Skeleton Soldier

Skeleton Soldier (CR 8)

Pure Evil - Medium - Undead

Lore:	Know (Religion)
15		31
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

16

Perception:
26	+16
Passive	Active

Ambush:

10+

on a d20

Senses:

• Standard Senses
• Darkvision 60 ft.

Movement Types:

• Walk 30 ft.

Defense

AC

25

Man Def

25

Monster Health
146	73	13
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+5
Refl:	+5
Will:	+10

Strong Against:

• DR 13/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

+13

Man Off

+14

Action

0

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 1x Rusty Saber Strike +13 (2d8+6/19-20 x2)
  as slashing (physical, common)

Full Attack (Melee):

• 3x Rusty Saber Strike +13 (2d8+6/19-20 x2)
  as slashing (physical, common)

Standard Attack (Ranged):

• 1x Rusty Javelins +13 (2d8+6/19-20 x2)
  as piercing (physical, common)
  (Increment: 30 ft.; Max Range: 150 ft.)

Full Attack (Ranged):

• 3x Rusty Javelins +13 (2d8+6/19-20 x2)
  as piercing (physical, common)
  (Increment: 30 ft.; Max Range: 150 ft.)

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

16

STR

16

DEX

—

CON

—

INT

14

WIS

18

CHA

Skills:

• Bluff: 16 (used with Quick Feint)
• Might: 13
• Movement: 16
• Perception: 16
• All other skills: 8 (no ranks)

Languages: Thanic (can understand it, but not speak)

Feats:

Special Abilities

Quick Feint (Ex) Swift Action

As a swift action, the skeleton can use Bluff to feint in combat, causing its opponent to be flat-footed against the skeleton's next attack. The DC of this check is the target's Maneuver Defense, or 10 + the target's Sense Motive bonus, whichever is higher.

Step In and Strike (Su) Free 1/Att

Prior to making any attack, whether melee or ranged, a 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 (Su) Always On

Skeletons are highly resistant to all common physical damage types except bludgeoning (physical, common) damage. They reduce all non-bludgeoning common physical damage by 13 points.

Skeleton Soldier

Skeleton Soldiers look like better maintained, better equipped, and more skilled Skeleton Legionnaires. They are wholly mindless, but like many skeletons are driven by a cold implacable hatred of the living. Once a Skeleton Soldier has sensed the existence of the living, they are completely unwavering in their assault. Nothing will stop them, nothing will dissuade them, they know no fear or failure, they keep coming until they win or are destroyed.

Their desire to kill is backed up by a scary degree of skill. Skeleton Soldiers are mindless, but they are not unskilled. They will set up encirclements and defilades, they will provide cover fire to their undead allies, they will use good, dangerous tactics in fights. They are frighteningly good at melee combat, and are fully capable of using deceptive attacks, tricks, and feints. They are killers of the highest order, unhesitating, remorseless, and tireless.

Skeletons will not beat mindlessly at a barred door, desirous of the flesh within. If the Skeleton Soldiers cannot force the door, and they have no masters to fetch, they will simply stand guard over their prey, utterly still, and wait with infinite, mindless patience. Sooner or later death will come to any living things they have trapped, and skeletons will wait forever if they have to.

Combat Tactics

Skeleton Soldiers are dangerous foes, despite their complete lack of intelligence. Their martial skill is carried indelibly in their bones.

Skeleton Soldiers are content to stay at range and use their Bluff Skill to feint and then hurl javelins to deadly effect. While doing so they will use Step In and Strike combined with their normal five-foot steps to edge slowly closer, so they can eventually charge their hated living foes. Groups of Skeleton Soldiers will concentrate their ranged and melee attacks upon a single foe whenever possible. This foe is usually either the closest, or the furthest away (50% chance of either.)

In melee combat, Skeleton Soldiers will use the Step In and Strike ability combined with Five-Foot steps to set up flanks, and will strive to make full attack actions against the nearest foe whenever possible. If they are closing against a foe who is wielding a reach weapon, they will stop five feet away and use Step In and Strike to close in to avoid attacks of opportunity. If their attacks all missed in the previous round, they will use a swift action to feint and continue attacking.

Skeleton Soldiers, while highly proficient combatants, have lost all ability to discern one living target from another. They will not single out casters over fighters, nor will they pay extra attention to that cleric who keeps Channeling Divinity at them. Instead, they will target either the nearest living foe or the furthest, (50%chance) and try to kill it. That said, they will use excellent tactics against that chosen foe, to make killing it that much easier.

Out of Combat

Skeletons are the solid, reliable, go-to minion of evil everywhere. They are dangerous foes in combat, implacable enemies, and reliable killers. They will obey the orders of their creators well enough, and if unled, will default to hunting and killing...forever. See Immortality, below.

Rusty Equipment (Ex)

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: 4,800

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 3,875 gp.

Weight: 80 lbs.     Volume: 3.2 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)