Flameskull (FLAY-m SKULL)
The Burning Skull
A disembodied floating skull wreathed in an eerie blazing green flame.
Flameskulls were fiery undead guardians fashioned from the skulls of dead spellcasters. Stronger varieties were known as great flameskulls.
Blazing green flames and mad, echoing laughter follow a disembodied skull as it patrols its demesne. When the undead flameskull discovers trespassers, it blasts the intruders with fiery rays from its eyes and dreadful spells called up from the dark recesses of its memory.
Dark spellcasters fashion flameskulls from the remains of dead wizards. When the ritual is complete, green flames erupt from the skull to complete its ghastly transformation.
Legacy of Life. A flameskull only dimly recalls its former life. Though it might speak in its old voice and recount key events from its past, it is but an echo of its former self. However, its undead transformation grants it full access to the magic it wielded in life, letting it cast spells while ignoring the material and somatic components it can no longer employ.
Eternally Bound. Intelligent and vigilant, a flameskull serves its creator by protecting a hidden treasure hoard, a secret chamber, or a specific individual. A flameskull carries out the directives given to it when it was created, and it interprets those commands to the letter. A flameskull's master must craft its instructions with care to ensure that the creature carries out its tasks properly.
Wreathed in Flame. The fire wreathing a flameskull burns continually, giving off bright light that the creature controls. It uses those flames as a weapon, focusing them to loose them as fiery rays from its eye sockets.
Eldritch Rejuvenation. A flameskull's shattered fragments reform unless they are splashed with holy water or subjected to a dispel magic or remove curse spell. If it can no longer fulfill its intended purpose, the re-formed flameskull is beholden to no one and becomes autonomous.
Undead Nature. A flameskull doesn't require air, food, drink, or sleep
The Menagerie fought a Crystal FlameSkull in the crypts under Outding Refuge Church. Which returned to life in the Outding Refuge Temple Ruins. Later they would fight a traditional flameskull in Tharros Underdark Hideout "Near" Outding Refuge. And one was even seen in Kampos...
Basic Information
Anatomy
Description
Flameskulls were disembodied floating skulls, jawbone included, wreathed in an eerie blazing green flame. Their light could illuminate an area as brightly as a torch, though a flameskull could choose to suppress its fiery aura to a faint, pale-green flicker. On some specimens, the bone was inscribed with strange and disturbing runes. In their eye sockets flickered gleaming emerald lights filled with malice. As they flew, small jets of flame trailed after them. They moved in total silence, and were heard only when they spoke, cast spells, or screamed for intimidation or just for effect. They sometimes made insane, echoing laughter, but spoke in hollow, echoing voices.Genetics and Reproduction
Creation
A flameskull was created from the head of a humanoid (usually human) spellcaster shortly after he or she had died. It needed to be fresh. They were made by dark-hearted spellcasters, typically a cleric or wizard using a create undead spell, but the precise rituals for creating them were very old and even long-forgotten. They could choose whether or not the resulting flameskull could cast additional spells. Flameskulls obviously could not reproduce or replicate themselves. Once the ritual was done and the transformation complete, the skull burst into green flames. A group of nine early priests of Mystra once transformed themselves into flameskulls when they sought a form of immortality of their own devising, and were only partially successful with this lich-like state. They became the Circle of Skulls of Waterdeep.Behaviour
Combat
When initiating combat against intruders, flameskulls would speak aloud and lure them into traps, or else lie to them about other dangers in the area. Those with mage hand used it open and close doors, trigger and reset traps, and manipulate other objects as needed to suit their tactics. They took pains to avoid melee and missile attacks, and focused on flying to a high place and safely hurling fire and spells down at trespassers. Nevertheless, confident in their ability to reform, they had no fear of destruction and would attack fearlessly if they must.Activities
