Skeletons

 

I: Regular Skeletons

Regular skeletons are simply the remains of regular human-like beings, be they intact skeleton structures or fragments of typical skeletal remains. Even though basic, they can retain their human abilities even in their undead form. Basic skeletons also have the innate ability to attack using bone formations that are ripped from their very own structures.

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Basic Skeletons
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Skeletons make up the greater part of the Dark Lord's army. Risen from their graves, they now serve under the dark rule of Dracula. These basic skeletons serve two purposes: (1) They march back and forth, clogging up platforms, or (2) they jump high and far, sometimes in erratic patterns, while throwing bones in troubling arcs. Despite these abilities, they're usually easy to kill. Skeletons exist in legion, their ranks filled with many advanced forms, which you'll learn about in reading these first two pages.

 Alternate Names/Forms: White Skeleon, Skeleton Glass, Yorick & Waiter Skeleton

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Ghost Dancer
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Some skeletons were dancers in their former lives. Now undead, these odd skeletons will try to impress (and kill) the enemy by showing off their speed and agility, sprinting forward before stopping to lunge in a most acrobatic manner. They're quick in all such respects, making it tough to outrun them.

 Alternate Names/Forms: Skeleton Frisky

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Hanged Skeletons
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Hanged skeletons, like skeledragons and white dragons, have been grown spine-first into solid structures. From their respective perches, they swing back and forth to act as either obstacles or uncooperative platforms. There are two known species: Hanged bones, which while they swing periodically spew deadly flames, and the more tame skeleton trees, which are tougher but more peaceful.

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Jack o' Bones
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These skeletons tie together dislodged bones to form their own version of the Belmont boomerang. When they thrown onto the ground, they crossed bones begin rebounding about the room endlessly until destroyed. While you deal with one such projectile, Jack will begin tossing out more to keep you ever-busy. Stronger versions can throw speedier, bouncier bones.
Alternate Names/Forms: Bone Thrower & Throw Master

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Motorcycle Skeleton
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Skeletons have even learned to operate mopeds. This particular set of skeletons ride along and try to swipe at you with their clubs. They're pretty fast, too, but they can't turn that quickly. However, some of them have their buddies riding along in sidecars, and these extra-annoying fiends fire away with machine guns while they chase you down. After killing the skeleton, the bike will crash and burn--so get out of the way

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Paranthropus
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These are the skeletons of otherwise enormous human beings; they carry around their equally gigantic bones. A paranthropus has a predictable pattern of attack: (1) It chucks a bone forward in an arc. (2) It gathers itself and uses said bone for an overhead swipe, therein crashing it into the ground. And (3) it dives into the air in, an attempt to land on your head, and upon landing slides along the ground.

 Alternate Names/Forms: Big Skeleton

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Skeleton Ahtletes
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If you're going to enlist skeletons, former athletes may be the best way to go. These skeletons retain the athletic ability as showcased in their living days, and they'll use these superior attributes to dazzle you with a show of pure speed. Without warning, that is, they'll quickly dash in your direction. The supreme athlete is a skeleton medalist, a taunting foe that quickly speeds away on sight.

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Skull Bartender
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This rare member of skeleton family rests behind a bar and reacts to its "customers" by sliding along the bar's surface special drinks straight from the tap. The bad news is that heroes may not like the concoctions, which are laced with liquids that cause damage plus poison, curse and other troubling states.

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Skull Head
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These are the skulls of the unfortunate Transylvanians (those of whom you can often see piled together in certain areas of the castle) that fell victim to a guillotine. Even without bodies, the decapitated menaces stalk the living by floating through the air in patterns designed to make you think and attack quickly.

 Alternate Names/Forms: Phantom Skull & Flying Skull

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Skull Lord
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These monstrosities are much larger than their skull head counterparts, their plight more troubling: Phantom skulls are executed soldiers that now seek eternal revenge. Skull Lords take to this mission by following you around and use their size as both the means for offense and to create large obstacles. Maybe they're just ticked about having gone through life with a huge heads?

 Alternate Names/Forms: Large Ghost, Giant Ghost & Great Ghost

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Slinger
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This particular type of skeleton throws forward in succession up to three rib bones, each capable of inflicting repeated damage. Their shields are useless, despite such prominence, offering none in the way of protection. If you simply duck under the bones, a slinger's efforts will be for naught. They're most effective when paired with regular skeletons, which complement this attack with their arcing bones.

 Alternate Names/Forms: Skeleton Rib

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Spine
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It's just your average dislodged skull head with attached spine--a more persistent phantom skull, I'd say. These are more of a threat, though, because there's more mass to them than just the skull; this will be evident if a group of such surrounds you and begins circling. It doesn't help that spines attack at an endless rate.

