What medieval weapons would skeletons really use? FANTASY RE-ARMED

[@loganatallah6558]

I would go with a more tank-y build, since you used a 100kg man as an example I will too, as you said a 15kg skeleton with the strength of a 100kg man would be very mobile but add 85kg of armour and you have merely reduced his mobility back to what it would've been if he had flesh... except his flesh is armour. now since skeletons don't get tired he can tire out his opponents (or starve them if it really comes down to it) and with all the armour he will be fairly protected from damage. now for the weapon, a war hammer is going to be used because it can do lots of damage in a short amount of time

[@SaganTheKhajiit]

Now what about Dark Souls style skeletons? The ones where the magic can keep them alive for a very large amount of damage, but can't keep them together through too much physical stress? In such, if you hit a skeleton enough times in quick succession or with a heavy enough weapon they'll just break apart all over the ground and then magically reassemble. Dark Souls is the latest game I remember seeing skeletons like these, but surely it isn't the only game nor is it the first. So if that were how the magic worked, skeletons would get only a temporary benefit from armor since pieces would fall off after they were scattered and not come back to their reassembly once separated from the bone inside. Those are the ones I'm particularly interested on, since they'd need to be smarter and more creative.

[@VelikiHejter]

George Takei Daggers have one major drawback when you compare them to other medieval weapons, that is reach. I do not care how fast you are, if I am holding a 3 foot sword and you are holding pair of daggers you will lose limbs before you get to me. And if I hold a shield paired with that sword, daggers would be utterly useless. Dagger is a sidearm, there is a reason that only daggers ever used as battlefield weapons were backup weapons intended to be used when range becomes so short that your primary weapon, usually spear or some other type of pole-arm becomes impractical to use.

[@loganatallah6558]

ok...

[@loganatallah6558]

wouldn't they especially benefit from being encased in armour? like wouldn't the armour help keep the bones in place to prevent them from going all over the place when hit too hard?

[@shanerooney7288]

Go for a combination. Tanky armor skeleton on the front lines Fast rapier skeleton thrusting over, around, and _through_ the tank at the enemy. Tireless archer skeleton holding the arrow at full draw waiting for that split second opening.

[@Mike-mf3ed]

Says bows are good for skeletons, Minecraft players: “don’t let go of your shield!”

[@steveminecraft4364]

Imagine if shields worked the same in real life where projectiles just bounce back

[@Mike-mf3ed]

@@steveminecraft4364 I have a feeling that 1000 years into the future will introduce shields that ricochet bullets. Who knows?...

[@BroodingEdgelord]

lol

[@BroodingEdgelord]

also wither sceletons are deadly.

[@Mike-mf3ed]

@@BroodingEdgelord true dat.

[@andrew_cunningham]

A lot of comments are talking about how a skeleton could wear a shitton of armour since they don't have to lug around all the fleshy bits humans have, but why not take the concept further? The way skeletons are being imagined here sound essentially like a magically powered animatronic chassis. There are no moving parts, complex structures or power sources required to move the bones, and the only logical way to damage them would be to break the bones themselves. So forget wearing armor- you could cast steel directly around the skeletons' bones to make invincible humanoid war machines, or a particularly evil necromancer might even build skeletons directly into the mechanics of a siege engine to act as an immortal, tireless equivalents to a hamsters on a treadmill. The possibilities are honestly endless, yet these guys always end up as derpy canon fodder in fantasy media.

[@taekinuru2]

oh yeah necropolisi powered by an undead horde is old hat. One trick I’ve seen in D&D is have a undead trigger a toggleable magic item repeatedly to charge up a arcane conversion field to fire off a spell to another conversion field instantly... wireless transmissions via spells. It’s not that big a step have the undead as a parser for simple language to transmit a message in magic to another location where it is then descrambled from spell form by the recipients.

[@taekinuru2]

This inevitably leads to the magic internet

[@loganmireles7752]

see, that's just it. a bow, a warhammer, or a sword wouldn't stop them, but a direct hit from a cannon would.

[@no_misaki]

@@taekinuru2 skellphone...

[@timothymclean]

I always assumed that if you had the resources to start casting your skeleton warriors in steel, you'd just make golems or something instead. Skeletons are the budget minion.

[@HandleMyBallsYouTube]

The scariest thing about skeletons is their ability to hide inside ordinary human beings, think about it, you mom, your dad, even your best friend, might have a skeleton inside them.

[@mythshaper5053]

MyNameIsMud why would you say that?! What if there is a skeleton inside of me.... biding its time until I am least expecting....

[@shuriken188]

Hold on a second, my brother landed really hard on his leg one time and it kinda snapped. When they took an x-ray of him, he had a broken *skeleton leg* inside his! From a few injuries, I think he might have a skeleton inside him! Oh man, what if a skeleton is just disguising itself as my brother!? I need a weapon to fight him in case he comes out (lol) as a skeleton! SHAD, WHAT DO I USE!?

[@PJDAltamirus0425]

Fuck, that sounds like a horrifying mortal combat move. Soak someone completely in magic then use the magic to separate their skeleton from their body , then possess said skeleton and puppet it.

[@shada0]

Sounds like the song Skeleton Man.

[@TheZephyrsWind]

I got an x-ray recently, everyone... I have a... skeleton inside me. I don't know if it's biding it's time or what.

[@robertdevito5001]

"The skeleton could feel really confident" I love this series

[@Alpha222-tkn]

Don't give up, skeleton!

[@D1SCORDANT3]

To be honest, though, It would be kinda hard to have confidence, without any guts

[@victormillen8393]

@@D1SCORDANT3 and balls 😏😏😏

[@FumanyuX]

@@D1SCORDANT3 I love yoy

[@zerozeroone4424]

I just realised something. Inside Shad is a skeleton, talking about skeleton fighting

[@edwardfontaine7108]

Random Whiterun Guard coincidence? I think not!

[@nexus_5005]

-mygod-

[@imdone8243]

I used to be a skeleton like you. Until some human crushed me into bonemeal for a recipe.

[@Haerodiel]

He's educating his skeleton for when its time comes!

[@not_a_german_weeb_spy7078]

everywhere I go I see your face

[@FirstRisingSouI]

But Shad, what about DRAGON SKELETONS???

[@darthvader6533]

FirstRisingSouI ,Makes good swords

[@prometheanrebel3838]

Dracoliches? Gg, fam--

[@kaynesylvar8277]

Bone Dragons? Mostly the bite.

[@Santisima_Trinidad]

I see you too have traumatic memories of laberinthian, a d getting stuck in an enclosed space with a skeleton dragon.

[@jaxonprouse5337]

Supercell has entered the chat

[@Thorunge]

"Skeletons with leather straps"... wouldn't that just be a slightly more expensive mummy?

[@jamesmerkel1932]

No, much cheaper actually since you don't have to go through the entire process of mummification which also requires a multi-person ritualistic curse to be done properly :)

[@invisible_inked]

On the contrary that’s just a person because leather is skin

[@bvghinsdaprophatdesgrongru9393]

Yes well...but actually no

[@helium-379]

Cut out a suit from a potato sack for the skeleton put it on him and stuff it with cotton.

