Height: Between ten and forty feet.

Coloring: Usually Black, notably different in the “Red” Marker found on Aegis Seven and the
“Gold” Marker on the Sprawl. The “Red” coloring for the “Red” Marker was due to the use of
bismuth in the creation process to replace an unknown mineral.

Backgrounds:

The Black Marker:

 The Black Marker was initially found by Michael Altman and a team of researchers in
the asteroid impact crater off the coast of the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. It was
thereafter concluded that the Marker landed on Earth along with an asteroid that may
have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs millions of years ago.

Altman's discovery of the Marker led his religion to grow faster than any other religion
ever formed on Earth. Altman was killed mysteriously and became a martyr figure to the
religion's believers. The government is presumed to have killed him in an attempt to
silence the truth about the Marker's true origins. In reality the government had him killed
by a necromorph to martyr him so that they could create this new religion with him as a
martyr figure. The Black Marker is revered by Unitologists as an immensely powerful
holy object which God has sent to show that death was not the end. Various tests on the
Marker led to it being reverse engineered, and the result was the “Red” Marker. This
information was saved by Harmon, who recorded it and brought it with him when he and
Altman escaped from the sinking platform that contained the Black Marker and a horde
of necromorphs.

The Black Marker's influence is similar to the Red Marker's. It was revealed in Dead
Space: Martyr that there is a different force surrounding the Black Marker than just the
ability to cause madness in humans. The hallucinations that are thought to be caused by
the Marker are not caused by it at all. There are other forces at play. Altman thought that
there was something in the human mind that caused the hallucinations; a kind of defense
mechanism that is activated when in the Marker's presence. Altman was not immune, but
he was able to resist the madness caused by it. It is also possible and very likely that in all
of these cases there are actually two forces working on people's minds. This is shown
when many people in Dead Space: Martyr claim to hear two voices. One of these voices
tell the people to kill themselves, presumably the necromorphs. The other appears to be
 the marker which tries to protect people from necromorphs by telling them to run, or in
the case of Issac, manipulating them to help the marker stop the necromorphs. Its
existence had been known to the locals that lived near its resting place for generations,
but was never spoken about to outsiders and was referred to as the "The Tail of the
Devil". The locals tend to cross their index and middle fingers when speaking of it.

The Black Marker was classified government property and, although Unitologists
worshiped it, they only appear to have had pictures and possibly the leaked vidlog from
Altman. As most data was classified, their conjectures and the spun comments of the
dead scientist Altman caused irrational, hysterical ideas about the Marker to gain
momentum and the Unitology religion offering vague promises of hope for immortality,
with apparent scientific credibility, excited many previously purposeless and depressed
people in the dry and impoverished world, who became fanatics.

The Church, of course, always wanted to get its hands on the Marker (which was the
reason they were so excited by the Marker found on Aegis VII), though they seem to
have had access to the Marker prior to the events of Dead Space, suggesting they had
agents in the government.

The symbols on both of the Markers apparently represent DNA, and the double helix
structure of the marker itself is a clue to this. However the signal it broadcasts is different
than what it says on the markers themselves and what the people write that are affected
by the marker. It is possible that each of these different sequences is for a different
necromorph.

The “Red” Marker:

 The First Aegis VII Incident -
o After the discovery of the Black Marker, the Government began researching the
extent of its capabilities and structure. The research team, which originally
featured Michael Altman, studied the Black Marker and reverse engineered it for
their own use. Through an accident in basic decontamination the team discovered
that the genetic code written on the marker was the code for the Necromorph
contagion. Later on when the team was moving the Red Marker past the lab room
containing the samples of the Necromorph contagion, it was discovered that the
Marker emits a field or "Dead Space" that stops the Necromorph DNA from
initiating recombination and makes it go dormant. As time went on some
members of the team, through unknown events, became infected and were turned
into Necromorphs and subsequently quarantined. The team became overrun by
their research and most of them were killed by the Necromorph infection. The
remaining team, lead by Dr. Eando Dukaj, created a pedestal, that one of the
members claimed to have seen in a vision, most likely made by the marker, that
could amplify the "Dead Space" made by the marker in the hopes of stopping the
Necromorphs from spreading, and hopefully giving them a chance at survival.
The team succeeded in making the pedestal and locked the Hive Mind and the rest
of the infection with it on Aegis VII.
o The Second Aegis VII Incident –

Discovered by accident by an illegal mining colony on Aegis VII, the marker was
hailed amongst some colonists as proof to their faith's credibility. Shortly after the
discovery of the marker, cases of insomnia, depression and later dementia began
occurring. Despite increasing cases of violence, colony management overrode P-
Sec protests and prepared to bring the Marker inside the colony itself. When the
Marker was removed from its pedestal, it emitted red light and simultaneously
broadcast an across-frequencies scream. Apparently taking the 'scream' as a
signal, fifty Unitologists committed mass suicide; in a similar event of insanity, an
extraction team engineer killed numerous members of his team and other colony
personnel.

By order of Captain Benjamin Matthius, the marker was brought to the USG
Ishimura from the colony and a no-fly order was implemented between the colony
and vessel. The bodies of all the murder victims were then sent to the ship
secretly. The bodies of all the suicide victims were intentionally kept on the
colony by the colony manager as leverage to have the Ishimura send him a vessel
to transport him to the ship as he felt he deserved to be a part of the Marker's
discovery. Days later, Planet Crack was to commence. Upon initiating the planet
crack, a blackout occurred throughout the entire colony. Panic immediately
ensued and people quickly started being slaughtered. It was later discovered by a
colonist that the Marker's inscriptions represented a DNA recombinant code for
necrotic flesh that results in the creation of The Necromorphs. With the bodies of
the suicide victims as their hosts, the Necromorphs soon began running amok in
the colony, killing off and transforming more colonists. The colony soon fell apart
and with all the shuttles destroyed in a flight accident, it was soon completely
overrun with Necromorphs. In the end, only a few colonists survived, most
notably, Brant Harris. He was clearly traumatized by the events and provided rich
information for the scientists aboard the Ishimura.

