Boneyard

The pile of bones before you stirs. The bones rise and reform, and as each bone finds its proper place, the shape of a huge serpentine creature emerges, one whose form is composed of interlocking bones, its head the skull of some unnamed and long-dead beast.

A boneyard is an undead creature made entirely from the bones of other dead creatures. However, unlike a skeleton or similar monster, a boneyard’s form is fluid in the sense that it can appear merely as a pile of bones, or as a serpent composed of bones, or some other form of its choice. Boneyards have been called by many names, depending upon where they are encountered, including bone weirds, dancing bones, and bonetakers.

A boneyard weighs between 4,000 and 8,000 pounds, depending on the number of bones it has subsumed.

Boneyards speak Common, Terran, and Abyssal.

Combat

A boneyard seeks to bite and subsume the bones of its foes. If it can start a grapple, it pulls victims directly into its mass.

Bone Subsumption (Su): Whenever a boneyard successfully bites a foe, the victim must make a DC 22 Fortitude save (except for undead victims, which make Will saves). The save DC is Charisma-based. On a failed save, the victim’s bones begin to melt away from the body to meld with the form of the boneyard. The victim takes 2d4 points of damage to Constitution, Dexterity, and Strength. This ability works only on creatures that possess a skeletal structure (so it works on many undead, but it is useless against constructs, elementals, oozes, and plants).

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a boneyard must hit a Large or smaller opponent with its bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking attacks of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can try to utterly subsume all the bones in the victim’s body.

Inescapable Craving: A boneyard has an inescapable craving (see the Undead Metabolism section in Chapter 1) for bones, which it satisfies by using its bone subsumption ability.

Summon Skeletons (Su): A boneyard can summon undead creatures from its own bones once per day: 3–6 troll skeletons or 2–4 young adult red dragon skeletons. The undead arrive in 1d10 rounds and serve for 1 hour or until they are reabsorbed back into the boneyard.

Utter Subsumption (Su): If a boneyard wins a grapple check after using its improved grab ability, it attempts to pin the target on its next action. A boneyard that begins a turn with a victim still pinned and that makes one more successful grapple check automatically tears every bone from the victim’s body, instantly killing the victim.

Source: Libris Mortis, page 89.