Large Undead
Hit Dice: 8d12 (52 hp)
Initiative: +7
Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (–1 size, +3 Dex, +2 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 11
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+13
Attack: Gore +8 melee (1d8+5)
Full Attack:** Gore +8 melee (1d8+5) and 2 hooves +3 melee (1d6+2)
Space/Reach:** 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Powerful charge
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/bludgeoning, darkvision 60 ft., immunity to cold, pass without trace, undead traits
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +6
Abilities: Str 20, Dex 16, Con —, Int 2, Wis 10, Cha 1
Skills: Jump +17, Listen +6, Spot +5
Feats: Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Run
Environment: Any
Organization: Any
Challenge Rating: 4
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: 9–16 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: —
This horselike creature displays an unnatural combination of skeletal parts, including a pair of long, straight horns protruding from its skull.
Created by an evil necromancer for an undead army, a skeletal warbeast has the body of a large warhorse attached to the skull of an oryx (a plains-dwelling antelope with two long, straight horns).
Skeletal warbeasts are more than just animated horned warhorses, though. The great magic used to create these steeds allows them to retain much of the abilities they had in life—speed, strength, and knowledge—while gaining the ferocity of the undead and the supernatural ability to leave no tracks behind.
Combat
A skeletal warbeast can fight while carrying a rider, but the rider cannot also attack unless he or she succeeds on a Ride check. Skeletal warbeasts begin most encounters by charging enemies with their heads lowered. An intelligent rider will avoid head-to-head fights, opting instead to use the steed’s great speed to stay out of melee and force enemies to use ranged weapons (which are nearly useless against the steed’s skeletal body).
Powerful Charge (Ex): A skeletal warbeast deals 4d6+10 points of damage when it hits with an attack after a charge.
Pass Without Trace (Su): A skeletal warbeast can move through any type of terrain without leaving any tracks or scent. Tracking a skeletal warbeast is impossible by nonmagical means.
Undead Traits: A skeletal warbeast is immune to mindaffecting spells and abilities, poison, magic sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, and any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless it also works on objects or is harmless. It is not subject to extra damage from critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage to its physical ability scores, ability drain, energy drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or death from massive damage. It cannot be raised, and resurrection works only if it is willing. It has darkvision out to 60 feet.
Skills: Skeletal warbeasts have a +4 racial bonus on Jump checks.
Carrying Capacity: A light load for a skeletal warbeast is up to 400 pounds; a medium load, 401–800 pounds; and a heavy load, 801–1,200 pounds. A skeletal warbeast can drag 6,000 pounds.
