Sunday 27 November 2011

Making a Better Skeleton

This should be easy. To me the skeleton has gone from a potentially terrifying concept to the disposable mook of the undead.

It's a magically animated skeleton! By its very nature it's got a degree of supernatural power about it. A zombie still has muscles and sensory organs, but this thing's walking around through some other means. Let that dark magic have a bit more credit than something so easily dispelled by a sword swing.

That's right, skeletons should be a nightmare for fighters to deal with.

As always, this is written with Into the Odd in mind.

Skeletal Minion
The obedient servants of some wielder of dark magic. They shuffle about carrying out the will of their master as if part of his own soul exists within them.
STR 10, DEX 13, WIL 12. Armour 2 (see below), 6hp.
Sword (1d6).
Counts as having Armour 2 only against piercing attacks such as arrows and spears. Swords, axes and hammers ignore this.
When a skeleton would be killed by physical attacks it is smashed into at least two separate pieces. Unless they are kept apart these will reform on the skeleton's next turn, restoring it to full health. Each half will continue to fight but the half without a sword only causes 1d6-1 damage.
The skeleton's WIL is reduced to 0 the magic animating the skeleton is banished and it falls into a pile of bones.

4 comments:

  1. Yes! Skeletons are my favourite bad guy trope in fantasy and I like that you've made them a bit beefier, so to speak. They are so much cooler when they're not just mace-fodder. Good job!

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  2. You should read the original Pacesetter "Chill" treatment for skeletons. They would break off pieces of themselves to use as weapons. Snap off a rib, make a Fear check ('cause it's a bit unsettling), they start slashing with it like a knife, eerie stuff.

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  3. skeleton are better that the mummies and zombie. they can be back to normal after being dis-attached from other body parts.

    Sig: Andrew | industrial workwear

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