State of Decay has nearly 150 playable characters that can be found and recruited into the survivor community, each with their own background and set of skills and traits. In addition, there are several NPC groups that they player interacts with.

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Players Group

Starting Survivors

Marcus Campbell

The Hero

The initial survivor, Marcus was a clerk on vacation with his friend Ed in the mountains of Trumbull Valley when the Zombie Apocalypse began. They are soon joined by Maya and head to join other survivors.

Action Survivor: Like most of the playable characters in the game, he was an ordinary retail worker on a camping trip with his friend before the apocalypse started, though can become quite the zombie-killer if he survives and has the time put into leveling his skills.
The Hero: While Marcus can be killed like any others, he's one of the tougher and more effective survivors, particularly early on, thanks to Powerhouse and his bonus Cardio.
- In Breakdown, his title is The Hero.
Heroic BSoD: If the player doesn't or is unable to contact Dr. Hanson in time and Ed dies as a result, Marcus will become extremely depressed, saying some parting words over the radio.
- Can become a Despair Event Horizon, as there is a chance Marcus will even kill himself if he remains depressed for long enough.
The Leader: He has the "Leadership" skill, which makes him build trust among other survivors faster and defuse tensions easier.
White Collar Worker: Stated to be a retail worker in journal entries, and during the game's tutorial section.
Wrestler in All of Us: At level six of the "Powerhouse" skill he can learn how to suplex zombies.

Ed Jones

The Friend

A friend of Marcus’, Ed was hiking with him when they discovered the Zombie Apocalypse. He is bitten while examining a dead body, and taken by Marcus and Maya to a group of other survivors for treatment.

Action Survivor: If he survives, he is a pretty useful character due to having the "Reflexes" skill giving him bonuses to stamina regeneration and a selection of a couple of special attacks.
Cowardly Lion: In the tutorial section of the game, he spends a good time in a panic. After him and Marcus hear gunshots while scouting at the water tower he makes a comment that he wishes they wouldn't check it out, and will wish to himself that they could just wait it out in a cabin somewhere. However this does not stop him from taking on zombies or even facing the Wilkersons if he goes.
Plucky Comic Relief: Most of the moments of levity in the initial hours of the game are provided by him, many of which involves someone yelling at him for something.
Zombie Infectee: He gets bitten in the tutorial, but if you manage to make contact with Doctor Hanson quickly enough Ed will recover.

Corporal Maya Torres

The Veteran

An off-duty U.S. army soldier, Maya was hiking with two friends when they were attacked by zombies. She was rescued by Marcus and Ed, and they soon joined a larger group of survivors.

Action Girl: An off-duty U.S. army soldier who does a fair job of holding off a zombie horde with a hunting rifle before Marcus and Ed show up to help.
Cold Sniper: She has two traits that provide a bonus to firearms usage and starts with one of the game's better rifles, which makes her a natural choice to specialize in sniping. In Breakdown, she starts out with maxed-out shooting skill as well as rifle specialization.
Deadpan Snarker: Mainly seen in the beginning hours of the game, Maya is quick to snap back when asked stupid questions, a majority of the time against Ed.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite often clashing heads with Ed, if she is the player character when Lily mentions killing Ed before he turns, she shows the same amount of shock and anger Marcus does, despite only knowing Ed for little less than an hour by that point.
What The Hell Military?: If she is used as the character to first contact the military, Maya is pretty upset to discover that the military is not helping survivors, but is in fact threatening them and kicking them out of houses as "squatters". Not helping is the fact that she and Sgt. Erik Tan served together in Afghanistan.

Lily Ritter

The radio operator of the survivor community, Lily has lupus and thus cannot go on missions due to her health. She is an NPC and cannot be killed.

Big Good" In 2, she's revered for helping found the Network and everyone listens to her, even Red Talon.
Bookworm: One of her traits is "Loved Books", which notes that she loved everything short of the "sparkly vampire nonsense".
Invincible Hero: Due to her importance within the game's plot, Lily is by all means unkillable, no matter how much damage she is seen taking or how many zombies have swarmed home base. In the event that everyone minus the player character has died, it is entirely possible to watch Lily take down hordes of zombies by herself. The only caveat to this is she isn't a playable survivor and only sticks around at base, meaning the situation at hand must be a rather dire one for this trope to be seen.
- Made especially apparent within the Breakdown DLC, where higher difficulties often lead to a Total Party Kill... minus Lily, who's still beating down zombies like nothing is the matter.
The Bus Came Back: She's confirmed to return in State of Decay 2, working for an organization known as the Network.
Deadpan Snarker: Frequently throws out sarcastic and witty comments against Alan, and sasses Jacob whenever they talk.
Mission Control: She coordinates the groups supply runs, locates caches of supplies, finds other survivors, and monitors the activity of other groups for the player.
Ms. Exposition: Explains the events of the fourteen days since the Zombie Apocalypse started to Marcus, Ed, and Maya (and the player), since they had been isolated in the mountains during that time.
Nice Girl: She immediately welcomes the initial group with open arms to the church, and after they finally tell her about her dad dying, forgives them instantly for hiding it from her, understanding their reason.

Alan Gunderson

The Killer

A local forest ranger, Alan is one of the starting survivors in the Church of the Ascension. He has an overbearing personality and is resentful of newcomers to the group.

