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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cleon" data-source="post: 9172653" data-attributes="member: 57383">I'm inclined to agree.Will leave it in then. There's such a difference in threat level between an archer skellie with no conjured skeletons and one with a dozen+ that it seems important to account for it, not that I want to make a bone of the issue.The first sentence is arguably covered by the description.Might as well include creation rules. We should allow for the construction of the bone bow in the rules.How's this:An archer skeleton looks indistinguishable from an ordinary undead warrior skeleton but is considerably deadlier. The skeleton wields a bow and arrows crafted from bones taken from humanoid corpses. Its weapons are infused with necromantic magic, producing warrior skeletons whenever a bone arrow shot breaks against the ground. These undead are made by necromancers as deathless guards or soldiers; they never form spontaneously like some ghosts or vampires do. Archer skeletons can be produced using the create greater undead spell with a secret formula that has become disturbingly widespread among evil spellcasters. The formula requires an intact humanoid skeleton, a bow made from corpse bones, a quiver plus 20 humanoid long bones from different cadavars*, and an arrowhead soaked in humanoid blood. The bloodied arrowhead fuses into the into the skeleton's forehead at the conclusion of the spell. The spell costs 300 XP plus 2,000 gp in components, including black onyx gems worth at least 500 gp that turn into worthless, burned-out shells. If the necromancer does not have a bone bow to arm the skeleton, they must create one as part of the spell. To do so, the caster must possess the Craft Arms and Armor feat and acquire a masterwork composite bow (+1 Str bonus) made of humanoid bone and sinew; creating a new bone bow increases the cost by another 300 XP and 2,000 gp. *Note that if the caster is unable to obtain twenty long bones from different humanoid corpses, the newly created archer skeleton won't have a quiver-full of 20 bone arrows, but will have one bone arrow for every humanoid corpse whose long bone was used. An archer skeleton can even be created with an empty quiver. The archer skeleton can manufacture its own ammunition to make up for this shortfall (see Bone Arrows for details).I'm also thinking it merits a subentry:In Ravenloft The archer skeleton is believed to be the invention of a fanatical necromancer called Karakin. This wicked man planned to murder everyone in his homeland and become the only living soul ruling a kingdom of undead. In pursuit of this malign dream, Karakin mustered an enormous undead army that included entire companies of archer skeletons. However, Karakin and his legions were abducted by the Mists of Ravenloft while they prepared their campaign of omnicide. No mortal knows Karakin's subsequent fate, but his formula for creating archer skeletons has somehow spread to an increasing number of malicious personages across the Realms of Ravenloft, most notably the lich lord Azalin himself.</blockquote>

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