Skeleton

(from 5th Edition Monster Manual - 2014):

Skeletons arise when animated by dark magic. They heed the summons of spellcasters who call them from their stony tombs and ancient battlefields, or rise of their own accord in places saturated with death and loss, awakened by stirrings of necromantic energy or the presence of corrupting evil.

Animated Dead. Whatever sinister force awakens a skeleton infuses its bones with a dark vitality, adhering joint to joint and reassembling dismantled limbs. This energy motivates a skeleton to move and think in a rudimentary fashion, though only as a pale imitation of the way it behaved in life. An animated skeleton retains no connection to its past, although resurrecting a skeleton restores it body and soul, banishing the hateful undead spirit that empowers it.

While most skeletons are the animated remains of dead humans and other humanoids, skeletal undead can be created from the bones of other creatures besides humanoids, giving rise to a host of terrifying and unique forms.

Obedient Servants. Skeletons raised by spell are bound to the will of their creator. They follow orders to the letter, never questioning the tasks their masters give them, regardless of the consequences. Because of their literal interpretation of commands and unwavering obedience, skeletons adapt poorly to changing circumstances. They can’t read, speak, emote, or communicate in any way except to nod, shake their heads, or point. Still, skeletons are able to accomplish a variety of relatively complex tasks.

A skeleton can fight with weapons and wear armor, can load and fire a catapult or trebuchet, scale a siege ladder, form a shield wall, or dump boiling oil. However, it must receive careful instructions explaining how such tasks are accomplished.

Although they lack the intellect they possessed in life, skeletons aren’t mindless. Rather than break its limbs attempting to batter its way through an iron door, a skeleton tries the handle first. If that doesn’t work, it searches for another way through or around the obstacle.

Habitual Behaviors. Independent skeletons temporarily or permanently free of a master’s control sometimes pantomime actions from their past lives, their bones echoing the rote behaviors of their former living selves. The skeleton of a miner might lift a pick and start chipping away at stone walls. The skeleton of a guard might strike up a post at a random doorway. The skeleton of a dragon might lie down on a pile of treasure, while the skeleton of a horse crops grass it can’t eat. Left alone in a ballroom, the skeletons of nobles might continue an eternally unfinished dance.

When skeletons encounter living creatures, the necromantic energy that drives them compels them to kill unless they are commanded by their masters to refrain from doing so. They attack without mercy and fight until destroyed, for skeletons possess little sense of self and even less sense of self-preservation.

Undead Nature. A skeleton doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.

(from 3.5e Monster Manual I - 2003):

This creature appears to be nothing but a set of animated bones. Pinpoints of red light smolder in its empty eye sockets. 

Skeletons are the animated bones of the dead, mindless automatons that obey the orders of their evil masters. 

A skeleton is seldom garbed in anything more than the rotting remnants of any clothing or armor it was wearing when slain. A skeleton does only what it is ordered to do. It can draw no conclusions of its own and takes no initiative. Because of this limitation, its instructions must always be simple, such as “Kill anyone who enters this chamber.” A skeleton attacks until destroyed, for that is what it was created to do. The threat posed by a group of skeletons depends primarily on its size. 

Creating a Skeleton: “Skeleton” is an acquired template that can be added to any corporeal creature (other than an undead) that has a skeletal system (referred to hereafter as the base creature). 

Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to undead. It retains any subtype except for alignment subtypes (such as good) and subtypes that indicate kind (such as goblinoid or reptilian). It does not gain the augmented subtype. It uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here. 

Hit Dice: Drop any Hit Dice gained from class levels (to a minimum of 1) and raise remaining Hit Dice to d12s. If the creature has more than 20 Hit Dice, it can’t be made into a skeleton by the animate dead spell. 

Speed: Winged skeletons can’t use their wings to fly. If the base creature flew magically, so can the skeleton. 

Armor Class: Natural armor bonus changes to a number based on the skeleton’s size:

Tiny or smaller       +0

Small                    +1

Medium or Large    +2

Huge                     +3

Gargantuan            +6

Colossal                +10

Attacks: A skeleton retains all the natural weapons, manufactured weapon attacks, and weapon proficiencies of the base creature, except for attacks that can’t work without flesh (such as a mind flayer’s tentacle attacks). A creature with hands gains one claw attack per hand; the skeleton can strike with each of its claw attacks at its full attack bonus. A skeleton’s base attack bonus is equal to 1/2 its Hit Dice. 

Damage: Natural and manufactured weapons deal damage normally. A claw attack deals damage depending on the skeleton’s size. (If the base creature already had claw attacks with its hands, use the skeleton claw damage only if it’s better.)

Diminuitive or Fine       1

Tiny                           1d2

Small                         1d3

Medium                      1d4

Large                          1d6

Huge                          1d8

Gargantuan                 2d5

Colossal                      2d8

Special Attacks: A skeleton retains none of the base creature’s special attacks.

Special Qualities: A skeleton loses most special qualities of the base creature. It retains any extraordinary special qualities that improve its melee or ranged attacks. A skeleton gains the following special qualities. 

