Skeletons

Van Gogh

Of all the monsters in D&D, skeletons are the one most often depicted in art (of the non-game related sort). They are a constant theme. Drawn, painted and sculpted throughout history. A reminder of the inevitability of our own deaths and the monster that lives inside each of us, hidden behind a mask of meat and skin. 

Disney

So of course I want to make them into a goofy cartoon monster. I want puppets and stop motion aesthetics. 

When you fight skeletons in my game, I want you to almost see the marionette strings. When you strike a mighty blow, they should burst apart with a clatter of scattering bones.

If you're going to take an easy, low-level undead fight for granted... these are the ones.

Harryhausen

And yet... we still need them to be at least a little challenging to fight. They can't just be a very small stack of hit points.

Strengths

Unlike the classic skeleton (BX/OSE and 5e), my skeletons are immune to slings and arrows (an outrageous fortune) and take half damage from piercing weapon. This makes them difficult to fight at range or if they are behind bars or a grate. This sets up lots of opportunities for adventurers to be harassed by weak monster that are difficult to get at. The challenge of the fight isn't rolling bigger numbers, it's figuring out how to get from here to there.

A complimentary feature is skeletons' ability to see in the dark and shoot further than torchlight extends. Arrows out of the darkness terrify players. This can be used to good effect to emphasize the importance of light.

Finally, skeletons have time on their side. They don't get hungry. They don't need a pee break or a nap. You can put them in a cage and hang them from the ceiling or brick them up behind an arrow slit. They can be a trap or an environmental hazard.

Weaknesses

In addition to being flimsy, skeletons are incredibly stupid. They are easily tricked. 

Zombies

Maybe it's a fools errand, but I want to make the zombies in my game a little more interesting and threatening. I want my players to be genuinely scared of the undead.

I tried an iteration of this last year that fell bit flat so I've tweaked the recipe a bit.

Justin Moll

Sponge Monster

Zombies should shrug off weak hits and soak up a lot of damage before collapsing. On the flip side, in keeping with the tropes, one really big hit should take a zombie out. 

Instead of giving them a ton of HP, they'll get damage resistance (reduce the damage of each incoming hit by 4).  This will make them very resistant to arrows and small hand weapons. You'll want to hit these things with two-handed swords and polearms.

Deadly Infection

A zombie will first attempt to grab victims. Once grabbed, zombies will make bite attacks with advantage.

Any character bit by a zombie will contract grave rot, a deadly wasting disease that most low-level parties will not be able to cure. Getting bit by a zombie usually means death. 

Grave Rot: Every hour, lose 1/4 of your max HP. Hit points lost in this way can't be healed until the disease is cured. If you die while under the effect of Grave Rot, you'll return as a zombie (or occasionally some other undead). Grave Rot spreads from the point of infection. If it's on a limb, quick amputation can be a viable cure.

In B/X, 2HD crab spiders have save-or-die poison, so this doesn't feel too punitive.

Weaknesses

Zombies are slow and stupid. They always lose initiative and move at half normal human speed. If you can get out of their sight for one combat round, they'll forget you exist.

If a victim is brought down, zombies may stop fighting to consume it, ignoring anyone nearby unless directly attacked.

They are nearly always unarmored and make no attempt to avoid being hit. 

 

Darkest Dungeon

Maggots the size of a golden retriever. Slow moving, they are drawn by the smell of living flesh. They will attach themselves to any living creature and begin to feed. Any puncture of their thin skin releases a thick adhesive that can easily entrap attackers. 

Tar Body Maggot

Armor Class: 8 (unarmored). 

Hit Dice: 1d6 (HP4)

Attacks: First attack to attach (no damage), + 0 to hit, ignores armor. Once attached deals automatic damage each round until removed. First round deals 1 HP, second 2 HP etc. damage escalating as it chews its way further into the victim's more vital bits.

Move: 1/2 speed of unencumbered human. Can move on walls and ceilings.

Saves: 13+

Morale: Very stupid and will mindlessly pursue prey. Can be driven back temporarily by intense heat or cold.

Number Appearing: d10 x 3

Special: Hitting it with a bladed or piercing weapon releases super sticky goo. It will trap & tangle the weapon and potentially the attacker too (a la the folkloric Tar Baby). If killed, they melt into a big gluey puddle that will trap anyone stepping/contacting it. This smells intensely sweet and will attract other scavengers.