Skeletons, Variant (3.5e Race)

Skeletons

Personality

Many skeletons are simply mindless piles of bones; the work of amateur necromancers. However, a necromancer of sufficient skill can create a skeleton that retains all of the memories and abilities of its past life. These skeletons may not obey their creator; many skeletons are in fact good and become productive members of society. However, they are viewed with anything between suspicion and hatred by most other races, and thus usually have difficult lives.

Physical Description

Skeletons have the bone structure of whatever creature they were before death. The skeletons described here are those of medium-sized humanoids.

Relations

Skeletons are often viewed with distrust as their more common counterparts are frequently manipulated by necromancers. Skeletons themselves typically do not favor or look down upon any race in particular.

Alignment

While they are being controlled by a sufficiently powerful necromancer, most skeletons are evil. If a skeleton manages to wrest or escape control, the skeleton follows whichever alignment it held in its former life.

Religion

Skeletons generally worship whichever deities they served in life, though necromancers would suggest that skeletons are close to the gods of death.

Language

A skeleton retains its consciousness, and thus speaks any languages it knew in life.

Names

Skeletons retain whatever name they possessed in life. However, some skeletons see their second life as a separate identity, and forge a new name.

Racial Traits

• No Constitution Score.
• Humanoid (Undead): These skeletons are generally like other humanoids, but can be turned or rebuked by sufficiently powerful clerics.
• Medium: No size-related bonuses or penalties.
• Skeleton base land speed is 30 feet.
• Darkvision: 60 ft.
• Dark Affinity (Su): A skeleton has a unique bond with negative energy. A skeleton is healed by inflict spells and harmed by cure spells. A skeleton cannot be raised or resurrected, but Animate Dead can return a skeleton to (un)life. A skeleton may cast any Necromancy spell at +1 caster level. Regardless of a skeleton's alignment, it can wield and use evil magical items or evil spells as if it were evil. Skeleton clerics may not choose the Glory domain.
• Immunities (Ex): Poison, Disease, Death Effects.
• A skeleton does not need to eat or breathe.
• Damage Reduction (Ex): 5/Bludgeoning.
• Timeless Body (Su): A skeleton is immune to aging effects, although a skeleton "dies" when the dark magic that powers it runs out. This duration is entirely dependent on the power of the necromancer that created the skeleton.
• Automatic Languages: Common. Bonus Languages: Abyssal, Infernal.
• Favored Class: Any

Vital Statistics

Table: Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
years	+	+	+

Table: Aging Effects

Middle Age1	Old2	Venerable3	Maximum Age
years	years	years	+ years
At middle age, −1 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At old age, −2 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At venerable age, −3 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.

Table: Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	' "	+	lb.	× () lb.
Female	' "	+	lb.	× () lb.

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