Warrior Skeleton

Skeleton warriors were once great fighters, now undead lords trapped in their dreadful state by wicked demigods or mighty wizards who sealed their souls inside golden circlets. Recovering those circlets is the only reason they linger on the Prime Material Plane.

One appears as a cracked, yellowed skeleton hung with scraps of decaying flesh, wearing the blackened armor and rotted gear of its former life. Tiny red lights glow deep in its empty eye sockets.

Whoever wears a warrior's circlet can control it from up to 240 feet away, but only with the circlet on bare head; any other headgear, even a helm with the circlet inside, cancels its power, though the warrior still senses where it is. In active control the wearer sees through the skeleton's eyes and directs it mentally to fight, search or do anything else, but cannot move, cast spells or act. In passive mode the wearer acts normally, sees nothing through the warrior, and the skeleton stands motionless. Switching modes is possible at will.

Gaining control the first time is harder. The character must hold the circlet to the head, see the warrior, and concentrate for one round, then succeed at a Wisdom check, trying again in later rounds after a failure. The warrior keeps coming the whole time, intent on killing the holder and taking the circlet, and if the character's concentration breaks first, even to fend off an attack, three rounds of concentration are required to start again. Most new owners do not even know they are being hunted unless they understand what the circlet is.

Removing the circlet or moving beyond 240 feet suspends control, which can be resumed later if the circlet is still in hand. If the controller loses it, by accident or choice, the warrior instantly heads for that person at double speed (12) to destroy him, and it does not stop until he dies or control is regained. Should the warrior press its own circlet to its head, both crumble to dust forever.

They usually wield two-handed swords but can use other weapons, and they gain an innate +3 on all weapon attack rolls regardless of the weapon. Only magical weapons can harm them, and they have 90% magic resistance. Creatures under 5 Hit Dice flee in panic at the sight of one, and priests cannot turn them.

They usually linger near where they died or were buried, often with a large hoard left over from a life of adventure. Obsessed with finding their circlets, they put little effort into guarding it.

Controllers use them as guards, servants or laborers. Because their fixation on the circlets makes them unreliable, other undead and evil beings rarely associate with them. They do not eat, sleep or have any other bodily needs.