[@TheGelatinousSnake]

@@helium-379 undead are weak to fire. Soak the cotton with watter. Now the have weight, fire resistance, crush resistance and scatter resistance. Genius

[@lordnul1708]

I generally assumed it was "whatever they died and/or were buried with" as that's usually how it's done in some works.

[@Thundermikeee]

generally how it works, but if you start thinking about it, the approach from maybe the anime Overlord, where he equips high level undead with legendary class gear, is the smarter way to do it. would be counter productive to one of the main benefits of using skeletons in the first place (assuming a mage of some kind reanimates them) which is that they are cheap and disposable, but it could drastically increase their power to give them suitable gear. I suppose it depends on lore and how much the magic that animates them can change their attributes like durability and strength

[@matteussilvestre8583]

You know what would help a skeleton protect itself from blunt weapons? A glorious gambeson.

[@jeyb14]

I imagine most of them are already pretty good at bare-knuckle fighting.

[@GophersVids]

THIS is why I sub to this channel. Not afraid to ask the really important questions!

[@zodiak123]

how nice to see you here gopher

[@prebruler]

They could wear a very thick gambison. They wouldn't be affected by heat and it would protect them from blunt damage. Their low weight is a disadvantage for close range combat, so they would need a weapon that is light and give them some range why they exhaust their opponent. A rapier is a good idea, but I think that a spear and shield might be better.

[@GallowglassAxe]

Actually the gambeson would hold their joints together too. If they're held together by magic if you break say their shoulder then as long as the arm is still in the sleeve it could reconnect.

[@benthomason3307]

the downside being that they'd look like a frikin' carebear.

[@prebruler]

@Ben Thomason I agree, they'd definitely look less scary haha

[@WadWizard]

If they attacked in formation the skeletons behind could stab through the line in front of them

[@Killobot42]

Wadwizard ZOL pike formations like Alexander used... Sarissa

[@floridamancode_e2673]

To my knowledge the best weapon for a skeleton to use is a large spiked wagon wheel.

[@no_misaki]

Thank you dark souls 😑

[@mayonnaise2396]

Ikr

[@charion4909]

Also the trumpet for fearsome dooting

[@mayonnaise2396]

Those frickers lost me so many souls in Ariamis...

[@AreGeeBee]

THIS LAND IS PEACEFUL. ITS INHABITANTS KIND

[@athieshgaming2659]

Only a year behind. Its not if the skeletons are smart enough to pick out weapons and armor. Its what the discerning necromancer chooses to protect his bony automatons.

[@victormillen8393]

Yup, thought the same

[@magoswes3588]

Ninja Guy NEW DND IDEA. Forge cleric necromancer: Raise an army and equip it with the best weapons

[@athieshgaming2659]

Sounds fun. I think you best bet, magic permitting, would be to just augment their their teeth and claws. Just replace one hand with a puncturing spike for getting through armor and the other with a hammer. Its not like they are smart enough to use much else and reach isn't much of a concern since the game plan is just to overwhelm. What would be really fun would be coating the skeleton bones in metal to protect them from shattering and adding spikes and sword breakers.

[@tzaphkielconficturus7136]

Then, he can stick them in a bag of holding, and shoot or teleport the bag of holding to the enemies he wants rattled, before the skeletons come out of the bag. Bad boys get the skeleton bag!

[@voidseeker4394]

Usually they rise with the same weapons they were using when they were humans.

[@HasvenWorld]

Best weapon for skeleton would be a giant spikey wheel

[@ronbird121]

Sepulchre13 praise the sun bro

[@ilbianchi3465]

I would totally grr react this comment

[@joolsstoo3085]

Or to all combine together and form one giant, unstoppable skeleton ball rolling down the stairs at it's enemies. And then roll back up again because why the hell not. Or even merge to become a dead guy made up of a thousand dead guys, that'd be neato. Or Nito, whatever.

[@methyllithium323]

Funny enough for me this was among the easiest bosses ; )

[@maxkore278]

fighting nito was a disappointment

[@Awaifn]

Shad: They're intelligent. They're able to speak. "The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent."

[@cheesestyx945]

Have you ever heard of any other species capable of speech?

[@galvatk2194]

Parrots

[@eyeballpapercut4400]

@@cheesestyx945 r/ fucking whoooosh

[@cheesestyx945]

@@eyeballpapercut4400 What? We wouldn't be able to speak unless we learned a language meaning we are intelligent. That's what intelligence is, the ability to learn.

[@eyeballpapercut4400]

@@cheesestyx945 double whoooosh

[@nikolai60]

Any time Shad gets quiet the first thing I do is minimize my volume levels.

[@nikosdepes8200]

Me too buddy. Me too

[@nexus_5005]

nikolai60 i thought my phone was muted

[@shorelockhomes943]

nikolai60 usually the same here.

[@gso619]

From my experience with roleplaying games, the most effective weapon you can give a skeleton in a medieval fantasy setting is the gun. No one expects the skeletal wizard to pull out a 1911.

[@sobinir7933]

Random uuuuuuh...yyeeeeaah...hmm... Yep

[@TURBONERD]

You raise some great and valid points but I think you're missing the obvious, true skeletal choice of weaponry: The Russian RPG-7. A dinky old warhammer or mace would stand no chance against a glorious pale-boned skeletal warrior with an RPG-7. You can't deny it: It's cheap and effective, one of the best anti-armor and even anti-tank kits you could use. And with Skeletons not having muscle fatigue, what's stopping them from carrying several RPG-7s, loaded and ready to blast into the general direction of a would-be hero or even British Army observation post, if your campaign happens to be set in Northern Ireland.

[@schippai3308]

I love you.

[@bones2164]

I second this love

[@smievil]

with their weight they'd be able to pull of some impressive rocket jumps

[@silvertheelf]

And here I was thinking skeletons used bows and arrows as a preferred weapon

[@adhesivemailbox1993]

He said medieval weapons, but he could pull an iron man.

[@a.z.c.5462]

Welcome to the *_B O N E Z O N E_*

[@ardagne3204]

hahahaha

[@50shadesof_jamesgray]

I bring calcium

[@StoneHavel]

*M I L K*

[@nathangamble125]

I want to get off Mr Bones' Wild Ride :(

[@rustys9918]

But Nathan the ride never ends

[@lachlanmckinnie1406]

My Maximum Skeleton Survival Build™ (assuming you need to rip apart their joints or break their bones in two): >Use cords to bind the joints together for support >Wrap all the bones in cloth, treated to survive the elements. Basically mummy-style. >Use full plate armour, including a thick gambeson and chain. Preferably treated against the elements, and possibly made fire resistant too. Go extra thick on the armour. >Kite shield for 100% shieldy goodness. >Spear as primary weapon, rapier as backup. Maybe even carry a bow and arrows. >Top off the build with a doot doot. All skeletons need a doot doot.

[@curtisirons7491]

What in the blue blazes is a doot doot?