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Stone Skull
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These are petrified skull heads that bob up and down, spinning in place all the while. Stone skulls have no attacks, their sole purpose to act as obstacles within narrow passages and other difficult areas; stone skulls are invincible, too--all attacks nullified or deflected. There are two forms of stone skull--normal and minotaur-bull--which despite their unique appearances function the same.

 

II: Armed Skeletons

Armed skeletons have been equipped with certain types of armor that make them tougher to destroy. More importantly, they command deadly weaponry for a greater threat; some have mastered a given weapon to the point where they have increased ability.

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Armored Skeleton
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The fearsome, skilled armored skeletons hold a special place in Dracula's ranks. Most cruelly, it's said that the same spell that keeps them animate also fills them with the false hope that they can continue serving the cause for which they trained while they were amongst the living. The highly defensive armored skeletons attack with vicious axe-swipes, and they can also execute mad dashes using their shields as both a cover and blunt instrument.

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Blade Master
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These are skeletons trained in advanced combat, especially with twin-bladed swords. They employ a surprise attack that involves slide kicks and acrobatic leaps leading to jump kicks and down-thrusts; they'll soon after catch you off guard with dashing and flying stab attacks. The stronger versions are more defensive-minded and prefer to attack only when an opening presents itself.

 Alternate Names/Forms: Skeleton Blaze & Blaze Master

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Blade Soldier
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Here was have s ingle-blade soldiers that use stealth and long-reaching lunges to attack off-balance, unprepared heroes. Twin-bladed soldiers are less-disciplined versions of the Blade Masters and lack acrobatic prowess; they attack in either of two ways: They quickly jut forward, swords extended, or they lunge in the hero's direction with a down-thrust. Advanced twin-bladed soldiers can press the blades together, channel energy between them, and then release an effective spell (a slow-moving projectile).

Alternate Names/Forms: Skeleton Hero

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Bone Archer
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These slithery skeletons are armed with bows and and quivers housing endless amounts of arrows. Bone archers are often well-postioned in inconvenient locations, where they remain stationary; others prefer to prance around and stalk their target. When you're within range, they'll fire arrows both high and low, stopping only to refresh their supply.

Alternate Names/Forms: Skull Archer & Skeleton Archer

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Bone Halberd
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These skeleton are trained in the use of a naginate spear. All such attacks involve swinging the spears wildly and at great range, which will be a problem in that this enemy type patrols narrow halls and passages. As such, it's difficult to get in close enough to initiate your own offense, to which a halberd will react quickly.

 Alternate Names/Forms: Skeleton Spear

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Bone Musket
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This is the first form of skeleton in Dracula's army to be equipped with a rifle. There's nothing to fear in terms of a musket's mobility, since this enemy type is typically married to its starting position; more dire is its speed in firing the weapon, which happens with little in the way of warning, with a very quick reload, and with dramatic damage to an ill-prepared warrior. They're at their most dangerous when lurking amongst other bone muskets or when paired with hordes of other lesser enemies.

 Alternate Names/Forms: Skeleton Gunman

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Bone Scimitar
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These are described as "ferocious skeleton warriors equipped with a sword." A scimitar will always try to catch you off balance by remaining at a distance relative to your own. When you draw near, they'll surprise you with a quick sword-swipe; due to lack of speed and mobility, scimitars leave themselves open to counterattack if they miss. The Simon's Quest versions are the only out-of-the-ordinary form, since some of them can jump and throw bones.

 Alternate Names/Forms: Skeleton Soldier, Skeleton Knight, Dead Crusader, Bone Soldier, Skeleton Mirror, Spartacus, Skeleton Fighter & Skeleton Warrior

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Club Skeleton
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Skeletons of this type lie in wait with clubs in bony hand, and they're very much intent on holding their ground, which is why they remain mostly stationary. When you get close to them, they reel back their clubs and subsequently attempt to smash you over the head with them.


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Dhuron
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Dhurons were beheaded during their living days, whence they sailed the seas as pirates; now undead, they carry around their own heads as emblems of their exploits. The skulls aren't for show, as they somehow retain working ocular functions. Dhurons are cagey fighters whose offense consists of sudden rapier stabs. More advanced forms, if perturbed, will raise their swords into the air and conduct into them lightning, after which they'll fire bolts out from the rapiers' tips.

 Alternate Names/Forms: Dullahan

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Flail Guard
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This is a moderately armored skeleton equipped with a mace-adorned staff (flail). When you get too close for its liking, it'll stand upright, hold the flail overhead, creep back to create space, and then viciously swing its weapons; it follows up this attack by for a few seconds dangling the spiked ball, a purely defensive measure. Though tougher to figure than normal skeletons, they're especially frail when compared to the rest.

