Skeleton — Animated Bones of the Dead
At a Glance
- Creature
- Skeleton — an animated framework of dead bones
- Nature
- Obedient Undead servant; its judgement and alignment are determined by the creature and the power animating it
- Challenge
- D&D 2024 and 2014 CR 1/4; Pathfinder 1e human skeleton CR 1/3; D&D 3.5e human warrior skeleton CR 1/3
- Common Ground
- Ancient tombs, abandoned watchtowers, battlefields and guarded crypts
- Signs
- Bone fragments arranged in fighting ranks, tracks with no flesh, armour standing without a wearer
- Actions
- Obeys its master and uses surviving weapons or claws; advanced types may guard specific secrets
- Counterplay
- Break formations, block narrow approaches, use the selected rules for bludgeoning weapons and turning
Skeleton Statistics
Skeleton — D&D 2024
Medium Undead, Lawful Evil · CR 1/4 (50 XP; PB +2) · SRD 5.2.1
AC 14; Initiative +3 (13); HP 13 (2d8 + 4); Speed 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 (+0) | 16 (+3) | 15 (+2) | 6 (−2) | 8 (−1) | 5 (−3) |
Vulnerability Bludgeoning; Immunities Poison damage, Exhaustion and Poisoned conditions; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 9; Languages understands Common plus one other language but cannot speak; Gear Shortbow, Shortsword.
Actions
Shortsword. Melee Attack Roll +5, reach 5 ft. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) Piercing damage.
Shortbow. Ranged Attack Roll +5, range 80/320 ft. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) Piercing damage.
Source: D&D 2024 Basic Rules — Skeleton, SRD 5.2.1, CC BY 4.0.
Skeleton — D&D 2014
Medium Undead, Lawful Evil · CR 1/4 (50 XP) · SRD 5.1
AC 13 (armour scraps); HP 13 (2d8 + 4); Speed 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 (+0) | 14 (+2) | 15 (+2) | 6 (−2) | 8 (−1) | 5 (−3) |
Damage Vulnerability Bludgeoning; Damage Immunity Poison; Condition Immunities Exhaustion, Poisoned; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 9; Languages understands those known in life but cannot speak.
Actions
Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) Piercing damage.
Shortbow. Ranged Weapon Attack +4 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) Piercing damage.
Source: D&D 2014 Basic Rules — Skeleton, SRD 5.1, CC BY 4.0.
Human Skeleton — Pathfinder 1e
NE Medium Undead · CR 1/3 (135 XP)
Initiative +6; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Perception +0; AC 16, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+2 armour, +2 Dex, +2 natural); HP 4 (1d8); Fort +0, Ref +2, Will +2; DR 5/bludgeoning; Immunities Cold and Undead traits.
Speed 30 ft.; Melee Broken scimitar +0 (1d6), claw −3 (1d4+1), or 2 claws +2 (1d4+2 each).
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 (+2) | 14 (+2) | — | — | 10 (+0) | 10 (+0) |
BAB +0; CMB +2; CMD 14; Bonus Feat Improved Initiative; Skills None; Languages None; Gear Broken chain shirt, broken scimitar.
Ecology
Environment Any; Organisation Any; Treasure None. A mindless skeleton acts under its maker’s simple instructions and cannot negotiate.
Source: Pathfinder RPG Bestiary — Human Skeleton, Paizo (2009), OGL 1.0a.
Human Warrior Skeleton — D&D 3.5e
NE Medium Undead · CR 1/3
HD 1d12 (6 hp); Initiative +5; Speed 30 ft.; AC 15 (+1 Dex, +2 natural, +2 heavy steel shield), touch 11, flat-footed 14; BAB/Grapple +0/+1; Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; Fort +0, Ref +1, Will +2.
