Skeletal Dragon

“There is not a night that goes by that I don’t remember it's haunting screech. It always goes the same way. I am up late, unable to sleep. Eventually, the exhaustion takes me. Quickly I am plummeted into a cascade of horrendous nightmares, each one worse than the last. Until finally, I see it. It wails at me. I wake, sweating where I lie. I have no regret greater than creating that beast. And for what?” - Sylrid Wormwood, Ex-necromancer

Of Legendary Sources. Skeletal dragons are truly weapons of destruction. It is no easy task, assembling one. Gathering the required materials is not a chore for the squeamish. The first requisite is dragon bones. As rare as dragons are, happening upon a dragon corpse is no accident. Thankfully for the would-be necromancer, an entire dragon skeleton is not required. Instead, missing pieces can be substituted with bones of other species, particularly sentient ones. Humans, elves, dwarves, and more may become victim to an ambitious necromancer. Bodies with particularly gruesome deaths will take to the magic more easily. By the time the skeletal dragon is constructed, its many parts tell a story just as horrific as its appearance.

For Dastardly Purposes. A necromancer does not go through the trouble of creating one of these monstrosities without having a reason. The ritual is performed to accomplish some terrifying goal. Subjugating cities, tormenting like-long enemies, carrying out revenge, or granting unquestionable authority are potential motivations.

Skeletal Dragon

Aspects

Terrifying bone piecemeal • Necromantic magic • Dominate or be dominated

Skills

• +5 Scratch and claw (Fight)
• +4 (Athletics)
• +3 Wail (Provoke)
• +2 Indomitable (Will and Physique)

Health

Stress

[1] • [2] • [3] • [4]

Mild physical consequence [2]

Moderate physical consequence [4]

Stunts

Deathly Wail

The skeletal dragon may use Wail (Provoke) to make ranged and melee attacks. If a Deathly Wail attack hits, it deals mental stress. Additionally, when a Deathly Wail attack hits target in the same zone as the skeletal dragon, the dragon may uncheck a stress box that is equal to or lower than the shift value of the attack.

Swallow

When the skeletal dragon succeeds with style on a Claw (Fight) attack, it may choose to swallow the target. The target gains the Swallowed aspect. While the target has this aspect, they cannot move away from the stomach of the skeletal dragon, and the dragon will not target them. The target may still interact with things outside of the skeletal dragon, but only as if doing so at range from behind the cage-like bones of the dragon’s stomach.

Bone constructs

The necromantic magic keeping the skeletal dragon alive can spontaneously jump to nearby piles of bones. When the skeletal dragon checks a stress box, a bone construct (see below) forms out the pieces of the dragon which flew off from the attack. Alternatively, the skeletal dragon can use its turn to raise three bone constructs in the same zone or zones adjacent to it

Bone Construct

Aspects

Bone piecemeal • Necromantic magic

Skills

• +3 Scratch and claw (Fight)

Health

Stress

[Special]

Stunts

More bones, more fun

The number of stress boxes a bone construct gets is based on how it was created. If the bone construct was made from the skeletal dragon checking a stress box, the bone construct will have a stress box of equal value to the one that was checked. If the bone construct was created through the skeletal dragon using an action, it will have a single [2] stress box.

Power in numbers

If multiple bone constructs are in the same zone, they may Scratch and claw (Fight) together to increase their odds. Each involved bone construct uses their action to do this. The level of the Scratch and claw (Fight) attack is 2 + the number of involved bone constructs

Notes

A note for the GM: Skeletal dragons are quite powerful. A party of four characters with the default stats and abilities will likely have a hard time taking one of these down without proper preparation and an escape plan. I would advise against pitting new players against this monster.