Not surprisingly, the Ishimura soon followed the same fate as the colony and
more Necromorphs were produced as a result of the Marker's removal.

Through text logs found about the ship, Isaac Clarke discovers that the Marker is
a divine relic of Unitology, a religion founded by Michael Altman 200 years ago.
Unitologists view Michael Altman as a martyr due to his mysterious death after
blowing the whistle on the Marker that was found on Earth. The Marker
discovered by Altman, however, was black and not red like the one found on
Aegis VII. It is revealed by Kendra Daniels that the Red Marker was in fact a
manmade copy of the Black Marker, the true alien artifact discovered on Earth.
The Marker was then brought to Aegis VII and test fired with gruesome results. It
was soon decided that the marker was too unstable and was subsequently buried
deep within Aegis VII. The system was then sealed off. Two centuries later, an
illegal mining operation by C.E.C. rediscovered the Marker with disastrous
results.

For the two centuries it had been buried in Aegis VII, the Red Marker had sealed
off the "Hive Mind", a massive creature that controlled the Necromorphs through
telepathy. Upon removing the Marker, the creature was released and went about
killing off the humans of Aegis VII, the Ishimura and the USM Valor with its
Necromorphs. The Marker was brought back to Aegis VII by Isaac Clarke in the
hopes of once again sealing off the creature as well as the Necromorph infection.
Though Isaac managed to return the Marker to its pedestal, which caused it to
glow, this action was halted by Daniels, who returned and took the marker and
attempted to flee with it on a shuttle. She was then killed by the Hive Mind;
which was then defeated by Isaac Clarke. He then immediately escaped on the
shuttle while the Marker remained behind on Aegis VII. It was presumed
obliterated when the tectonic load the Ishimura had previously removed from the
planet (with a mass of roughly a few trillion tons) was released and fell back to
the planet with a cataclysmic impact. The Marker however was not completely
destroyed and many shards of the Marker were left on the ruins of Aegis VII.
Three months after the incident on the Ishimura the USG O'Bannon was sent to
the ruins of Aegis VII to complete two missions. The first mission was to find a
way to hold the breaking planet together. The second mission was to recover as
many shards of the Marker as possible. Ships were sent down onto the planet and
one of the crewmen found a Marker shard. He recovered it but it gave him
dangerous hallucinations that caused him to kill a fellow crewmate. Only one ship
managed to make it off the planet before it blew up completely and docked back
in the USG O'Bannon. The Marker shard was examined by a scientist on the ship
who became affected by it to such an extent that he killed his wife and baby,
thinking they were monsters. The shard was eventually thrown into the ship's core
reactor by the surviving crew members and destroyed.
The Sprawl Marker:

 Little is known of the Sprawl’s Marker other than it was built by Hans Tiedmann, and
funded by the Church of Unitology.

The Marker’s Abilities:

 Dementia: The Marker can inflict a crippling dementia on those that look at or come into
physical contact with the Marker. Inflicting Paranoid Schizophrenic symptoms. That
includes Auditory and Visual Hallucinations, Outbursts of violence and
argumentativeness, anxiety, delusions, emotional distance, self important and or
condescending behavior, along with suicidal tendencies. Driving them to violence against
others, themselves or pure madness.
 The Necromorph Virus: The Contagion starts as a spore that usually begins by infecting
dead skin cells that have been shed, other organic materials that have been ejected from
the body. Creating a living breathing, skin fungi known as “The Corruption” that then
not only breeds the contagion but starts to terraform the environment around it so that the
necrotic tissue that Necromorphs are created from does not continue to rot. The gasses
emitted from the fungi are harmful to humans and other organic life. The fungi usually
grow in vents and other air transport systems, spreading out from its point of origin
growing on most everything. After the Contagion has grown to a proper strength the
fungi releases the contagion and it begins to infect the corpses around it, creating most
often an Infector first.
 Electrical Broadcast Interruption: The Marker emits a transmission that can infect the
human mind, but that’s not all it can interrupt. If there is a sufficient enough broadcasting
system, telecom or other source of information travel the Marker’s transmission can and
will affect them, causing a varying array of static and broken signals by inserting its
transmission into the already broadcasted information. This is another way that Dementia
and the Gift of Knowledge are caught.
 The Gift of Knowledge: If the Marker deems one worthy enough it can transmit the
knowledge of its being to the person of its choosing. Allowing them to read the runic
language that adorns it, and to a higher level understand its motives and the DNA
sequences it houses.
 The Dead Space: The Marker emits a “Dead” Space that can not only stop the infection if
a living subject become infected, but bar the Necromorphs from entering within ten feet
of it. Of course there have been those to create “base” amplifiers to widen the range of
the Marker’s “Dead” Space.
 Convergence: The effects of this are rumored at best, that is to say they are practically
unknown. Some say that the marker will let out a blast of “psychic” energy powerful
enough to destroy ever Necromorph it has spawned. Or that the blast will infect all living
organic creatures and give way to the apocalypse. Or the more Politically Correct
standing, as laid out by the Church of Unitology, is that Convergence is the beginning of
the start of immortal life for all organic life and that the Necromorph virus is nothing
more than a means to an end weeding out all the unworthy in the universe.
The Marker in Play:

 Game Physics and the Marker: It’s been said that you can’t destroy a Marker only shatter
it. Given that every molecule of a Marker houses or contains as you might say everything
the Marker is not only capable of but everything a Marker knows. So destroying a Marker
is incredibly difficult, and takes nothing more than an exploding planet, star or a black
hole. That’s something to think about right there.

