Weird Bones

Something a bit different: Skeletons are one of my favourite types of enemy to throw at players in an RPG. I thought it would be fun to think about a few different takes on the skeleton, so roll a D6 and see what rises from the crypt!

Crisóstomo Martínez, CC by 4.0
from lookandlearn.com

D6 Weird Bones

1. Blood Bones - a thirst for violence that did not end in death. Their frenzy is contagious: Those who fight them might find themselves unburdened of any compulsion to observe the traditional cessation of hostilities that typically follows the defeat of an enemy.

2. Muddle Bones - there is an excitable curiosity sometimes found amongst academics that leads to a blurring of the lines between experimentation and just messing about. The study of necromancy is no exception: If a student bone-shaper were to swap the skulls of a wolf and a sheep skeleton for what they deemed a laugh, or replace the arms of a human skeleton with an additional set of legs and be delighted by their cartwheeling creation, they would be neither the first nor the last. 

3. Dry Bones - bodyguards and priests of powerful mages, bound by oaths or curses to protect their masters for eternity. The job is mostly lying around in an unassuming pile until a foolish adventurer trips over you.

4. Moss Bones - we’ve all pondered the thought experiment about the mop: If you replace the handle and then later replace the head, is it the same mop? But what about if you, as a sentient being, come into contact with that rare type of moss that grows on your skin, gradually eating away at it, replacing it with more moss? What if over time it eats all of your skin and organs, until eventually you are a skeleton covered in thinking moss? Are you still the same sentient being?

5. Frost Bones - those who clung to life against the bitter cold, enough to impress The Cold Ones themselves and be given a second chance. They no longer have empathy in their hearts for the living, but they do have jagged shards of ice that crystallize around their shoulders and forearms, which can be cast off like projectiles.

6. Iron Bones - it is almost impossible to destroy a skeleton made of iron. With so much time on their hands, existential ennui is their greatest enemy. So Iron Bones tend to go one of two ways: Either they find meaning in an unusual hobby; or they embrace nihilism (as much as one can) and become sellswords.

Till next time!