Seven Spooky Skeletons: Woodbones

Seven Spooky Skeletons is a short series running every night until Halloween, because I love Halloween, alliteration, and the word 'spooky'. Each night, d20 despot will be showcasing a different unique skeletal villain.

Tonight's spooky skeleton is Woodbones, an undead, bark-encrusted druid who summons skeletal animals and rides a bony bear infused with the spirit of an evil tree.

The following text is available as Open Game Content under the OGL. Open Game Content is ©2017 Jonah Bomgaars.

This halfling skeleton is partially fused with plates of ragged bark. It sits astride a skeletal bear bristling with woody vines.

Woodbones          CR 6

XP 2,400

Halfling skeletal champion druid 8

NE Small undead

Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft., greensight; Perception +13

DEFENSE

AC 20, touch 15, flat-footed 16 (+1 size, +3 Dex, +5 natural, +1 dodge)

hp 73 (10d8+28)

Fort +9, Ref +7, Will +14; +4 channel resistance, +4 vs. effects from fey and effects using plants

DR 5/bludgeoning; Immune cold, undead traits

Defensive Abilities resist nature’s lure

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft.

Melee +1 quarterstaff +8/+8/+3 (1d4+2) or 2 claws +9 (1d3+1)

Ranged +1 sling +11 (1d3+2) 50ft.

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 8^th; concentration +12)

   constant – greensight

   1/day – tree shape

Spells Prepared (CL 0^th)

4^th – bloody claws, inflict serious wounds (DC 18), thorn body

3^rd – call lightning (DC 17), fungal infestation (DC 17), greater magic fang, inflict moderate wounds (DC 17)

2^nd – barkskin, fog cloud, frigid touch, wood shape

1^st – bristle, decompose corpse, liberating command, magic stone, shillelagh

orisons – create water, detect magic, light, resistance

STATISTICS

Str 12, Dex 16, Con --, Int 11, Wis 18, Cha 15

Base Atk +7; CMB +7; CMD 20

Feats Dodge, Improved Initiative^B, Mounted Combat, Natural Spell, Two-Weapon Fighting

Skills Acrobatics +5, Climb +3, Intimidate +7, Handle Animal +9, Heal +8, Knowledge (nature) +10, Perception +13, Ride +16, Stealth +16, Survival +11; Racial Modifiers +2 Acrobatics, +2 Climb, +2 Perception

Languages Common, Halfling, Druidic

SQ nature bond (skeletal animal companion), nature sense, skeletal wild shape, spontaneous casting, trackless step, undead wild empathy, woodland stride

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Bark Armor (Ex)

Woodbones’ bones are fused with the bark of the Tree of Death, granting him a +4 natural armor bonus on top of the existing natural armor bonus granted by the skeleton template.

Blessing of the Tree of Death (Ex)

The Tree of Death gave Woodbones many gifts. Woodbones gains greensight as a constant spell-like ability and tree shape as a spell-like ability useable once per day. It also adds any inflict wounds spells to its druid spell list.

Skeletal Animal Companion (Ex)

Woodbones’ animal companion gains the skeletal champion template. The companion retains all special qualities granted to an animal companion. In addition, planted within the heart of the skeletal animal is a sapling descended from the Tree of Death. This grants the skeletal animal companion a +4 bonus to grapple checks, a +4 bonus to Charisma, and the ability to cast entangle as a spell-like ability once per day with a caster level equal to Woodbones’.

Root, The Skeletal Bear

Bear skeleton animal companion

N Medium undead

Init +6; Senses low-light vision, darkvision 60 ft., scent; Perception +0

DEFENSE

AC 20, touch 12, flat-footed 18 (+8 natural, +2 Dex)

hp 58 (9d8+18)

Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +5; +4 channel resistance, +4 vs enchantments

DR 0/-; Immune immunity, undead traits

Defensive Abilities devotion, evasion

OFFENSE

Speed 40 ft.

Melee bite +11 (1d6+5), 2 claws +11 (1d4+5)

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 8^th)

   1/day – entangle

STATISTICS

Str 21, Dex 15, Con --, Int --, Wis 10, Cha 14

Base Atk +6; CMB +11; CMD 23

Feats Improved Initiative^B

SQ link, share spells

Skeletal Wild Shape (Su)

Woodbones can assume the form of any skeletal animal of Tiny, Small, Medium, or Large size. This ability functions like the spell undead anatomy II except as noted here. The effect lasts for eight hours or until it changes back. Changing form is a standard action and doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity. Woodbones’ skeletal animal forms retain its bark armor and +4 natural armor bonus. Woodbones can use this ability three times to day.

Skeletal Summons (Su)

Any creatures summoned when Woodbones casts summon nature’s ally or similar summoning spells are summoned with the skeleton or exoskeleton template, as appropriate. Summoned elementals are not affected by this change.

Undead Wild Empathy (Ex)

Woodbones can improve the attitude of an undead animal just as a living druid can with a living animal. Woodbones can use this ability to influence an undead magical beast with an Intelligence score or 2 or lower.

ECOLOGY

Treasure NPC gear (+1 quarterstaff, +1 sling, 40 bullets, potion of inflict serious wounds (CL 5^th), other treasure)

This halfling skeleton’s bones are partially fused to tough sheets of thick bark, forming a crude sort of armor. Some of its bones are missing, replaced with perfectly crafted wooden doubles. In life, this creature was a halfling druid. It died at the foot of the legendary Tree of Death, the bark of which grew over its corpse, decomposed it, and infused it with dark powers. All other aspects of its past identity have been stripped away by the ages, leaving only the husk known as Woodbones, Servant of the Tree of Death. It rides a skeletal bear named Root, which bears the thrashing, evil sapling of the Tree of Death in its rib-cage. Together, they seek to bring a twisted balance to nature by hastening the death and decay of all living things.

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-your second spooky d20 despot