While the Marker may transmit to both people and electronics, and this is becoming very
widely know. What isn’t widely known is that Markers are sentient … let me repeat that
… SENTIENT. How sentient is up for question, seeing as though no one has ever
successfully communicated to a Marker the ongoing theories are that they are either
organic computers or intelligent being with morals, ethics and a society capable of both,
compassion and hatred, good and evil. Given the latter is more accepted among
Unitologists, the former more accepted among most logically thinking people. So far the
questions of whether they are capable of such things have gone unanswered and perhaps
the Necromorphs are nothing more than an Immune or Defense System and one just has
to prove themselves worthy enough to find out.

 Dementia in play: The Marker’s infecting transmissions affect the mind in a very atypical
paranoid schizophrenic way. Contracted in one of three ways by either touch, looking at
the Marker for an indiscriminate amount of time, or by watching an affected broadcast or
telecom transmission.
o Dementia as a P.C. Affliction: If, or more likely when, a P.C. become afflicted by
the Marker’s Dementia they become victim; as previously mentioned in The
Marker’s Abilities on Pg. 5 of this manual; of crippling auditory and visual
hallucinations, delusions, anxiety, uncontrollable outbursts of anger and violence,
emotional distancing, argumentativeness, self important or condescending
behavior and suicidal tendencies.

Granted that the Marker is always in control of these symptoms and how they
surface and of course how harsh they are means that these symptoms are not a
chronic issue allowing periods of great lucidity among the afflicted, and that they
are indeed quite random. As the DM in control of the game you would be acting,
of course, as the Marker and would be in control of how the symptoms surface
and how often they appear. Now to control said symptoms of Dementia for an
afflicted P.C. you must roll your percentage die and follow the table laid out
below.

Of note the randomness of the attacks is on a schedule and corresponds to how

long the P.C. has been exposed to the Marker and its effects.

Exposure Percentage of Attack

1-2 Days 70% & up
3-5 Days 60% & up
1 Week 50% & up
 1 Month 40% & up
Over 1 Month 30% & up

Now if you roll within the percentages listed above the afflicted P.C. they must
automatically make a will save of DC15 or greater. If however they that check
then you may roll a 1D10, of course you may use a 1D12 and use the 11-12 as a
all symptoms at once roll. The symptoms and their corresponding numbers are
listed below in a very handy table. If any of the starred(*) symptoms come up on
your roll allow the P.C. to make a fortitude save of DC 20 or higher.

Symptoms Number on Die

All Symptoms at once 11-12
Suicidal Tendencies* 10
Visual Hallucinations* 9
Auditory Hallucinations* 8
Delusions 7
Anxiety 6
Violent Outburst* 5
Angry Outburst 4
Emotional Distance 3
Argumentative Attitude 2
Self Importance or Condescending Behavior 1

o The Gift of Knowledge in Play: If a P.C. is chosen by a Marker to be worthy of

the knowledge it can bestow upon them they become very delusional and self-
important. However as DM and acting as the Marker you can choose how much
they know by following the table below and rolling your percentage die. Now the
higher you roll, the more they know, if you roll an 80% they know everything
from 80% and lower as well, and the more they know they take a heavy penalty to
their Charisma scores, not the modifier but the actual score, no saves can negate
the penalties of this knowledge.

Knowledge Bestowed Percent Rolled

Can understand and read Runic Lang. 20% with no penalty
Knows of DNA Strands in Marker 40% with a -1
Can speak the Runic Language 60% with a -2
Can list formulaic make up of the DNA 80% with a -3
Becomes Avatar to the Marker* 100% with a -4

(*What does this mean you ask? It means that the Marker is in control and all that
is left is now the Marker’s to do with as it sees fit. The P.C. is now an N.P.C and
speaks directly for and to the Marker; as such they possess a lesser Dead Space
allowing them immunity to both the Necromorphs and the Infection. However if
the Marker deems that the Avatar is no longer needed the N.P.C usually dies from
either suicide, the trauma of the event or by a Necromorph. They however will not
be turned by the spores or by an Infector.)
o Necromorph Infection in Play: If a P.C. should die or be mortally attacked by an
Infector Necromorph than the P.C. will be turned into a Necromorph. If the P.C.
dies of wounds afflicted by another Necromorph besides an Infector or by a
mortal accident than the transformation will take 1 D10 rounds before the
transformation takes place. If however an Infector manages to infect a P.C. by
impaling their head with their proboscis than it takes 1 D6 rounds before the
transformation takes place. Follow the table below and roll 1 D6 for the outcome
of that Transformation.

Necromorph Corresponding # on the die

Slasher 1
Leaper 2
Stalker 3
Swarmer 4
Infetor 5
Tripod 6
Origin:

The Church of Unitology is described as a massive religion based on the belief that the
Marker will bring about eternal life. While the exact details of much of the religion's theological
and doctrinal basis remain undisclosed, Abraham Neumann mentions that Unitology was based
on Scientific ideology, but soon became religious after, followers believe, the Government killed
Altman. They consider the Marker to be evidence that human life originated outside of Earth.

Founded around two hundred years prior to the events of Dead Space, Unitology had its
beginnings when Michael Altman discovered the Black Marker. Upon discovering and studying
the Marker, Altman led a massive religious movement which established Unitology as a major
religion. At the time many people had lost faith in religions and the new aspiring religion
appealed to them and drew many converts. This process of growth was accelerated when Altman
was mysteriously killed. The faithful suspected the hand of the government in his assassination,
and his subsequent martyrdom only furthered their growth and radicalization.