Immunity to Cold (Ex): Skeletons are not affected by cold. Damage 

Reduction 5/Bludgeoning: Skeletons lack flesh or internal organs. 

Saves: Base save bonuses are Fort +1/3 HD, Ref +1/3 HD, and Will +1/2 HD + 2. 

Abilities: A skeleton’s Dexterity increases by +2, it has no Constitution or Intelligence score, its Wisdom changes to 10, and its Charisma changes to 1. 

Skills: A skeleton has no skills. 

Feats: A skeleton loses all feats of the base creature and gains Improved Initiative. 

Environment: Any, usually same as base creature. 

Organization: Any. 

Challenge Rating: Depends on Hit Dice, as follows:

Hit Dice:                       Challenge Rating

1/2                                        1/6

1                                           1/3

2-3                                         1

4-5                                         2

6-7                                         3

8-9                                         4

10-11                                      5

12-14                                      6

15-7                                       7

18-20                                      8

Treasure: None. 

Alignment: Always neutral evil. 

Advancement: As base creature (or — if the base creature advances by character class). 

Level Adjustment: —.

(From 2nd Edition Monstrous Manual - 1993):

All skeletons are magically animated undead monsters, created as guardians or warriors by powerful evil wizards and priests.

Skeletons appear to have no ligaments or musculature which would allow movement. Instead, the bones are magically joined together during the casting of an animate dead spell. Skeletons have no eyes or internal organs.

Skeletons can be made from the bones of humans and demihumans, animals of human size or smaller, or giant humanoids like bugbears and giants.

Combat: Man-sized humanoid skeletons always fight with weapons, usually a rusty sword or spear. Because of their magical nature, they do not fight as well as living beings and inflict only 1-6 points of damage when they hit. Animal skeletons almost always bite for 1-4 points of damage, unless they would obviously inflict less (i.e., skeletal rats should inflict only 1-2 points, etc.). Monster skeletons, always constructed from humanoid creatures, use giant-sized weapons which inflict the same damage as their living counterparts but without any Strength bonuses.

Skeletons are immune to all sleep, charm, and hold spells. Because they are assembled from bones, cold-based attacks also do skeletons no harm. The fact that they are mostly empty means that edged or piercing weapons (like swords, daggers, and spears) inflict only half damage when employed against skeletons. Blunt weapons, with larger heads designed to break and crush bones, cause normal damage against skeletons. Fire also does normal damage against skeletons. Holy water inflicts 2-8 points of damage per vial striking the skeleton.

Skeletons are immune to fear spells and need never check morale, usually being magically commanded to fight to the death. When a skeleton dies, it falls to pieces with loud clunks and rattles.

Habitat/Society: Skeletons have no social life or interesting habits. They can be found anywhere there is a wizard or priest powerful enough to make them. Note that some neutral priests of deities of the dead or dying often raise whole armies of animated followers in times of trouble. Good clerics can make skeletons only if the dead being has granted permission (either before or after death) and if the cleric’s deity has given express permission to do so. Otherwise, violating the eternal rest of any being or animal is something most good deities disapprove of highly.

Skeletons have almost no minds whatsoever, and can obey only the simplest one- or two-phrase orders from their creators. Skeletons fight in unorganized masses and tend to botch complex orders disastrously. It is not unheard of to find more than one type of skeleton (monsters with animals, animals with humans) working together to protect their master’s dungeon or tower.

Ecology: Unless the skeleton’s remains are destroyed or scattered far apart, the skeleton can be created anew with the application of another animate dead spell. Rumors of high-level animate dead spells which create skeletons capable of reforming themselves to continue fighting after being destroyed have not been reliably comfirmed.

Giant Skeletons:

Giant skeletons are similar to the more common undead skeleton, but they have been created with a combination of spells and are, thus, far more deadly than their lesser counterparts.

Giant skeletons stand roughly 12 feet tall and look to be made from the bones of giants. In actuality, they are simply human skeletons that have been magically enlarged. They are normally armed with long spears or scythes that end in keen bone blades. Rare individuals will be found carrying shields (and thus have an Armor Class of 3), but these are far from common. A small, magical fire burns in the chest of each giant skeleton, a by-product of the magics that are used to make them. These flames begin just above the pelvis and reach upward to lick at the collar bones. Mysteriously, no burning or scorching occurs where the flames touch the bone.

Giant skeletons do not communicate in any way. They can obey simple, verbal commands given to them by their creator, but will ignore all others. In order for a command to be understood by these animated skeletons, it must contain no more than three distinct concepts. For example, “stay in this room, make sure that nobody comes in, and don’t allow the prince to leave,” would be the type of command these creatures could obey.

Combat: In melee combat, giant skeletons most frequently attack with bone-bladed scythes or spears. Each blow that lands inflicts 1d12 points of damage.

Once per hour (6 turns), a skeleton may reach into its chest and draw forth a sphere of fire from the flames that burn within its rib cage. This flaming sphere can be hurled as if it were a fireball that delivers 8d6 points of damage. Because these creatures are immune to harm from both magical and normal fires, they will freely use this attack in close quarters.