Asshole Victim: He might end up catching the black fever that he possibly killed Pastor Williams for.
Gun Nut: He has three traits that revolve around his shooting ability, and you can find a note in one of the post offices to him that denies his request for a 50 caliber rifle to deal with bears, with the department noting that no bears have been seen in the Trumbull Valley for a long time. Makes you wonder what he wanted it for really.
Hidden Depths: After he gets infected, if you delay his Mercy Kill mission, Alan eventually leaves behind a note, goes off to a secluded place and shoots himself in the head. It shows he doesn't expect any different treatment from what he gives others, and he acts solely for the community's benefit. The player character even comments on this.
Jerkass: Refers to Lily as a freeloader due to her having lupus and being unable to go on missions. He also constantly berates the rest of the survivors on the way they act. His "Authoritarian" trait and "Overbearing" attitude is also a source of Morale loss, from a gameplay standpoint.
Jerkass Has a Point:
- He kind of has a point about noisy cars. However, his points are rendered moot since cars are extremely useful when dealing with hordes, and also can outrun most zombies sufficiently that they lose interest long before getting near the Church.
- His reasoning for shooting pastor William, before he even died or turned after being infected with Black Fever sounds like overblown measure and cause everyone present call him out on being a stone-cold killer. However, should Alan die before that happens or be away on a mission for long enough, exactly what he cited as his justification happens word for word: William will reanimate and kill two or three survivors before being put down.
- A meta example: he judges survivors on how useful they are (whether they're good with a gun, etc). Harsh as it might sound, a lot of players eventually adopts this attitude when choosing which characters to keep when the base gets too crowded and resources become sparse.
Karmic Death: You have the option of shooting him in the head after he gets infected, just like what he did to Pastor Williams. And if left to his own devices, he will blow his cap on his own.
Promoted to Playable: In the Breakdown DLC. In certain builds of the game, there is an exploit to get him, but it's based on an entire cascade of gliches and you might just as well crash your save, while still not unlock him.
Zombie Infectee: To a degree. While he isn't shown being bit on camera nor implied to have been, he eventually catches Black Fever, and subsequently dies from it. Whether your player character does it or he does it when left to his own devices, he manages to end his life before he can turn.

Sam Hoffman

The Convict

A volunteer worker at the Church of the Ascension, Sam is a foul-mouthed but kindhearted person.

Action Girl: Like Ed, she has the Reflexes skill, which gives her access to a number of agility-based special moves as well as reducing her stamina usage during combat.
Dark and Troubled Past: Only hinted at, never elaborated on, but apparently she was a recovering addict or alcoholic.
Deadpan Snarker: Most of it directed towards Alan.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Initially has a very pessimistic outlook on the their survival situation, but as revealed in a conversation with Pastor William she used to volunteer at the church to help the homeless. She also shows concern towards Lily and her medical situation, in contrast to the more ruthless and pragmatic Alan.
Lady Swears-a-Lot: She's by far the most foul-mouthed character in the game, with nobody even close.
Mercy Kill: In her personal mission, the player must help Sam track down an old homeless man who used to come to the church (where she volunteered) for free soup. He has since zombified, and had to be put down.
Shotguns Are Just Better: She starts off in the main story armed with a Serbu Shorty, and specializes in this in the Breakdown DLC.

Pastor William Mulroney

The Believer

The priest of the Church of the Ascension in Spencer's Mill.

Bookworm: He's one of few survivors with the Research skill; put it to work while you can.
The Load: Can't be fielded, doesn't come with any useful skills and is scripted to get sick and be shot by Alan unless the player performs an exploit. And if for whatever reason Alan isn't present in your group by that time, he instantly upgrades to The Millstone - once zombified, pastor William will kill three randomly selected members of your group before being put down. Enjoy!
Promoted to Playable: In the Breakdown DLC, turing him into a Badass Preacher. In certain builds of the game, there is an exploit to get him, but it's based on an entire cascade of glitches and you might just as well crash your save, while still not unlocking him.
Zombie Infectee: He is scripted to become sick with Black Fever and die. Then, unless Alan intervenes, reanimates and kills three other characters. There is an exploit around it, but it's based on glitching three different bugs together, making it unlikely.

Jacob Ritter

The Tragedy

Lily's older brother, Jacob is a rather careless survivor. He has only recently gotten back in touch with his family after moving away from Trumbull valley several years ago.

The Big Guy/Wrestler in All of Us: Like Marcus, he has the Powerhouse skill, which lets him carry more weight, carry more items, and makes it easier for him to use heavy weapons and light machine guns, as well as giving him access to a couple wrestling-based special moves.
Promotion to Parent: After their mom died, his father became depressed and Jacob took on the burden of raising Lily.
Straight Gay: He is in a relationship with Eli Wilkerson.
The Runaway: Tired of the family depending on him, Jacob left home for the city and college when he turned eighteen.

Gurubani Kaur

The Prodigal

An exclusive character only available in the Updated Re-release State of Decay: Year One Survival Edition, as a bonus gift to players who already own the original game. A world-traveling North Indian Sikh, she combines a number of powerful traits along with a few special items that make her arguably the most powerful pre-defined character or Hero in the game.

The Ace: She has a potent combination of powerful traits and abilities, more so than any other pre-defined character or Hero. She starts out with maxed-out Cardio skill (in Breakdown she also starts with maxed out Fighting skill), the Reflexes skill, enhanced experience gain for Fighting and Wits, as well as both the Medicine and Research skills, allowing her to serve as both a doctor and a library researcher when not in combat (very useful since no other pre-defined characters have those skills in the campaign, leaving you at the mercy of the Random Number Generator). She also comes equipped with a unique, permanently silenced rifle, a pair of unique swords, and a unique backpack that weighs less than a normal large backpack.
Cool Sword: Comes equipped with a pair of unique swords, a talwar and a khanda.
Genius Bruiser/Jack of All Trades: Has both advanced combat skills as well as the medicine and researcher skills.
The Hero: In the Year One Survival Edition, she'll be your starting Breakdown character instead of a randomly generated NPC if you have her unlocked due to already owning the original State of Decay.
In the Hood: Wears a hooded sports jacket.
The Paladin: A religious warrior that stands up for those in need, both defending the helpless and healing the wounded, while carrying a holy sword. Despite sounding like someone from an entirely different story, she's simply a devout Sikh paramedic.
Warrior Monk: Her traits indicate she's both dedicated to her faith, and also very physically disciplined.