Flameskulls simply guarded whatever their creator compelled them to guard, such as concealed treasure hoards and secret rooms and even certain people. They were given their instructions at creation and they carried them out to the letter, so their instructions needed to be carefully worded to make sure they were done properly. However, for these undying creatures, their watches could go for years or centuries after their living creators passed away. They were usually only found in ancient places left long-untouched by the outside world.Personality
Flameskulls retained vague memories of their old lives and could recall important periods in detail, and they spoke in their former voices. However, they were but echoes of who they were in life. Keeping their intelligence but left quite, quite bored and very lonely by their long watches, flameskulls typically went insane and could display strange behaviors. At all times, they wanted to be entertained by whatever was going on around them and sought for some form of companionship. They had no purpose in death but to guard that which they were created to protect. If it should be destroyed or stolen despite their efforts, or they could otherwise no longer serve their purpose, they were released from their guardianship and became independent. However, rather than attack the one responsible or seek their own destruction and escape from undeath, they would exhibit a form of gratitude and thereafter accompany the one responsible, floating just out of reach and making smart comments. And, to see if there was anything interesting happening, they would follow them everywhere—no quiet study, secret meeting, private matter, or romantic tryst was safe from the new, bright burning flameskull friends.Additional Information
Social Structure
Society
Although quite rare in the world, flameskulls that were encountered were solitary guardians, but they could on occasion be found in groups of up to six and even companies of up to twelve. Otherwise, they were found in the company of those capable of creating or commanding such undead. Flameskulls could speak Common and any languages they knew in life, such as Draconic and Infernal and one or two dead languages such as Loross and Thorass. One star elf flameskull only spoke Elven. They could know up to fifteen languages, but typically only knew two. Whenever they got the opportunity, wizards, priests, and alchemists studied flameskulls to determine how to create them or copy their powers or to identify the unique properties of their flames, though with no known successes. Due to their great age, flameskulls were apt to possess old and little-known lore and historical secrets.Uses, Products & Exploitation
Harvesting
Instructions
Instructions: Because this creature is an Undead, the player should roll a Arcana Check using the DCs in the table below. On a success, the player is able to harvest the item. On a failure, the item cannot be harvested (either because the character is not skilled enough, or because the item is ruined). The DM should note that many of the items have an expiration, and can not be sold or used after the expiration has passed.
| DC | Item | Description | Value | Weight | Expiration | Crafting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Flameskull Ashes (small pouch) | As a flameskull's green flame fades, it often leaves behind a small amount of grayish-green ash. The ash has many arcane properties that can be used to enhance spell effects. Use: A character may use the flameskull's ashes, in addition to the spells other material components, to upcast a spell by a single level. | 20 gp | 1 lb. | ∞ | – |
| 15 | Flameskull Skull | As a flameskull is fashioned from the remains of a former spellcaster, the cursed skull contains residual traces of magic. The skull is useful among the arcane community, especially with Divination casters. | 60 gp | 6 lb. | ∞ | Skull of Revelation (HHH) |
This kind of creature does not normally carry treasure. This kind of creature does not normally have or collect treasure. However, the creature may have a lair full of bodies, or reside somewhere that treasure already exists.
