Bonemen

[SolarSoothsayer]

OK, they are a sub type of undead and thus occur like undead. They just take longer before they rise due to the fact all their flesh has to rot away. They have no internal organs and no brain so they remember little or nothing of their past lives.

They are a strong as they where in life, but have no flesh to cushion their punches so they hurt a lot more and they have very good stamina.

The bones of a new boneman are usually all the same, but over time they may replace them if they are weak, broken or missing. If you where to pull on their bones had enough they will fall off.


They move singularly and have no hierarchy, its every man for him self.

They mostly wear clothes to hide their bones and for modesty, but some don't

That all, but if you see any problems with that tel me, and once we work out all the bugs in that information I will put it at the top.

[sonnywalker]

See, the thing is, undead is a general term, like "animal."

Under that there are a lot of other more specific types of creatures, so "occur like undead" doesn't really mean anything.

So, do they just come up out of the ground randomly with no memories, and then try to live a new life as a skeleton?

[Nihtgenga]

Also, why are they normally a bleached white colour? In the vast majority of cases, bones turn brown over time, not white.

[sonnywalker]

fair enough, Niht, but I'm more concerned with the practical and personal aspects than the cosmetic

particularly as these are being suggested as a playable race, it's key to know how they occur, under what conditions, how they operate, etc

it seems that they are effectively as intelligent and physically capable as humans, but immortal, and 'starting fresh' with no connection to a past life

do they have any memory of life? they can 'speak,' so it seems they would remember their own language - is it a form of amnesia they have? do they still remember skills they had in life?

[Nihtgenga]

As they don't move their mouths when speaking, I'd assume they communicate telepathically. It's possible they don't remember the language, but the projected thoughts are 'read' in the language of the person they're speaking to.

[SolarSoothsayer]

Yeah, they kinda talk like Death from Discworld, and they start afresh.

And Cheez how do you know about bones bleaching? I knew it, your a murdering viking. I've seen your pictures.

I am not sure, but they are basically undead with little to no memories, starting anew and with their bones hanging out.

[sonnywalker]

Sounds like a good source of sweatshop labor.

[Nihtgenga]

Ja, sy Vikingr.

But I actually first learned of that from CSI. I later did some research for something i was writing (Which since got ditched) and found that for once the science in CSI wasn't false.

[SolarSoothsayer]

So every one like what I got so far?

[sonnywalker]

Well, they don't have to eat, right? So what drives an animated skeleton with no memories? How long after death do they become reanimated? Do they dig themselves out of the ground? What makes one dead person a boneman and not another? How many bonemen rise per 1000 corpses?

Oh, and how solidly attached are their heads/limbs? Since they don't have muscle and tendons and skin to hold them on, how much force does it take to pull them apart? If one whacks his head on something, will it come off & leave him immobile?

[SolarSoothsayer]

Ok, they are driven by the desire to start a new life or go insane. They joined the Agency quite recently, the first one joined 50 years ago, they dig themselves out the coffins and end up with the agency or destroyed, 10 bonemen per 1000, A boneman is a undead whos flesh has fallen off and is animated only by sheer will power. The bones would have to be pulled very hard for them to come off, they don't just fall off. The head is most solidly attached and you need a strong person to pull it off, so most of the time it is easier to stop a boneman by killing them

[dara]

The best way I can see, is that they are typically necromatical slaves, because if they don't remember, they don't know. The things they know are, as they say, in the bone.

And how do you kill them? No flesh to stab, no throat to cut, no ass to kick, only bones to break. What would keep them together? Wire?
Although the willpower aspect is understandable, the person would have to have the willpower of a nation to keep themselves together without the typical meatbag.

If anything, it might be that they have the willpower, but can't rise, which would explain the fleshlessness, because they have to wait for a catylist, something to give them the final push.
Or someone.

So lets say yearly, a local necromancer would perform an archane right (depending on the necromancer, ranging from full mass, accompanied by blood, etc, up to the most experienced who click their fingers once) at a local graveyard, that allows the Bonemen to rise, and individually, he would lay a spell of binding or something on them, so they stay together, and not fall apart.

Well?

[SolarSoothsayer]

Yeah, I like the catalyst idea.
To kill one you have to destroy 50% of the head.
They only remember speech, movement, and anything they learnt and is important, such as magic and driving.

Hmmm, do you think they should be able to use magic?

[Nihtgenga]

Dunno about the magic, but I wouldn't call driving important myself.

[SolarSoothsayer]

Well it become like instinct eventually, so it is too the bone, as they put it.