Other Survivor Groups

Common Tropes

Promoted to Playable: Most of these characters become playable in the Breakdown DLC.

The Wilkersons

Job Wilkerson

The Survivor

Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He really cares about Eli Wilkerson, his younger brother.
Faux Affably Evil: Far politer and seemingly less violent than Mickey, but he is far more dangerous and evil.
Hillbilly Moonshiner: His family business was about making booze. It became particularly profitable once zombie apocalypse starts.
Jerkass: He's an caustic asshole in general and his way of dealing with other survivors resembles that of a mafia racket, not giving a damn if they survive or not. If the player chooses to go through with a certain deal late into the game, despite the three survivors going through with the trade, he and Mickey murder them as soon as the player leaves the area. Job claims afterwards that it was a "real shame" they were killed by zombies.
Karma Houdini: Despite him and Mickey treating other survivors like that of a mafia racket, assaulting and murdering (as shown in their final mission) survivors to better their own protection, they pretty much get off scot-free. The closest you can get to punishing them, if one can even call it that, is convincing a group of survivors to not go through in a deal with them.
Sawed-Off Shotgun: In Breakdown, his starting weapon is the "Doubleshort", an illegally cut down double-barrel shotgun.
Schemer: The brains of the Wilkersons.
The Unfought: Despite strong hints that he's the one behind the various incidents of human-on-human violence occurring throughout Trumbull Valley (including the death of the Granges if Quentin runs away), you never get to resolve the situation by taking him on directly.

Mickey Wilkerson

The Sniper

Badass Boast: When accused for being a murderous thug, he points out that if he was trying to kill someone, there would be nobody left to tell the story. Given he's a crack shot with a heavy hand and zero remorse, it's more than just boasting.
Blood Knight: He has a field day due to finally being allowed to indiscriminately drill skulls with rifle rounds.
Cold Sniper: Probably more like rabid sniper, he can be called upon to provide sniper support.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Eli Wilkerson. In 2, he can admit he likes meeting his daughter Larissa and has a soft spot for his crotchety neighbor Reba.
Even Evil Has Standards: Despite his reputation as the "mad dog" of the Wilkerson brothers, he's actually got at least some compassion, unlike Job.
Hillbilly Moonshiner: Along with Job, he keeps making new batches of booze for trade. Fiercily defensive of the business.
Jerkass: He's a redneck moonshiner who takes delight in the fact that the apocalypse happened so he can mercilessly kill any zombies he sees with his sniper, along with running a criminal gang with his brother that extorts the local survivors for their resources. If the player chooses to go through with a certain deal late into the game, despite the three survivors going through with the trade, he and Job murder them as soon as the player leaves the area.
Karma Houdini: Despite him and Job treating other survivors like that of a mafia racket, assaulting and murdering (as shown in their final mission) survivors to better their own protection, they pretty much get off scot-free. The closest you can get to punishing them, if one can even call it that, is convincing a group of survivors to not go through in a deal with them.

Eli Wilkerson

The Bruiser

Awesome, but Impractical: In Breakdown, he specializes in heavy weapons despite lacking the Powerhouse skill that makes heavy weapons more viable, which does reduce his usefulness as a Hero.
Character Death: Gets mortally wounded while trying to get back to the Wilkerson's base, and dies despite Doc Hanson's best efforts.
Straight Gay: A hillbilly strongman who happens to be Jacob Ritter's boyfriend.
Tempting Fate: "Hey, I'm young, quick. And I've got a big ass wrench. What could go wrong?" You get killed, Eli, that's what can go wrong.
White Sheep: Is the only member of the Wilkerson family who isn't a criminal thug.

The Military

Cpt. Montressor

The Taskmaster

Jerkass: She couldn't care one bit less about civilians, barks orders at soldiers and even her underlings dislike her harsh personality.
Jerkass Has a Point: As shown in Lifeline, people like her have really more important things to deal with and have only so many men to do various tasks. So ordering civilians to simply stay inside and hope for the best isn't entirely out of callousness.
Meaningful Name: In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado", Montressor trapped his rival Fortunato behind a brick wall and left him to die.
Missing Mission Control: She packs up and leave Trumbull Valley with some of her subordinates. After her disappearance and subsequent radio silence, Sgt. Tan and a survivor take the initiative to blow open the barricades to the Fairgrounds in order to seek her out.
The Unseen: The player sees her only once, after a mission where Sgt. Tan allows two scavengers to escape, rather than shoot them for looting. (Her character model does not always leave the house where she and the military spawn, making her easy to miss.) Otherwise, her in-game appearance is limited to the military's radio transmissions.

Sgt. Erik Tan

The Sacrifice

A soldier that commands a squad sent into Trumbull Valley, Erik starts out hostile to the survivors, but grows tired of seeing the military leave them at the mercy of the zombies. He and several like minded soldiers start providing support to the survivors instead.

Armor Is Useless: His armor is purely cosmetic and offers no damage protection from zombie attacks.
A Father to His Men: When he decided to outright break his orders and save some civilians on his own, he outright informs his soldiers that what he's going to do is illegal and will likely lead to being court-martialed, so it's their choice what to do, rather than blindly following him. The soldiers don't even hesitate for a second when joining Tan to help.
Heel–Face Turn: Quickly stops following his orders to find and evict "squatters", and then starts providing artillery support to your group.
Heroic Sacrifice: After the C4 detonator malfunctions, he detonates them manually to destroy the wall blocking the road out of Trumbull Valley so all the survivor groups can escape. He outright states that he would rather not do this, but given the circumstances of being infected, he can at least make himself useful.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: At first he actually seems to be enjoying bullying civvies, but it later becomes clear he was Just Following Orders, and despite his radio broadcast, he never actually shot and killed anyone.
Punny Name/Shout-Out: His corpse in the end has no legs, just like Lt. Dan
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: He first gives two survivors 30 seconds to flee after being ordered to shoot them for squatting, and then stops following military orders altogether when ordered to not assist a group of survivors being attacked by a horde.
Zombie Infectee: Why he chooses to commit the above Heroic Sacrifice.

The Grange

Becca Collins

The Phoenix

Before the Zombie Apocalypse, Becca's name was Alex. She lived in Marshall and was often arrested for solicitation (a.k.a prostitution) and drug possession. When the apocalypse began, she changed her name and became the leader of a small group of survivors outside the town.

Character Death: If Quentin learns about Becca's past, he'll get angry and storm off after confronting her about it. She'll later radio the player to find him, but afterwards, she'll call again that they're under fire by strangers. By the time you return, she'll be dead, much to Quentin's dismay.
Broken Bird: Though she can have a relatively happy ending, depending on player actions.
Dark and Troubled Past: Has one which she struggles to leave behind.
Face on a Milk Carton: One of the clippings you can find in the game is a "Missing" poster after her, indicating she might runaway from home in her teens.
Hooker with a Heart of Gold: She used to be a prostitute before the outbreak, then took opportunity to craft a new identity and now is the level-headed leader of her community.
The Leader: The head survivor for the Grange enclave, any missions involving them are usually started or given by her.
Meaningful Name: Well, a nickname, indicating her rebirth as a new person.
Pun: A character that wears studded leather, boasts about being tough and in her teens used to dye hair in wild colors? Of course she's going to be edged-weapon specialist!

Quentin Barnes

Dogged Nice Guy: To Becca Collins.
My Girl Is a Slut: Subverted. Quentin has a complete meltdown when learning about "Becca's" past and this leads to a whole lot of bad things happening.
Nice Guy: Has a polite demeanor, and even noted to have a "southern charm" by his fellow survivor Becca, albeit in a more mocking manner.
Promoted to Playable: Notably, he is still recruitable, but not a hero.
Ridiculously Fast Construction: Rescuing him in Storyline mode grants the player the ability to call him for "Construction Advice", which instantly complete any facilities that are being built or upgraded.

The Law

Judge Lawton

The Judge

Genre Blind: Yes, just force everyone to turn in their weapons and live under your protection, like in a world with no zombies. That's gonna turn out fine.
Jerkass: Her behavior would be considered "tough but fair" under normal circumstances. In the middle of the Zombie Apocalypse, though, it comes across as quite abrasive, especially given the amount of freedom you've likely gotten used to living with no law or government. Indeed, she subtly threatens the player character when they refuse to join her and tells them that the "wild west" won't last forever.
Promoted to Playable: In Breakdown, armed with her gavel, and a UTAS UTS-15 shotgun.
The Leader: Of the Courthouse enclave. It's under her orders that only law enforcement officers are trusted with weapons.
Punny Name: She's a rather fat woman who's also a judge, law-ton.
Wrong Genre Savvy: In any other post-apocalyptic setting, only arming known and trusted law enforcement officers would be a wise idea. In a Zombie Apocalypse, it's downright suicide. When zombies eventually attack the courthouse, she and Sheriff Carl will be dead by the time you arrive, not even lasting the first few minutes of the attack.
We Barely Knew Ye: We only ever get to talk to Judge Lawton once before she meets her demise in the courthouse. Besides that, all we hear of her otherwise are a few radio broadcasts announcing to civilians to give up their guns to law enforcement.

Carl Parsons

The Mentor

Cool Old Guy: A polite, level-headed authority figure in The Law that really cares about the people around him and the town itself.
Number Two: To Judge Lawton.
The Sheriff: His literal job.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Definitely more so than Judge Lawton. Makes you wonder why he still chooses to submit to her (now superfluous) authority. Unfortunately, he's one of the casualties of the courthouse attack.
Revolvers Are Just Better: In Breakdown, he is specialized in this and starts with an Anvil Hammer.

Other Survivors

Doc Hanson

The Healer

A roaming doctor who treats survivors in all the communities, Hanson refuses to join any of the groups because he believes it would impede his ability to help other survivors.

Cool Old Guy: He's in his 70s, but can easily fend for himself, while being a no-nonsense country doctor, too. He regularly checks on his patients and is the only character other than Marcus that doesn't sneer at Ed and his lame jokes.
Grave-Marking Scene: He regularly visits the grave of his wife, who died long before the outbreak. In one mission the player has to assist him as he is ambushed by a large zombie mob at the cemetery.
The Medic: If rescued by the player during his rescue mission, he can provide medical advice over the radio, instantly healing you to full health, even permanent damage normally fixed by resting the player character.
Nice Guy: He's very pleasant in all of his interactions, while also going above and beyond the call of duty by roaming the valley and helping everyone in need.
Southern Gentleman: An old country doctor who wears a cowboy hat and a tanned hide jacket, always polite and always soft-spoken, even when delivering worst news. In Breakdown, his starting weapon is a Wild West revolver.

