Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Hurin88 Mar 27, 2015 11:07:38	I'm playing in a new 5e campaign and about to start using Animate Dead to summon skeletons and zombies. I'm wondering, though, if, after I summon them, I could arm them differently. Skeletons are armed with shortbows, for example; could I arm them with longbows? Zombies have rags on... what if I turned a dead knight in plate armor into a zombie? Would he get the AC benefit of plate?   Thoughts?
#2 Pompadour64 Mar 27, 2015 11:10:28	They're dead. I don't think they care whose arm you attach to them.
#3 Hurin88 Mar 27, 2015 11:37:24	I guess what I'm asking is, is this RAI? I can see how it has the potential to be unbalancing if this was not intended... but I don't know if it was.
#4 pauln6 Mar 27, 2015 11:46:47	I think this is covered at the start of the MM.  I think I'd enforce encumbrance due to armour though.
#5 FFSAA Mar 27, 2015 12:02:27	Your first 4 skeletons should be used to carry the palanquin your wizard rides on.  After that, go nuts, monsters don't care about proficiency, if you can afford it, gear 'em up.
#6 Kalani Mar 27, 2015 12:20:32	FFSAA wrote:
#7 Illithidbix Mar 27, 2015 14:09:41	A very good question. The Actual answer of course is "Upto the DM".   DM's Basic Guide wrote:
#8 FFSAA Mar 27, 2015 14:02:04	Kalani wrote:
#9 OrwellianHaggis Mar 27, 2015 17:37:35	Yes, in short. In long, yes. You can reasonably assume that a skeleton armed with a short bow is of a class that can use short bows. I'd say fighter for ease of working out. That means the skeleton could use any weapon a fighter might use. Same with armour. If your DM rules differently, that's their cell.
#10 Justin2166 Mar 27, 2015 20:24:24	In my games at least, a skeleton or zombie raised has the skills and proficiencies it originally had in life.  In the Eberron campaign setting the country of Karrnath's army contains a significant portion of undead, and when their skilled and elite troops die they often try to have them continue to serve in death.  The books even reference that karrnath skeletons were elite soldiers in life, and have significantly higher attributes and challenge rating.    Also the Monster Manual in the skeleton section it doesn't just list human skeletons, but stats for non-human skeletons.  There are skeleton and zombie templates given earlier in the book too!  So not only would the corpse you animate determine what weapons and armor proficiencies they have, but it could influence their stats!  Try raising an ogre skeleton or zombie.  Raise a skeletal horse for a mount.  Have fun with it!   Most importantly, ask your DM.
#11 Justin2166 Mar 27, 2015 20:29:48	Personally, if one of my players animated the corpse of a formidable soldier, it would be completely different than if they robbed graves from the local small village.  The former might have full figher proficiencies and the latter would likely be a commoner who might only have known how to handle simple weapons.  I don't assume animating a corpse just magically summons a shortsword, longbow and armor scraps.
#12 Kalani Mar 27, 2015 20:58:17	FFSAA wrote:
#13 CCS Mar 27, 2015 22:06:52	Hurin88 wrote:
(Reply to #12) CCS	Kalani wrote:
#15 DemoMonkey Mar 28, 2015 8:55:07	Can you arm and armour your summoned monsters? Absolutely yes. On this there is no question.   Are they PROFICIENT with those arms and armour? DM's call.
#16 Hurin88 Mar 29, 2015 11:29:24	Thanks for all the responses folks! I will talk to my DM, and suggest that the skeleton's proficiencies be whatever they had in life.
#17 MacEochaid Mar 29, 2015 13:08:55	Here is one way to think about it,   a normal Zombie is a Challenge rating 1/4, however if you gave it plate armor, and a greatsword as per the Knight, then checking out the Challenge Rating chart in the DMG, Offensive Challenge rating( +3 and average 6.5 (1d10+1) damage)  = 1/2 Defensive Challenge Rating (29 hit points w/ Undead Fortitude adjustment, 18 AC with plate) = 1/2 So Challenge Rating = 1/2   So maybe your DM thinks, eh that's not that bad, let the player have fun and the money will balance it out, Or maybe he thinks the power and energy to create Zombie Knights with memories of their past lives requires you to access deeper magical energy and can only create half as many.
#18 Azzy1974 Apr 01, 2015 11:07:00	Hurin88 wrote: