Special Conversion Thread: Moldvay's Undead

[freyar]

Works for me. 2HD it is.

We know Dex is 15. Skeletal warriors get +4 Str, so maybe Str 14 (or compromise to 12). Going for skeletal warrior lite, I'll give +2 to Wis but not Cha.

Str 14, Dex 15, Con -, Int -, Wis 12, Cha 10?

 

[Cleon]

These are from the exact same source, so I'd say we're done here, unless we want to treat it as an overhaul of our other one. About all we've added beyond what's already there is evasion, immunity to cold, and a slightly better sneak attack.

Hmm, I think I prefer this version to the current Creature Catalogue take. I don't much care for how it has a slam attack doing 1d10 damage - why bother with a scimitar? - and it seems far too strong.

So, my preference is for finishing off the "alternative version" we've started. It only needed a few skills and a feat, so it was a simple matter to finish it off like so (I fixed a couple of minor stat errors and added a SQ to explain its good Ref save and an off-hand claw attack to the rapier when it full attacks):

Bloody Bones
Medium Undead
Hit Dice: 3d12 (19 hp)
Initiative: +7
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (+3 Dex, +2 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+2
Attack: Claw +4 melee (1d4+1) or rapier +4 melee (1d6+1/18-20) or shortbow +4 ranged (1d8/×3)
Full Attack: 2 claws +4 melee (1d4+1); or rapier +4 melee (1d6+1/18-20) and claw –1 melee (1d4); or shortbow +4 ranged (1d8/×3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Frightful presence, sneak attack +2d6
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/bludgeoning, darkvision 60 ft., evasion, immunity to cold, nimbleness, +2 turn resistance, undead traits
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +6, Will +5
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 17, Con —, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 14
Skills: Bluff +6, Hide +8, Move Silently +8, Spot +5, Tumble +7
Feats: Improved Initiative (B), Weapon Finesse, Stealthy
Environment: Any land
Organization: Solitary or gang (2-12)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: 100% coins, 50% goods and 25% items
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: 4-9 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: —

A bloody humanoid skeleton with a few shreds of flesh hanging from its bones. It moves with a terrifying nimbleness.

Bloody bones are the undead, animated corpses of evil criminals cursed to continue their horrid trade long after they should have died. They lair in hidden caves or deep concealed pits, venturing forth only to kill and rob victims.

Bloody bones stand 5 to 6 feet tall and weigh 60 pounds.

Bloody bones speak any languages they knew in life (usually Common) and are proficient in the same weapons and armour as rogues.

Combat
Bloody bones prefer ambushes, feints and back-stabbing to face-to-face combat. Gangs of these monsters will try to flank opponents in order to sneak-attack them.

Frightful Presence (Su): Any living creature that sees a bloody bones within 60 feet must succeed on a DC 13 Will save or become shaken for 5d6 rounds. An opponent that succeeds on the saving throw is immune to that bloody bones's frightful presence for 24 hours. This is a mind-affecting fear effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Nimbleness (Ex): A bloody bones has a good Reflex save.

Sneak Attack (Ex): A bloody bones' sneak attack ability is equivalent to that of a rogue of a level equal to the creature's Hit Dice.

Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #138 (1988).

 

[Cleon]

Works for me. 2HD it is.

We know Dex is 15. Skeletal warriors get +4 Str, so maybe Str 14 (or compromise to 12). Going for skeletal warrior lite, I'll give +2 to Wis but not Cha.

Str 14, Dex 15, Con -, Int -, Wis 12, Cha 10?

I'd be OK with giving them a higher Strength than that. How about basing them on a typical human fighter with the elite ability array?

Elite Array: 15 14 13 12 10 8

Typical fighter: Str 15, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8

Let's say they have a skeleton's +2 Dex racial bonus, plus a +2 Str racial bonus (half the skeleton warrior's), that would make them:

Skelos: Str 17, Dex 15, Con --, Int --, Wis 12, Cha 8

Furthermore, since the were fighters of at least 4th level, they could get an ability increase from their HD. If they put that in their Strength it would increase to 18, but I think I prefer Str 17 for them, since they've evidently lost some of their hit dice as they have 2 Hit Dice, not 4+.

 

[freyar]

If we want to boost Str, that's fine by me, too!

 

[demiurge1138]

I like cleon's ability scores and Martial Training for these guys.

 

[Shade]

Cleon - I'll revise the bloody bones with the next CC update.

Added skleros to Homebrews.

 

[freyar]

Let's leave the squeezing in the bloody bones, though.

Do the skleros need much of anything else? If not, I'd probably go with something simple like Power Attack and Weapon Focus for the feats.

 

[Shade]

Agreed on both counts. We need to keep the bloody bones tied to its Rawhead and Bloody Bones roots, but add the little tweaks we came up with to improve upon the one currently in the CC.

Beyond the feats, here's what's left for skleros...

Environment: Any?

Organization: Solitary or x (3-24)

Challenge Rating: x

Treasure: Combat gear only?

Advancement: x (We should allow advancement to Large at the very least, to account for ogres and giants raised as skleros)

Skleros stand 5 to 6 feet tall and weigh x pounds.

 

[freyar]

Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary or troop (3-24)

I was going to suggest CR 1 or 2 but then noticed they only have 1HD. Didn't we agree upthread to bump them to 2HD?

 

[Shade]

You are correct. Updated.

Challenge Rating: 1?

Advancement: 3-10 HD (Medium); 11-20 HD (Large)?

Skleros stand 5 to 6 feet tall and weigh x pounds.