[Necromancy] Monster - Skinmeld

Uncharacteristically light on its feet, the bloated skinmeld is little more than a layer of skin filled with necromantic energy. Its eyes, nose, and other orifices have been melded shut by the necromantic process, sometimes with material harvested from other corpses. At the necromancer’s beck and call, the skinmeld shambles with a slight unnerving bounce.

New wave necromancers who make full use of a corpse may turn its skin into a skinmeld, in addition to a zombie or skeleton. Their choice of skinmeld filler varies, from the more common method of necromantic telekinetic reanimation to the rarer stuffing of straw, blood, or air. Traditional necromancers derisively refer to skinmelds as “skinflatables,” a point of contention that encouraged the divide between factions.

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DESIGN COMMENTARY

This creature was designed for two major reasons — I wanted an undead creature that is different from the typical flesh and bone undead, and I had a fun spell idea that turns you into multiple undead (disembody self). I immediately decided on "skin balloon," which during research I discovered didn't quite exist yet (there are currently reanimated skin and stitched skin examples). I also like the idea of "soft robotics necromancy" and the cute connection to miasma ("bad air").

This undead originally had flight and was a ranged combatant because it was a balloon, but was eventually deemed too mismatched for disembody self. Granting it ranged weapons also raised questions (did you know skeletons only have weapon attacks in its stat blocks? What happens when you raise a skeleton with raise dead? etc). Eventually it was reduced to CR 1/4 along with the skeleton and zombie, and given a bomber self-destructive role instead.

The name went through a bunch of iterations but this one was the best that explained its type. "Skinstitch" was already taken, and "skinflatable" was too silly. "Skinballoon" and "skinblimp" was too obvious.