This week, I’ve been moving, so I haven’t had much time for Rads & Relics. However, now that I’m settled in my new apartment, I want to discuss what’s coming next. As previously mentioned, I’ve spent a lot of time refining the core gameplay (and learning about Godot). Now that I feel confident in that foundation, I want to shift my focus to the characters in the world.
My vision is for Rads & Relics to have a full roster of playable and enemy characters that make each run feel unique and exciting. To achieve this, I’m dedicating the month of March to Make-a-Character March. The concept is simple: each day, I’ll design a new character for the game, including lore, abilities, and basic game assets. Not all of these will make it into the final game; the purpose is to explore widely and see what resonates. It’s also an opportunity to develop my game art skills, which have been relatively neglected so far.
Now, it’s still technically February, but I wanted to give you a taste. So here’s the first character for Make-a-Character March, a spin on a classic zombie.
- Character Name: Rotwalker
- Lore Description: The Rot is ancient, its true origin lost to time. Some say it was a failed experiment, others a curse born from the reckless use of forbidden magic. What is known is that the Rotwalkers are its harbingers—once-human figures whose decayed forms shuffle ceaselessly in search of the living. Their presence heralds ruin, for wherever a Rotwalker treads, death is soon to follow. No stronghold has ever withstood them indefinitely. The question is never if they will break through, only when.
- Abilities
- Vicious Bite: Targets an adjacent character, dealing damage and applying a chance of Rabid (causing uncontrolled aggression for a short duration).
- Lurch: Moves at 2× speed and makes an immediate attack. However, until the next round, the Rotwalker takes double incoming damage.
- Traits
- Mindless: Ignores all mental buffs and debuffs.
- Hoard: All characters of this type act together in a round, overwhelming enemies.
- Shambling: Ignores hazardous or difficult terrain, slowly advancing no matter the obstacles.
- E-Z-Rez: Can be resurrected at half the normal cost, making them a persistent threat.
- Variants
- Dasher: Moves at 3× speed but has half the health. Loses the Shambling trait, making it more agile but less durable.