[@lachlanmckinnie1406]

@@curtisirons7491 A trumpet, bugle or other brass instrument.

[@curtisirons7491]

@@lachlanmckinnie1406 thank you for the clarification. If its a skeleton that has the power of speach then i agree it deserves to toot its own horn. However if its of a type that can't speak a drum might be a better fit. And once again thank you for clearing up the doot doot thing.

[@lachlanmckinnie1406]

@@curtisirons7491 No worries. It's a meme to call it a "doot doot".

[@zackcatchem7525]

Well the skeleton doesn’t have lips so how would it articulate into the mouthpiece???

[@GallowglassAxe]

Always great! Now I kind of want to use a disguised skeleton for a formal duel. His opponent stabs him "Aha!" The skeleton is unphased and stabs him back.

[@edi9892]

In Overlord there was such a scene.

[@rewrose2838]

He could be the _legendary swordsman known to have never lost a duel_ (then you could have a squire aspiring to become the strongest swordsman aiming to one day meet the -skeleton- swordsman of legends and defeat him in a formal duel, the squire goes through his hero's journey and in the final battle against the skeleton, he loses -and maybe becomes an undead himself- )

[@matthewmuir8884]

That was in an episode of Merlin: this dead knight was reanimated to keep challenging Uther's Knights (the knight had a personal vendetta against Uther in life, and now cannot rest again until that vendetta is fulfilled).

[@spambaconeggspamspam]

*Curse of the black pearl intensifies*

[@jooot_6850]

Rew Rose Aha! Then this squire comes back as a skeleton with a mace, knowing -skeleton- master swordsman's greatest weakness and runs up to him and just cracks his skull and becomes the next greatest duelist

[@tinybitofchaos5278]

It's funny as soon as you said they'd be faster and lighter, I thought "well than they should use a rapier" and then you named axes and stuff and I was like "nahhh rapier man" but then you brought it up and I was happy.

[@graysonelam78]

I'm gonna go out on a "limb" here but I'm thinking the best weapon against them might be a dog.

[@douglasknupp4574]

Grayson Elam joke a parte, makes sense. A dog biting its leg would have no problem triping and dragging it due mass

[@paulcoy9060]

And then of course, because The Laws Of Comedy are strong in my campaign, the skeleton hops after the dog carrying it's leg, completely forgetting it's orders to kill the PCs.

[@NopeJustPatrick]

*paul coy* - The Rules of Comedy and Awesome are two things that every good DM/GM needs to obey for a truly enjoyable campaign.

[@AaronDarkus]

Skeleton: *Exists* The Doggo: *Is a free real state*

[@petermenzies9193]

You've trained me well. I turned the volume on the intro down this time.

[@andorfedra]

and i always turn it up because i watch without headphones.

[@shorelockhomes943]

I do both.

[@awesomebearaudiobooks]

If skeletons are moving with the help of magic, wouldn't it be more advantageous for the dark wizard who's created the skeletons to just make weapons fly instead? I mean, a typical skeleton has hundreds of bones. Imagine that instead of cooperating the movement of a hundred bones, you would cooperate the movement of a hundred daggers!

[@magoshyyem7436]

That's... that's not how necromancy works...

[@generic840]

Because daggers dont have souls Nor they cant consent

[@Dexuz]

Magic and the supernatural in general operates on soundness, you can imagine a magic user commanding a skeleton because it once was a human, it is "plausible". But a bunch of daggers? The wizard might be able to levitate a few, but not really "give it commands", much less making them independent "beings" that could protect a dungeon for decades. That's also why magical constructs such as golems and the like are given a human shape, or at the very least a beast shape, because if it's just an everyday object, the magician can't truly "believe" those to be able to act on their own.

[@Sparrow_Bloodhunter]

considering that skeletons are held together with magic (either from a castor or their own soul, which may affect their intelligence), it could be assumed that skeletons would make for very effective mages. typically the most powerful magics are shown to have devastating side effects on the persons health, but a skeleton doesn't have to worry about that. in fact it is usually the skeletal Lich who is depicted as the most intelligent and powerful spellcaster, because they shed their limitations of the flesh and have full control over their actions because their own soul is what powers them.

[@zahylon5993]

AINZ OOAL GOWN

[@punic4045]

@@zahylon5993 SAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[@nevermore7285]

Though, in such cases, perhaps if they used to much magic, the stuff that is animating them, they would begin to literally fall apart

[@tzaphkielconficturus7136]

It really depend's on the setting's magic system and the properties of the skeleton in question.

[@sprinkle61]

Lichs have a specific weakness, in that they typically cannot regenerate magic power like a living mage. This is important, or they would be almost unstoppable.

[@williamdemarko4744]

Skeletons always have a bone to pick with someone.

[@kylestanley7843]

@@pineappleproductions1696 nah, they seem to get hate boners all the time. Anyone they see is just boned.

[@pineappleproductions1696]

Now that's a bome tickler!

[@ninjacatcook]

BUT WHAT ABOUT SKELETON DRAGONS?

[@GallowglassAxe]

Aw you beat me too it.

[@lacien5624]

They'd be lighter so they'd fly easier, except their wing membranes are gone. They'd need their membrane replaced by leather or something and then they'd fly like nobody's business. Aerodynamics might become an issue, considering their lower mass and inertia, but most air could probably just go through them.

[@khartog01]

Dracolich.

[@GallowglassAxe]

@Maarlen Noordanus : Magic?

[@rotothedragonlord7198]

ninjacatcook If the skeleton dragon was.... just as strong as normal dragons.... and could breathe fire some how... and they where even faster and more maneuverable then normal dragons.. and they never get tired... and have powerful and strong dragon bones that are hard to break... They would give even the all powerful orc army’s and giant army’s Hell

[@SrValeriolete]

Maybe we don't see a lot of inteligent skeleton because the smarter ones just become mummies to better hold their body together.

[@aprettycoolname4839]

I think there mostly summoned and necromancy

[@ScampiTheSighted]

If I was a skeleton and a blacksmith, I'd reinforce myself with thin steel joints and supports on the major areas, then cover myself in padding.

[@ScampiTheSighted]

That's what I was thinking

[@znerolz]

+Shadiversity 1. Coat bones in metal, wolverine stile, or metal plates; e.g. bronze, brass, copper, maybe even steel, etc. 2. Use something to stabilise joints and spine with something: several leather strips, cordage, wire, etc. 3. Wear tight-fit gambeson (lots of flexible fabric, bound like tatami, to simulate flesh and bolster bones from heavy hits) covering the whole body. 4. equally tight fitted metal armour over that, e.g. chainmail or plate. 5. Fill the skeletons rib-cage with with straw or cloth-scraps to further lessen heavy blows, or find another way to do that.

[@tomimakirinne]

Also known as "how to make a medieval supersoldier".

[@leonvalenzuela4096]

But what about dragons?

