Out of all the varying types of zombie, arguably the most terrifying are the intelligent zombies. These are creatures that retain both their personality and intellect after being bitten and dying. When they rise from the dead, they retain all memories, but have become deadly predators with only one goal - to consume the cerebral cortex of the living.

Unlike almost all other types of zombies, they are immune to all manner of damage, and the only way to kill them completely is through the use of fire or acid, or any method that will utterly destroy the bodies. They can walk through a storm of bullets and other than a few holes and maybe a missing limb or two; they will just ignore the damage in order to get at the living.

They are fully capable of speech and are excellent problem solvers, able to figure out ways to get at living prey. They are also fully capable of using weapons, but prefer not to, as when they feed on the living. The prey MUST be living. Dead brains will do nothing for them, and they are not interested in dead meat.

As long as a target is fully sentient, they will consume the brains of the creature, although only humanoids can be infected with the horrible necromantic energies and rise to become Thinkers as well. Any non-humanoid creature bitten by one of these creatures will not contract the virus.

The creatures will decay at a normal rate, and even after all that remains is the skeleton. Oddly enough the only part of the body that will not decay, no matter how badly decomposed the rest of the body, is the brain. They will continue to hunt for brains to consume, even if their bodies no longer have the support required to digest the meat.

Rumor has it that several different corporations with the aid of necromancers created this undead horror to turn its soldiers into literal indestructible killing machines, which could be placed inside powered armor and sent on a rampage to kill and eat the enemy. No one knows for sure, but there are tales of individual powered-armored soldiers found in the darkest depths of space and remote colonies and outposts. They are said to be indestructible and always stop to feast upon those they have killed.

Starfinder Creature Index