Beliefs:

 The Marker
o The basis of the religion is based solely on the ideology laid out for the Marker.
Oddly, many scientists, even Altman himself, have little idea of the Marker's true
purpose and origin. The meaning of the inscriptions about the Marker had puzzled
Unitologists for years. Unitologoists believe that the inscriptions on the marker
are a message that will reveal the true origin and meaning of human life.
 Death/Convergence
o The Unitologists refuse to allow their member's bodies to be buried or cremated,
instead preserving them aboard space ships. The reason for this is the belief that a
human body must be untouched after death, as it is the "vessel" for the member's
convergence. "Convergence" is the belief that upon death, if the human body has
been kept intact and the Unitologist has lived an unselfish life, that all the bodies
will one day be reborn with ascended spiritual and physical prowess, and will live
in unity with his or her other members as a single community. It is heavily
encouraged by members that they keep their bodies in the best shape possible
upon death.
 Despite their supposedly peaceful
exterior, The Church is noted for
having many cult like features
including ritual sacrifices and mass
suicides in times of great religious
frenzy. The teachings to embrace
death further enhances these. It is
also revealed that the Necromorph
outbreak on the Sprawl was the
intent of the Church, as a team was
sent to the station to kill themselves
near the influence of the Marker,
thereby becoming the first
Necromorphs there.

 Rankings
o The Church is said to possess
considerable political and
economic influence, despite a
persistent atmosphere of 
what they see as persecution
by TitanGov; the upper  Promotional poster for Unitology
echelons of the Concordance within the crew quarters' canteen,
Extraction Corporation are bearing the phrase commonly-
mentioned as being recited by members.
increasingly controlled by
Unitologists on several
occasions, and it is mentioned that they require members to contribute huge sums
of money to the church in order to move up in rank within it. There are two ranks
above that of the average follower, and a suspected third. Two of these possible
ranks have been confirmed as being "Vested" and "Overseer", the latter being the
higher. The speculated third and possibly highest rank is "Enigma." This
speculation is based on a video transmission in which the recipient is addressed as
"Enigma Lange" after the author addresses himself by inserting his rank within
the church before his last name.

Script:

Unitology also appears to have a unique script and system of writing that works on a simple
principle - substituting letters and numbers for the DNA code on the Black Marker. Translation
of this script may be found in Dead Space, near the Cargo Bay door and in the Hydroponics
Deck of the Ishimura. Graffiti of this script can be found written all over the walls in many areas.

The Truth:
Unknown to the church's members, however, much of Unitology's history and ideology have
been fabricated by its leaders for their own benefit. Michael Altman never truly believed in the
promise of the Marker, and was in fact murdered by Craig Markoff, who used his death and
several of his broadcasts to establish Unitology as a rising religious movement under his control.
Moreover, despite the tensions between the church and the Earth Government, the true
masterminds behind Unitology were in fact members of a splinter group of the government, who
intended on using the Church to fulfill their power-hungry ends, and believed that the creatures
that the marker spawned (see section below) were in fact the next stage in human evolution. The
religion was founded to get the public to convert to the supposed next stage in evolution,
although all Unitologists short of the Church's highest echeleons remain blissfully unaware.

 The Marker
o It would be 200 years before a colonist would decipher the meaning of the Black
Marker: the inscriptions on the rocks surface are the code for the recombinant
DNA that transforms human corpses into the terrifying creatures known as
Necromorphs. While these revelations are extraordinarily important to show the
truth behind the church, both incidents where this critical information was
discovered resulted in the virus escaping and the Necromorphs killing everyone.
 Death/Convergence
o The Unitologists' sole belief is keeping the body intact for death, and in great
shape, so that it may be "reborn", along with the other member's bodies, to live as
a greater community. The horrific truth behind convergence is that it is not
speaking of being reborn into a peaceful spiritual existence, but the physical
human body being horrifically twisted into monstrous, hive-minded killing
machines known as Necromorphs.

The true founders of Unitology were fully aware of the Necromorphs, but thought
that they were, in fact, the superior race, and that all humans were meant to
"converge" to join their race as the next step of evolution. Fully aware that the
idea of being transformed into a monster was in no way a sane basis for a religion,
the church's founders twisted the wording of the belief of the church, to make the
post-death convergence sound like a spiritual, religious process. The idea to keep
the body intact for death is in fact used so that the newly spawned Necromorph
that will result from infection will be in as best shape as possible. Human bodies
are kept in cold storage, as the founders believed that the Necromorphs will one
day make their way across the galaxy and infect the preserved corpses, and they
will one day join the "greater community", the Necromorph community.
The Necromorphs are the reanimated corpses of the dead, revived and reshaped into horrific
new forms by a recombinant extraterrestrial infection. These creatures are extremely aggressive,
and will attempt to kill any non-Necromorph creature on sight. The sole purpose of almost all
Necromorphs is to create more bodies to infect and spread the infection, while the role of one
particular creature, the Infector, is to specifically infect corpses to make more Necromorphs.

Origin:

The DNA patterns covering the surface of the Black and Red Markers are the codes for the viral
organism that creates the Necromorphs, an infection noted in logs as a "recombinant life form".
According to data logs, the first known Necromorph infection was during the reverse engineering
project of the Black Marker, which subsequently created the Red Marker. The Marker was
relocated to Aegis VII hundreds of years ago by the original Aegis VII doctors. They had set up
the lab on a deserted planet so they could test the Marker and its effects well away from any
outposts of human civilization. The Aegis VII doctors copied and recreated the life form using
the DNA patterns listed on the Markers. Initially the "recombinant lifeform" existed only in a
petri-dish and remained dormant, the lifeform is described as being a thin pink organic tissue.
The lifeform did not react to any of the doctors' tests, and was deemed a failure. However, one
day, a doctor did not fully decontaminate himself when entering the lab and a few dead skin cells
fell into the Petri dish. As such, the infection by the recombinant lifeform immediately activated
and reanimated the dead skin cells.

The Red Marker actually inhibited the necrotic flesh testing and it was then that the scientists
noticed that it produced an apparent "dead space" field, inhibiting the Necromorph infection
from spreading.

Soon afterwards, an accident similar to the Petri dish incident resulted in the infection of two
doctors. They were promptly quarantined, where they soon died and shortly after infection, the
two doctors transformed into the very first Necromorphs (one doctor became a Leaper, the other
an Infector). When the Leaper pierced a ventilation shaft it promptly attacked the other doctors,
which the Infector then began transforming. This caused the Aegis VII outbreak to commence.

