Making a skeleton PC.

[ViroxNellium]

Hey, so I'm trying to set up a (3.5) PC skeleton fighter or something, but I'm not particularly happy just slapping a awakened undead spell on a human PC. Any ideas?

Thank you all so much it may help to give y'all the low down on what I've decided with him so far; githzari, bone creature (which is a skeleton), with the skeleton templates for nimble and frost(up for alterations). With a stat rolling of 18,16,16,15,14. So if I stack this right I could end up with a 32 Dex... Right? Ok so that what I'm working with right now.

[Inevitability]

The Bone creature template, from BoVD, might be what you're looking for. It doesn't have a listed LA, so RAW you could argue it's +0 (though +1 would be more balanced in my opinion). More importantly, it gives the major perks of being skeletal (high dexterity, DR, claw attacks), without taking away your intelligence score. You can even retain your original alignment should you want to!

[ATHATH]

Step 1: Become a Necropolitan (http://www.realmshelps.net/monsters/templates/necropolitan.shtml).
Step 2: Slice off/scrape off/burn away all of your flesh, so that only bone remains.
Step 3: Enjoy being a "skeleton".

[ViroxNellium]

Awesome! I'll check that out. And I'm not sure the other would work so well since burning or slicing my characters flesh would technically count as damage, and may re-kill him. But I like the idea none the less.

[ben-zayb]

Make the skeleton's choice of words take political sensibilities into consideration, so as not to accidentally offend.

That probably means give it a huge WIS bonus or something

[ViroxNellium]

Actually, I've pretty much settled on monk and adding the frost skeleton template, so he can be a man of few "cold" words!

[Inevitability]

Actually, I've pretty much settled on monk and adding the frost skeleton template, so he can be a man of few "cold" words!

Don't be monk. Seriously. If you want to be a brutal unarmed warrior, fighter does it better. If you want to be a pseudo-mystical judo master, swordsage does it better. If you want to grapple, disarm, and do other fancy unarmed tricks, literally anything with full BAB is better at it.

[weckar]

Don't be monk. Seriously. If you want to be a brutal unarmed warrior, fighter does it better. If you want to be a pseudo-mystical judo master, swordsage does it better. If you want to grapple, disarm, and do other fancy unarmed tricks, literally anything with full BAB is better at it.

If you want to be the party mascot, though...

[lylsyly]

The Bone creature template, from BoVD, might be what you're looking for. It doesn't have a listed LA, so RAW you could argue it's +0 (though +1 would be more balanced in my opinion). More importantly, it gives the major perks of being skeletal (high dexterity, DR, claw attacks), without taking away your intelligence score. You can even retain your original alignment should you want to!

So by RAW I could add this to the Elf/Half fey Bardcher I am build and get d12s for HDand +4 dex for free?

[Inevitability]

So by RAW I could add this to the Elf/Half fey Bardcher I am build and get d12s for HDand +4 dex for free?

By RAW, yes you could.

You see, the rules on templates say that any traits not mentioned in the templates are unchanged. Generally, this is a sensible rule. Becoming a half-dragon shouldn't change what feats you have, after all.

The issue arises with templates that mention no change to LA. In many cases, mostly from 3.0 but sometimes 3.5 too, a template grants considerable bonuses that would be unbalanced at no change to LA, but do not alter it nonetheless. This ranges from relatively weak templates to monstrosities like Chosen of Bane.

It's why Iron Chef and similar competitions consider a template without a given LA to be unplayable.

[lylsyly]

By RAW, yes you could.

And the DM for this game is a RAW type of girl, Muhahahaha. The d12 is for class HD isn't it, I would take it just for the +4 to DEX but ...

[ShurikVch]

Note: Book of Vile Darkness is 3.0, and Bone Creature template never was properly updated to 3.5 (Leaflets of Triel gave it LA +2)

Note: Huecuva template, was (AFAIK) never listed as "LA: -"

Cauldron Spawn (Dragon #340) is an "old-looking skeleton"
Daily 2 Str damage (for being in more than 50 miles from the Cauldron of Corruption) may be annoying, but Lesser Restoration can easily fix it (also, Undead type should be immune to physical ability damage!)
Also, +4 Dex and Cha
And since LA wasn't mentioned, it's - technically - LA: +0 (and unlike to Book of Vile Darkness, #340 was printed in proper "3.5 era" - February 2006, so no "3.5 adjustments" are required)

Finally, Dragon #293 listed "Medium-size " (1 HD) "Skeleton" as "ECL 5", which make it LA +4 (too high, but still there)

[lylsyly]

Note: Book of Vile Darkness is 3.0, and Bone Creature template never was properly updated to 3.5 (Leaflets of Triel gave it LA +2)

And never supplanted, so it is still usable, correct?

And what are theLeaflets of Triel​?

[Inevitability]

And never supplanted, so it is still usable, correct?

Exactly my point. Official update only fixed the DR I believe, FAQ added a CR adjustment, but LA was never given to the template.

[ShurikVch]

AFAIK, there wasn't any offcial updates.
Like - at all.

And since it's unupdated 3.0 stuff, it's prone to "necessary adjustments" from DM, which makes it unpredictable (unless the DM is you)

[ATHATH]

Don't be monk. Seriously. If you want to be a brutal unarmed warrior, fighter does it better. If you want to be a pseudo-mystical judo master, swordsage does it better. If you want to grapple, disarm, and do other fancy unarmed tricks, literally anything with full BAB is better at it.
Don't forget Psychic Warrior with the Tashalatora feat!

[ViroxNellium]

Thank you all so much it may help to give y'all the low down on what I've decided with him so far; githzari, bone creature (which is a skeleton), with the skeleton templates for nimble and frost(up for alterations). With a stat rolling of 18,16,16,15,14. So if I stack this right I could end up with a 32 Dex... Right? Ok so that what I'm working with right now.

[Blue Jay]

Exactly my point. Official update only fixed the DR I believe, FAQ added a CR adjustment, but LA was never given to the template.

The SRD monster section says the "Level Adjustment" entry is included for monsters suitable as Pc's. The inference is that the lack of a Level Adjustment entry is to be interpreted as "LA: -" by default.

[Inevitability]

The SRD monster section says the "Level Adjustment" entry is included for monsters suitable as Pc's. The inference is that the lack of a Level Adjustment entry is to be interpreted as "LA: -" by default.

Monsters are not templates though.