#boneclaw

[comicwaren]

From Wolverine Vol. 8 #020, “The Savage Champions”

Art by Martín Cóccolo and Jesus Aburtov

Written by Saladin Ahmed

[twilightofthesandwiches]

Which Edition of D&D had the best design/artwork of a Boneclaw?

Third Edition

Fourth Edition

Fifth Edition

Voting ended onMar 13

[ttrpg-smash-pass-vs]

WHICH WOULD YOU SMASH?

Githyanki

Boneclaw

Voting ended onJul 14, 2024

On the left, Githyanki are human-sized dragon riding warriors from space that make silver swords from sheer willpower. Now as shown in BG3, these are just people. You'll find some of all personalities, it's the culture most are raised in that makes them like this. But the large majority are aggressive and arrogant and miltaristic and...most of the things they hate tbh. They fell into the "became similar to former oppressors because it's all the culture they had left" trap. You can find nice ones, It's just that their lich queen hunts down most of them.

On the right, the boneclaw is a failed lich, either because the caster wasn't skilled enough for the task or thier body was too frail to survive the ritual. I'm not surpised, given their proportions are like a Code Geass yaoi parody, holy shit those goddamn hands. 15 foot reach on those claws, and they can teleport through shadow! They find a master and stick to them religiously, able to return from the dead within hours as long as that bonded person is alive and evil. They're also sadistic, revel in pain and hatred, and are enthralled by things like envy, despair, and malice. You can't fix them, but they can make you worse! :D

[ttrpg-smash-pass-vs]

Qualifiers: Boneclaw

SMASH

PASS

Voting ended onMay 27, 2024

The boneclaw is a failed lich, either because the caster wasn't skilled enough for the task or thier body was too frail to survive the ritual. I'm not surpised, given their proportions are like a Code Geass yaoi parody, holy shit those goddamn hands. 15 foot reach on those claws, and they can teleport through shadow! They find a master and stick to them religiously, able to return from the dead within hours as long as that bonded person is alive and evil. They're also sadistic, revel in pain and hatred, and are enthralled by things like envy, despair, and malice. You can't make them better. but they can make you worse! :D

[thedansome]

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

Dahlia's group went off to rescue kidnapped children in the sewers, and along the way they dunked on a boneclaw monster. Dahlia spared it but that only managed to piss it off. The quest was successfully finished and the monster returned again. I think it was expecting to fight but Dahlia kinda just brushed it off. The sheer impudence I suppose.

[plesiosaurchestra]

i recently learned about the boneclaw which is a failed lich that imprints on an evil person and acts as their servant and all i can think of is a grim adventures of billy and mandy-esque scenario where an evil kid forces a boneclaw to be their best friend

[lastenline]

I saw someone painted a bone claw with skeletor’s colors so I painted my own version of it.

[thecreaturecodex]

Boneclaw

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.

Boneclaw                 CR 12 XP 19,200 CE Large undead Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +19 Defense AC 27, touch 14, flat-footed 22 (-1 size, +5 Dex, +13 natural) hp 161 (17d8+85) Fort +9, Ref +10, Will +14 DR 10/good; Immune undead traits; Resist cold 10, electricity 10 Defensive Abilities channel resistance +4, rejuvenation Offense Speed 40 ft. Melee 2 claws +17 (2d10+6/19-20 plus pull) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. (15 ft. with claws) Special Attacks pull (5 ft.), rend (2 claws, 2d10+9) Spell-like Abilities CL 17th, concentration +21 At will—dimension door 3/day—quickened dimension door, mass inflict moderate wounds (DC 20) 1/day—shadow walk Statistics Str 23, Dex 20, Con -, Int 13, Wis 19, Cha 18 Base Atk +12; CMB +19; CMD 34 Feats Combat Reflexes, Critical Focus, Improved Critical (claw), Power Attack, Quicken SLA (dimension door), Sickening Critical, Stand Still, Stealthy, Toughness Skills Bluff +18, Climb +21, Escape Artist +21, Knowledge (religion) +16, Perception +19, Sense Motive +19, Stealth +25; Racial Modifiers +4 Stealth Languages Common, one other SQ hide in plain sight, sense master Ecology Environment any land or underground Organization solitary Treasure standard Special Abilities Hide in Plain Sight (Ex) As long as it is in dim light or darkness, a boneclaw can hide without cover or concealment, even while being observed. Rejuvenation (Su) A boneclaw returns to existence 1d10 days after being slain, within 1 mile of its master. This can only be prevented by slaying the master as well, or having them willingly renounce evil and accept an atonement spell in the time before the boneclaw rejuvenates. Sense Master (Su) As long as they are on the same plane, a boneclaw can sense the location of its master and how best to travel to them, as if via a find the path spell. They can also read their master’s surface thoughts at will, as a detect thoughts spell, at any distance (Will DC 22 negates). The save DC is Charisma based.