Vampire Lord's Skeletal Steed

A vampire lord animates these horse skeletons to serve as guards and warriors. No flesh remains; sorcery alone binds the bones, which still carry only what tack happened to be on them at death: most nothing at all, some ragged blankets or saddles, and a rare few scraps of barding that improve their Armor Class. Old horseshoes remain on their hooves, and the animating magic makes them flicker with illusory flames whenever the steed gallops.

Unlike living horses, which constantly shift and twitch, these stand utterly still until needed, and are often found as a scatter of dusty bones. On their master's command, or when some magical trigger fires, the bones rise and fit themselves together, a sight that forces a horror check on witnesses. They smell faintly of dust and mildew, move with a hollow lightness, and their hoofbeats sound like rattling sticks rather than thundering horses.

In battle they behave as living warhorses, rearing up every round to bite and lash out with their hooves. From the second round onward, every other round, they can exhale a foul vapor into a five-foot-square area directly ahead, where any creature failing a save vs. breath weapon is held motionless for 2d4 rounds.

As undead, they ignore charm, hold, sleep, and other mind-affecting spells. Arrows and spears slip between their bones for no damage, swords and axes deal half, and blunt weapons, including polearms swung like staves, deal full damage. Fire and cold cannot hurt them at all, but lightning and electrical spells deal full damage. Their maker has strengthened their bond with the Negative Energy Plane, so they turn as wraiths, but this also leaves them open to the harmful effects of negative plane protection.

They haunt the black catacombs beneath his domain, old battlefields, and every part of the vampire lord's castle, and he stations them as sentries throughout his lands. He never rides them, but he does send them as couriers, so one might be met mid-errand bearing an urgent message or object. Mindless, they obey only him and only short, simple commands of a few words. A spell such as control undead can seize command of one, but the vampire lord knows instantly when that happens.

Being undead, they stand outside nature. Only the vampire lord knows the ritual to make them, and it needs a horse skeleton with its skull and at least 90% of its bones. No one knows whether the same magic works on other animals, but given his power and his ties to dark necromancy, it seems likely.