So I'm back, baby! But this time I'm LARPing with some friends in a zombie apocalypse, gritty survival adventure. I'm a biomedical engineer who's been trying to develop some kind of implant/drug that can slow/cure the infection. I'm thinking if I "invent" something out of found items that FUNCTIONS as a magic trick in real life, but we all ROLEPLAY that it functions as described, then I'll be able to use that invention in-game.

Tricks would need to be:
-portable
-reset-able
-close-up/parlor distance

Effects would need to be:
-practical for survival
-can involve blood
-reasonable for someone like, say, Tony Stark to develop in a storage container with a generator, salvaged items, and no outside help

Y'all got any ideas? Does anyone do apocalypse/mad science themed shows? I don't know, like... could I try to ... reanimate a body part? To what end though? I'm drawing a blank but I feel like I'm on the verge of an idea...

Not sure what the vector for infection is, but being able to detect infection is a very important thing. A spike trick provides the method for knowing which of several samples (isolated in or under containers) is the infected sample. Or the only safe one. A which hand routine can be varied to determine which of two people is secretly infected. You can change methods and use the same prop to apparently do both of these.

I assume the needs in the game are for identifying the zombies, finding shelter, deterring or killing the zombies, avoiding infection, finding safe food and water, and so on. I don’t do zombie LARP, so perhaps you have other in-game needs. I would start with the list of what you want to do, then generalize. (One item is dangerous, gotta find it; one person is safe, identify him.) Then modify a trick to simulate that situation.

This could add a lot of fun to a LARP.

Patrick

Secret Fire's "color changing crystals" could detect a bloodborne or otherwise transmittable disease.

Fingertip Blood tests done on a small card (like a business card) could be "punched into" a tiny gizmo of your making, and, upon removal, display any thing or any info you want using the "Out to Lunch" principal.

Or, a small mirror box dressed up approximately could be used to hold a specimen that becomes an antidote. Twoidentical.test tube could be used, one with dark red blood, and the second with a lime green edible liquid like apple juice!

Don't know why you chose that character. The hero in all apocalyptic movies die.lol good luck.

A crystal pendulum to detect infected ones before they show any signs? Circle safe, back and forth infected (or vice versa)?

Different colors to detect different strains? It works because, after much experimenting, Element X was infused into the molten glass when making the crystal?

Simple and all available at your local New Age store!