GarynVygax
Mongoose
Skeleton Warrior
Medium Undead
Climate/Terrain: Dark, foreboding castles, dank dungeons, and ancient cemeteries
Organization: An unsettling solitary, a morbid band, or an Army of Darkness
Hit Dice: 1d12 (optional, see Special Rules below)
Initiative: +2 (+6 with Improved Initiative)
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft.
Languages: None
Dodge Defence: 14 (16 VS Ranged Attacks with Buckler)
Parry Defence: 12 (14 with Buckler)
Hit Points: 6 (1d12 optional, see Special Rules below)
DR 5 (may not be halved by AP, unless hit by a bludgeoning weapon; Finesse rules not applicable, see Special Rules below. If the skeleton is wearing armor, that armor may be overcome in the normal ways.)
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +4, Will +2
Speed: 30 ft.
Space: 5 ft.; Reach: 5 ft.
Melee:
2 Claws +4 finesse (1d4+2, AP -), or Scimitar +2 (1d8+2, AP 4) Other Weapon Information: Hardness 10, HP 5, Slashing; Critical Hit Information: 18-20/x2
Arming Sword +4 Finesse (1d10+2, AP 2) Other Weapon Information: Hardness 10, HP 4, Slashing or Piercing; Critical Hit Information: 19-20/x2
Buckler (Shield Bash) +2 (1d6+2, AP 1) other Weapon Information: Hardness 10, HP 4, Bludgeoning; Critical Hit Information x2
Ranged:
Bow (Stygian) +4 (1d12, AP 2) Range: 60 ft. Other Weapon Information: Hardness 5, HP 4, Piercing; Critical Hit Information: 19-20/x2
Base Atk +0 Grp +2 (CMD 16 for use of Pathfinder combat maneuver rules)
Magic Atk -
Sorcery -
Power Points: -
Special Attacks: Supernatural Resistance, see Special Rules Below
Abilities: Str 15 (+2), Dex 18 (+4), Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 10
Special Qualities: Immune to Cold, Fire Resistance 5, Undead Traits
Feats: Two-weapon Fighting or Improved Initiative
Skills: -
Possessions: Weapons, but may carry other items, such as gold and silver unspent during its life, of perhaps a treasure map of the place in which it met its end.
Advancement: -
Special Rules: The “Supernatural Resistance” as I call it is taken from the “Call of Cthulhu” game by Chaosium. It is this: if a skeleton warrior is hit, multiply the damage done x3 (after damage reduction is taken into account). That is the percentage chance to be attempted in a roll of percentile dice to shatter and thereby destroy the skeleton warrior. In Chaosium’s game, they have no HP. However they are given here in case one does not like this rule. Of course, a skeleton warrior can be made more or less challenging just by increasing or decreasing the multiplier to damage.
Concerning the creation of a skeleton warrior: Much better than the Walking Dead, or so I am told, and much longer lasting-by some accounts, they last until destroyed, the skeleton warrior creation ritual requires that the sorcerer have the knowledge of making ritual sacrifice and tortured sacrifice and have a reasonable high amount of raw magical power internally (magic attack bonus +6). Each…uh…new recruit must be slowly skinned alive. Once this is done, the skeleton may actually be animated, unanimated, and then reanimated again (thus, you would be a re-animator! I love that one!). The rest is unclear to me. I shall have to research and get back to everyone.
Concerning some inspiration: Check out “The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad” 1958. It is currently available on XFINITY. There is a skeleton warrior and its sorcerer master in one sequence. Who could ask for more than that? I read that because of the popularity of that part, the makers were prompted to have a big skeleton warrior battle in “Jason and the Argonauts” 1963.
“The Golden Voyage of Sinbad” 1973 has Tom Baker (Doctor WHO) as a sorcerer, also available on XFINITY. Check out the animated statue sequence. I cannot look over the animated objects in the “Creatures of Sorcery” chapter in CONAN: the Secrets of Skelos without that getting into my head. I think it is a wonderful movie for envisioning the type of magic user of the non-Dungeons & Dragons, Sword and Sorcery variety. The first film mentioned above is also wonderful for that purpose: Cunning, charismatic, dangerous, but much more vulnerable. In “The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad”, the mage is carrying a box of alchemical items, rather than effortlessly slinging bolts of magical energy (not that that is a problem, mind you).
