When you hear the clacking of bones accompanied by the deep moan of disturbed death, you should run, for you will soon encounter the singing of sharp steel. Skeleton Warriors come!
Skeletons create a beautifully horrible encounter in a narrative, and when they’re skeleton warriors, so much the better. Use these menus to help you create some fabulously fearsome foes!
Skeleton Warrior Descriptions
- quick and agile, skilled, fierce, fearless, lithe, deft, dexterous,
- brittle, light, spindly, thin, rickety, hard, tough, solid, stout, clackety,
- sinewy, rotten, mummified, ragged,
- dirty, moldy, mossy, cadaverous, sunken,
- magical, spiritual, undead, animated, phantasmal, illusion,
- human, ogre, goblin, animal, humanoid, cyclopean,
- nasty, evil, devious, malicious, hell-bent, berserk, crazed, hungry, ravenous,
- toothless, toothy, single-toothed, bucktoothed, sharp toothed, biting, gnawing, gnashing, wolf-like maw, massively jawed,
- mischievous, playful, taunting, goading, sly, tricky,
- skeleton warriors may move as a military unit, forming ranks and attacking in line or column
Stuff
- sword, blade, falchion, longsword, short sword, gladius, lance, spear, halberd, glaive, fork, guisarme, bardiche,
- bow, heavy crossbow, musket,
- armour (piece-meal, thrown together, scavanged), breast plate, bracers, greaves, full chain hauberk, helmet, gauntlets, jerkin,
- kite shield, buckler, mantlet, tower shield,
- standard, sigil, crest, insignia, flag, heraldic shield, skull on a pole, feathers, skins, hides, pelts, human hair, shrunken heads, entrails, mummified hands,
- scraps of clothes, vestments, tabard, cloak, robe, toga, tunic, belt, sash, boots, gloves, headdress, bandana,
- drums, rattles, bone chimes, bone horn,
- magic amulet, iron ring of power, protection circle, crown,
- staff, wand, staff,
- key to a secret door,
- rotting oozing blob,
- bag, satchel, saddlebags, pouch,
- coins, money, gem, jewelry, bills,
Environments
- grave yard, cemetery, mausoleum, funeral home, morgue, mass grave,
- crypt, tomb, coffin,
- battlefield, ancient ruins, decayed castle, derelict fort,
- arena, evil fair ground, tournament of necromancers, gladiator pit,
- halloween festival, carnival of the dead,
- hell, underworld, land of the dead, the abyss, another plane of existence, planet of death, dream world,
- darkness, death, doom, evil,
- sorcerer’s lab, necromancer’s lair, conjurer’s tower, magic circle,
Actions
- attack, charge, rush, march, engage, melee,
- form ranks, form shield wall, set pikes, brace,
- encircle, encroach, threaten,
- defend, guard, protect,
- parlay, negotiate, communicate,
- sacrifice, perform ritual of the dead,
- blow horn, chant, bang drums,
- raise flags, banners, standards, sigils, insignia,
- summon demon lord, bone dogs, other undead ranks,
- devour, eat, snack on,
- rattle bones to induce FEAR (see dice chart below), or otherwise invoke fear (chatter teeth, clang weapons, howl like the dead things they are, etc.)
- dance, chant, scream madly,
- cast magic, perform spell such as “shower of bone shards” or “undead nauseating smell attack” or “rain of disease”, become invisible,
- run away, disintegrate, levitate, evaporate, crumble, become dust,
- warn, caution, raise hackles,
- deny entry, order away, rebuke, criticize, condemn, curse,
- freeze,
- honour, pay homage, bow, show deference, perform courtesy,
- start singing heavy metal songs (or smooth jazz)
- break into a comedy routine doing impressions of Al Pacino and Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Dice
- use the dice for a FEAR attack; when the skeleton warriors first appear, roll 3d6 against each of their foes to see how much fear they cause. The following results apply to the victim or recipient of the fear attack…
- 18 terrified, wet pants, scream and cower or run away and go catatonic
- 17 drop weapon, scream, panic, scream more,
- 15-16 drop weapon, panic briefly and then recover but only defend for the first three attacks or until a friend smacks some sense back into you
- 13-14 fear grips you; act only defensively for a minute or so until you gain composure
- 11-12 you are afraid, skeletons get initiative and attack you first
- 9-10 you are scared but able to act normally
- 7-8 you determine that these skeletons are trying to scare you but you are strong, no effect
- 5-6 these skeletons are a joke, trying to scare you with their spindly bones, attack first or at will
- 4 you can yell back and actually scare the skeletons (roll on this table)… or just attack at will
- 3 you are emboldened by their feeble attempt to scare you; gain two favor dice on all attacks this scene
Backstory
- raised by an evil necromancer
- called forth by an unknown source of great power
- accidentally created by a “student-of-alchemy”
- summoned by a cursed item accidentally activated
- awakened by a calling from a great summoner who died before telling the skeletons their deed… now they attack and pillage until their quest is fulfilled.
- killed unjustly, these skeletons seek revenge.
- a lone skeleton was animated by a dying wizard; the skeleton took their wand and it continues to traverse the land animating more, increasing the mad skeleton horde.
- the skeleton of a respectable man was animated in order to be a witness at the trial of the villain who killed him; the villain has animated other skeletons to take out the dead witness and scatter his bones before the trial.