Skeleton Soldier

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Skeleton Soldier (CR 8)

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, they will use good, dangerous tactics. 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. Sooner or later death will come to any living things they have trapped, and skeletons will wait forever if they have to.

GENERAL

CR 8 Hit Dice 12

XP 4,800

NE, Medium, Undead

Init +4; Senses darkvision 60ft, Perception +12

DEFENSE

AC 27, touch 17, flat-footed 21 (+5 armor, +6 dex, +5 natural, +1 deflection)

hp 125

Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +11

Aura: -

SR: -

Special Defenses: DR 10/bludgeoning

Immunities:

• all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms)
• disease, poison, ability damage, ability drain, energy drain
• death effects, necromancy effects, sleep effects
• nonlethal damage
• paralysis, stunning, fatigue, exhaustion
• any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects, or is harmless)

Weaknesses: Cannot heal damage on its own (if it has no Int), but healed by negative energy.

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.

Space / Reach: 5 ft. / 5 ft.

Single Melee Rusty Saber Strike +15 (2d8+7/19-20x2)

Full Melee 2x Rusty Saber Strike +15 (2d8+7/19-20x2)

Ranged Rusty Javelins +15 (2d8+9/x2), range increment 30 feet

Special Attacks Improved Feint, Step In and Strike

Action Points 0

STATISTICS

Str 16, Dex 16, Con -, Int -, Wis 14, Cha 18

Base Atk +8; CMB +13; CMD 23

Feats Improved Feint, as a move action roll a Bluff Check to deny target their Dex Bonus.

Skills Bluff +12

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

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Improved Feint (Su)

As a move action, the skeleton can use Bluff to feint in combat, causing its opponent to be denied his Dexterity bonus to his AC against that skeleton's attacks until the beginning of his next turn. The DC of this check is equal to 10 + the target’s base attack bonus + the target’s Wisdom modifier. If the target is trained in Sense Motive, the DC is instead equal to 10 + the target’s Sense Motive bonus, if higher.

Step In and Strike (Su)

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)

Skeletons are highly resistant to all physical damage except bludgeoning

TREASURE

sell value of approximately 3,250 gp

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 to edge slowly closer, so they can charge their hated living foes. Groups of Skeleton Soldiers will concentrate their ranged and melee attacks upon a single foe whenever possible.

In melee combat, Skeleton Soldiers will use the Step In and Strike ability 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 avoid attacks of opportunity. If their attacks all missed in the previous round, they will use a move action to feint and make a single attack instead.

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 the nearest living foe and try to kill it. That said, they will use excellent tactics against that nearest foe, to make killing it that much easier.

OUT OF COMBAT

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 (Su)

Skeletons cannot be killed by normal means. However, low-level skeletons like these may lie shattered and dormant after being defeated for decades or even centuries before rising again to seek to rid the world of life. A sanctify corpse, consecrate or gentle repose spell will add ten years and a day to the time it takes for a skeleton to re-compose. A resurrection spell will bring the person associated with the skeleton back to life, destroying the necromantic bond on its corpse.