Dem Bones: Difference between revisions

* ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'': Skeletons are a kind of mindless undead animated by appropriately evil magic users. Usually. Of course, there are also liches and their variants (archlich, baelnorn, banelich, master lich).

** While most [[Dungeons & Dragons]] settings are full of undead, [[Forgotten Realms]] are especially fond of this theme and has the remarkable collection of unusual bones. For example, there lived—until she tried to raid a big temple of the god of wizardry, that is—Tashara of the Seven Skulls who seduced and tricked into becoming spellcasting flying skulls ([[More Than Mind Control|under her control]]) 7 archmages, one after another. There's even [http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Skullport one city] ''openly [[The Necrocracy|ruled by]]'' floating skulls (no, ''not'' Tashara's seven). Realms also are the origin of both baelnorn and banelich. Plus utility/guardian bony constructs - [[Helping Hands|Crawling Claws]]. There are several spells magically enhancing a common undead skeleton (Enlarge Skeleton, Empower Skeleton, Skeletal Spellcraft), spell that disguises the caster as a skeleton (Become Bones - makes non-bony tissues invisible and fools mindless undead into ignoring the caster) and even at least two spells temporarily creating ''fake'' undead skeletons - Shadow Skeleton (not entirely corporeal, but can be given arbitrary garb and has stunning touch) and Skeletal Bride (clothing not included, has featureless blob head, but is fully solid and can carry things, though not heavy).

** Should also be noted that, in 3rd edition anyway, just about ''anything'' with bones that isn't already dead can be turned into Dem Bones through application of the Skeleton template. This includes everything from normal humanoids, to dragons, to bizarre aberrations with bone structures such have never been seen by mortal eyes.

** The ''[[Planescape]]'' setting has "mimirs"; recording devices shaped like metallic skulls. The inspiration for Morte, below.

* Freeware game ''[[NieR]]he Wind]]'' has skeletons wandering around the setting due to necromancers. Unusually some of these skeletons are sapient and just want to live in peace, something made rather difficult by overzealous clerics trying to grant them eternal rest. Shroud's partner Stoic is one of these.

* Most undead in ''[[Adventure Quest]]'', ''[[Adventure Quest Worlds]]'' and ''[[Dragon Fable]]'' are of this kind.

* The skeletons in ''[[Minecraft]]'' [[Oh Crap|can fire arrows]], and [[It Got Worse|ride giant spiders!]]

* Skeletons are a common foe in the ''[[Ultima]]'' series, but only gained the ability to revive continuously in ''Ultima 8'' if the player did not kill them with the [[Turn Undead|Grant Peace spell]]. Taken to ridiculous heights in the horribly broken ''Ultima 9'', where a defeated skeleton would break into its component parts and could reform again if there were enough parts for a whole skeleton. Cue frantic body-part looting mid-battle in a game where inventory space was already at a premium, and the skeletons kept respawning whenever you returned to the area.