[@znerolz]

+Leon Valenzuela same thing for undead dragons

[@danhaas9730]

Shad, wouldn't the skeletons' lack of fatigue give them an added advantage when wearing heavier armor than the average human could? If I understand it, it wasnt so much mobility that was hindered by heavier armor, but rather the ability to persist in battle without tiring. So a skeleton would be able to wear heavier armor than an equivalently sized human, since they don't have to worry about fatigue.

[@ninjahombrepalito1721]

Dan Haas Although at that point, you are better off just animating the armor instead of the skeleton. Although, if you already have an animated skeleton... or an autonomous skeleton, it could help. Also, wouldn't need excessive padding, one thick layer should be enough.

[@Killobot42]

Ninja Hombrepalito perhaps you could raise both? Have the skeleton wear the cursed armor but the armor has the warrior skills while the skeleton has a more mage like skill set perhaps even a mage skilled in necromancy itself... this combo screams boss fight.

[@proudpapaprick]

I did a D&D monster like this. Flesh golems in animated plate armor wielding a dancing greatsword, all linked up mentally by the wizard who made them to protect his tower.

[@ajomagurd]

مبروك

[@dyslegein]

Dan Haas they still wouldn't be able to lift it

[@kairo3201]

When it comes to applications with skeletons, one of my more favorite examples would be used in one of the novels I read which was to send skeleton armies underwater to suddenly overwhelm cities near oceans and other bodies of water

[@theminerboy5694]

The only problem with that is because of their weight and lack of surface area to paddle, they would move extremely slowly in water, end up floating awkwardly, and be completely at the mercy of currents.

[@TinnWard]

@@theminerboy5694 give them all a pair of heavy boots

[@stevenbobbybills]

And suddenly, we're at Pirates of the Caribbean territory.

[@planetfall5056]

One other the existential threats an intelligent skeleton would worry about (depending on the magic) is that they might not heal. Every nick of damage from weapons of weather would eventually wear them down to dust. If they wanted to last longer they might try to cover themselves in clothing or glazes. Imagine how tough a skeleton would be if they coated their bones in steel, that would be pretty awesome if they could survive the process.

[@elixxon]

Well Brook in One Piece just drink milk to power up from all the calcium! X,D Seriously though Skeletons are the most expendable undead, they are not for long term use anyway.

[@planetfall5056]

I'm sure they find that comforting

[@Amonimus]

*looks down at himself* "There's a lot missing."

[@andresarancio6696]

"They always are portrayed as fast and mobile as humans" I have scars of the Catacombs and Nito's lounge, and a friend with a violin and an afro who would like to disagree! Joking aside, skeletons are some of my favourite monsters in fantasy. There is something about these phyiscal incarnations of both death and defying nature being kind of silly looking while still being intimidating and relentless killing machines. A particular setting I was working on had some heavy focus on the undead, and its core concept was that skeletons that were reanimated had their memories during life kept in their bones, and as they grew older and the bones got damaged, they would become more feral and insane. Add to it some necromancers feeling it would be funny to mix and match bones between corpses to create interesting looking abominations of calcium, mixing their minds with one another and forcing them into this constant existential crisis, if not outright madness. That way the usually boring first line redshirts of an undead army suddenly become a pretty fascinating fantasy "species"

[@deanofett]

Great, now I am just imagining skeletons jumping around like crazy, and that sounds like a very spooky time. Definitely going to use this for my campaign setting.

[@venn2001ad]

Your videos are always so interesting, touching on subjects that most people wouldn't even realize about. You bring a whole new set of perspectives at looking at phantasy related stuffs, and I thank you greatly for your works, Mr. Shad. :]

[@Nuvizzle]

I really liked the 'physics' of skeletons in Dark Souls, where they were some of the most lightweight and athletic enemies (especially in Dark Souls 3), leaping all over the place and doing very acrobatic maneuvers with their lightweight frames, but the impact of a heavy weapon would cause their bones to scatter and leave them vulnerable while the magic keeping them animated took a moment to put them back together, and they fought with fittingly lightweight, dexterous weapons - shamshirs, falchions, sabers, and shotels (and bows). So not exactly a rapier, but the same general train of thought as to their agile fighting style.

[@BiohazardReactor]

One very important advantage a skeleton has over a human opponent is their complete immunity against poisonous and irritating substances, as the lack any sensitive organs like lungs or eyes. This means that a skeleton could simply throw globes filled with chlorine, tear gas or any other type of chemical weapon at its opponents, which then either would kill them outright, blind them or otherwise impair them, allowing the skeleton to end their misery with any weapons of its choosing. Alternatively, the skeleton could fix censers filled with burning toxic plants, chemicals or alchemical substances, to its armor thereby surrounding itself with a toxic fog or virulent miasma. Combine this idea with some of the heavy armor mentions in some of the other comments and you get an undeath knight wearing nearly impenetrable armor surrounded by a literal mist of death that chokes the life out of everything and everyone that dares to come to close to them. Just imagine a full formation of these "things" slowly marching towards you in eerie silence while the very grass at their feets withers and dies. In addition to their poison immunity skeletons are also very resistance against fire and heat (as long as the fire doesn't interfere with the magic holding them together), which would allow them to coat their armor or clothing with some sort of flammable material like oil, pitch or simply wood and then set themselves on fire becoming some sort of undead human torch. Depending on what sort of flammable material they used, the wouldn't even need to use a weapon, instead, they just could simply hug their opponent and cover them with some of the burning stuff. Combine this idea with their greater movement speed and you get a burning skeleton covered in some sort of medieval napalm charging at you with superhuman speed, literally hellbent on hugging you to death or tearing you apart with a giant war axe that is also on fire. Both of my ideas, therefore, help skeletons to not only become more effective in combat but also further improve the amount of fear and terror there are able to instill in their opponents, thereby crumbling the moral and fighting will of their enemies before they are able to crumble the bones of the skeletons. On a strategic level an army of skeletons would actually even more frightening than on the battlefield, because skeleton like other undead creatures require neither food nor shelter to keep them protected from the elements, which would allow them to use a scorched earth tactic on the offense as the burning of food supplies, the poisoning of wells and the destruction of houses would be meaningless to them but severely harm their opposition. TL;DR "Skeletons are spooky."

[@ntm4]

I love both of these strategies! Your descriptions put great, unique pictures in my head, which is a good part of why I love this series.

[@Lazypackmule]

Honestly that's so OP that it would necessarily have to interfere with the magic holding the skeleton together, or else you'd have a fundamentally broken fantasy world that if followed to its logical conclusions would just be filled with warring states fighting proxy battles with standing skeleton armies, and any human fighting would be using some kind of insane magical supersoldiers or very small groups of permanent underdogs using guerrilla tactics

[@dorkyface]

World War 1 would have had a completely different approach to chemical weapons if either side had Skeletons 0.0 Which could be an awesome fantasy setting of its own....

[@shuriken188]

Lazypackmule You could make skeletons work as long as they require absolutely ridiculous amounts of effort, wealth or perhaps blood sacrifice to create. For example, emperors might only have a skeleton or two guarding their tomb. The skeleton's equipment would be a small fraction of the price paid for a skeletal soldier.