Ray Santos

The Dealer

A wealthy local figure whose late father was the mayor of Marshall at the time of the outbreak.

All-Loving Hero: Was raised in a family tradition that taught that terrible events can be overcome if people pull together in times of crisis. Engaged in philanthropy prior to the outbreak (including paying for Lily's medical treatments), and set up a trade network during the outbreak to help survivors support each other.
The Topic of Cancer: It's revealed in the Homecoming update in State of Decay 2 that he's slowly dying of cancer. Eventually, the disease claims him too.
Corrupt Politician: A benevolent version, as he gave bribes and favours and asked those he helped out to "remember him in November". Apparently it was so he could stay in a powerful position to continue helping the community.
Cutting Off the Branches: Despite being a somewhat plot-important character, he can [[spoiker:wind up dying if the player isn't careful. The Homecoming update in the sequel confirms he canonically survives the first game's events.]]
Family Business: As his parents and their parents before, Ray is eager to continue their tradition of watching over and helping Trumbull Valley, even deep into the zombie apocalypse.
Nice Guy: Honestly just wants to help his fellow survivors through a trade system he has set up in Trumbull County with its residents.
Parental Substitute: A minor case. He serves as one to Lily after the death of her actual father, and it's clear that she reciprocates and views him almost like a dad in return.
Red Herring: When you first hear about him, there's a conversation between the survivors which casts doubt on whether or not you should trust him, and when you first meet him he has a somewhat suspicious "offer you all the kingdoms of the world from the highest point of the Temple" moment, but he ultimately turns out to be a genuine good guy.
The Scrounger: His description says he "... can procure anything, especially if it's a car". Having him gives the player the radio command "Vehicle Delivery", where they can have him bring a vehicle to the home base.
Unfinished Business: [[spoilers:Laments that even though he's dying, he feels there's still things he wish he could take care of.]]
Whatever Happened to the Mouse?: He's part of The Law community, but still offers his car delivery services after the courthouse is overrun and almost everyone is killed, suggesting that he managed to survive the massacre, even though he's nowhere to be found. It's discovered later that he eventually went on to form The Network with Lily and the remaining Trumbull locals, minus the Wilkersons.

Random Survivors

Survivors are spawned with consistent personality traits, backgrounds and skills. With some exceptions, most of them have names randomly chosen from a "pool" fixed for each character.

Danica Vito

A paramedic whose entire team was killed on her first emergency call. Her last name is randomly chosen.

Karen Tolbert

A student found "squatting" by the military. She always appears with the Funeral Director.

The Alcoholic: She has the "Drank a Lot", "Total Lush", AND "Alcoholic" traits...
The Load: ...which means her lack of stamina makes her a poor choice as the player character. However, only the Wits stat is adversely affected by her traits.

The Funeral Director

A funeral director found "squatting" by the military. He always appears with Karen Tolbert. His appearance and stats are fixed, but his name is randomly chosen.

I Have a Family: Tries to plead Sgt. Tan with this, to no effect.
The Leader: He has the "Leadership" trait and skill, which makes him a good diplomat if Marcus is too tired, injured, or dead to do the job.

The Deputy

Sheriff Carl's deputy, and originally a member of the Law faction. He asks to join the player's survivor community after Judge Lawton and Sheriff Carl are killed during a zombie siege. His appearance and stats are static, but his name is randomly chosen.

Late Character Syndrome: Despite having the fairly useful "Cop" trait, he has beginner stats and only becomes recruitable immediately before the game's final missions become available, so there's no point in leveling him up unless you'd prefer to faff about instead of finishing the game.
Non-Uniform Uniform: He wears a similar shirt and pants as the Sheriff, but his shirt is untucked and doesn't seem to have any official insignias, making him appear more like a civilian than a lawman.
Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: Implied to be the reason of joining your group of survivors after witnessing the death of Judge Lawton and Sheriff Carl.

Courthouse Woman in Pink (and a Jockey Cap)

The player helps Sheriff Carl and the Deputy rescue this survivor from the downtown Marshall area during the Law quest chain. She joins the enclave "The Law", but asks to join the player's community after Judge Lawton and Sheriff Carl are killed during a zombie siege. Her appearance and stats are static, but her name is randomly chosen.

Damsel in Distress: Initially. Is always first seen during Sheriff Carl's first mission, under attack from a horde and requiring immediate assitance.
Late Character Syndrome: She has decent traits, but her stats start at level 1 and she only becomes recruitable immediately before the game's final missions become available, so there's no point in leveling her up unless you want to faff about instead of finishing the game.
Wrestler in All of Us: A rare female character to consistently possess the "Powerhouse" skill. Like Marcus, she can learn how to suplex zombies.

Breakdown Heroes

Amelia Crassman

The Fighter

Disk One Nuke: Starts with max cardio and fighting allowing the player to choose a weapon specialization and any one of 3 of the 5 special abilities unlocked by maxing out basic skills as soon as the game begins.

Andy Pimms

The Dead Man

Ascended Extra: Was originally the homeless man the player had to execute in Sam's Storyline side mission.
The Alcoholic: To the extend that Sam used to wonder what got to him first, the zombie or the booze. Turns out the zombie did.

Calliope Morris

The Gardener

Charley Marshall

The Scholar

Dan Hovenden

The Moustache

Evan Woodrow

The Grenadier

Armor Is Useless: His armor is purely cosmetic and offers no damage protection from zombie attacks.

