Weaknesses

The Zombie Skull

Although most people are aware that destruction of the zombie brain is the only known method to terminate an undead attacker, the public at large is confused as how to actually go about accomplishing this task. Many people mistakenly believe that it is ‘just like cracking an egg.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Many victims have engaged in undead combat believing that destroying the brain would only require a rap on the head, only to have the attacking ghoul finish the battle.

The protective case known as the human skull is one of the hardiest structures on the human body, and can withstand a significant amount of abuse. The hair, muscles and scalp covering the skull provide an additional cushion for the brain, which is itself covered by a fibrous, protective layer known as the dura mater. It is also unknown at this time whether the infection and subsequent reanimation alters the skeletal or pericranial composition of the ghoul, making its skull hardier or more impervious to blunt force trauma.

Nevertheless, the skull is the zombie’s primary area of vulnerability, and a sufficient blow will immediately neutralize the threat. In order to inflict a wound severe enough to stop a zombie its undead tracks, you need to literally “bash in the skull.” This act, however, is much easier said than done.

Not only must you fracture the skull, your blow needs to cause a severe depressed or compound fracture, where shattered pieces of bone are driven into the brain. Ideally, your strike should be forceful enough that your weapon fractures the skull, penetrates the dura mater, and enters the brain cavity. Such a wound may still require a follow-up blow to ensure adequate brain trauma.

Coordination

Besides basic ambulatory functions, reaching and grasping, and pushing or pulling of objects, the zombie is a relatively uncoordinated creature.

It is not able to utilize tools or weapons, nor is it able to employ its limbs in a defensive manner against an oncoming attack, such as blocking oncoming strikes. There is a small likelihood that, in the midst of battle, a ghoul will grab your weapon and pull it away from you. This seems to occur most often when long-distance or obstructive weapons are employed. The zombie does not, however, perform this action to undermine your attack. It does so in order to ultimately achieve better access to its prey - you.

A zombie will not kick or punch its victim, and its attack is limited to a fairly predictable sequence: achieving enough proximity to grab its target, pulling in close, and finishing with a bite to the flesh closest to its mouth.

It is fairly easy to outmaneuver one or several undead attackers, but do not take this weakness for granted. Never understimate the ability for an individual ghoul to accomplish a coordinated maneuver that other ghouls could not. Much is still unknown regarding the full extent of a zombie’s muscular coordination, and until further research is complete, it is best to overestimate their abilities.