Stupid question about skeletons and lycanthropes

[Kornaki]

Do you think skeletons made out of werewolves have damage reduction 10/silver?

Discuss

EDIT TO ADD: This is not a RAW question of course

[NinjaTBB]

A skeleton loses most special qualities of the base creature. It retains any extraordinary special qualities that improve its melee or ranged attacks.

Lycanthrope lists the damage reduction as an extraordinary ability. Since it does not improve the melee or ranged attacks of the werewolf skeleton, is would lose the 10/silver DR.


A slain lycanthrope reverts to its humanoid form,

An afflicted lycanthrope in animal or hybrid form has damage reduction 5/silver. A natural lycanthrope in animal or hybrid form has damage reduction 10/silver.

Since alternate form is a supernatural ability it would lose once skeleton-ed, it would simply be the base creature skeleton. No way to access the hybrid or beast form that would grant the DR.

EDIT: Now that I see the "not RAW" bit, feel free to take the above with a grain of salt.

[SilverLeaf167]

I don't think it would make sense for them to keep the DR, since it's usually fluffed as their hide being really tough. I mean, they lose their natural armor as well; most sorts of DR should be lost with it. The only exception I can really think of is DR explicitly caused by tough bones, which I can't really think of an example for.

[hewhosaysfish]

I don't think it would make sense for them to keep the DR, since it's usually fluffed as their hide being really tough. I mean, they lose their natural armor as well; most sorts of DR should be lost with it.

So what about zombie werewolves?

[BWR]

I'm guessing the lycanthropy ends at death, so you'd be left with a standard zombie.

[NinjaTBB]

So what about zombie werewolves?

By RAW, same general idea as I said with skeletons.

Non-RAW speaking, rot tends to deteriorate the strength of flesh/hide by quite a bit.


I'm guessing the lycanthropy ends at death, so you'd be left with a standard zombie.

Depends, for a natural lycanthrope, no as they can't be cured so it clearly isn't a disease for them.

For an afflicted lycanthrope, the definition of what lycanthropy is exactly is a bit shaky. It acts like a disease, but explicitly states it can only be removed in certain ways akin to a curse.

[Urpriest]

EDIT TO ADD: This is not a RAW question of course

...what else would it be? A Lycanthrope's damage reduction is supernatural in nature, both in the game mechanics sense and in the story sense, so it's not like there's some sort of common-sense "if this were the real world" answer. And I can't think of a reason why any RAI would exist on the topic, unless you know of some example skeletal lycanthropes in the books. It depends on how the particular magic of lycanthropy interacts with the particular magic of being a skeleton, and the only way anyone could answer that would be via the RAW.

[nyarlathotep]

If i were DM I'd have the lycanthrope locked into whatever form it was in when undeath was utilized on it. So for most it would just be human as that's what they revert to when they died, but if some creative necromancer found a way to turn them into skeletons while still alive or prevent them from reverting on death they would stay in their present form.

[Vaz]

Awakening the skeleton might work.

[NinjaTBB]

Awakening the skeleton might work.

They only regain extraordinary abilities then. No changing shape (supernatural) so they couldn't get to it anyway.

[Phelix-Mu]

Skeletons that could spread the lycanthropy curse would be a superb curve-ball to chuck at the players, though. They'd never suspect that it was Mr. Bones that infected them. *evil laughter*

[NinjaTBB]

Skeletons that could spread the lycanthropy curse would be a superb curve-ball to chuck at the players, though. They'd never suspect that it was Mr. Bones that infected them. *evil laughter*

Give them (or any other creature for that matter) arrows akin to sleep arrow that cast curse of lycanthropy instead.

This +1 arrow on hit will force the target to make a DC 19 fortitude save or contract lycanthropy come the next full moon. Sure its slightly easier to get rid of, but there's always the chance they'll infect their party members before they realize they have it.

All this for one easy payment of 1707 gp!

Now that might sound expensive, but isn't it worth it to watch your players squeal? :smallamused: