Skeleton (Dungeons & Dragons)

Skeleton
Characteristics
Alignment	Neutral
Type	Undead
Image	Wizards.com image
Stats	Open Game License stats

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the skeleton is an undead creature. In the third edition of the game, a skeleton's statistics are usually created by applying a template to those of another creature.

The skeleton was one of the earliest creatures introduced in the D&D game.

The skeleton was one of the first monsters introduced in the earliest edition of the game, in the Dungeons & Dragons "white box" set (1974), where they were described as acting under the instructions of their motivator, usually a magic-user or cleric of chaotic alignment.

The skeleton appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977), where it is described as a magically animated undead monster enchanted by a powerful magic-user or cleric of evil alignment.

The animal skeleton was introduced in Dragon #66 (October 1982) in the "Creature Features" column by Gary Gygax, and soon after appeared in Monster Manual II (1983).

Several skeleton variants appear in Dragon #138, in Tom Moldvay's article "The Ungrateful Dead" (October 1988), including the bloody bones, the dry bones, the gem eyes, the shock bones, and the skleros.

This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the skeleton, in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1977, 1981, 1983). The skeleton was also later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1991), the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991), the Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1994), and the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game set (1999).

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