This creature produces no Harvested Meat.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Abilities
If allowed by its creator, a flameskull could cast spells from their mouths. Initially, flameskulls were restricted to spells with only verbal components and they could not cast mind-control spells. Most knew up to three spells, usually magic missile, flame strike, and a long-since-forgotten incantation known as spell reflection. After the Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR, flameskulls were reported to have a greater arsenal of spells at their disposal: detect magic, mage hand, and ray of frost at will; blur, magic missile, and ray of exhaustion each thrice a day; and even fireball and mirror image each once a day. Flameskulls after the Spellplague by 1479 DR were capable only of mage hand at will and a fireball, with great flameskulls producing a much greater firestorm instead. After the Second Sundering of the 1480s DR, a flameskull retained full command of the spells it knew when it was alive, even ignoring the material and somatic components that it was no longer capable of but which were needed for its spells. Operating as wizards, they typically knew mage hand at will; blur, flaming sphere, magic missile, and shield according to preparation; and fireball once a day. Initially, a flameskull could also simply vomit fire from their mouths or eyes in two gouts of up to 10 feet (3 meters) or 20 feet (6.1 meters) in a straight line, together or in quick succession. Post-Spellplague flameskulls launched a single flame ray to a distance of 50 feet (15 meters). If forced, their bite could burn their victims. Post-Sundering flameskulls shot two focused fire rays from their eye sockets, up to 30 feet (9.1 meters). Flameskulls had all the same immunities as other undead, and were also unaffected by cold-, fire-, heat-, and electrical-based magic and attacks. They had high resistance to spells, protecting them against what they could not reflect. They were also harder than expected for a cleric to turn. Though they could be struck by any kind of weapon, only blunt weapons damaged them effectively. Furthermore, flameskulls steadily regenerated all damage taken and could even reassemble themselves in one hour to a few days after being completely shattered. Notably, they could fly, swiftly and with good maneuverability. They were vigilant and alert, and reacted swiftly. Being good at hiding and moving quietly, they were also quite stealthy.Civilization and Culture
Common Myths and Legends
Destruction
To prevent a destroyed flameskull from reforming, their broken fragments must be splashed with holy water (a majority of the bone fragments needed to be doused) or be targeted with a dispel evil, dispel magic, exorcise, or remove curse spell.Sources
Source(s):
- Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 134. ISBN 978-0786965614. Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 109. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9. Richard Baker, Ed Bonny, Travis Stout (February 2005). Lost Empires of Faerûn. Edited by Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 171. ISBN 0-7869-3654-1. David Wise ed. (December 1994). Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume One. (TSR, Inc). ISBN 156076838X. Eric L. Boyd (June 2005). City of Splendors: Waterdeep. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 110–111. ISBN 0-7869-3693-2. Greg A. Vaughan (September 2006). The Twilight Tomb. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 22. ISBN 0-7869-3947-8. Richard Baker, Ed Bonny, Travis Stout (February 2005). Lost Empires of Faerûn. Edited by Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 119. ISBN 0-7869-3654-1. Eric L. Boyd, Ed Greenwood, Christopher Lindsay, Sean K. Reynolds (June 2007). Expedition to Undermountain. Edited by Bill Slavicsek. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 188, 190, 191, 208–209. ISBN 978-0-7869-4157-5. Eric L. Boyd, Ed Greenwood, Christopher Lindsay, Sean K. Reynolds (June 2007). Expedition to Undermountain. Edited by Bill Slavicsek. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 13. ISBN 978-0-7869-4157-5. Adam Lee, et al. (September 2019). Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus. Edited by Michele Carter, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 84. ISBN 978-0-7869-6687-5. Eric L. Boyd, Ed Greenwood, Christopher Lindsay, Sean K. Reynolds (June 2007). Expedition to Undermountain. Edited by Bill Slavicsek. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 48, 69, 80–81. ISBN 978-0-7869-4157-5. Christopher Perkins, James Haeck, James Introcaso, Adam Lee, Matthew Sernett (September 2018). Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. Edited by Jeremy Crawford. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 156. ISBN 978-0-7869-6625-7. Adam Lee, Michele Carter, Christopher Perkins (March 2021). “Alkazaar's Appendix”. In Michele Carter ed. Candlekeep Mysteries (Wizards of the Coast), p. 206. ISBN 978-0-7869-6722-3.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Genetic Descendants
Scientific Name
Exnihilia, Inmortui, Animatum, Sceletus (Calvaria)
Origin/Ancestry
Undead (Corporeal Skeleton | Skull)
Lifespan
Undead
Conservation Status
None. Most civilized nations outlaw such necromancy and request a "kill on sight" to all such undead.
Average Height
18"
Average Weight
30 lbs.
Average Length
24"
Geographic Distribution
Related Ethnicities
5E Statistics
Flameskull
| Size | Tiny |
| Type | Undead |
| Alignment | Neutral Evil |
| Challenge Rating | 4 |
General Information
| Vision | Darkvision |
| Activity Cycle | Any |
| Diet | None |
| Language(s) | Common, Draconic, Infernal |
| Favored climate | Any |
| Favored terrain | Any |
Appearance
| Average length | ~1' |
| Average Weight | 10 lbs. |
Session Reports
See Also: Flameskull on Forgotten Realms Wiki