Heather Larue

The Mother

Improbable Weapon User: Starts with a rolling pin in her inventory
Team Mom: Well, a mom on the team.

Joel Macon

The Biker

K.C. Winters

The Gunner

Armor Is Useless: His armor is purely cosmetic and offers no damage protection from zombie attacks.

Leon Montague

The Mercenary

Armor Is Useless: His armor is purely cosmetic and offers no damage protection from zombie attacks.

Lincoln Voss

The Hunter

Lyanna Carter

The Enthusiast

Owen Lykins

The Cop

Armor Is Useless: His armor is purely cosmetic and offers no damage protection from zombie attacks.
Ascended Fanboy: In-universe; he is described as having practiced fighting zombies in his basement, and is now eager to fight them for real.

Shark Hoodie Guy

The Ninja

Shout-Out: His various names are references to prominent Undead Labs forum members, whose comments and contributions helped the developers improving the game.
Unusual Euphemism: He's a weekend ninja.

Walter Degrasse

The Scientist

Shout-Out: To Walter White, complete with a yellow hazmat suit.

Zeika Rivera

The Rebel

The Zombies

Zombies

Normal Zombies

Unfortunate victims of the infection sweeping Trumbull Valley and other affected areas. Relatively slow and weak, they make up for it in numbers and may even surprise survivors by suddenly sprinting. Sometimes seen marching in large numbers aptly named, 'Hordes', they can present a very dangerous threat and may even mount assaults to the Home Base with several Hordes. In Lifeline, Hordes gain the ability to actually infest an area.

Glowing Eyelights of Undeath: Mostly noticeable during nighttime.
Mook: They're plentiful, but individually not particularly threatening.
Removing the Head or Destroying the Brain: Only decapitation via sharp blades, blunt force trauma or a bullet through the head will gurantee a swift, clean kill.
- A notable exception would be the 'Bladed Weapons Master' Skill, which enables the survivor to cut off their legs in one swing, causing the zombie to drop and eventually lose it's will to (un)live.
- Explosives also do the job just a little too well.
Zerg Rush: The modus operadi of a standard Horde. If caught unprepared, their victims will not usually come out unscathed.
Zombie Gait: In the Storyline mode, most of them have this. Only a small percentage always run (usually horde members).

Big Un'

First (usually) seen during the siege of the Wilkerson's Farm, these zombies have grown almost twice in size of any human and have gained a considerable amount of mass weight-wise. Despite their exaggeratedly overweight appearance, they can take extreme amounts of punishment and even charge towards their victims. With their powerful arms, they can pound or tear apart unfortunate victims into two.

Dead Weight: It is implied they mutated from the zombified Millers hillbilly siblings.
Degraded Boss: The first Big Un's is a boss that you have to defeat to finish the mission "the siege of the Wilkerson's Farm", after that they will appear as normal enemies in the open world, although luckily for the player most fights are optional.
Bullfight Boss: A viable way to defeat them without ranged weapons.
Exactly What It Says on the Tin: Big Un's (or Big Bastards, or Juggernauts) are basically massive, fat zombies, who throw their weight around in combat.
Expy: Of the Tank and Charger from the Left 4 Dead series.
Foe-Tossing Charge: They charge, and sweep you off your feet, literally.
Lightning Bruiser: They move fast, hit hard, and can inflict injuries without defeating survivors.
Made of Iron: Can dish out an take a lot more damage then your average zombie. It is possible to kill them with Car Fu, but prepare to lose that car or, in the best case scenario, drive the broken heap back to base to repair. Killing them with headshots is possible, but should be done with high caliber weapon and careful aim, or you will waste a lot of ammo. This doesn't stop players and AI characters from meleeing them, of course.
The Juggernaut: Duh.

Feral Zombie

A severely mutated zombie with a hunched upper body, stretched out limbs and claws. Noticeably fast and agile, they present a significant threat to survivors and will relentlessly pursue them running on all fours. They have the ability to severely injure survivors and can even rip apart downed victims.

Deadly Lunge: Its specialty. Once it gets its hands on you while you're downed, it's instant death. With the right timing and awareness, can also be its downfall.
Expy: Of the Hunter from the Left 4 Dead series.
Super-Persistent Predator: Running away from it on an open field is always suicidal. Your options are: stand your ground and fight, lose it by quickly navigating houses, or ram it with a car.
Super-Senses: Heavily implied. Apparently being blinded by it's unique mutation doesn't stop them from somehow noticing a nearby victim and immediately attacking them.

Rotter Zombie

Also known as Bloaters, it is an infected creature with a slightly oversized pot-belly. Upon death it's belly will rupture, releasing a cloud of toxic gases affecting survivor's health.

Action Bomb
Deadly Gas: When killed, gases will project itself over its corpse which will deteriorate the player's health and stamina over time, and potentially cause them to fall ill later on. It can even stick onto surfaces of vehicles which makes them completely unsafe to run over.
Dead Weight: Has this look due to their bloated belly.
Expy: Of the Original Boomer, which was an action bomb, from the Left 4 Dead series.

Screamers

Slow, aimlessly wandering zombies with dismembered upper limbs, they can emit high pitched screeches that attracts unwanted attention from other nearby zombies. Usually the heart of every infestation, they and their entourage must be destroyed in order to clear the occupied area.

Armless Biped: Doesn't have any arms, but its screech makes up for it.
Enemy Summoner: It alerts more zombies to your presence by, well... screaming.
Expy: Of the cut Special Infected that was an Enemy Summoner, the Screamer, from the Left 4 Dead series. Resident Evil 6 also has similar-looking zombies, which are much tougher than this version.
Make Me Wanna Shout: Its screams cause survivors to stagger in pain for a second or two, which can be fatal when surrounded by other enemies.