While it is known that all of the doctors on Aegis VII were killed, very little is detailed on what
events transpired after the creatures escaped. A log reveals that, after the initial catastrophe
began on Aegis VII, one of the doctors had a "vision" where he has the idea of constructing a
pedestal to broaden the signal the Marker is emanating, thereby containing the Necromorph Hive
Mind and all infection present on the planet. Since the Marker is found hundreds of years later on
its pedestal on the barren surface of the planet, it is suggested that they were successful.
There are four unique Necromorphs: the Leviathan, Slug, Spider, and Urchin which are all large
and grotesque blobs of flesh that utilize their tentacles to attack. How they are created and from
what is unknown, but they may be independent organisms or an extreme offshoot of the Brute
Necromorph (i.e made from combining several different corpses). The Leviathan may be created
from the Corruption, as it seems to merge with part of the ship's hull.

There is a low probability that the Necromorph virus is a natural occurrence, as it is attributed to
the Black Marker or to the reverse-engineered Red Marker based upon it, though the exact nature
of the relationship between the Necromorphs and the Black Marker, and by extension the
religion Unitology which was built around the latter, is impossible to determine.

Transformation:

Once infected, the transformation of a dead body into a Necromorph is extremely quick (with
certain exceptions such as Leapers), typically happening in a matter of seconds (the
transformation actually occurs in exactly 10 seconds, according to the game producers). This
transformation is extremely gruesome and disturbing for observers. The body of the Necromorph
host is forced into new twisted shapes to fit the function of the newly spawned creature. The
actual type of Necromorph created stems entirely on the location and circumstances, as well as
the host body's current form. For example, Lurkers are created from any infant human. The
bacterium responsible for the infection is also referred to as "The Corruption" in background
logs. All Necromorphs are extremely hardy and capable of surviving in lethal environments no
human without appropriate protection could even venture into, such as the vacuum of space, due
to the fact that they are reanimated undead organisms and do not need to rely on organs for
respiration. As experience shows, shooting them in the torso, let alone in the head is fruitless. It
also seems the bones are shifted into new, grotesque forms to serve the Necomorphs brutal
purpose.

Behavior and Ecology:

The Necromorphs are an extraordinarily aggressive species, having no sense of sympathy or

mercy; they slaughter every sentient non-Necromorph being on sight, regardless of species or
age. The sole purpose of the creatures' aggressive behavior is to spread the infection. However,
despite being viewed as mindless killing machines, the creatures have been observed by some as
having an ecology behind them. They hunt in packs, rarely attacking by themselves, and use
stealth tactics to gain the upper hand on their victims, such as using ventilation shafts to sneak up
on prey. Some will play dead, not attacking until the victim is well within striking range, or their
back is turned. If a victim has not seen them yet, they will make little noise as to not give
themselves away.

The sole purpose of almost all of the creatures is to create bodies for the infection to claim. The
sole purpose of one iteration, the Infectors, is to infect the dead victims of the creatures,
transforming them into new Necromorphs. Creatures not currently engaging a non-Necromorph
target have been observed as performing several different behaviors. Many will wander
aimlessly, almost passively, with no real destination, until they are aware of a new victim to kill,
who they will immediately engage. Some will drag bodies to a different location, possibly to
make it easier for an Infector to find. Some will hide themselves inside ventilation shafts, not
bursting out until a target passes by. Some will simply stand in place, waiting for a new victim to
come to them. When a target is present but out of range, they will often watch the victim and
attempt to intimidate them with loud growls and threatening poses. The creatures never really
directly interact with one another, but will still display instincts of hunting in packs.

The scope of their behaviors is expanded upon, if slightly, in Dead Space 2 with the introduction
of Stalkers and the 'Ubermorph'. Outside of the Hive Mind, Stalkers seem to have the strongest
sense of pack cohesion shown from Necromorphs, as they will often peek around corners to lure
Isaac while another will charge from a different direction. Strangely though, the Red Marker on
Aegis VII was there to try to contain the Necromorphs, Marker 3A on the Sprawl seems to be
calling to them and may be outright controlling them, along with somewhat guiding Isaac and
Stross. As the introduction to chapter 14 (Dead Space 2) show a 'convergence' where a great deal
of organic life in the immediate vicinity of the marker seems to be absorbed, this could be the
starting of a new Hive Mind. Thanks to Isaac's efforts though, the convergence is stopped short
and the Marker is destroyed.

Dismemberment:

Necromorphs do not suffer from most weaknesses of the bodies they are made from; their bodies
need no oxygen, food, or water to survive. Injuries that would kill an ordinary human,
particularly the destruction of vital organs or severe lacerations, have little effect on them, and
they will not cease to attack no matter how many bullets are fired into them.

Countless have died due to not knowing the only true way to kill the Necromorphs:
dismemberment. The only effective way to kill the creatures is to literally rip them to pieces;
removing the head, arms, legs, and other appendages until the creature is killed. Even then, it is
doubtful the creature is actually dead. It is more likely to simply be unable to move and dosen't
constitute a threat. The remains are then likely collected by their bretheren and used in the
creation of larger forms, explaining the missing corpses when one returns through a given level
on the way to a tram or other means of conveyance (or merely an oversight to reduce in-game lag
with no real motive whatsoever for the corpses disappearance.)

