Bloody Bones Skeleton

Bloody Bones Skeleton (CR 7)

Chaotic Evil - Medium - Undead

Lore:	Know (Religion)
14		30
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

11

Perception:
23	+13
Passive	Active

Ambush:

10+

on a d20

• Lore Notes: may mis-identify as Skeleton Soldiers; see Mimicry below

Senses:

• Standard Senses
• Darkvision 60 ft.

Movement Types:

• Walk 30 ft.

Defense

AC

20

Man Def

22

Monster Health
103	51	11
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+8
Refl:	+4
Will:	+4

Strong Against:

• DR 11/Common (Bludgeoning,  Crushing,  Piercing,  Slashing,  Slime), bypassed by bludgeoning (physical, common)
• (Mindless) Immune (no effect): all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, fear, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms)
• (Undead 1) Immune (no effect): diseases (infected, diseased, blighted), poisons (tainted, poisoned, blighted), ability damage (dilution, damage, drain), and essence damage (suppression, omission, destruction)
• (Undead 2) Immune (no effect): bleeds (bruised, bleed, ruptured), fatigued, exhausted
• (Undead 3) Immune (no effect): magical sleep (drowsy, sluggish, asleep), paralyzed, stunned
• (Undead 4) Immune (no effect): any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects, or is harmless)

Weak Against:

Offense

Size:	Medium
5 ft.		5 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+12

Man Off

+11

Action

0

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 1x Shoddy Spear +12 (2d8+4/19-20 x2)
  as piercing (physical, common)

Full Attack (Melee):

• 3x Shoddy Spear +12 (2d8+4/19-20 x2)
  as piercing (physical, common)

Standard Attack (Ranged):

• 1x Shoddy Shortbow +12 (2d8+4/19-20 x2)
  as piercing (physical, common)
  (Increment: 40 ft.; Max Range: 400 ft.)

Full Attack (Ranged):

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

17

STR

14

DEX

CON

INT

10

WIS

10

CHA

Skills:

• Perception: 13
• All other skills: 6 (no ranks)

Languages: Bloody bones skeletons can take orders from their creator in any language that creator speaks, but otherwise have no means of communicating or responding.

Feats:

Special Abilities

Bloody Bones (Sp)

Any time the bloody bones skeleton is damaged by an attack which targeted it (anything: melee, ranged, spells, etc.), the attacker must make a Fortitude save, DC 18, or lose 1d3 points of Strength Ability Damage, as one or more of their bones is broken or shattered by the necromantic magics suffusing the bloody bones skeleton. The first time this ability successfully inflicts Strength damage to a creature each round, the bloody bones heals 11 points of damage. The healing aspect of this ability may not occur more than once per round, though the Strength damage aspect certainly may affect as many creatures as make attacks. Note that attacks which include the bloody bones, but do not specifically target it (such as a fireball spell, or the splash damage from an alchemist's bomb), do not trigger this effect. This is a spell-like ability and thus can be resisted by spell resistance, but it is automatic, and therefore no concentration checks are ever required.

Mimicry (Ex)

Bloody bones skeletons look and behave exactly like Skeleton Soldiers, and only a Knowledge (Religion) check against a DC of 27 will reveal that they are something quite different. The DC for this check drops to a DC of 19 as soon as the bloody bones ability is triggered.

Step In and Strike (Su)

Up to once per round, prior to making an attack, whether melee or ranged, a bloody bones skeleton can take a free 5-foot step. This does not provoke attacks of opportunity, is not limited by having already moved, and does not cost them any actions.

Damage Resistance (Ex)

Skeletons are highly resistant to all physical damage except bludgeoning. They reduce all non-bludgeoning physical damage by 11 points.

Bloody Bones Skeleton

Bloody bones skeletons are named not because they are, themselves, bloody, but because of the terrible defensive magics steeped into them, which act to break the bones of any creature unlucky enough to damage them. Appearance-wise, bloody bones skeletons look and act identically to skeleton soldiers. In fact, the necromancers who create them are counting on this to add an extra edge to their defender's efficacy.

Bloody bones skeletons are terrible necromantic things specifically created to serve as sentinels. Because they never need to eat, sleep or breathe, and they do not age, they can stand guard over a place or thing forever, only lurching into action when strangers approach. It is not uncommon for these guardians to outlive their creators, guarding secret laboratories long after the point of the defense has been forgotten.

The ritual of creation involves the extended torture and eventual sacrifice of nine humanoids, the broken remains of which are joined by the ritual's magic to create the skeleton's body and house the terrible magic they possess.

Combat Tactics

Bloody Bones skeletons are mindless automatons, directed to guard a place or a thing by their creator. They are often created in small packs, and will stand unmoving and inert until someone other than their creator approaches.

Once in combat, bloody bones skeletons look exactly like regular skeleton soldiers, but they are not nearly the skilled melee fighters those creatures are. They will mindlessly attack with their rusty swords, always targeting the nearest foe (and choosing randomly if more than one target is the same distance away). Only when they are attacked in return do the differences stand out. The bloody bones ability is automatic, crippling attackers and healing the bloody bones skeleton at the same time.

GM's should be aware that encounters with these creatures could cause several days of downtime for a party afterwards, as they rest to recover their drained strength.

Out of Combat

Rusty Equipment

Skeletons wear equipment and wield weapons that are as old as they are. All their equipment has the Fragile property, though GM's shouldn't bother with tracking broken conditions on weapons.

Immortality

Many undead creatures, such as this one, cannot be killed by normal means. However, it will lie shattered and dormant after being defeated for up to a century before rising again to seek to rid the world of life. Casting either Sanctify Corpse (Cleric Spell) or Gentle Repose (Cleric Spell) on the defeated corpse of the creature will add an additional one hundred years to the time it takes for it to re-compose. Laying the defeated corpse on consecrated ground for a full day will prevent it from ever rising again, as will casting Rest Eternal (Cleric Spell) on it. Applying Raise Dead (Cleric Spell), Resurrection (Cleric Spell), or using similar life-giving abilities will restore the original soul back to the corpse, bringing that person back to life and permanently destroying the necromantic animus that had possessed the body previously. This creature's body will never decay (further than it already has) nor age due to time or neglect.

Rewards

XP: 3,200

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 2,875 gp.

Weight: 70 lbs.     Volume: 2.8 cu. ft.

Optional Treasure Rules: Roll a d20 on Table 1 below once per encounter (NOT per creature). Any items discovered are in addition to the normal treasure for the encounter.

Table 1: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 10	Nothing Found
11 - 14	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
15 - 17	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
18 - 19	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
6 - 10	3 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
11 - 14	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
15 - 17	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
18 - 19	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
6 - 8	3 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
9 - 11	3 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
12 - 14	3 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
15 - 17	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
18 - 19	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)