Zombies by Dave Allsop. Full Image Found Here.
During the latest D&D session, the players were still kicking for some additional adventure. After a long rest, they woke up at midnight, and decided to explore a graveyard inside the city walls. The conversation went something like this:
Me: So let me get this straight. It's midnight, and you all want to explore a grove called the "Tombwood".
Players (in unison): Yes!
Me: None of you see a problem with that?
Players (in unison): No.
Me: [sigh] As you enter the grove, the air becomes oppressive and heavy. Swirling mists obscure your view and cling on your person as you move deeper...
I dimmed the lights, why not make this fun?
The cleric-less party eventually found a large mausoleum, torches were lit, and the players entered. The magic users began to hear slow off key music. After moving down a long hallway the mausoleum opened up in to a large chamber. Silas (Female Warlock) absent mindedly begins humming the creepy music.
Me: Ahead of you see that several coffins are broken open. Five pairs of corpses are slowly dancing in a large circle around the room. They are dressed in the finest clothes that you have seen; they must have been nobles in their former lives. A small child is running between the pairs of dancing creatures. You see a red glint on the far end of the room.
One of our friends observing the game flipped on Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.
Ilana (Female Human Rogue): TREASURE! Let's dance!
Mellon (Pronounced Bel-lock) (Male Human Barbarian): Bel-lock, good dancer. (He's not)
Yoodle (Female Gnome Druid): Guys? I don't like this at all...
Mellon and Ilana dance off into the group of zombies and integrate into the circle. The Gnome bites her lip and watches. These are level two characters, if they are discovered, they are zombie food.
Tense moments pass, the lost zombie child moves to and from each zombie pair, as determined by dice roll. The players decided that they were "4". I roll a 3, a 5, and another 5.
The players reach the back of the room. The red glint turns out to be a large ruby.
Ilana: Yoink! (quick hand motions to grab the ruby, and then she throws it across the room to Silas) (roll succeeds).
Silas (telepathically): What the hell! This is mine now, I keep it.
The dancers continue circling around the room. They are almost home free. Then I roll a "4". The zombie child runs toward the dancing players.
Me: You feel something tugging at your leg. You look down to see the half rotted face of a small child. It appears lost.
Ilana: I do nothing. I do nothing. I do nothing. No wait. I push it away.
Me: The child bites at your leg. (rolls miss) While it does no damage, you can feel the teeth through your leather armor.
Ilana: AAAAAHHH! Get it off! Get it off! Get. It. Off.
Rest of Party: RUN!
The zombies turn on the players, but they are close enough to the exit to escape without further incident. They close the door to the mausoleum, and go back to their apartment. Ilana spends time picking zombie child teeth out of her boots while Mellon and Silas nod off.
Ilana and Yoodle: I don't sleep. Ever.
Notes for setting this up yourself:
On a d6 it takes 4 rolls to have 50% chance of being discovered. One check is made near the entry way, one on the way to the ruby, one on the way back, and one exiting. The only dangerous spot for the characters is at the ruby. At that point the party is divided and there is a large zombie filled room between the dancing players and sweet freedom. A single die roll only has a 17% chance to come up on a given number, so it's a low enough risk to toss on your players without being too mean.
The zombies will react to any hostile action and are slow enough to be cut down at a choke point, but who wants to do that?
A cleric with turn undead could really ruin this set up.