[@chuuwoyomu]

Yes and no. The answer depends on the efficacy of fire tactics and on the reactivity of aerosolized acidic poisons and blistering agents. High concentrations of mustard gas are still effective on Skeletons. As the main component of"dead bone" is hydroxylapatite ( Ca5(PO4)3(OH) ), which is a base; while mustard gas (sulfur mustard compounds) are all acids, as are their decomposition byproducts. Several studies have shown that acids (esp. strong acids) are more effective at destroying bone tissue than bases as the acids target the ossified extracellular matrix, while the bases target the structural proteins. (It would take days or weeks, but in a war where the primary tactic was trench warfare, time isn't your big issue.) Since "dead bone" is proportionally more ossified extracellular matrix than anything else, acids would be the most effective chemical attacker. The damage would also be cumulative, and acid damage of bone usually does not change the physical appearance of bone before it its mechanical properties are similar to shortbread. (www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/can-acid-dissolve-a-body/3007496.article) I would like to point out that mustard gas is not a strong acid, but it does form a film of sulfur mustard on things exposed to the gas (as it is an aerosol, not a true gas). "Dead bone" is also significantly more porous than "live bone" with respect to chemical absorption, and the lacuna and canaliculi of the bone are small enough that one would have to worry about capillary action causing deep bone penetration of sulfur mustard compounds, essentially dissolving the bone from the inside out. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/350579/DstlTR25697_V1.pdf) By Coincidence, most common classical non-alkaloid poisons are quite acidic, and damage inflicted by weapons coated would slowly fester as well. World War I, would have seen some differences, but probably not in its general usage of chemical weapons (since all were acids). I would assume that both sides would attempt to position themselves upwind and blanket the battlefield in chemical agents (without the need to supply rations, much more chemical agents could be manufactured for such a purpose.) The impurities found in chemical agents of the time caused the chemical clouds to be opaque, greatly limiting visibility. However, The gases saw development because of their heavier-than-air properties, which made them sink into the trenches. Thus, while mining the battle field would make it hazardous to cross (even for Skeletons), the gases would force charges across no-man's-land. So it is unlikely that major changes would be made to the use of chemical weapons in World War I, but their use would probably have been more ubiquitous (which would cause all sorts of problems after the war). Also, France, (specifically Paris) would be fine, thanks to the Catacombs of Paris. Ironically, snipers would still be useful during windy conditions, as the gases blanketing the battlefield would dissipate more quickly, increasing visibility. German snipers could, with the help of optical scopes, regularly make successful head shots across the trenches. Provided with frangible or fragmenting bullets, these would still be quite lethal to Skeletons. I would also point out that skeletons, while plentiful, are a finite resource. Replenishment of your army would be difficult because most chemical methods of speeding up skeletonization (oddly, a legitimate term) cause some sort of damage to the bone structure. Mechanical and thermal methods are more labour intensive, and would increase the cost of the war more than chemical methods. And even mechanical and thermal methods would require significant resource expenses after flesh removal before one could produce a skeleton. Thermal methods could also be used to enhance skeleton troops. One could strengthen skeletons by slowly exposing bone to dry heat under a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere to temperatures greater than 1360 C. This decomposes the hydroxylapatite and allows for bone densification. (It also speeds protein decomposition.) It must be noted that hydroxylapatite reforms as the temperature is brought below 1100 C. (This method could also be used to repair mechanical damages to bone structures.) (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10509191) Slow heating and cooling is a must, as the rapid recrystallization of the bone inorganic matrix would create a glass, making the skeleton brittle. Larger crystals improve chemical resistance, usually at the cost of the creation of cleavage planes. Thus accurately controlling the cooling to create optimal crystal size is very important. This would make rapid production of useful skeletons difficult. Skeletons would still have to worry about heat damage as well. Any method of heating (fire?) them above 1360 C would be absolutely devastating. The rapid cooling due to the presence of mud, rain, and snow on World War I battlefields would make glass transition more likely in skeletons. This would embrittle them. Consequently, bullets (esp. buckshot) would be more effective against them. As a result, we might expect more fire based defenses. Although, when chemical gases are deployed, it would be inadvisable to use fire, as the resulting conflagration would be extremely dangerous to everyone caught in it. (Great for clearing the air though.) Also, flaming Skeletons would be susceptible to attacks with rectified vinegar (or similar aqueous acid) in a manner similar to Hannibal's use of fire and sour wine crossing the Alps, or the ancient Chinese method of fire and frost. The rapid cooling introduces mechanical stresses and the heated acids react with greater efficacy. This type of attack substantially weakens a skeleton's bones. In fact, if this type of chemical attack proved very effective, the chemical gases used in world War I would be more of a hinderance, and used to cover troop movements (much like smokescreens were used.)

[@MadHeart-rw9xh]

Very interesting stuff here! Makes me think about how I would answer a lot of those questions as a writer. Skeletons would be simplistic but inefficient undead, animated for a brief period (as the magic is essentially the only thing keeping them alive), for a clearly defined, immediate task. They would be the last resort of a necromancer hiding in a crypt; leave an axe or rapier by every ancient corpse and raise them as soon as the heroes step down the final stair for a quick horde of essentially suicidal berserkers with natural armor (being resistant to blades).

[@nathan9911]

I was thinking along the lines that skeletons would or could have a very large amount of mp, using it passively as hp and to keep them intact/moving, with them only able to use a small portion to cast magic if not at all. Liches on the hand would have the same amount of magic, but just inverted. Able to use the majority of thier mp for magic, but leaving little to hold the together, thus explaining why they're physical weak.

[@mateuszosuch6267]

Actually magic in case of skeletons does much more. Because sceleton has to move around based on magic (no muscles). And basicly if it holds together it's based on magic too. So it's like telekinesis doll with some artificial soul stucked into. Also - lich is basically the same but with soul of a powerful necromancer.

[@TheHornedKing]

I'm thinking a form of "ethereal muscles," created by magic, is how a skeletal being moves. And wether a skeleton can use magic or not usually depends on if they could in life or not. And in the lich's case, to be an execptionally powerfull necromancer, is sort of a requirment to become one in the first place.

[@agregau]

This sort of "balancing" races and monsters for D&D sessions were causing me headaches for a very long time. How to make skeletons work and not destroy world integrity, rules of magic use etc? I decided to say final NO to classic skeletons. In my universe, even a skeleton needs to add a mass, usually some kind of cemetery soil / ash, so skeleton is basically decomposed zombie.

[@davidhurcombe6505]

As soon as I saw the title of this video my thoughts were " they're re-animated corpses of warriors so wouldn't they just use the weapon they used in life?" Also due to the fact ( or fantasy ) they're being held together by magic it would take an amazingly powerful necromancer to make them able to run, especially if you want an army of them!

[@wesleyfilms]

Attach blades to their arms and have them spin

[@ZanderArchX]

Not being limited to mechanical locomotion, they could achieve great rotational speeds. If their blades were wide enough and angled properly, they could potentially achieve lift. Skelecopters.

[@tenletters5889]

Beybone Let it RIP

[@appleyanimator6541]

ZanderArch That idea is too good not to write into my story about a skeleton called Boner. I love it.