The act of strategically removing the limbs from the creatures is dubbed "Strategic
Dismemberment" by the Dead Space game team. Each creature has its own strategies when it
comes to dismemberment: some creatures will simply die after enough limbs have been
removed, some creatures will die instantly if a specific limb is cut off, while some creatures will
become even more of a threat if shot in the wrong place. Learning how to dismember creatures is
mostly done through trial-and-error. However, dismemberment is the only way to truly stop the
reanimated horrors in their tracks and is the best way to survive.
Effects on Other Species:

The Necromorph infection seems to be not only limited to humans, but to all other creatures
except the creators of the Marker. This fact is not confirmed completely, but Dead Space: Martyr
describes a Necromorph fish which behaves like all other Necromorphs, as it attacks another fish
in order to kill and infect it. This also proves that Necromorphs can survive under water.
Although no direct evidence of other species being transformed by the infection, the capabilities
it possesses for altering the bodies of the dead for any purpose means there is potential for them
to use any species available.

For statistics on a sampling of Necromorphs please view the following pages.

Slasher
“Slasher” Lvl. 7 Strong Hero Hit Die: 1d8

Score Bonus
Str. 18 +4
Dex. 17 +3
Con. 16 +3
Int. 13 +1
Wis. 10 +0
Cha. 10 +0

Base: +7/+2

Initiative: 3

Fort.: 7 = 3+4

Ref.: 5 = 3+2

Will.: 2 = 0+2

Melee: +11/+6 = 7/2+4

Defense: 17 = 10+4+3 Speed: 30

Core Skills: Feats: Bonus Feats: Talents:

Climb: 8 Blind Fight Power Attack Extreme Effort

Jump: 10 Brawl Cleave Melee Smash

Listen: 11 Dodge Great Cleave Imp. Melee Smash

Spot: 12 Mobility Adv. Melee Smash

Spring Attack

Weapons
Arm Blades Damage Critical Type
+11/+6 1d6+4+3 No Cirtical Slashing/Piercing
Jaw Damage Critical Type
+11/+6 1d4+4+3 No Critical Piercing
Leaper
“Leaper” Lvl. 4 Strong Hero, Lvl. 4 Fast Hero Hit Die: 1d8

Score Bonus
Str. 18 +4
Dex. 17 +3
Con. 16 +3
Int. 13 +1
Wis. 10 +0
Cha. 10 +0

Base: +4

Initiative: 3

Fort.: 5 = 2+3

Ref.: 5 = 2+3

Will.: 1 = 1+2

Melee: 8 = 4+4 Defense: 18 = 10+3+5 Speed: 30

Core Skills: Feats: Bonus Feats: Talents:

Climb: 18 Acrobatic Power Attack Extreme Effort

Jump: 18 Athletic Cleave Melee Smash

Hide: 10 Dodge Defensive Martial Arts Evasion

Spot: 8 Mobility Combat Throw Uncanny Dodge

Listen: 8 Spring Attack

Weapons
Claws Damage Critical Type
+8 1d6+4 No Cirtical Slashing
Mouth Damage Critical Type
+8 1d4+4 No Critical Piercing
Tail Damage Critical Type
+8 1d10+4 No Critical Slashing/Piercing
Stalkers
“Stalkers” Lvl. 6 Fast Hero Hit Die: 1d8

Score Bonus
Str. 16 +3
Dex. 17 +3
Con. 15 +2
Int. 12 +1
Wis. 10 +0
Cha. 10 +0

Base: +4

Initiative: 3

Fort.: 4 = 2+2

Ref.: 6 = 3+3

Will.: 2 = 1+1

Melee: 7 = 4+3 Defense: 18 = 10+3+5 Speed: 150

Core Skills: Feats: Bonus Feats: Talents:

Balance: 18 Run Elusive Target Evasion

Move Silently: 12 Brawl Defensive Martial Arts Uncanny Dodge 1

Hide: 15 Dodge Combat Throw Uncanny Dodge 2

Spot: 9 Mobility

Listen: 9 Spring Attack

Weapons
Head Damage Critical Type
+8 1d6+3 No Cirtical Bludgeoning
Claws Damage Critical Type
+8 1d4+3 No Critical Slashing
Fangs Damage Critical Type
+8 1d4+3 No Critical Piercing
Swarmer
“Swarmer” Lvl. 4 Fast Hero Hit Die: 1d8 Size: Small

Score Bonus
Str. 14 +3 Class Feature: Leaping Grapple – A Swarmer can move up
Dex. 18 +4 to half its speed move and make a leaping grapple check up
Con. 12 +1 to 10 ft. away. DC of 15
Int. 10 +0
Wis. 12 +1
Cha. 10 +0
Base: +3

Initiative: 4

Fort.: 2 = 1+1

Ref.: 6 = 4+2

Will.: 2 = 1+1

Melee: 6 = 3+2+1 Defense: 20 = 10+4+5+1 Speed: 150

Core Skills: Feats: Bonus Feats: Talents:

Jump: 12 Run Mobility Evasion

Climb: 9 DMA Elusive Target Unc. Ddg.1

Ride: 9 Dodge

Spot: 7 Acrobatic

Listen: 7

Move Silently: 8 Tumble: 12

Weapons
Claws Damage Critical Type
+6 1d6+2 No Cirtical Slashing
Mouth Damage Critical Type
+6 1d4+2 No Critical Piercing
Infecto
“Infector” Lvl. 7 Fast Hero Hit Die: 1d8

Score Bonus Class Feature: Infect – If an Infector impales a corpse or lands a killing
Str. 16 +3 blow it infects automatically. Change occurs in 1d6 rounds as rolled per the
Dex. 18 +4 DM.
Con. 17 +3
Int. 6 -2
Wis. 13 +1
Cha. 4 -3
Base: +5

Initiative: 3

Fort.: 5 = 2+3

Ref.: 8 = 4+4

Will.: 3 = 2+1

Melee: +8 = 5+2

Defense: 19 = 10+4+5 Speed: 30

Core Skills: Feats: Bonus Feats: Talents:

No Skills DMA Combat Throw Increased Speed

Frightful Presence Mobility Evasion

Dodge Elusive Target Uncanny Dodge 1

Lifhtning Reflexes Uncanny Dodge 2

Spring Attack

Weapons
Proboscis Damage Critical Type
+8 1d8+3 No Cirtical Piercing
Wing Hooks Damage Critical Type
+8 1d4+3 No Critical Slashing/Piercing
Tripod
“Tripod” Lvl. 10 Strong Hero Size: Huge

