Skeleton
Medium Undead · · CR 1/4
- Undead
- Medium
- Tier 1
Skeleton, CR 1/4, fills the medium undead role with lawful evil disposition. Encounter regions: urban, ruins, and underground. Sourced from Monster Manual (5e 2014) and Monster Manual (5.5e 2024).
Stat Block
- Challenge Rating
- 1/4
- Type
- Undead
- Size
- Medium
- Alignment
- —
- Speed
- —
- Habitats
- Urban, Ruins, Underground
- Sources
- Monster Manual (5e 2014), Monster Manual (5.5e 2024), Flee, Mortals!
Ecology
Skeletons are not living creatures and do not have ecology in the natural sense. They are reanimated bones, sustained by negative energy, rising in mass graves, ancient battlefields, and cursed temples. They do not feed, age, or reproduce; their numbers expand through necromancy or place-curses. Some skeletons retain skill memories from their past lives, like a soldier's swordwork or an archer's aim.
Behaviour
Skeletons act on simple commands: 'guard,' 'attack,' 'march.' Without commands they default to attacking the living. They are tireless, fearless, and exhausting to fight, since they neither retreat nor surrender. Massed skeletons fight in formation if their creator was disciplined; otherwise they brawl. They show no recognition, even of former friends or family, despite retaining skill memories.
Origin
Skeletons rise where death and dark magic intersect. A necromancer's Animate Dead spell creates a skeleton from any corpse, while haunted battlefields produce them spontaneously. Some campaign settings feature 'skeletal lineages' tied to specific cursed bloodlines, where every member of a family rises after death until the curse is broken. Lichdom can produce skeletal servants of unusual power.
Related Monsters
Frequently Asked Questions about Skeleton
- What is the challenge rating of Skeleton?
- The CR on Skeleton is 1/4. That CR suits early-tier-1 encounters.
- What type of creature is Skeleton?
- By creature type, Skeleton is a undead, medium size.
- Where does Skeleton live?
- You'll find Skeleton in Urban, Ruins, Underground according to the bestiary entry.