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Thursday, March 20, 2025

Blazing Skeleton, Burning Skeleton, 3.5e, 4e and 5.5e

This overview says 2e and 3e and 4e (three names, blazing bones, burning skeleton, blazing skeleton): https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Blazing_skeleton

Looking for the one I used from 3e/3.5e. It had a mini fireball attack from afar, I'm pretty sure.  I just looked through all the 3.5 MM I through V and can't find it. Pretty sure it was on a random website... if I can just find it!

This is close: https://paperanddice.wordpress.com/2020/10/20/blazing-skeleton/

  • FROM MEMORY: the mini fireball attack was like... aim to hit, but if missed, still did splash on ground. Maybe 2d6 for splash. 4 squares worth, hit a point. 
    • Maybe 1d6 continual burning each round if direct hit? Or even splash?... (spend a round to put it out?). 

This makes 4e more interesting, putting all the skellies in their categories to understand how that works, like Artillery, Etc.: https://bira.github.io/octopus-carnival/2020/12/13/skeleton.html

Did Unearthed Arcana for 5e have one? Not in UA, so I guess only the 2024MM : https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/8ya564/ua_new_monster_blazing_skeleton/ and https://www.sageadvice.eu/new-monster-blazing-skeleton/

5.5e MM has it as CR 3: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/mm-2024/monsters-s#FlamingSkeleton and https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Monsters:Flaming%20Skeleton?expansion=34653


Weaker versions:

Weaker version, CR 1/2: https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/undead/skeleton-medium/skeleton-burning/ ... but even it has 1d6 fire dmg if you are next to or melee attack it. It's death burst only 1d6 fire also.

Weaker version-B, CR 1/2 but it grapples you for 1d6 fire per round: https://5e.tools/bestiary/flaming-skeleton-tdcsr.html


SUPER POWERFUL: 2e for fun, super powerful: https://adnd2e.fandom.com/wiki/Blazing_Bones

COMBAT: Blazing bones inflict only 1d4 points of damage per blow to creatures immune to fire, but against all others they strike fiery blows, adding 2 points of damage to each hit. In any round, one of them may forgo one of its hand attacks in favor of hurling a head-sized ball of expanding flames up to 20 feet distant, dealing 1d6+3 damage to creatures struck, igniting flammable things, and forcing item saving throws vs. magical fire. (Handle misses with the scatter diagram – see “Grenadtulike Missiles” in the DMG.) The blazing bones can also (once per turn) forgo both attacks to create a firestorm, collapsing into a whirlwind of bones and flames that act as a fireball (6d6 damage, save for half damage) which erupts from where they stand and expands to a 30-foot-radius sphere. A blazing bones may try to embrace a foe before erupting into a firestorm; in this case, it is allowed an attack roll. Success indicates that it strikes the target (no saving throw allowed), and failure means that it misses – consult the scatter diagram.

Blazing bones are immune to all fire and heat damages and magical heat and fire actually augment their hit points. Treat all damage normally inflicted by such magic as hit points gained, first healing any missing points and then permanently raising the monster's hit-point total. For each 8 hp gained by a blazing bones, it gains 1 Hit Die.

Blazing bones are turned as ghasts and are immune to charm, hold, and sleep spells. Cold-based attacks inflict normal damage, holy water causes 4d4 points of damage per vial (2d4 if only a splash), and normal water inflicts 2d4 points of damage per bucket (1d4 per splash).

Blazing bones [Origins] are undead accidentally created when a priest or wizard who has prepared or partially prepared contingency magic to prevent death is killed by fiery damage. The casted magic twists the contingency provisions so the unfortunate victim passes into undeath in the heart of a roaring column of flame. Tormented by the endless agony of fire, the priest's or wizard's nature (including alignment, Hit Dice, and thoughts) changes. Hurling flame lessens the pain momentarily, and pouring fire into another living being reduces it considerably, so blazing bones soon become stalking killers, exulting in fiery destruction. 

 

 

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