Bone Creature
Sometimes creatures that rise as undead skeletons retain their intellect and abilities. Bone fighters wield deadly weapons and clank about in ancient armor. Bone sorcerers cast dreadful spells and are often confused with liches. Bone wyverns darken the skies and threaten with their poisoned, skeletal tails.
Bone creatures cannot be the result of a simple Animate Dead spell, but could arise from a Create Undead or create greater undead spell, as undead of their equivalent Hit Dice.
"Bone" is a template that can be added to any non-Undead, corporeal creature that has a skeletal system (referred to hereafter as the base creature). The creature's type changes to undead. It retains all type modifiers and subtypes, if applicable.
The bone creature uses all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Hit Dice: All current and future Hit Dice become d12s.
Speed: Winged bone creatures retain the ability to fly. Now, however, the flight is magical, as the Fly spell, but it still uses the creature's original fly speed.
AC: Natural armor bonus changes to a number based on the bone creature's size.
Special Attacks: A bone creature retains all the natural attacks and weapon proficiencies of the base creature, except for attacks that can't work without flesh, such as a mind flayer's tentacle attacks. A creature with hands gains a Claw attack. If the creature already had Claw attacks with its hands, use the bone creature attack format and damage, if they're better.
Damage: Natural and manufactured weapons deal normal damage. A Claw attack deals Slashing damage depending on the bone creature's size.
Use the base creature's claw damage if it is greater.
Special Qualities: Same as the base creature. In addition, all bone creatures gain Darkvision, Lifesense to a range of 30 feet, Undead traits, and various immunities.
Immunities: Bone creatures have immunity to Cold damage. Because they lack flesh or internal organs, they have Resistance 15 to Piercing and Slashing damage but have Vulnerability 5 to Bludgeoning damage.
Proficiencies: Same as the base creature, modified by ability score adjustments.
Abilities: Modify the base creature as follows: Dexterity +4. As an undead creature, bone creatures have no Constitution score.
Bone creatures cannot be the result of a simple Animate Dead spell, but could arise from a Create Undead or create greater undead spell, as undead of their equivalent Hit Dice.
Creating a Bone Creature
The bone creature uses all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Hit Dice: All current and future Hit Dice become d12s.
Speed: Winged bone creatures retain the ability to fly. Now, however, the flight is magical, as the Fly spell, but it still uses the creature's original fly speed.
AC: Natural armor bonus changes to a number based on the bone creature's size.
| Size | Bonus |
|---|---|
| Tiny or Smaller | +0 |
| Small or Medium | +1 |
| Large | +2 |
| Huge | +3 |
| Gargantuan | +4 |
| Colossal | +5 |
Damage: Natural and manufactured weapons deal normal damage. A Claw attack deals Slashing damage depending on the bone creature's size.
| Size | Damage |
|---|---|
| Diminutive or Fine | 1 |
| Tiny | 1d2 |
| Small | 1d3 |
| Medium | 1d4 |
| Large | 1d6 |
| Huge | 2d4 |
| Gargantuan | 2d6 |
| Colossal | 2d8 |
Special Qualities: Same as the base creature. In addition, all bone creatures gain Darkvision, Lifesense to a range of 30 feet, Undead traits, and various immunities.
Immunities: Bone creatures have immunity to Cold damage. Because they lack flesh or internal organs, they have Resistance 15 to Piercing and Slashing damage but have Vulnerability 5 to Bludgeoning damage.
Proficiencies: Same as the base creature, modified by ability score adjustments.
Abilities: Modify the base creature as follows: Dexterity +4. As an undead creature, bone creatures have no Constitution score.
This is a rare option
This option requires special permission to take. In the case of spells, psionic powers, and similar options, this option must be found in the world and cannot be taken upon level-up.
This is a stub
This article will be expanded upon in the future
