found in Valve Software’s Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2. This character sheet presents the basic abilities of the Witch, although GMs could easily adjust them to meet a desired power level. Suggestions include removing the STUN Only Limitation from her Damage Reduction, the Reduced Penetration from her Claws, increasing the damage done by her Claws (on certain settings the Witch can kill players with a single hit), increasing her Running, giving her Leaping, giving her a meter of Reach (her arms and claws are quite long,) and so on.

Much of the information here was taken from direct game play, as well as the Left 4 Dead wiki. The stats given here are a mix of conjecture, game play descriptions, and an attempt to present in-game concepts in a manner consistent with the HERO System. Thus, some original game elements have been simplified in order to make them playable with regards to a tabletop RPG and/or to simulate real world gear, and thus make the Infected useful in various campaign settings.

(Witch created by Valve Software, character sheet created by Michael Surbrook)

Witch Hero Designer File

SURVIVORS

INFECTED

Return to Video Game-Derived Character Adaptations