Attack Scimitar +1 melee (1d6+1, 18–20) or claw +1 melee (1d4+1); Full Attack Scimitar +1 melee (1d6+1, 18–20) or 2 claws +1 melee (1d4+1 each); Defences Damage Reduction 5/bludgeoning, Darkvision 60 ft., Cold Immunity and Undead traits.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 (+1) | 13 (+1) | — | — | 10 (+0) | 1 (−5) |
Feat Improved Initiative; Skills None; Languages None; Environment Temperate plains; Organisation Any; Treasure None.
Source: D&D 3.5e SRD — Human Warrior Skeleton, OGL 1.0a. This is the published warrior-skeleton example of the skeleton template.
Skeletons are the animated bones of the dead, mindless automatons that obey the orders of their evil masters.
A common skeleton obeys a few simple orders. An old shield, a rusted sword and the heraldry on a burial shroud may reveal the soldier’s former allegiance; the bones themselves tell no tale. Their maker can set them to guard a gate or march a road, but the dead cannot devise new tactics, negotiate or interpret a complicated command.
Where the Bone Guard Keeps Watch
Along a ruined frontier, skeletons stand at a breach long after the living garrison has fallen. Their patrol runs from the collapsed gate to an empty watchtower, repeating the last orders of their commander. Adventurers can observe the route, recover an old command seal or bar the passage rather than simply destroying every sentinel.
Skeletal Knight
Skeletal Knight — separate third-party variant (CR 2)
Medium Undead, Lawful Evil; CR 2 (450 XP). AC 15 (armour scraps); HP 37 (5d8 + 15); Speed 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 (+1) | 15 (+2) | 17 (+3) | 7 (−2) | 8 (−1) | 6 (−2) |
Vulnerability Bludgeoning; Immunity Poison damage, Exhaustion and Poisoned; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 9; Language understands its master’s language but cannot speak.
Actions
Weapon. Melee Weapon Attack +3, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: battleaxe or longsword 5 (1d8 + 1) Slashing, 6 (1d10 + 1) two-handed; greatsword 9 (2d6 + 1) Slashing.
Guarding the Lord. It assembles when its master speaks the command word, defends that master, and collapses into an inert pile after 24 hours of inactivity.
Source and attribution: Tome of Horrors, © 2018 Frog God Games, LLC. Tome of Horrors © 2018, Frog God Games, LLC; Authors: Kevin Baase, Erica Balsley, John “Pexx” Barnhouse, Christopher Bishop, Casey Christofferson, Jim Collura, Andrea Costantini, Jayson ‘Rocky’ Gardner, Zach Glazar, Meghan Greene, Scott Greene, Lance Hawvermale, Travis Hawvermale, Ian S. Johnston, Bill Kenower, Patrick Lawinger, Rhiannon Louve, Ian McGarty, Edwin Nagy, James Patterson, Nathan Paul, Patrick N. Pilgrim, Clark Peterson, Anthony Pryor, Greg Ragland, Robert Schwalb, G. Scott Swift, Greg A. Vaughan, and Bill Webb. The skeletal knight is a distinct third-party monster and not the official skeleton’s CR 2 upgrade.
Other Forms and Tactics
A zombie retains its flesh, while an intelligent wight makes cruel choices and hunts actively. Pathfinder’s skeletal champions are intelligent and have their own rules, distinct from the mindless skeleton. More creatures appear in the Undead Bestiary.
Rules and Source Credits
Use D&D 2024 SRD 5.2.1 and D&D 2014 SRD 5.1 under CC BY 4.0; Pathfinder First Edition Skeleton and D&D 3.5e Skeleton under their respective OGL conditions.
The ordinary skeleton’s complete statistics are in the four edition tabs above. The distinct Skeletal Knight and encounter guidance follow the stat blocks.
Skeletons in armour carry clues as surely as they carry weapons. A dented helm or faded badge can identify the garrison that guards a forbidden door and point towards the necromancer who took command.
Travellers who encounter walking bones along an old military road can trace their patrol back to a forgotten tomb, ruined castle or battlefield. The remains are evidence of a command still being obeyed, not proof of an intelligent new commander among them.
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