Skeleton Soldier

Skeleton Soldier (CR 8)

Neutral Evil - Medium - Undead

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

Initiative

17

Perception:
23	+13
Passive	Active

Ambush:

10+

on a d20

Senses:

• Standard Senses

Movement Types:

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 /Bludgeoning
• (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 undefined damage type

Full Attack (Melee):

• 3x Rusty Saber Strike +13 (2d8+6/19-20 x2)
  as undefined damage type

Standard Attack (Ranged):

• 1x Rusty Javelins +13 (2d8+6/19-20 x2)
  as undefined damage type
  (Increment: 30 ft.; Max Range: 150 ft.)

Full Attack (Ranged):

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

16

STR

16

DEX

CON

INT

14

WIS

18

CHA

Skills:

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

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

Feats:

• Feint, Improved (EFFECT: Feint, Improved (Feat))

Special Abilities

Improved Feint (Ex)

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)

Once per round, 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 damage. They reduce all non-bludgeoning physical damage by 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.

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 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

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 (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.

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)