Skeleton
Skeletons are considered among the lowest types of undead. They're typically mindless creatures, lacking many of the abilities that make other undead a serious threat. However, the animated bones of dragons, giants, and other great beasts make for dangerous foes. Powerful living creatures can retain some of their might and intellect upon returning as a skeleton. Some necromancers turn their strongest enemies into skeletal undead servants, assuming they can keep control of them.
Skeleton adventurers were usually skilled and powerful in their former lives. Through unremitting force of will or extraordinary circumstances, their ego and ideals persist even in death. However, the very act of rising as a skeletal undead is traumatic. Memories of one's former life are usually fractured or hazy, if anything can be remembered at all. For some, these memories return with time; for others, they're gone forever. For the most part, this comes down to how the skeleton views themself: either as a continuation of the person they once were, or an entirely new being.
Skeleton adventurers often set themselves apart from other skeletons by dressing as flamboyantly as their station allows. Large, feathered caps, ornate armor, embroidered silks, or glittering jewelry are likely staples of their wardrobe. Some carve intricate “tattoos” into their bones or paint their skulls to maintain a sense of self that simple skeletons lack, and to signal to the living they're not like other undead.
Skeleton adventurers must come to terms with their new identity. They aren't bound by the limitations of the living and are often underestimated.
You Might...
Others Probably...
Aside from their complete lack of flesh and organs, skeletons vary widely in appearance, reflecting the broad diversity of all living beings. They can be tall, short, or anywhere in between. Skeletons of creatures with horns, wings, or tails retain them, although they are usually useless in their skeletal state. Skeletons raised from fresh remains tend to have stark white bones, while older ones tend to be gray or yellowed. Skeletons who adventure for a while often possess faint lines crisscrossing their bones like scars, indicating where they were injured in previous battles.
While undead are almost always unholy, some intelligent skeletons manage to stave off the corruption of the negative energy that powers them. Other than the tendency to become twisted toward evil over time, skeletons typically lean toward the alignments of their creators or their former selves. Skeletons without any particular loyalty or allegiance trend toward neutral evil alignment, or neutral if they can stave off evil.
Skeletons who embrace their undeath often worship gods of death, such as Mormekar, though his clergy find them abominations.
No widespread naming convention exists for skeletons. When necromancers bother to name skeletons they've raised, they typically choose names that suit their own tastes, the way one would name a pet. Others might be named for their role or job. Skeletons with their memories intact might choose to keep their name from when they were alive, but others might choose new names based on their undead experiences.
Sample Names: Clatterjaw, Creaker, Doorstop, Final Sacrifice, Gochiyo, Lectern, Macefodder, Sixth Lancer, Skulldyr, Xelim
Skeleton adventurers were usually skilled and powerful in their former lives. Through unremitting force of will or extraordinary circumstances, their ego and ideals persist even in death. However, the very act of rising as a skeletal undead is traumatic. Memories of one's former life are usually fractured or hazy, if anything can be remembered at all. For some, these memories return with time; for others, they're gone forever. For the most part, this comes down to how the skeleton views themself: either as a continuation of the person they once were, or an entirely new being.
Skeleton adventurers often set themselves apart from other skeletons by dressing as flamboyantly as their station allows. Large, feathered caps, ornate armor, embroidered silks, or glittering jewelry are likely staples of their wardrobe. Some carve intricate “tattoos” into their bones or paint their skulls to maintain a sense of self that simple skeletons lack, and to signal to the living they're not like other undead.
Skeleton adventurers must come to terms with their new identity. They aren't bound by the limitations of the living and are often underestimated.
You Might...
- Work harder than most to prove you're a capable and distinct individual.
- Wade into danger with little regard for the safety of your undead body.
- Desperately seek the acceptance of the society you once moved through with ease.
Others Probably...
- Assume you're the servant of a necromancer, working to advance their agenda.
- Have difficulty empathizing with you.
- Regard your undeath with either pity or envy.
Physical Description
Aside from their complete lack of flesh and organs, skeletons vary widely in appearance, reflecting the broad diversity of all living beings. They can be tall, short, or anywhere in between. Skeletons of creatures with horns, wings, or tails retain them, although they are usually useless in their skeletal state. Skeletons raised from fresh remains tend to have stark white bones, while older ones tend to be gray or yellowed. Skeletons who adventure for a while often possess faint lines crisscrossing their bones like scars, indicating where they were injured in previous battles.
Society
Across Boardrinn, intelligent skeletons rarely gather in large enough numbers to constitute any kind of settlement. Many skeletons would rather keep company with those who remind them of their former life (although such reminders can just as easily lead to revulsion derived by the negative energy infused within them). Some might hide on the outskirts of society or move about in disguise, but it's difficult for them to find acceptance among the living.Beliefs
While undead are almost always unholy, some intelligent skeletons manage to stave off the corruption of the negative energy that powers them. Other than the tendency to become twisted toward evil over time, skeletons typically lean toward the alignments of their creators or their former selves. Skeletons without any particular loyalty or allegiance trend toward neutral evil alignment, or neutral if they can stave off evil.
Skeletons who embrace their undeath often worship gods of death, such as Mormekar, though his clergy find them abominations.
Names
No widespread naming convention exists for skeletons. When necromancers bother to name skeletons they've raised, they typically choose names that suit their own tastes, the way one would name a pet. Others might be named for their role or job. Skeletons with their memories intact might choose to keep their name from when they were alive, but others might choose new names based on their undead experiences.
Sample Names: Clatterjaw, Creaker, Doorstop, Final Sacrifice, Gochiyo, Lectern, Macefodder, Sixth Lancer, Skulldyr, Xelim
Heritages
Compact Skeleton
Source Book of the Dead pg. 55
For tasks that require a lighter touch, gnome, goblin, and halfling remains are more suitable than a larger creature's. These smaller, nimbler skeletons fit well in a traveling chest, can be forced through tight spaces, and more easily avoid detection. Your size is Small instead of Medium. You gain the Quick Squeeze feat, even if you aren't trained in Acrobatics. Tight spaces not tight enough to require the Squeeze activity aren't difficult terrain for you.
Fodder Skeleton
Source Book of the Dead pg. 55
Humans, and those who are physically closest to them, are the favored material of necromancers. They are readily available, and their physiology has been studied the most extensively, so these skeletons can be easily mass-produced. Despite their name, fodder skeletons make rather mobile foot soldiers due to how efficiently they transfer necromantic energy within their bodies. You have a base Speed of 30 feet, instead of 25 feet.
Monstrous Skeleton
Source Book of the Dead pg. 56
Inhuman skeletons are often created for both their deadly physical attacks and their terrifying appearances. Beasts and monstrous humanoids with the strangest skeletons tend to be the centerpiece of the collection of a necromancer skilled enough to raise one. You gain a claw, horn, tail, or wing unarmed attack that deals 1d6 damage. A claw deals slashing damage, a horn deals piercing damage, and a tail or wing deals bludgeoning damage. This unarmed attack is in the brawling group and has the finesse and unarmed traits.
Shifting Skeleton
Rare
Source Wake the Dead #4 pg. 28
Constructed from the bones of various shapechanging creatures, shifting skeletons retain a measure of reconfigurability, allowing them to shift forms. You gain the Rearrange Bones action.
Sturdy Skeleton
Source Book of the Dead pg. 56
Certain hazardous conditions are not suitable for the average skeleton, so a necromancer might choose to reanimate the bones of a dwarf, orc, or other creature with a reputation for sturdiness. You have 10 Hit Points instead of 6 and gain the Diehard feat.
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