[@mattaffenit9898]

Spin2win.

[@onymitystudios3706]

@@appleyanimator6541 are you actually writing a story about a skeleton? That's fucking fantastic

[@TheLostArchangel666]

Now I know how to equip my armies as a necromancer. Thanks!

[@TheLostArchangel666]

Speaking of which: Necromancers would counter many of the intelligence issues skeletons might face.

[@mennograafmans1595]

You forgot the most overpowered combination for a skeleton. A violin, an afro and a sad backstory. This will crush everyones heart. And good thing Brook does have a rapierlike weapon. The guard isn't neccisarry anyway.

[@michaelx8486]

and always an open eye for panties... but skeletons don't have eyes! YOHOHOHOHO!!!

[@KrimzonFlygon1]

The most broken skeleton build is an espada, a capote, and obscene agility. Ole.

[@MikeThePsykat]

I was going to mention Brook myself, but then I saw your comment. Not only does Brook have a rapier like weapon with his cane sword, but Oda even took the time to address the whole weight thing and made him super light and fast. You can tell that Oda really puts a lot of thought into every detail of his story, and it shows.

[@ukownjchak3169]

K

[@airsoftguy9918]

"Ahh my bones! Better hold em together" Maybe its just 2 am but that was hilarious

[@jessehenderson6071]

Fast skeletons? *Dark Souls Carthus Catacombs flashbacks*

[@Valsorayu]

*what's this red stuff*

[@MrWhatdafuBOOM]

*One Piece flashback*

[@turtlegamez4274]

The re-asembling skeletons and the skeleton wheels... Oh god the horror

[@Quasihamster]

All bones? Just a flesh wound.

[@christopherrhodes3228]

Mikosch2 WHAT FLESH

[@MGX93dot]

A skeletons worst enemy is a hungry dog.

[@AlexYorim]

MGX93dot Papyrus learns that the hard way.

[@antcommander1367]

or skeleton dog's or wolf's which are their own worst enemies...

[@Beriorn]

Skeletons are held together by and can move through magic. If you alter the magic so that they can keep together under high speeds you just give them two axes/swords and make them spin really fast. Skeleblenders! Or turn them upside down, have their arms and les spin in opposite directions. Certain helicopters have both rotors on top of one another instead of one in the front and one in the back, or have the back one be sideways. Apply this to your skeleton and you now have a SKELECOPTER. Another issue is armor: armor that fits a human is too big for a skeleton on account of no muscles. So they'd need custom-made skinny armor to wear, which adventurers can only pilfer to sell for scrap metal instead of use it themselves.

[@Shaker626]

Forget skeleblenders, give them angled blades. Skelecopters!

[@stefanr8232]

Why not skip the bones and just magically attach two blades. Call it a juicer.

[@AHEM1313]

They wouldn't need custom armor, just more padding. In fact, that would be particularly advantageous to a skeleton, because all that padding would help protect them from blunt force trauma.

[@Late0NightPC]

Have you ever seen Dark Souls? In the third game there is a type of enemy that ALWAYS closes the distance by rapidly somersaulting towards you until they use the momentum to slash at you with curved swords. And there is another type in all the games that has itself stuck inside of a spiked wheel, and they just roll towards you at super high speeds. Neither are the hardest enemies in the games, but they are well known because if one starts rolling, you better have some damn fast dodge reflexes.

[@JoshuaProtz]

Make them spin on a wheel? BONEWHEEL SKELETONS

[@lockwoan01]

I remember during one D&D session - Dwarf Druid grabbed one skeleton, and swung it against another, shattering them.

[@sparatus5967]

3:15 Ha!. In my book, the first thing my MC mentions once he realizes he's been turned into a skeleton, is that he needs armor to gain weight, because otherwise he'd be thrown around too easily. I'm two steps ahead of you, Shad!.

[@FerretPirate]

I would be interested in more information about this book...

[@sparatus5967]

FerretPirate The short version would be "Legendary hero rises from the grave to liberate his people from oppression and to do justice with the necromancer who turned him into a monster". The plot isn't really that important, though, it's mostly character driven, as the protagonist has to come to terms with the idea that maybe his people don't deserve him sacrificing his life again for them. It also goes pretty deep into the central father-daughter relationship, and there's plenty of drama. With all that being said, I'm writing in Spanish, so it's unlikely that it'll be translated, unless it somehow became a best seller.

[@jamesforgie6594]

That sounds like a really interesting book. I hope it does become a bestseller, because I reckon I’d love to read it.

[@sparatus5967]

Thanks, I really like how it's coming along (About 65% done, minus all the rewritting and editing). It worries me how could it be marketed, though, because it touches some pretty deep themes, so it's definetely not for everybody. It goes into subjects such as guilt, the meaning of life and heroism, forgiveness, justice, acceptance (Almost everyone is terrified of the MC and rejects him one they see he's a skeleton below the monk outfit he wears), and one of the main character archs is the MC struggling to find a reason to keep on living after 119 years (As of the current chapter) of having everything fall apart around him, and the guilt he feels for having failed almost everyone he cared about back when he was still "biologically" alive.

[@CommandLineVulpine]

I found this episode... humerus

[@ILikeMyPrivacytbt]

I see where you went there, ha ha ha.

[@Foxlink87]

The most annoying thing about them is that no matter who or what you are and have done, they always have a bone to pick with you..

[@sammythewizard8479]

My skeleton dnd character actually uses this logic behind how he’s so agile as an assassin, and why he can take so much damage (apart from the titanium armor of the Bearer of The Curse) from swords, and why he uses a katana (half katana) and he’s a ranger because his dried bones can not be pierced

[@LWolf12]

Mmm never considered the weight to be a factor when it came to skeletons, does make a lot of sense though.

[@timothydornan6517]

Shadiversity, the best kind of diversity.

[@principetnomusic]

Timothy Dornan Diversity of Sha. Doubt, Fear, Despair, Hatred, Violence, Anger and Pride.

[@MrDUneven]

If only historical movies had shadiversity quotas.

[@timothydornan6517]

MrDUneven ... on all levels, yes.

[@davidmacko6309]

Skeletons best for rouge or other stealth character Writer/game designer: yeah lets give him an axe and a shield

[@lockwoan01]

I know how to do it - Party is about to take the Long Rest. Skeleton Dude takes the First Watch. Sits by a tree, with a sign by him saying "Warning - Don't mess with these guys!" Bandits walk past Skeleton Dude. Skeleton gets up, flips sign around, taps the shoulder of the rearmost bandit, who finds himself reading "I Warned You!" Skeleton then uses the sign to bash him in the head.

[@stevenbobbybills]

​@@lockwoan01 Looney Tunes shit. Love it.

[@lockwoan01]

@@stevenbobbybills Yep. Crazy.

[@echonovixtemplar7806]

Any sort of ranged weapon would be good because they would have increased speed to maintain distance and, the lack of flesh make them resistant the small piercing projectiles of most ranged weapons used against them. They would also not lose the power from there attacks due to their lack of mass.

