Skeletal familiar

[trentonjoe]

So I am toying a round with a making a necromancer and I see in Unearthed Arcana this skeletal minion variant rule.

It basically lets you have a skeletan minion instead of a familiar. It gets better as the character levels but it starts out as a basic skeletan.

Here is my problem, I go to give it equiptment and, uh-oh, undead aren't proficient with armor or martial weapons! And it doesn't get feats because it has no intelligence!

My poor, little skeleton sucks.

So, I know I saw skeletons with chain mail and stuff in like a million modules (and the WOTC miniatures). AM I missing something? Do most people just ignore this rule? Am I an unbalancing powermonger if I give my cute little skeleton studded leather? or, gasp, medium armor?

Thanks in advance,

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

I'd say that this:

Attacks: A skeleton retains all the natural weapons, manufactured weapon attacks, and weapon proficiencies of the base creature, except for attacks that can’t work without flesh.

would be expanded to also cover Armor proficiencies.

 

[trentonjoe]

Thank you...I'll just slink off now for being retarded.....yup knew that... sure did....don't mind me.....

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

It's not retarded. The skeleton entry doesn't specifically say that the creature retains armor proficiency. I merely extrapolated from what is present - including the fact that one of the example skeletons (a human Warrior 1) has an attack bonus of +1 with both his scimitar and his claws, coming from a BAB of +0 and a Strength bonus of +1.

He's wearing a heavy steel shield (-2 ACP) and isn't suffering any attack penalties from it, so it seems to work out.

 

[Sejs]

My poor, little skeleton sucks.

Heh, he wont for long, particularly if your DM lets the Corpsecrafter feat apply to a necromancer's skeletal companion. Personally, as a DM, I do.

I recently had my party face off against a 10th level necro and his companion, and the skeleton did far better off then I had expected. At 10th level, the skeleton is 10hd, was running around with a 20/+5 strength, a 16/+3 dex, +7 natural armor, and the standard skeleton dr 5/bludgeoning. Slapped him in a mw breastplate and gave him a mw longspear in addition to the normal scimitar and heavy steel shield the warrior skeleton comes packaged with, and the little bugger was a rather considderable challenge.