SWAT Zombie

Former members of local law enforcement who turned while still wearing riot gear. They are not much different from the regular zombies, save for the bulletproof vests they wear.

Expy: Of the riot police uncommon infected from the Left 4 Dead 2.
Immune to Bullets: Its only distinction from a regular zombie. Feel free to whack away at it. The only exception to this is .50 cal rounds and explosives.

Army Zombie

US Army personnel infected by the virus similar to the SWAT Zombie above, but gained the extra ability of constantly sprinting to their target, presumably due to their (former) military training regimen.

Immune to Bullets: Like the SWAT zombie; see above.
Super-Persistent Predator: Unlike the SWAT variety, they always run full speed to you once they get you in sight.

State of Decay: Lifeline characters

Lifeline takes place in the city of Danforth, just outside of Trumbull Valley. The players begin with command of Greyhound One, a elite military squad attempting to evacuate civilians from the city.

Greyhound One

Major Alicia Hawkes

Commander of Greyhound One, Alicia is an experienced veteran who served multiple tours in Afghanistan before being deployed to Danforth.

Action Girl: She's a competent soldier and can easily rack up more kills than the original trio from the baseline game combined.
Friendly Sniper: One of the few characters with the 'Qualified Sniper' attribute.
The Leader: Even comes with a related trait, 'Organized Leader'. As far as the premise goes, she's your default character and in charge of the whole operation.
Majorly Awesome: You know things are dire when a major is doing a ground work, commanding a mere squad. Still, she kicks some serious ass and is one of the best combatants in the whole game.
A Mother to Her Men: For most of the game, she displays more care towards the soldiers under her command than anyone else and is generally pissed about having to risk their lives for what she perceives as a pointless ghost-chase.
Military Brat: Her father was in the military, and Alicia moved around the world a lot whenever he was redeployed.
The Squadette: She is the only initial female soldier in the unit.

Sergeant Kilohana Young

A soldier who served with Alicia in Afghanistan for several years.

Happily Married: He is married and has three children. His bunk is covered in letters and drawings sent by them.
The Heart: He expresses distaste for killing American civilians (even though they're currently undead cannibals), and reminds the squad that the zombies used to be people too. This contrasts with Vincent's more cynical, snarky attitude.
In-Series Nickname: "Kilo".
The Lancer: The right hand of Mjr. Hawkes and literal 2nd in command for the operation.
The Quiet One: His profile says he is fairly quiet, unless he starts talking about his kids.

Private Royell Vincent

A soldier who joined the army after bombing his way through high school due to his deep disregard for authority.

Deadpan Snarker: He does not hesitate to make light of Greyhound's current situation every now and then.
In-Series Nickname: "Vince".
Katanas Are Just Better: Starts off the story with a wakashashi, definitely not military-issue. His 'Fitness Instructor' background probably has something to do with it.
The Big Guy

Dr. Julene Horn's Friend

An off duty soldier found alongside Dr. Julene Horn. Unlike other civilians rescued, she immediately volunteers her combat skills to assist the beleaguered members of Greyhound. Her appearance and stats are fixed, but her name is randomly chosen.

Fragile Speedster: She always starts off with her 'Cardio' Skill maxed out.
Jumped at the Call: Joins the Black Friday base and follows Hawkes command the first chance she's given.
Non-Uniform Uniform: She's the only recruitable playable character in Lifeline to wear civilian clothing instead of a military uniform.

Sergeant Kelly Eldridge

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sergeant_kelly_sasquatch_eldridge_sodl_4155.jpg

A special forces operative from the backwoods of Kentucky. He graduated with honors from a top university before joining the military.

The Bus Came Back: He returns in State of Decay 2, although he only "appears" over the radio and doesn't interact with the player's community. He appears to have left the U.S. military and is now working alongside Red Talon, though he's not officially a member of their group. He's working on something known as Project Osiris, which is alluded to be the evacuation of the President. He also seems more reasonable and kinder than his previous appearance.
Cool Shades
Cutting Off the Branches: Unlike Lilly in the first game, who has Gameplay Ally Immortality, Eldridge can possibly die at the hands of the zombies at any point in Lifeline. The sequel reveals he survived.
Gender-Blender Name
Hidden Depths: Has very surprisingly insightful theories regarding the infection biology. Aside from the fact that the infected is his mission, he also does have the degree to back it up though, like most special forces operators in the world. In State of Decay 2, one of his radio messages is how he remembers all the horrible things he's seen and how it's affected him.
In-Series Nickname: "Sasquatch".
Jerkass: He's constantly rude and condescending towards the other members of Greyhound One. If you decide to disarm the nuke, he chews you out about it over the radio and says he's coming for you.
Jerkass Has a Point: He does have a point about using the nuke in Danforth. No matter how many civilians might be left in the city, it's already too late. The city is well and truly lost and if something isn't done then the zombies in the city will eventually spread out into the countryside and make survival there impossible. It also helps that the situation has definitely crossed the Godzilla Threshold. The player character will regretfully explain this to Vienna Cho if they both rescue her and elect to detonate the nuke.
No Place for Me There: His experiences have left him unfit for civilian life, or even regular army life, according to his character profile. It does, however, make him very well suited for combating the Zombie Apocalypse.

Stranded Military Personnel

As the infection rampaged through the city, and military control crumbling apart, many fighting soldiers found themselves cut off during the panic and confusion. The player can choose to seek out stragglers and bolster Greyhound's operational manpower. Their names, personality traits, backgrounds and skills are usually randomized, as well as their weapons.