Medium Undead
Climate/Terrain: Dark, foreboding castles, dank dungeons, and ancient cemeteries
Organization: An unsettling solitary, a morbid band, or an Army of Darkness
Hit Dice: 1d12 (optional, see Special Rules below)
Initiative: +2 (+6 with Improved Initiative)
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft.
Languages: None
Dodge Defence: 14 (16 VS Ranged Attacks with Buckler)
Parry Defence: 12 (14 with Buckler)
Hit Points: 6 (1d12 optional, see Special Rules below)
DR 5 (may not be halved by AP, unless hit by a bludgeoning weapon; Finesse rules not applicable, see Special Rules below. If the skeleton is wearing armor, that armor may be overcome in the normal ways.)
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +4, Will +2
Speed: 30 ft.
Space: 5 ft.; Reach: 5 ft.
Melee:
2 Claws +4 finesse (1d4+2, AP -), or Scimitar +2 (1d8+2, AP 4) Other Weapon Information: Hardness 10, HP 5, Slashing; Critical Hit Information: 18-20/x2
Arming Sword +4 Finesse (1d10+2, AP 2) Other Weapon Information: Hardness 10, HP 4, Slashing or Piercing; Critical Hit Information: 19-20/x2
Buckler (Shield Bash) +2 (1d6+2, AP 1) other Weapon Information: Hardness 10, HP 4, Bludgeoning; Critical Hit Information x2
Ranged:
Bow (Stygian) +4 (1d12, AP 2) Range: 60 ft. Other Weapon Information: Hardness 5, HP 4, Piercing; Critical Hit Information: 19-20/x2
Base Atk +0 Grp +2 (CMD 16 for use of Pathfinder combat maneuver rules)
Magic Atk -
Sorcery -
Power Points: -
Special Attacks: Supernatural Resistance, see Special Rules Below
Abilities: Str 15 (+2), Dex 18 (+4), Con -, Int -, Wis 10, Cha 10
Special Qualities: Immune to Cold, Fire Resistance 5, Undead Traits
Feats: Two-weapon Fighting or Improved Initiative
Skills: -
Possessions: Weapons, but may carry other items, such as gold and silver unspent during its life, of perhaps a treasure map of the place in which it met its end.
Advancement: -
Special Rules: The “Supernatural Resistance” as I call it is taken from the “Call of Cthulhu” game by Chaosium. It is this: if a skeleton warrior is hit, multiply the damage done x3 (after damage reduction is taken into account). That is the percentage chance to be attempted in a roll of percentile dice to shatter and thereby destroy the skeleton warrior. In Chaosium’s game, they have no HP. However they are given here in case one does not like this rule. Of course, a skeleton warrior can be made more or less challenging just by increasing or decreasing the multiplier to damage.
Concerning the creation of a skeleton warrior: Much better than the Walking Dead, or so I am told, and much longer lasting-by some accounts, they last until destroyed, the skeleton warrior creation ritual requires that the sorcerer have the knowledge of making ritual sacrifice and tortured sacrifice and have a reasonable high amount of raw magical power internally (magic attack bonus +6). Each…uh…new recruit must be slowly skinned alive. Once this is done, the skeleton may actually be animated, unanimated, and then reanimated again (thus, you would be a re-animator! I love that one!). The rest is unclear to me. I shall have to research and get back to everyone.
Concerning some inspiration: Check out “The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad” 1958. It is currently available on XFINITY. There is a skeleton warrior and its sorcerer master in one sequence. Who could ask for more than that? I read that because of the popularity of that part, the makers were prompted to have a big skeleton warrior battle in “Jason and the Argonauts” 1963.
“The Golden Voyage of Sinbad” 1973 has Tom Baker (Doctor WHO) as a sorcerer, also available on XFINITY. Check out the animated statue sequence. I cannot look over the animated objects in the “Creatures of Sorcery” chapter in CONAN: the Secrets of Skelos without that getting into my head. I think it is a wonderful movie for envisioning the type of magic user of the non-Dungeons & Dragons, Sword and Sorcery variety. The first film mentioned above is also wonderful for that purpose: Cunning, charismatic, dangerous, but much more vulnerable. In “The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad”, the mage is carrying a box of alchemical items, rather than effortlessly slinging bolts of magical energy (not that that is a problem, mind you).
