Homebrew Skeleton Species Details

One useful trick since the change? Easy. My ribcage doubles as a xylophone! Can't beat that!  — Madigan Tresswater, Skeleton Bard

 Skeletons feature in the nightmare tales of many races — clattering, noisy spectres of unhealthy lurking in the shadows. If you walk alone down a castle's dungeon halls, the rattle of bones plays like sinister rainfall. If you stray too far from the house at night, skeletons will scoop you up to drag you into their graves.

Lurid tales such as these have flowered from the seeds of truth. Skeletons have long haunted the graveyards of the realm, and can be found among many a dark, cold crypt. More often than not a skeleton is the tool of some mage who's skill in the necromatic arts has allowed the once laid to rest individual to rise up and obey it's new found master. Whether any piece of the skeleton's former self is kept within its bones is debatable, but some are able to maintain the skills they once possessed in life. Others, by some magical or divine means, are even able to regain their own sentience.

Rattles In The Night

When they’re not in battle, skeletons spend much of their time motionless or wandering the halls of the still resting dead. They don’t engage in crafting or agriculture to any great extent, or otherwise produce anything of value (unless designed to in such a way by a higher power). Sentient skeletons may still hold the knowledge and power they had in life, and may be able to recreate their previous works (if a smith, painter, chef, etc.) to some degree of success. 

Skeletons are incapable of bouts of extended ferocity, as their structure is not built for continuous abuse. However, when able to be put in large groups, a swarm of skeletons can overpower even a well armored combatant. At their core, skeletons are ambush tools accustomed to long periods of inactivity broken by short bursts of controlled violence.

Skeleton Traits

Your skeleton character has the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 2.

Age

Not counting their previous lives, skeletons can be almost any age. Skeletons don't age, and won't die of old age until the magic, divine/infernal energy, or curse keeping them alive has ended.

Alignment

Skeletons a usually neutral, however have a tendency towards whatever power had returned them to life. In rare cases where a skeleton has full sentience, it will follow the alignment it had in life.

Size

You are as tall as you were life (race dependant), however you weigh significantly less. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

Not having eyes surprisingly does not affect you much, in part due to the magical force that brought you back.

You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern colour in darkness, only shades of gray.

Limb Forager

If one of your limbs is severed, you can replace it with another bone of the appropriate type, putting it back in place as an action. 

Undead

Your creature type is undead. Normally healing spells cannot affect you, however the magics that have brought you back seem to allow it. 

False Appearance

You may, as an action, collapse into a non-moving skeleton / pile of bones. While you remain motionless, you are indistinguishable from a normal skeleton. In this state you are considered prone and your speed is zero.

Skeletal Nature

You are immune to disease, being poisoned, and have resistance to poison damage. You do not need to eat or breathe. Instead of sleeping, you enter an inactive state for 4 hours each day. You do not dream in this state and are fully aware of your surroundings. 

Languages

Although your voice is weak and ethereal, a lack of vocal chords isn't something that magic can't fix. You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language you knew in your past life.