[@tommytomthms5]

Thank fucking god someone said this... for fucks sake I was worried that people forgot that bows existed at all...

[@boxfoxreyes9950]

You would have to use like Mongolian bird arrow so you have a better chance of hitting them

[@eliad6543]

Minecraft was right all along

[@victormillen8393]

@@eliad6543 so true

[@SVD63Ninja]

And daggers too since the skelly's can use their mobility to close in and shank.

[@adamblakeslee5301]

Never change, Shad. On Skeletons, I'd say that the most prominent armor would be gambesons. Flexible, and with padding to dampen blunt force a simple quilted cushion would negate most of a skeleton's weaknesses. I'm not sure about the super heavy armor, though. Either a skeleton has the same torque as a equal sized human and therefore adding 85 kg is rectifying an inequality or they have the same strength to weight ratio as a human and therefore aren't faster than a human. On the other hand, 85 kg of armor is worth a small fortune. Tactically, a Skeleton would prefer skirmish tactics, shield, sword, and javelins. They'd stay at range harassing human formations, tiring them out until the humans either charge or break. Either way, the skeletons would then maneuver to isolate and destroy their prey piecemeal. A sentient skeleton would probably avoid a rapier instintually because it wouldn't see it as a threat.

[@ChaoticHarmony431]

Time to add rapier wielding skeletons into my DnD session tonight, thanks Shad!

[@paulcoy9060]

Give them a Dexterity score of 26, due to their increased speed because of loss of weight, but not strength, and make them minions. They can only take 1 point of damage before being destroyed, regardless of armor worn. But I would rule it must be actual weapon damage, or spell damage. They are immune to drowning, and won't take damage from poison, or gas, or cold, or heat, or radiation, or any normal environmental effect we could have in our real world. This way, they remain a threat with any level of play, but aren't impossible to beat.

[@PyryKorh]

paul coy One well placed fireball and they are toast tho.

[@ChaoticHarmony431]

they didnt have access to fireball at the time.

[@PyryKorh]

Bernkastel burning hands does the trick too. If I remember correctly.

[@pyronuke4768]

"HA HA! YOU CAN'T KNOCK ME APART BECAUSE I'M A SKELETON WITH ROPE AROUND MY BONES!!!" -Shad, 2018

[@someguydavies2723]

I guess you could say that, against a blunt weapon, a skeleton is BONED.

[@lpsp442]

My default interpretation for how skeleton strength works is that each part of a skeleton provides the effective functionality of the associated flesh. So a skeleton's femur is responsible for all the muscles in that part of the leg, and if the bone is damaged or weathered then it effects the effective muscles and tendons accordingly. Skeletons don't mind a knife between their ribs, but they *would* mind having their ribs crushed, as that would deprive them of the effective functions of their heart and lungs.

[@cherrydragon3120]

LP SP what heart and lungs? They're skelletons...

[@lpsp442]

Impressive misreading

[@lpsp442]

(also I noticed a pretty critical typo lol, corrected: they WOULD mind having their ribs crushed)

[@BurkinaFaso69]

Really nice idea!

[@redking36]

So you’re saying the skeletons are in the Matrix and people are piloting them with real bodies?

[@laufert7100]

1:32 "The ability to speak does not make you intelligent." Qui-Gonn Jinn

[@jacobnoelle8428]

This video is great for any inspiring necromancer who want to use skeletons in there's forces

[@proudpapaprick]

Jacob Noelle And now I'm crying wistfully, wanting another Warcraft RTS.

[@firebladeentertainment5739]

Jacob Lyon don't even mention it... we all want another good warcraft rts with awesome map editor

[@slimebuck]

can you say... DIABLO 2! My favorite character was the skelly army Necro in that game :D

[@firebladeentertainment5739]

Mine too! and the sorceress for obvious reasons... and i dont mean that i have a knack for magic!

[@fightingfitz214]

Hm like my primary dnd character

[@shadfacts6465]

Shad Fact: Shad is the only person to see what a boggart actually looks like. When reached for a statement he says “They are short with almost cute with large eyes”

[@ZGuy0fSci]

So, *Skeleton + Rapier = Boned?* (seems legit)

[@matteussilvestre8583]

Shad post a video about spooky skeletons on a Friday the 13th. Coincidence? I think not.

[@celtofcanaanesurix2245]

Norse swords and axes good for skeletons? Norse skeletons/ Draugr confirmed

[@notdotarden]

Same.

[@dreconit6156]

Wouldn't the Draugr be more like zombies? They seem to have a lot of flesh on them still.

[@celtofcanaanesurix2245]

Dreconit true but in Skyrim they’re just skin and bones

[@dreconit6156]

I looked at them again, yeah, they're pretty skinny. And I'd think a traditional Draugr wouldn't need them because they could just grow and then step on you.

[@celtofcanaanesurix2245]

Dreconit true

[@enkiimuto1041]

Skeletons could use gambesons thick to protect the joints where weights like sand or water to simulate their insides and absorb impact of weapons. It wouldn't exactly slow them down as much as one would think because they don't get tired.

[@christopherogrady79]

What if they made a custom gambeson where some spots(like the ribcage) are open? I mean, cover the ribcage, EXCEPT leave a hole in the gambeson where the hole of the skeleton's ribcage or other areas of the skeleton's body is. This could trap blades without damaging the skeleton.

[@NigelTolley]

That was my thought too. Make it "skin tight" and you'd have quite a job splitting one apart. Pad it well, and good luck shattering the bones.

[@trezapoioiuy]

What about directly plating the bones?

[@logankarrick]

Depending on the setting, if a skeleton utilizes magic / mana to move and hold together, then they could potentially get tired just like living humans. Mana is just a type of energy, and most stories state that mana depletion makes you progressively more tired. Since they don't have any physical energy, as they are skeletons, you could say that moving uses mana, wielding heavier armor and equipment could use more mana than using lighter equipment, moving faster could use more mana, etc. At that point, anything could be wielded by a skeleton, but it would be more dependent on their mana reserve, and they could easily be taken down if you stall them long enough.

[@jerryfrancis78]

If they don't get muscle fatigued, then maybe a polearm or a big mace? Could help against heavily armored opponents and good damage and range

[@gakeon963]

You, definitely are one of the biggest, nerdiest, craziest geek on youtube....why don't you have 50 million subs?

[@pgrebeshev]

If you'r going with the rapier why not take it another step and give them a spear or a pike? Great range, easy to use (not every skeleton is a master swordsman), easy to manufacture and the only real counter - a longer spear, is not countering you. Also notice how skeleton archers are imune to return fire =)

[@dynamicworlds1]

Yeah, skeleton archers being nearly immune to return fire was my first thought...also one of the reasons I always have my d&d characters buy a sling. (Ranged bludgeoning damage that is easy to hide/carry, means I can still use a shield, costs 1cp, weighs 0.01lbs, can use improvised/alternate ammo from rocks found on the ground to flasks of alchemists' fire, counts as a simple weapon, and can have non-combat utility for just throwing things further? Sign me up every time!)

