#boneclaw

Local DnD party can't be bothered with quest boss monster anymore. Context:

Hehe! Now it's m' turn!

Here's ol' Boneclaw! He's got a real stern temper compared t' his brother Deadeye, but that don't make the feller any less approachable compared t' his fellow cats. Boneclaw's got a record of keepin' his clanmates in line, but trust when I say he's got a soft spot for the younger kiddos!

You might not believe me, but he had a real love for adventurin' as a youngin' - but I betcha his tales ain't as excitin' as his brother's. Those two have a real inseparable bond, 'specially after, well, an incident in the family... But I'm gittin' off track.

Image © Wizards of the Coast.

[The boneclaw gets my nomination for “biggest glow-up” among the monsters in Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes. From its 3.5 incarnation in Monster Manual 3, the boneclaw has doubled in CR from 6 to 12, and has some of the most fun flavor text in the book. I expanded its origin story from “failed lich” to any failed self-made undead, because in part the boneclaw doesn’t have much in the way of lich like powers, and in part because there’s a number of “failed lich” monsters around.]

Boneclaw CR 12 CE Undead This creature looks like a distorted humanoid skeleton, stretched to twice its usual height. A crown of short spikes grows from its head. Its arms are overlong, giant scything claws reaching all the way to the ground, and visible muscles and tendons drive the movement of each claw independently like pistons. It is robed in darkness, shadow-stuff covering its legs and hanging to the ground as if wearing a skirt.

The act of transforming oneself intentionally into the undead is relatively rare, and typically requires a strong will and determination. If a person who tries to make this change is weak-willed, reluctant or otherwise wavering in their conviction, the transformation might go awry, warping their bodies into the form of a boneclaw instead of the intended lich, graveknight, or other creature. A boneclaw’s personality is likewise transformed. The boneclaw’s mind latches on to the strongest evil personality within a few miles of their initial location—this could be a man or monster, king or commoner, even a particularly spiteful child. This person is now the boneclaw’s master and the boneclaw will unceasingly serve its desires. Even if the master doesn’t want the services of an undead horror, or even know that they have been granted such an honor.

A boneclaw acts as it interprets the wishes of its master, but does so in the most violent manner possible. Most approach their masters directly and ask them what they wish for, but some remain hidden, acting as “guardian angels” of a murderous sort. Those that the master envies or despises are brutally murdered, valuable items are stolen and end up in the master’s possession, or other heinous acts are committed based on the master’s innermost thoughts. Once they realize that they have a powerful tool at their disposal, most masters grow ever more depraved and brazen. On the other hand, if the master sincerely repents of their wickedness and seeks magical redemption, the boneclaw is destroyed. Obviously, most boneclaws try to avert such changes of heart whenever possible. 

Boneclaws attack from hiding, often from narrow alleyways, cellars, and other tight spaces they seemingly shouldn’t be able to fit into. Their claws extend to truly nightmarish length, and a boneclaw drags their prey closer and closer. Few creatures within a boneclaw’s reach can escape without magical intervention, and boneclaws delight in mutilating their victims long after killing them. If slain, a boneclaw returns to unlife unless their master either dies or forsakes them. As such, these monsters fight with no regard to their personal safety.

"I don't like to feel good, I like to feel evil!"

Decided to have a bit of fun and paint a D&D Boneclaw in Skeletor-inspired colors this past weekend. Myah!

I painted TWO Boneclaws! One like the way the tutorial from the Paint Kit suggests and the other they way I normally paint. Check out the video to see which might be better.