Bonedagger
First Post
"How intelligent is a skeleton with 13 intelligence?"
.....I bet you they wouldn't ask a question like that.
.....I bet you they wouldn't ask a question like that.
How intellingent is a skeleton with a 13 Int?
- Thread starter phillipjp
- Start date
dcollins said:
Exactly, and if that's the case then the skeleton would plan and use tactics. I'd say the easiest way to handle this is to give the skeles an agenda. A creature with 13 int doesn't just hang out in a one room and chill. Maybe it wants revenge, or hates all life, or something.
Well, the point I was making, was that our party of 3rd level characters was attacked by a band of bolstered skeletons (I have no idea whether they were MM versions or not, but seemed to have 15+ hp).
We had our arses handed to us, but that was mostly due to the advanced tactics used by the DM: ie, charging, setting up flanks, wading through threatened areas to attack weak party members in the back, etc. Needless to say, we were caught a little off guard.
I was just curious how other DMs ran undead -- whether they were mindless dopes, attacking the nearest thing that moved, or implemented advanced attack actions.
We had our arses handed to us, but that was mostly due to the advanced tactics used by the DM: ie, charging, setting up flanks, wading through threatened areas to attack weak party members in the back, etc. Needless to say, we were caught a little off guard.
I was just curious how other DMs ran undead -- whether they were mindless dopes, attacking the nearest thing that moved, or implemented advanced attack actions.
dcollins
Explorer
phillipjp said:
Some undead are mindless, others are not. If you look at the core rules, skeletons and zombies are both given no intelligence, and explicitly described as "mindless automatons" (respectively MM p. 165 and p. 192).
All other undead are given good Intelligence scores, with even ghouls given Int 13 and described as "cunning" (MM p. 97).
Your DM was definitely not using "skeletons" as detailed in the D&D core rules, so all bets are off in that case.
Last edited:
Hypersmurf
Moderatarrrrh...
I ran an undead-heavy adventure that involved invading an old Temple of Nerull.
All the skeletons and zombies encountered outside the Temple were the standard mindless "Braaaaains!" type, and they got demolished every time. (They were all attuned to the monk, who was carrying an evil relic... she made use of her higher speed to maneuver them into nice tight bunches for the cleric to Destroy.)
All the skeletons and zombies inside the Temple, however, were tough and smart - I used a conversion of the old Juju Zombie from the 1E Fiend Folio, and did something similar for the skeletons.
The combination of tactics and Turn Resistance made a massive difference, and the adventure came within one attack roll of a TPK. The crucial claw attack missed, the dwarf stayed conscious, and managed to get a potion into the cleric... but the players Knew Fear That Day...
-Hyp.
All the skeletons and zombies encountered outside the Temple were the standard mindless "Braaaaains!" type, and they got demolished every time. (They were all attuned to the monk, who was carrying an evil relic... she made use of her higher speed to maneuver them into nice tight bunches for the cleric to Destroy.)
All the skeletons and zombies inside the Temple, however, were tough and smart - I used a conversion of the old Juju Zombie from the 1E Fiend Folio, and did something similar for the skeletons.
The combination of tactics and Turn Resistance made a massive difference, and the adventure came within one attack roll of a TPK. The crucial claw attack missed, the dwarf stayed conscious, and managed to get a potion into the cleric... but the players Knew Fear That Day...
-Hyp.
V_Shane
First Post
Ah man, the first dungeon I ever ran (like 20 years ago), their first encounter was skeletons, with no weapons. They laughed and proceeded to attack (not quite with it rules wise) I had the skeletons capable of shooting off thier fingers ala magic missile style, wiped the party out in nano seconds (there were 15 skeletons with all thier fingers). Needless to say i learned a hard lesson about Player bashing, no one would play in my world for like a month.
SpikeyFreak
First Post
dcollins said:
As do I.
--Wordy Spikey
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