Skeletons

Skeletons are the second most common form of Eternal, and as their name suggests, they are all bones. For some reason with both Skeletons and Zombies, the world doesn't animate between them; If a body has more flesh than not, the rest will be regrown and they'll be zombified, but if most is missing, it will burn off the bones as part of the animation and the bare skeleton will rise. Skeletons don't need to eat or drink, though many have pretended to do so for a joke.

Less sturdy than other Eternals, Skeletons exhibit a unique caution. Anything that hurts them will mark their bones directly, and they know all too well that they might fall apart without too much effort. Most skeletons thereby wear heavy clothes or armor, it's not just so they can go unnoticed. For these reasons, unlike Zombies and Vampires, the Skeletons did not play Bullet Time very often, despite being almost as tough as the other Eternals. This is all despite the fact that their bones heal, and even replace missing pieces as part of their natural healing.

As Skeletons grow in power, their bones grow in places and calcify in others, "filling" many of the weak gaps in the bones, and covering others. At 5th level, they become Boneclaws (Owing to their canine teeth and finger bones becoming sharper at this stage). At 9th, they become Dullahan, and their bones have grown to the degree that even joints are cleanly covered by bone plating (This looks VERY unnatural for most Skeletons, almost like bone armor in places.) At 13th level, Dreadwalkers have no immediately visible gaps in their bones; Even their ribs are fully filled in at this point, forming a "chest" of bone. 17th level Liches are an odd departure, as Skeletons of this power have no more growth in their bones, but their bones take on a progressively more silvery-white hue, causing them to look magical, made of mystic metal. In addition to their bone changes, a skeleton's glowing eyes glow brighter with power as they gain levels.

Skeletons, like all Eternals, lived within other societies; The few Eternals which attempted to create their own nations did not survive to the time of the Collective. Many revealed themselves in the time of the Collective, and many became tinkerers.

## Mechanics

As a Skeleton, you choose the ancestry you bore in life and gain it's features. You lose 3 points' worth of those features, and gain the following features.

***Brittlebones***. You possess Shield to all damage save Bludgeoning and Radiant equal to 1/2 your health. Bludgeoning damage causes damage to this Shield and your hit points, however. You regain this Shield at the end of a long rest.

***Deathly Gasp***. You possess disadvantage on checks made to peacefully interact with most living creatures; Only those heavily acclimated to the dead treat you as a normal creature.

***Natural Weapons**.* Your bony limbs serve as natural d8 weapons which deal bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage as appropriate. If you're willing to lose a knuckle-bone for a while, you can even load parts of yourself into a firearm to deal ballistic damage.

***Separation***. You may pull your body apart piece by piece at the joints. This serves no purpose, but you remain sentient and keep awareness of your head and control over all of your parts while separated. You can even talk, as long as you have your jawbone attached to the rest of your skull.

***Undead Nature***. You do not need to breathe or sleep, though you need to rest your body for 8 hours to achieve a short rest, and a week of no excitement for a long rest, as normal. You are immune to disease, including the Plague, and many poisons. You suffer damage from sources which would heal the living, but heal from Necrotic damage. This healing also grants Shield against Positive Energy equal to the healing received until a rest is taken.