AC 15 (armor scraps)
HP 116 (18d8 + 36; bloodied 58)
Speed 30 ft.
Proficiency +2; Maneuver DC 13
Saving Throws Str +5, Dex +5, Con +4
Damage Vulnerabilities bludgeoning
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities fatigue , poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9
Languages understands the languages it knew in life but can’t speak
Undead Nature. A skeleton doesn’t require air, sustenance, or sleep.
Elite Recovery. At the end of each of its turns while bloodied , the skeleton ends one negative effect currently affecting it. It can do so as long as it has at least 1 hit point, even while unconscious or incapacitated .
Four Arms. As a bonus action on each of its turns, the skeleton can make an attack or take the Multiattack action.
Reactive Arms. The skeleton can take two reactions each round, but not more than one per turn.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The skeleton makes two melee attacks.
Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage.
Heavy Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 100/400 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d10 + 3) piercing damage.
REACTIONS
Shielding Riposte. When a creature within the skeleton’s reach misses with a melee attack against the skeleton or a creature within 5 feet, the skeleton makes a longsword attack against the attacker. The skeleton must be wielding a longsword to use this reaction.
Combat
Skeletons follow the last order given them by their creator: defend the gates, attack trespassers, etc. Without orders, they attack any creatures that approach them. Skeletons don’t retreat unless commanded to do so.
Legends and Lore
With an Arcana or Religion check, characters can learn the following:
DC 10 Necromancy imbues skeletons with a semblance of life, although some skeletons rise spontaneously on cursed battlefields or in cities ravaged by plague.
DC 15 Nearly anything with bones can be reanimated as a skeleton. Like most undead, skeletons are immune to poison, but their brittle bones can be easily smashed.
DC 20 Skeletons generally follow the orders given to them by their creator. Without such orders, skeletons may revert to activities they performed in life.
Skeletons are fleshless corpses imbued by necromantic energies with a mockery of life. Most often, spellcasters create skeletons to act as guards and servants, but it’s not unheard of for skeletons to arise from cursed grounds where the living are outnumbered by the unburied dead.
Following Orders. Skeletons follow their creators’ instructions to the best of their limited ability. They understand language and can follow detailed instructions, but their ability to think independently is limited. If ordered to cross a dangerous river, a skeleton may take a detour to use a bridge. In the absence of a bridge, however, it will risk a dangerous swim rather than build a raft or search for a safe place to cross.
Shreds of Memory. If left to its own devices, a skeleton without orders may mimic habitual activities from its previous life. In a tavern, one skeleton may shuffle a handful of faded playing cards, while another stands behind the bar to polish mugs. A skeleton will abandon such pursuits to attack living creatures, unless it has been specifically ordered otherwise.
Humanoid Skeleton Behavior
1 Standing guard
2 Lying motionless on the ground; leaps up to attack if approached
3 Patrolling a path worn into the floor
4 Miming everyday activities such as drinking and dicing; attacks if approached
5 Attacks anyone who engages in a forbidden activity, such as examining a specific item
6 Sharpening a sword down to the nub
7 With Intelligence 10, speaks Common
8 Luring trespassers into pit traps, or throwing levers to open pit traps under their feet
Beast Skeleton Behavior
1 In a cage or shackled to a wall
2 Follows any command it hears
3 Attacks on sight
4 Hunting, raising silent jaws to the sky as if to roar
1 Broken bones
2 Inanimate skeletons
3 Smashed sarcophagi or coffins, or defiled tombs
4 DC 12 Perception check: distant clattering
Skeletons guard tombs and temples.
CR 0–2 1d8 bonespawn ; 1 or 2 skeletal immortals ; four-armed skeletal immortal
Treasure 100 gp, masterwork scimitar
CR 3–4 1 or 2 skeletal immortals with 1d4 skeletons or 1d8 bonespawn ; 3 or 4 burning bonespawn ; skeletal immortal with 2 burning bonespawn
Treasure 500 gp, +1 shortsword (named Necropolis; glows when within 30 feet of corporeal undead)
CR 5–10 skeletal warlord with 1d4 + 4 bonespawn ; 3 to 5 burning skeletal immortals ; four-armed skeletal champion
Treasure 1,200 gp, ancient signet ring (500 gp), circlet of blasting