Score Bonus Class Feature: Quake – A tripod can strike the ground causing a small
Str. 22 +6 quake. P.C’s must make a reflex save DC15 or higher.
Dex. 17 +3
Con. 15 +2
Int. 12 +1
Wis. 10 +0
Cha. 10 +0
Base: +10/+5

Initiative: 7 = 3+4

Fort.: 7 = 5+2

Ref.: 6 = 3+3

Will.: 3 = 3+0

Melee: +14/+9 = 10/5+6-2

Defense: 16 = 10+3+5-2 Speed: 20

Core Skills: Feats: Bonus Feats: Talents:

No Skills Imp. Brawl Brawl Melee Smash

Street Fighting Blind Fight Imp. Melee Smash

Frightful Presence Power Attack Adv. Melee Smash

Imp. Initiative Cleave Ignore Hardness

Heroic Surge Great Cleave Imp. Ignore Hardness

Weapons
Arms Damage Critical Type
+14/+9 1d12+6+3+1d4 No Cirtical Piercing
Resource Integration Gear, or RIG for short, is an integrated health management and strength
augmentation system that assist users in previously impossible and dangerous environments.

Overview

The RIG suits come in several different forms ranging from those worn by military to those worn
by Ishimura workers. Each RIG variant displays the user's health as well as allow audio and
video communication to other RIG wearers. The civilian version gives out a flatline sound when
the wearer is deceased. RIG suits are able to be upgraded by nano-circuit repair Bench found
throughout the Ishimura. Using Power Nodes, you can upgrade the suit to become more resilient.
Higher level suits may also be purchased with the appropriate blueprints, and each suit level
improves protection from attacks and offers increased inventory space.

Features

 Health management
o The distinctive feature of the RIG is its health management system which actively
displays the wearer's health in real time via a segmented aqua blue bar that runs
along the spine of the wearer (presumably done using some sort of nervous
system sensor). These bars will drain and refill depending on the user's health. If a
RIG wearer dies, the RIG will give off a flatline sound, identical to an alert
cardiograph.
It is unknown what it bases the wearer's health on, be it a rough estimate of
damaged body parts or the functionality of internal organs. It is known that if the
user of the RIG carried a Medpack and was damaged for some reason the RIG
would automatically apply it to the damaged area. It is unknown, but otherwise
not suggested that it shows signs of illness or other sicknesses.
 Holographic displays
o A RIG has the ability to project a holographic display, which is projected a few
feet in front of the RIG wearer. The display also moves with the user if the user
walks around at all while it is projected. These displays are used for various
features. The main use of the display is for RIG users to communicate with one
another through live video chat, or to send live audio messages to one another.
The RIG also allows its user to store text logs and the like within the RIG's built-
in memory, which are displayed in widescreen projections to make reading easier.
 Stasis Module
 o Stasis is used to severely decrease the speed of machinery. It is usually used to
slow down machinery that is malfunctioning, allowing a safe approach.
 Kinesis Module
o Kinesis allows the user to lift heavy objects with ease. It will allow the user to lift
all but the heaviest of objects as if they weighed nothing.
 Oxygen Storage
o The RIG will become airtight when entering a vacuum (or an area with toxic or
otherwise tainted air), allowing the user to breathe using oxygen stored in the suit.
This oxygen will refill once the user either enters an area with normal air again or
makes use of an oxygen refilling station, or air can.

Known RIG Types

 Engineering RIG
 The Engineering RIG is an exosuit that completely covers the wearer's body.
There are several variations to the engineering RIG suit, each one of which is
suited for various working environments. The working environment, the wearer's
certification, and the degree of the working environment's hazardousness will
determine which variation is the
most appropriate.

Engineering RIG Suit Include:

 Internal GPS (+2 to Navigate), Mini

Gravity Snare (Acts as the Kinesis and
Stasis devices listed above by using
gravity to draw things near that are too
heavy to lift; i.e. Kinesis; and
amplifying the gravity in a 5 foot
radius around the target to make her
heavier and thus slower moving; i.e.
Stasis) and Holographic Vid-Link with
electricomp and mechanicomp (+6 on
searches for electronic and mechanical
items, and a +4 on repair for electronic
and mechanical items.) HUD for
remaining oxygen in the suit reserves, vital statistics and weapon ammo, as well as life
support located on the spinal column of the RIG. Built in 6+ hours of Oxygen, body
temperature regulation unit, and compressed air jets for Zero G travel assist, located on
the clavicles and heels of the suit.

Type Equip. Bonus Non. Prof. Bonus Max. Dex. Armor Untrained Trained Weight
 Bonus Penalty
Tactical +3 +1 +4 -2 20 ft./15 ft. 30 ft./20 ft. 8 lbs.

 Military RIG
 The Military RIG is a heavily armoured exosuit used by the Earth
Defense Force of the Titan Government. Developed and
manufactured solely for the use of the military, the Military RIG
provides greater protection and array of tools such as kinesis and
stasis modules for its wearer.
 Internal GPS (+3 to Navigate), Mini Gravity Snare (Acts
as the Kinesis and Stasis devices listed above by using
gravity to draw things near (i.e. Kinesis, and amplifying
the gravity in a 5 foot radius around the target to make her
heavier and thus slower moving) and Holographic Vid-
Link. HUD for remaining oxygen in the suit reserves,
vital statistics and weapon ammo, as well as life support
located on the spinal column of the RIG. Built in 8+ hours
of Oxygen, body temperature regulation unit, and
compressed air jets for Zero G travel assist, located on the
clavicles and heels of the suit.

