Old Dogs & New Tricks: Putting Spins on Classic Monsters

[GalacticAxekick]

Skeletons aren't scary.

That's a massive failure of the game design, isn't it? If a walking skeleton defies everything we know about the natural order, it should defy everything we know about slaying monsters. If we have no idea how it moves or thinks, we should have no idea how to STOP it from moving or thinking. It should be a rare and bewildering thing.

Instead, a skeleton is a CR 1/4 monster with 13 AC, 13 HP, +4 to hit and ordinary weapons. It has no extraordinary abilities whatsoever, except immunity to poison and exhaustion. Any street thug could handle one. What?

So I want to rewrite skeletons (and a few other monsters) to be truly otherworldly: to make a battle against them a puzzle for the players, instead of letting them be interchangeable bags of hit points. To begin, I've rewritten the Skeleton and the Animated Armor (https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/5Kf-TV779xO-). I'd like to hear your thoughts on these rewrites and see your own rewrites of other monsters!

[animorte]

Here's my thought on a skeleton: You can defeat that measly 13 HP, but there's just going to be another 13 HP or so separated across a few skeletal limbs that are still trying to claw, bite, kick, grapple, and trip you.

[GalacticAxekick]

Here's my thought on a skeleton: You can defeat that measly 13 HP, but there's just going to be another 13 HP or so separated across a few skeletal limbs that are still trying to claw, bite, kick, grapple, and trip you.So keep some version of my skeleton's "Break Apart" feature (detach body parts as it takes damage), but make each detached part an autonomous creature.

Cool!

[GalacticAxekick]

Here's a quick and dirty write up of Animorte's idea as I understand it

Skeleton
Small or medium undead, unaligned
Armor Class: 10
Hit Points: 4 (1d8)
Speed: 30 ft.



Str
Dex
Con
Int
Wis
Cha


10 ( 0)
10 ( 0)
10 ( 0)
1 (-5)
3 (-4)
1 (-5)



Damage Immunities: Cold, poison
Condition Immunities: Blinded, deafened, exhausted, petrified, poisoned
Senses: blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius) passive Perception 6
Challenge: 1/4 (50 XP)

Antimagic Susceptibility. The skeleton is incapacitated while in the area of an antimagic field. If it is targeted by dispel magic, it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against the caster's spell save DC or fall unconscious for 1 minute.

Blank Slate. The skeleton is proficient with every skill, tool, language weapon and armor that its creator was proficient with. For these purposes, it uses its creator's proficiency bonus.

Break Apart Each time the skeleton is hit by an attack, it takes exactly 1 point of damage, and one of four parts is detached from its body and dropped at its feet or within 5 feet of it: the head, right arm, left arm, or legs. The detached part is a creature with its own statistics and that acts on the skeleton's turn, while the skeleton retains its normal statistics and takes one of the following penalties:
Missing Head. The skeleton sees and hears from the perspective of its detached head. If the head is placed in a bag, for example, the skeleton is effectively blinded.
Missing Arm. The skeleton has one less arm with which to wield weapons, carry a shield, grapple, or use objects. If it loses both arms, it can do none of these things and cannot climb.
Missing Legs. The skeleton falls prone and cannot stand up.

When the skeleton takes damage from a critical hit or an area effect, it takes the full damage, and loses a number of parts equal to the damage taken.

Come Together. When the skeleton enters the space of one of its detached parts on its turn, or vice versa, the two can reattach to one another. The skeleton regains 1 hit point when this occurs.

Skull
Tiny limb of medium or small undead undead, unaligned
Armor Class: 10
Hit Points: 1 (1d4 - 1)
Speed: 0 ft.



Str
Dex
Con
Int
Wis
Cha


1 (-5)
10 ( 0)
9 (-1)
1 (-5)
3 (-4)
1 (-5)



Damage Immunities: Cold, poison
Condition Immunities: Blinded, deafened, exhausted, petrified, poisoned, prone
Senses: blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius) passive Perception 6
Challenge: 0 (0 XP)

Antimagic Susceptibility. The skull is incapacitated while in the area of an antimagic field. If it is targeted by dispel magic, it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against the caster's spell save DC or fall unconscious for 1 minute.

Blank Slate. The skull is proficient with every skill, tool, language weapon and armor that its creator was proficient with. For these purposes, it uses its creator's proficiency bonus.

Come Together. When the skull enters the space of the skeleton it came from on its turn, or vice versa, the two can reattach to one another. The skull ceases to be an independent creature when this occurs.


Skeletal Arm
Small or tiny limb of medium or small undead, unaligned
Armor Class: 10
Hit Points: 1 (1d4 - 1)
Speed: 15 ft.



Str
Dex
Con
Int
Wis
Cha


10 ( 0)
10 ( 0)
9 (-1)
1 (-5)
3 (-4)
1 (-5)



Damage Immunities: Cold, poison
Condition Immunities: Blinded, deafened, exhausted, petrified, poisoned, prone
Senses: none except touch, passive Perception 6
Challenge: 0 (0 XP)

Antimagic Susceptibility. The arm is incapacitated while in the area of an antimagic field. If it is targeted by dispel magic, it must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against the caster's spell save DC or fall unconscious for 1 minute.

Blank Slate. The arm is proficient with every skill, tool, language weapon and armor that its creator was proficient with. For these purposes, it uses its creator's proficiency bonus.

Come Together. When the arm enters the space of the skeleton it came from on its turn, or vice versa, the two can reattach to one another. The arm ceases to be an independent creature when this occurs.

Remote Control. The arm sees and hears from the perspective of the skeleton (or the skull) it was once attached to. If the skull is placed in a bag, for example, the arm is effectively blinded.


Skeletal Legs
Small or tiny limbs of medium or small undead, unaligned
Armor Class: 10
Hit Points: 1 (1d4 - 1)
Speed: 30 ft.



Str
Dex
Con
Int
Wis
Cha


10 ( 0)
10 ( 0)
9 (-1)
1 (-5)
3 (-4)
1 (-5)



Damage Immunities: Cold, poison
Condition Immunities: Blinded, deafened, exhausted, petrified, poisoned
Senses: none except touch, passive Perception 6
Challenge: 0 (0 XP)

Antimagic Susceptibility. The legs are incapacitated while in the area of an antimagic field. If it is targeted by dispel magic, they must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against the caster's spell save DC or fall unconscious for 1 minute.

Blank Slate. The legs are proficient with every skill, tool, language weapon and armor that its creator was proficient with. For these purposes, they use their creator's proficiency bonus.

Come Together. When the legs enter the space of the skeleton they came from on their turn, or vice versa, the two can reattach to one another. The legs cease to be an independent creature when this occurs.

Remote Control. The legs see and hear from the perspective of the skeleton (or the skull) they were once attached to. If the skull is placed in a bag, for example, the legs are effectively blinded.