 Alternate Names/Forms: Skeleton Flail

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Flame Skeleton
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Flame skeletons are best described as a fiery variety of skeleton warrior. These enflamed undead beings rise up from the ground with deadly clubs in hand; they attack with single- and multi-step club-swipes plus a long-reaching dash. The highly defensive flame skeletons carry sturdy shields, which must be destroyed if you hope to inflict any real damage on them.

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Mace Skeleton
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Due to the sheer bulk of their spikey weapon, skeletons armed with maces are forced to remain stationary. When you near a mace skeleton, it'll swing around the weapon overhead three times, each rotation stretching outward progressively farther than the last. Upon the attack's completion, it'll pull back the mace and rest for a short period.

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Skelerang
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These skilled skeletons stand arms crossed, leaning against the wall and coolly waiting for intruders to come near. When they sense a foe nearby, they'll spring into attack position and throw two large boomerangs over a long distance, each traveling at opposite range but upon return eventually crisscrossing. Many skelerangs placed in proximity can result in a hero trapped within a storm of twisting wood. A skelerang's brevity comes in short supply, however, as crowding one into a corner will cause it to cower in fear.

 Alternate Names/Forms: Skeleton Boomerang

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Skeleton Beasts
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Armed skeletons are bad. Giant skeletons are worse. Giant armed skeletons? They're just beasts--slow-moving brutes that carry with them ridiculously oversized weapons. The standard Skeleton Beast carries a giant club, which it slams into the ground with little warning; if a foe gets too close, it'll strike with a low kick. The superior King Skeleton carries a giant axe and wields it in much the same way; its alternate attack is more physical in nature, as it'll reach down, snatch heroes, deliver a flurry of punches, and then violently toss away the battered victim.

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Skeleton Blaze
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The skeleton blaze group consists of ninja-like skeletons who confuse opponents with swift movements and then rush in to kill them with swipes of their razor-clawed arm attachments. There exists two advanced classes: The superior blaze masters, who throw exploding knives, and the elite blaze phantoms, who use their impressive speed to avoid taking damage when attacked.

 Alternate Names/Forms: Blaze Master & Blaze Phantom

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Skeleton Guardian
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These shadowy skeletons are armed with battle gear, a protective shield and other special equipment. Guardians will slowly trek forward with their shields held outward to block most straightforward attacks (in riot-control fashion). They'll only let their guard down after accosting an enemy and swinging the spear overhead; otherwise, the guardians will point forwardtheir spears and come at you with a surprise dash.

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Skeleton Rider
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These armored skeletons attempt to overpower foes from atop their dragon steeds. Mainly, they charge toward their targets with their lances. The advanced skeleton troopers instead mount heavily armored dragons, whose weight causes little loss of mobility. Really, each represents a team threat, since their mounts will continue to attack even after their skeleton riders have been felled.

 Alternate Names/Forms: Skeleton Trooper

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Skeleton Spear
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Skeletons armed with spears stay grounded and create a considerable obstacle by erratically stabbing forward their spears. As you would when dealing with scimitars, you'll want to stay at a distance and attack when an opening presents itself. The most dangerous form of spear skeleton is the class that rides on logs and chases you via the sea and its tides; if you slip up even once when encountering one, a skeleton spear will hastily send you to a watery grave.

 Alternate Names/Forms: Spear Skeleton

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Skeleton Warrior
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Though they've since been slain, these former warriors still believe it their mission to protect the castle from intruders. Loyal only to their new Dark Lord, they ceaselessly guard his fortress, never leaving their post. These remnants assail with quick sword swipes and use their weapon to defend against attacks. They can in addition toss enflamed axes in arcs. The advanced, helmeted form executes standing and dashing swipes, and it can spin with such force that it'll for a limited time become a "living" tornado and attempt to crash into its enemy.

 Alternate Names/Forms: Thunder Warrior, Flame Warrior & Ice Warrior

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Undead Lord
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Undead lords are a class of highly trained combat skeletons. They're top-ranking in that regard, the lords blessed with great intelligence and attack power. They attempt to pummel their opponents with lightning-quick mace strikes.

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Whip-Toting Skeletons
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The more tricky skeletons are armed with whips--perhaps as a little psychological ploy. Because the whips aren't weighty, the skeletons are able to retain their high-jumping ability, able to swing the whip at any time and from any position at long range. Advanced whip skeletons stay grounded and instead rely on pure speed and an ability to brandish their whips.

 Alternate Names/Forms: Simon Wraith

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Wight
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A skeleton wight's pattern of attack can best be described as "lazy," which may be the perfect setup. Wights slowly tread over a platform until they sense a hero, wherein they slash their swords in what will seem like a mistimed reaction; to the contrary, you'll immediately find that this has a fiery and lengthy result. In order to defeat the tough wights, you must prevent their attacks and continue to knock them back, off balance, until they eventually keel over.

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