Type Equip. Bonus Non. Prof. Bonus Max. Dex. Armor Untrained Trained Weight
Bonus Penalty
Tactical +4 +2 +4 -3 20 ft./15 ft. 30 ft./20 ft. 10 lbs.

 Advanced RIG
 The Advanced RIG has, like the other RIGs in Dead Space 2,
thrusters located on the legs and clavicles and a separating,
folding helmet. This RIG is revealed to be an advanced
prototype suit. This Suit has a special feature that halves
Stasis recharge time, further enhancing the lethality of this
Advanced Suit.
 Internal GPS (+4 to Navigate), Mini Gravity Snare (Acts as
the Kinesis and Stasis devices listed above by using gravity
to draw things near i.e. Kinesis, and amplifying the gravity
in a 5 foot radius around the target to make her heavier and
thus slower moving acting as a “stasis” field) and
Holographic Vid-Link with electricomp and mechanicomp
(+8 on searches for electronic and mechanical items, and a
+6 on repair for electronic and mechanical items.) HUD for
remaining oxygen in the suit reserves, vital statistics and
weapon ammo, as well as life support located on the spinal
column of the RIG as well as inside the helmet interior.
 Built in 10+ hours of Oxygen, advanced heating and cooling unit for body
temperature regulation, and compressed air jets for Zero G travel assist, located
on the clavicles and heels of the suit.

Type Equip. Bonus Non. Prof. Bonus Max. Dex. Armor Untrained Trained Weight
Bonus Penalty
Tactical +5 +3 +4 -4 20 ft./15 ft. 30 ft./20 ft. 7 lbs.

Weapons:

Although not weapons in the traditional sense, their use as mining tools acquired over the course
of his time on the ship serves him in better stead than might conventional weaponry. These
improvised weapons appear to have a much better effect on the Necromorphs than bullets due to
their tendency to sever limbs rather than simply blowing holes in them.

The 211-V Plasma Cutter:

The 211-V Plasma Cutter, referred also as the "Plasma Cutter" or
simply "the Cutter”, is a high-energy mineral cutter manufactured by
Schofield Tools. The Plasma Cutter is one of the engineer's primary tools
of trade in any industrial application.

Damage Critical Type Range Rate of Fire Magazine Size Weight

2d8 20 Energy 30 ft. Single 20 Medium 4 lbs.

IM-822 Handheld Ore Cutter Line Gun:

The Line Gun is a wide-beamed slicer with timed mines. Like the Plasma Cutter's
secondary fire mode, the Line gun fires a horizontal beam of energy. Like the
Plasma Cutter, it is used for cutting down rocks and ore to smaller sizes, though
is designed for more heavy duty ore that the Plasma Cutter cannot cut through.

Damage Critical Type Range Rate of Fire Magazine Size Weight

2d10 20 Energy 20 ft. Single 15 Large 10 lbs.
SWS Motorized Pulse Rifle:
The SWS Motorized Pulse Rifle is a military-
grade assault rifle with a high rate of fire.

Damage Critical Type Range Rate of Fire Magazine Size Weight

2d10 20 Energy 40 ft. Automatic 50 Large 11 lbs.

Seeker Rifle:
The Seeker is a powerful sniper rifle capable of delivering
long-range fire. It can sever limbs if properly aimed and can
pull off headshots, leaving Necromorphs swinging around
blindly while you fire away. Its secondary function provides
an enhanced zoom, thus allowing even greater precision.

Damage Critical Type Range Rate of Fire Magazine Size Weight

2d10 20 Energy 60 ft. Single 10 Large 12 lbs.

711-MarkCL Rivet Gun:

By using rail gun technology the Rivet Gun fires high
velocity rivets that can nail items to each other over
distance. The second firing mode of the Rivet Gun was to
charge up the power to shoot through more dense
materials.

Damage Critical Type Range Rate of Fire Magazine Size Weight

1d10 20 Energy 30 ft. Single 20 Medium 8 lbs.

Alt. Ammo: Plasma coated round that add 1d4 fired damage to each shot.
RC-DS Remote Control Disc Ripper:
Designed to hack and slice through solid rock, the
RC-DS Remote Control Disc Ripper is an extremely
dangerous tool. In less skilled hands, it's an accident
waiting to happen, ejecting incredibly sharp diamond-
coated tungsten blades at up to 17,000 RPM to cut
through anything in front of it.

Damage Critical Type Range Rate of Fire Magazine Size Weight

2d8 20 Slashing 20 ft. Single 15 Medium 10 lbs.

Handheld Graviton Accelerator:

The Handheld Graviton Accelerator, commonly referred to
as the Force Gun, is a short-range kinetic booster device. Its
function in mining operations is to provide blasting power
beyond conventional explosive charges, thus making it
suitable for precise terraforming applications. Some practical
examples may include shattering rocks into smaller rocks,
sending rocks between miners in zero-gravity situations, or
deflecting wayward rocks away from miners during space
operations.
Damage Critical Type Range Rate of Fire Magazine Size Weight
3d8 20 Slashing 15 ft. Single 10 Large 15 lbs.
RIG Suit Training:
Prerequisites: Must own a RIG Suit (what type does not matter), Dexterity Score of at least 13.

 This feat does not have to be taken at the same time as the user becomes the owner of
a RIG Suit. However if they do wish to use the suit without any penalties they must
takes this feat. When this feat is it equates to one sixteen hour training course in the
use of the suit and negates any and ALL penalties applied to the suit, including armor
penalties.

Necromorph Amputation:
Perquisites: Base Attack score of +4, Point Blank Shot, Personal Firearms Proficiency.

 When taken this feat gives a +1 to attack and damage to any called shots on limbs on
any creature that considered undead/living dead/necromorph.

Necromorph Slayer:
Perquisites: Base Attack score of +8, Point Blank Shot, Personal Firearms Proficiency.

 When taken this feat gives the player +2 to attack and damage on any and all
creatures that are considered undead/living dead/necromorph.