Medium-Size Undead (cold, fire, or special)
Hit Dice: 2d12 (13 hp)
Initiative: +5 (+1 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative)
Speed: 30 ft.
AC: 19 (+1 dex +8 natural)
Attacks: 2 Claws +1 melee
Damage: Claw 1d4 plus elemental touch
Face / Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft. / 5 ft.
Special Attacks: Elemental touch, sharpened claw.
Special Qualities: Subtype, undead
Saves: Fort +0 Ref +1 Will +3
Abilities: Str 10 Dex 12 Con - Int - Wis 10 Cha 11
Skills: none
Feats: Improved Initiative
Climate / Terrain: Any land and underground
Organisation: Solitary or Unit (3d8)
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: none
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 3-4 HD (medium-size)
All elemental skeletons are medium-size humanoid skeletons. They move with the shuffling mechanical gait of undead automatons, usually with a hint of shakiness, as though a marionette player was pulling their strings awkwardly. Each of the elemental dead makes the element used in its creation obvious.
Acid Bones are glistening with acid and leave blackened patches of smoking ground behind wherever they go. Burning dead are covered in constantly moving flame, radiating the illumination of a small campfire, often appearing rosy from a distance. Freezing Dead seem to be carved from ice and radiate a (non-damaging) area of cold into their surroundings, amplifying their magical nature. Finally Shock bones constantly dance with tiny crack of lightening playing over the surface of their bones in rapid succession, radiating light equivalent of a open lantern.
Elemental Skeletons are as mindless as all animated dead and do not have any mental capabilities of their own. They have no society (or habits) either. They just follow their commands to the word, unable to interpret unclear orders. The mystic creating them has to use short explicit commands. (i.e instead of "Guard this room" the mystic has to say: "Stay here. Look at your surroundings. Attack anyone.") While the connections of difficult commands like "Guard", or "Retrieve an item", are beyond them, they understand things like "Go to (location)", "Stay here", "Attack" and other simple statements. Due to the nature of their creation they cannot turn against their caster or have their control usurped, even though the caster can give command to someone else, by saying something like "(Insert-name-here) commands". The control of elemental dead cannot otherwise be turned against the caster. They will not do so of their own accord either, because they do not have a mind.
Combat
All elemental skeletons lack minds of their own. They are not just dumb,
they do not know anything beyond a limited set of commands. In a typical
encounter they will simply shuffle into the direction of their opponents
and attack with bony hands. Elemental dead do not use weapons.
Elemental dead with more than two hit dice are often called captains, who
sometimes forsake one attack to use a shield.
Acid Subtype: Acid bones are immune to
acid damage. They receive double damage from lightening, unless a saving
throw for half damage is allowed. In this case they take half damage
on a successful save and double damage on failure.
Cold Subtype: Freezing dead are immune to
cold damage. They receive double damage from fire, unless a saving
throw for half damage is allowed. In this case they take half damage
on a successful save and double damage on failure.
Electricity Subtype: Shock bone are immune
to electricity damage. They receive double damage from acid, unless a
saving throw for half damage is allowed. In this case they take half
damage on a successful save and double damage on failure.
Elemental Touch: Each elemental skeleton
deals additional energy damage when attacking, needing only a touch
attack to do so, even if the physical damage is deflected. The
energy attack always deals 2d6 points of damage. Acid bones deal
acid damage, burning dead fire damage, freezing dead cold damage and
shock bones deal electrical damage.
Fire Subtype: Burning dead are immune to
fire damage. They receive double damage from cold, unless a saving
throw for half damage is allowed. In this case they take half damage
on a successful save and double damage on failure.
Sharpened Claws: Some elemental skeletons
have their claws sharpened into claws, dealing 1d6 points of melee
damage.
Skeleton: Skeletons take half damage from
slashing and piercing weapons, lacking internal organs to be hurt.
Undead: Immune to mind-influencing effects,
poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning and disease. Not subject to
critical hits, subdual damage, ability damage, energy drain, or death
from massive damage.
Background
Elemental dead are usually created from skeletons of deceased humanoids, using the fifth level spell "Create Elemental Dead". While the spell itself is not evil, those using the bone servants are usually seen with at least some suspicion, as many cultures are infested with an irrational fear of death and the dead.
Usually the elemental dead are the servants of more powerful undead or necromancers (other mystics rarely bother with undead puppets). Sometimes the elemental dead are used for special tasks. Usually they are found in strongholds, dungeons and old tombs, particularly those occupied by more powerful undead.
Acid bones are used in sieges to dig through the walls of enemy castles occasionally. Burning dead are aflame and the bane of everything that burns, particularly libraries. Sometimes they are used to destroy an enemy's library. Freezing dead usually serve as guards. Shock bones are the most offensively used elemental dead, often gated or teleported into the middle of an enemy army.
Create Elemental Dead
Necromancy
Level: Clr 4, Sor/Wiz 5
Components: V,S,M
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: Short (25 ft. + 5 ft. / two levels)
Target: 1-24 complete skeletons
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: None
When casting this spell, you animate a number of skeletons equal to your caster level or fewer. The skeletons are imbued with unlife and a spark of elemental power, depending on the material and focus components you use when casting the spell. You must provide a number of complete and intact skeletons equal to the number you want to animate. The skeletons have to be lying free at the time of casting. This spell cannot make skeletons claw their way from a grave.
Material Components: When you want to create acid bones, you need a bowl of acid. Burning dead require a brazier with a burning fire, that lasts throughout the casting time. Freezing dead require a block of ice, that does not melt during casting. Shock bones require a rod of steel.
Focus Components: In addition to the material component, the casting of this spell requires use of a focus component, an emerald, ruby, sapphire or aeron gem of at least 1500 GP value for acid bones, burning dead, freezing dead and shock bones respectively.