Field Promotion: After recruiting them, then gaining enough trust and experience, they will be 'commissioned' to an 'Officer' status, meaning they are now playable and available for player control.
Lightning Bruiser: VERY rarely, a recruited soldier may have both the Powerhouse and Reflexes skill. This combination of the 2 most powerful combat skills in the game is exclusive to Lifeline characters.
Nonuniform Uniform: Many soldiers sport a mixture of army dress regulations such as vest slacks with helmets, full uniform with no vest, etc, very rarely seen in a full battle-dress ready state. Given the current situation they're in, it's unlikely that dress and grooming standard is on the top of anyone's list at the moment.
Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: Originally different soldiers operating from different units and assigned other missions, they had very little choice but to link up and assist the only fully operational group left in the city. All in the name of duty and survival.
The Remnant

Danforth Survivors

Dr. Thomas Horn

A military scientist with invaluable research regarding the zombie outbreak in Danforth. The Army tasks Greyhound One to locate and evacuate the doctor when his chopper crashes within the city limits.

Ate His Gun
Boom, Headshot!: Self-inflicted from a Glock secretly obtained from a fallen soldier. This pushes Greyhound One to confiscate as many weapons from their fallen to prevent similar incidents.
Informed Ability: Declared by the military to be the top research expert regarding the ongoing infection. Later Lampshaded, by Pvt. Vince when he later questions the doctor's credibility due to the doctor killing himself on the pure assumption that bites are a one-way-trip (many survivors got bitten, nursed their wounds and were otherwise fine afterwards). Without even making sure at the very least his research goes into the right hands.
For Want Of A Nail: The scientist inadvertently starts Greyhound One's mission to secure HVTs around Danforth after he blows his owns brains out on the grounds of being a Zombie Infectee
Zombie Infectee: Upon reaching the LZ, he announces to the unit about getting bitten by one of the infected, refusing to board the rescue helicopter fearing harm to the crew or to anyone else around him.

Dr. Julene Horn

Dr Horn's estranged wife, one of the few people left in Danforth with intricate knowledge of Dr Horn's research.

Casual Danger Dialogue:
(upon seeing her house infested to the brim with zombies) "I didn't invite them."
Insistent Terminology: She is Dr. Horn's Ex-wife.

Dr. Dan Bogatz & Shira Bogatz

One of Dr Horn's known associates, as well as one of his most vocal critics.

Damsel in Distress: Shira, whom the player has to save in order to obtain full cooperation from Dan Bogatz
Heroic Sacrifice: Shira once again, who distracted a nearby horde to save her injured father. Subverted, if the player fetches her in time. Otherwise, played painfully straight.

Timothy Hall

A known collegue of Dr. Horn, who had close ties with his research.

The Coroner: Was investiging a lead about strange corpses showing up at hospitals shortly before the outbreak.

Michelle Martin

A known member of the NGO, Human Future Fund, with connections to Dr. Horn.

Dark Secret: Of the corporate-illegal kind. Maybe.
Suspiciously Specific Denial: Not that she has done anything illegal enough to warrant asking for legal advice.... right?
Worrying for the Wrong Reason: For the amount of nervousness she displays, she must have did something wrong enough. Fortunately for her, the army only cares for her lab reports and cooperation.

Hadley Weston

A local college student, and the son of an important government figure, Greyhound is tasked by HQ to extract him on behest of the local governor.

Cutting Off the Branches: Dialogue in State of Decay 2 implies he never made it out of Danforth. His mother blames the government for his death.
Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: Not actually invoked by him; his father, a CEO of a national logistics firm, doesn't hesitate to pull strings in order to save his son.
Skewed Priorities: While in the midst is of an ongoing zombie outbreak, what was his first concern he brings forward to Greyhound? His college grades.
The Ditz: Despite being in college he is shown not to be that bright. The prime example of this is when you drive him back to base and asks for a gun, he says its his first amendment rights not second amendment.

Madison Grant

A local college student and Dr. Horn's research assistant. Was involed with Dr. Horn both academically and romantically.

Age-Gap Romance: She stil college when she got into a relationship with Dr. Horn.
Office Romance: Was Dr. Horns research assistant when she got romantically involved with Dr. Horn.
Taking Up the Mantle: Of Dr. Horn's research and hopefully, a cure.

Vienna Cho

A radio host, Vienna was not a fan of the military even before their retreat from Danforth, aside from a few elite units. Her number one priority is the safety of the remaining civilians in the city.

Despair Event Horizon: Despite her not trusting the military, should the player elect to ignore the civilians and either not activate the nuke or get pulled out after losing too many high-value assets, her final radio broadcast has her announcing the military pulling out with clear hopelessness in her voice.
Vienna Cho: There is no law now, there is no government, and there is no refuge for people like us. I haven't had a new caller in a while. I don't even know if you can hear me, but if you can, then now you know. You're on your own. This is Vienna Cho...signing off. See you on the other side.
Grudging "Thank You": The only thing you get when rescuing her.
Took a Level in Kindness: The more survivors that the military rescues, the more appreciative she becomes of their efforts. Should the player disable the nuke, her final radio message to the survivors left in the city will be saying how much she and the city owes to the Army for their survival and thanking them for their efforts.
What the Hell, Hero?: Frequently calls out on the military should the player ignore her callers' requests for rescues. Her last radio message has shades of this followed by a Dying Declaration of Hate, if the player follows Eldridge's orders to nuke Danforth.

Characters / State of Decay

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