[@remingtonwright6796]

He briefly mentioned zombies at the beginning of the video, so I wanted to kind of put forth the logic I use in my fantasy setting. In my setting, zombie do rarely occasionally have weapons. However, it is quite literally whatever object rigor mortis locked their fingers around when they died. Usually I make these sticks and rocks, and the occasional rusty broken weapon or tool, which they don't wield with any amount of skill beyond just flailing their arms. Their brain function is so basic, they don't even know they're holding something. It's just stuck on their hand

[@generalgage4780]

do a fantasy Re-armed for *Dryads* ! :D

[@joaosturza]

spriggans

[@paulcoy9060]

brownies

[@excaliburzx1134]

Shad: “I can’t think of any skeletons that talk” Me: “Skeletor or SKELETON WARRIORS!”

[@travisoke4683]

I love the humor in these videos.

[@bulecrow541]

But what about skeleton dragons?

[@altamashwaqar]

No one Shad: what medieval weapons would skeletons use? Me: curious af

[@harvestn9841]

I think armor could still be effective for skeletons if they have the same strength as humans, because as you pointed out, they wouldn't need to use as much of their strength to move their own mass as humans would.

[@vilhelmpuddintain9295]

The best weapon for skeletons is a pair of shoulder-mounted heat-seeking rocket launchers, everyone knows this.

[@jonathangibson9098]

Vilhelm Puddintain just like Leonardo di caprio

[@wasderlike]

I feel I need to point out that skeletons are not known for emitting much heat, so your heat-seeking rockets would not track onto the skeletons. The explosives would certainly be effective though, provided you have a way to hit with them.

[@vilhelmpuddintain9295]

wasdish Play more Doom.

[@b0nes329]

"Skeletal archers would work quite well" Ah, I see that you have heard the tale of minecraft.

[@ThrottleKitty]

IDK throwing a waterbottle seems like a good enough tactic to me now.

[@FrarmerFrank]

Well, a water bottle at that size has the weight of a pommel if you want to end someone rightly

[@501Magnum]

I think skeletons (the intelligent ones at least) would employ hit and run tactics, instead of traditional medieval combat tactics. Considering the fact that they're (following your generalisation of skeletons) faster while still having equal strength to humans.

[@dvklaveren]

Or, how about instead of hit and run tactics, they'd be using these ridiculous ambushes; their bones wouldn't be that different from, say, the branches of trees. And since they do not suffer from muscle fatigue, they could stand in the same place as still as a statue, with their weapons already at the ready. Imagine skeletons with longbows standing along a muddy road, standing perfectly still with their bows outstretched, for hours on end, simply waiting for people to pass by. Then *THWANG* a hundred arrows released at once against unwitting opponents. Or skeletons standing in darkness, with their rapier ready, simply waiting for someone to come close enough for them to snap their rapier forward and impale them.

[@brysky2011]

I was literally JUST thinking about this! That was when I learned I must be a cosmic influencer and willed this video into existence.

[@DanielGallant1]

Based on this video, for 5e D&D, I would make these changes to the regular Skeleton: - Change hit points to 26 (4d8+8) - Add 2 to Armour Class (Natural) - Add damage Resistance: slashing, piercing - Movement +15ft - increase damage to 1d8 for a rapier and a longbow - (Optional) When hit by bludgeoning attack for 5 or more points, they are pushed back 5 ft. - increase CR to 1 (200xp)

[@StReborn311]

+Shadiversity If you do not have one you need to get a Dungeon Master's Manual and a Monster Compendium haha. Some of that you said is exactly why there are variations of skeletal warriors, like ancient, fossilized and brittle bone. Also differing levels of sentience as well. Also skeletal warriors fall under the category of un-dead, and since that is true they also fear no death, they cannot be intimidated and are tireless in combat, these are also typically their strong points in fantasy settings. Thanks for the video!

[@pascalgillert6511]

I think a skeletons intelligence is less like that of a human and more like programmed computer.

[@Shatterverse]

Pascal Gillert yeah, unless we're talking those intelligent skeletons from medieval art or certificate games, they're basically stupid, weak Terminators.

[@Erilis000]

I love that you made a 17 min video on what weapons and armor magical fighting skeletons would use.

[@RebSike]

A skeleton would be a much more interesting enemy in games and media if the points and logic made in this video were applied to them.

[@LaVidaHermosa]

RebSike they would not be such a lowly creature, but a formidable foe.

[@CyarSkirata]

Shad, Do you have any thoughts on a warrior of immense physical strength (in this case granted through magic) wielding a two-handed axe one handed with a shield? How practical do you think that would be?

[@kinemikonen4155]

I don´t have a bone to pick with this video, even though the thought of having to fight these boners would shiver my spine and rattle my insides. In all seriousness, I think skeleton archers would be the most effective unit, since they can keep their bows drawed at all times, just ready for any openings. And it is quite hard to attack anything without leaving yourself atleast somewhat exposed.

[@venn2001ad]

It seems like the archery is one of top picks for a lot of these phantasy creatures, all due to their immense strength or immense endurance/stamina. Plus, some sort of a stabbity-stabbity weapon, like a spear... or a rapier (as said in this video)! Plus, as always, a sturdy shield~. LOL. Suddenly, a more logical look at arming these phantasy creatures doesn't seem all that different from arming common humans, IMHO. xD

[@alexvirgo0]

3:50 And that's what happens when a skeleton picks up a sword on Minecraft, a true nightmare

[@TexanIthorian]

I love your videos they are a god send when it comes to fantasy story writing. before I found your channel I was less then a novice at anything medieval wise. I thought the tribuchet was the ballista and a sharp sword could cut through plate.

[@vikereo3047]

"I'm a SKELEETOOON with ropes around meh BOOONES"

[@callmequaz9052]

Something pretty cool in dark souls is that you can make skeletons fall apart from the sheer force of an impact. A heavy attack, usually with a big, heavy weapon will make them simply fall apart, which is both very funny and a cool little detail.

[@DeusEversor]

@shadiversity +Shadiversity #Shadiversity (i never know which symbol to use for summoning in this realm of social media) There is actually a very old computer game, that has already answered this question - good old Dungeon Keeper rts game, by Bullfrog Studios. There, it was vital to gather oponent corpses or alive, to eventually turn them into skelletons. Skelletons where really valued, because (game provided a very complex system of accomodating your creatures) needed no fun, no training (although could train), no prayers, no sleep and no food, they had no moodswings. They were hard to come by on hard levels with rare but strong human incursions, but there were also levels, where you could depend only on them(or converted-to-evil humans) as you were cut off from attracting new creatures to your realm.

[@serifthegodofinsanity8823]

at 1:42 i thought you were gonna say undertale

[@dunning827]

serif the god of insanity same

[@weirdsnek4488]

Me too my brain was like SaNd FrOm UnDeR tHe TaBlE

[@ashtongiertz8728]

That's the joke. Would have been even funnier if an image of Sans or Papyrus was slowly peeking it's way from the side of the screen while he was pondering.