fi.lledium undead, lawful evil
- Armor Class 13 (armor scraps)
Hit Points 13 (2d8 + 4)
· Speed 30 ft.
STR
10 (+0)
DEX
14 (+2)
CON
15 (+2)
INT
6 (-2)
Damage Vulnerabilities bludgeoning
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned
WIS
8 (-1)
CHA
5 (-3)
Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 9
Languages understands all languages it knew in life but
can't speak
Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.
Shortbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 80f320 ft.,
one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.
SKE:LIE.T:,ONS.. 1,'
SReletons aris~ 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 nycromantic 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 ttebuchet, 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.
