Also how does the Monk class features interact with the 1d6 negative energy touch attack? I know you can deliver touch attack spells through a normal unarmed strike so can you do Monk damage+1d6 negative energy?
I'm working on balancing out an encounter with Skeleton Warriors and a Necromancer yet I'm confused about one thing. It says that the Golden Circlet is much like a phylactory. Does this mean that until it has been destroyed the Skeleton Warriors will raise themselves up a few rounds after death to attack the party again?
Also how does the Monk class features interact with the 1d6 negative energy touch attack? I know you can deliver touch attack spells through a normal unarmed strike so can you do Monk damage+1d6 negative energy?
Hmm, I just realized, looks like no one ever responded to this, so I'll take a shot at it. Phylactories are associated with liches, typically not skeleton warriors. Skeleton warriors are by and large 'mindless' undead. They follow basic commands, but don't truly have a soul to keep safe in a phylactory. On top of that, if the original body is destroyed, then the spirit of the lich can always go back to the phylactery and begin a search for a new body, and keep doing that until the phylactery is destroyed. The lich can be inside a body, and still exist after the phylactery is destroyed, but if the body is destroyed, then the spirit will have no where to go, and will perish as well.
As for the monk and negative energy situation, I would say they do stack, as I can't see how they wouldn't really. An unarmed attack from a monk (or anyone else for that matter) would incur the negative energy dmg, it's just the monk can cause alot more damage with that touch attack. That's my opinion though...
I think if the skeletal warrior is destroyed, it won't re-animate later, but that's a nifty house rule. In my own campaign the heroes were able to prevent a necromancer/cleric of Chemosh from becoming a skeletal warrior by tossing his golden circlet into a magma pit. That put an end to any nonsense.
Cheers,
Cam
.Skeletal warriors are actually very much like liches, and the golden circlet houses their souls. They can be controlled through the circlet, in fact. They also aren't mindless. Soth's lieutenants are some of the scariest undead on Krynn, all of them dangerous individually.
I think if the skeletal warrior is destroyed, it won't re-animate later, but that's a nifty house rule. In my own campaign the heroes were able to prevent a necromancer/cleric of Chemosh from becoming a skeletal warrior by tossing his golden circlet into a magma pit. That put an end to any nonsense.
Cheers,
Cam
Hmm, not disagreeing with you, but that's the first time I've ever heard that. I've always read and understood that skeleton warriors were mindless undead, not even as powerful as zombies (kind of like the undead equivalent of goblins for first level adventurer encounters). The monster manual lists human sized skeleton warriors as a CR of something like 1/2 or something to that effect. I just find it really intriguing that they would actually be strong enough to even have phylacteries.
Even if they can use phylacteries, I'd say they couldn't keep reanimating themselves though, since not even liches can keep coming back in the same exact body. They either need a corpse nearby, or one they have set aside to use once their current body is destroyed.
As for Soth's minions, are they standard skeleton warriors, or is there a special class or template added to the standard skeleton warriors?
As for Soth's minions, are they standard skeleton warriors, or is there a special class or template added to the standard skeleton warriors?
You have the DLCS, right?
Skeletal warrior is a template. It's what I have been referring to. I'm not talking about the skeleton template (which is in the MM).
Cheers,
Cam
Also how does the Monk class features interact with the 1d6 negative energy touch attack? I know you can deliver touch attack spells through a normal unarmed strike so can you do Monk damage+1d6 negative energy?
On to the 2nd question. Monks cannot use a touch attack to deal damage (except when grappling), so here are the available options. Note that if the monk uses a full attack, he may mix & match these attacks.
1) The monk makes a normal attack and inflicts normal damage + 1d6 points of negative energy.
2) The monk makes a melee touch attack and inflicts 1d6 points of negative energy.
BTW, if you use the Book of Exalted Deeds, this would also apply to monks who possess the Touch of Golden Ice feat (but replace negative energy with the Golden Ice effects).