Giant skeletons are immune to sleep, charm, hold, or similar mind-affecting spells. Cold-based spells inflict half damage to them, lightning inflicts full damage, while fire (as has already been mentioned) cannot harm them. They suffer half damage from edged or piercing weapons and but 1 point of damage per die from all manner of arrows, quarrels, or missiles. Blunt melee weapons inflict full damage on them.

Being undead, giant skeletons can be turned by priests and paladins. They are more difficult to turn than mundane skeletons, however, being treated as if they were mummies. Holy water that is splashed upon them inflicts 2d4 points of damage per vial.

Habitat/Society: The first giant skeletons to appear in Ravenloft were created by the undead priestess Radaga in her lair within the domain of Kartakass. Others have since mastered the spells and techniques required to create these monsters; thus, giant skeletons are gradually beginning to appear in other realms where the dead and undead lurk.

Giant skeletons are employed as guards and sentinels by those with the power to create them. It is said that the Dark Powers can see everything that transpires before the eyes of these foul automatons, but there is no proof supporting this rumor.

Ecology: Like lesser animated skeletons, these undead things have no true claim to any place in nature. They are created from the bones of those who have died and are abominations in the eyes of all who belief in the sanctity of life and goodness.

The process by which giant skeletons are created is dark and evil. Attempts to manufacture them outside of Ravenloft have failed, so it is clear that they are in some way linked to the Dark Powers themselves. In order to create a giant skeleton, a spell caster must have the intact skeleton of a normal human or demihuman. On a night when the land is draped in fog, they must cast an animate dead, produce fire, enlarge, and a resist fire spell over the bones. When the last spell is cast, the bones lengthen and thicken and the creatures rises up. The the creator must make a Ravenloft Powers check for his part in this evil undertaking.

Skeleton Warriors:

ormerly powerful fighters, skeleton warriors are undead lords forced into their nightmarish states by powerful wizards or evil demigods who trapped their souls in golden circlets. The sole reason that skeleton warriors remain on the Prime Material plane is to search for and recover the circlets that contain their souls.

A skeletal warrior appears as a cracked and yellowing skeleton covered with shards of decaying flesh. Its eyes are black holes containing pinpoints of reddish light. It is clad in the blackened armor and rotted trappings it wore in its former life.

Combat: Anyone possessing a skeleton warrior’s circlet can control its actions, so long as the controller remains within 240 feet of the warrior. The controller is either in active control of the warrior or in a passive mode. When in active control, the controller can see whatever the skeleton sees, and he can mentally command it to fight, search for treasure, or take any other actions; however, the controller himself is unable to cast spells, move, or take any other actions while in active control. When in the passive mode, the controller can take any normal actions, but he is unable to see through the warrior’s eyes; the skeleton warrior remains inert while the controller is in passive mode. The controller can change between the passive mode and active control at will.

The controller must have the warrior’s circlet on his head in order to control the warrior. If the circlet is removed from the controller’s head, he can no longer control the warrior; likewise, if the controller and the warrior are separated by more than 240 feet, the controller can no longer control the warrior. If the circlet remains in the controller’s possession, he can resume control at a later time. But if the controller loses the circlet, either by accident or by a deliberate act, the warrior immediately proceeds toward the controller at twice its normal movement rate (12) to attack and destroy him. The warrior does not rest until it destroys its former controller or until control is re-established. If the warrior holds the circlet to its head, both the warrior and the circlet turn to dust, never to reappear.

When a character first comes into possession of a circlet, he is unlikely to be aware that the skeleton warrior is tracking him, unless he recognizes the circlet’s significance. To establish control for the first time, the character not only must hold the circlet to his head, he must be able to see the warrior and concentrate on the establishment of control for one round and then roll a successful Wisdom check; if he fails the Wisdom check, he can try again in subsequent rounds. Meanwhile, the skeleton warrior continues to approach, attempting to destroy the character and gain possession of the circlet. If his concentration is broken before control is established — for instance, if he has to defend himself against an attack — he must concentrate again for three rounds. Once control has been established for the first time, it can only be broken as indicated above. To be effective, the circlet cannot be worn with any other headgear; placing it in a helm, for instance, nullifies its powers, though the skeleton warrior is still aware of the circlet’s presence.

Skeleton warriors usually fight with two-handed swords, but they can use other weapons as well. Skeleton warriors make all weapon attacks with a +3 bonus to their attack roll; this is an innate ability, the weapon itself is not magical.

Only magical weapons affect skeleton warriors. They have a 90% magical resistance. The mere sight of a skeleton warrior causes any creature with fewer than 5 Hit Dice to flee in panic. Skeleton warriors cannot be turned by priests.

Habitat/Society: Skeleton warriors are usually found near the areas where they died in their former lives, or where they were buried. A skeleton warrior usually has a sizeable collection of treasure, the remnants of a lifetime of adventure. Since a skeleton warrior is preoccupied with recovering its circlet, protecting its treasure is not a priority.

Ecology: Skeleton warriors are used by their controllers as bodyguards, servants, or workers. Since skeleton warriors are obsessed with their circlets and are therefore undependable, evil creatures and other undead seldom associate with them. Skeleton warriors do not eat, sleep, or perform any other physiological functions.