skeleton warriors

Skeleton warriors are a common undead troop deployed by necromancers. Skeleton warriors were used extensively in the First, Second, and Third Age.
Technically, a skeleton can be created to do something other than fight, but relatively few necromancers bother with this. A skeleton can use basic tools if they used similar tools while alive. A few macabre necromancers have created dancing performance skeletons.
Animate skeletons are more powerful than zombies, but they are harder to create. Basic skeletons require a mostly intact dead body or complete collection of bones whereas a zombie can function with missing limbs if the necromancer (or an unlucky aid to the necromancer) creates and attaches a crude prosthetic.
They require a modest investment in reagents to create. If a skeleton warrior is created from a fresh dead body, the flesh and sinew on the corpse will fall off and turn to dust within hours of the spell's completion.
Skeletons need to be animated from creatures in life that possess the skills they use in undeath. A skeleton archer must be animated from someone who knew how to fire a bow in real life (though they needn't have exceptional archers in life). A skeleton will not be proficient with a shield if the creature didn't know how to use a shield when alive.
More advanced necromantic magic can make more powerful skeletons. Skeletons that are faster, stronger, tougher, or have unique powers. More advanced skeleton warriors require specific types of skeletons. The deceased was killed by an execution, the deceased was killed by suicide, the deceased was royalty, inc. Each variant of a skeleton warriors has different requirements.
Most skeleton warriors rely on weapons, but formidable skeleton warriors can be created out of predatory animals and monsters fairly easily.
There is nothing to stop a necromancer from creating a skeleton butler or other servant but the overwhelming majority of animated skeletons are created for combat.
If a necromancer dies before a skeleton warrior does. The skeleton warrior will carry out the last order given to the letter until the end of time.
A skeleton with no upgrades is a tier one undead. A skeleton with one upgrade is a tier two undead. A skeleton with two upgrades is a tier two undead and so forth and so on.
For details on how undead tiers work, see the appendix section on “Controlled Undead”.

Basic Tier One Skeleton Stats (human base)

Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2, Charisma 1, Manipulation 1, Appearance 0, Perception 2, Intelligence 1, Wits 2
Abilities: Alertness 1, Athletics 1, Brawl 1, Dodge 1, Stealth 1, Melee 1 Merits: Proficient in shields Health Levels: OK, Destroyed
Skeletons can use their Stamina to soak all damage with three bonus dice against piercing and slashing attacks.

Common Skeleton Upgrades

Resilient Upgrade: +1 Stamina, 4 extra health levels. By far this is the most popular upgrade for skeletons.
Second Resilient Upgrade: 3 extra health levels

Clever Upgrade: The skeleton has +1 Intelligence, +1 Crafts and +2 Archery, and +1 Melee Second Clever Upgrade: The skeleton has +1 Crafts, +1 Archery, +1 Melee

Nimble Upgrade: +1 Dexterity, +1 Wits, +2 athletics
Second Nimble Upgrade: +1 Dexterity, +5 feet to basic movement increment.

Might Upgrade: +2 Strength, +1 Melee

Uncommon Skeleton Upgrades

Bone Blade Upgrade: One or both of the skeletons arms are transformed into Strength + 3 blades that are hard as steel. Also +2 Brawl.

Cavalry Upgrade: +3 Ride. The skeleton can ride skeleton horses, zombie horses, or spirit horses. Regular horses won’t tolerate an undead rider. This requires that the skeleton used to be able to fight from horseback while alive.

Violation of the laws of Physics Upgrade: +1 Stamina. Also, somehow the skeleton resists knockdown and knockback just like a living person would.

Scaraquan Upgrade: Skeletons cannot swim normally without this upgrade. A skeleton with this upgrade will swim roughly as well as they did while alive though without tiring.

1929 Disney Upgrade: +2 Performance
Tim Burton Upgrade: +2 Performance

Skeletons cannot swim

Unlike zombies, skeletons cannot swim without additional magic used to prevent them from sinking or bobbing uncontrollably.  Most Scaraquan necromancers never bother creating skeletons.
The exception is crustaceans or other creatures with exoskeletons, they can be animated as skeletons that move about underwater with nearly the same mobility they had in life.  That is almost a separate creature altogether.

Related Myths

• Greymoria spiritually affiliated creatures