Revised Cailleach Bheur
CAILLEACH BHEUR
Huge Fey (Cold) Druid 10
Hit Dice: 20d6+10d8+120 (220 hp)
Initiative: +2 (+2 Dex)
Speed: 50 ft (10 squares)
Armor Class: 20 (–2 size, +5 natural,+5 magical, +2 Dex), Touch 15, Flat-footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple: +17/+31
Attack: Claw +23 melee (2d6+8) or huge wooden mallet +27 melee (3d6+13)
Full Attack: 2 claws +23 melee (2d6+8) or huge wooden mallet +27 melee (3d6+19)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: Breath weapon, charm person, cold, control weather, freezing fog, frigid aura, life leech, spells
Special Qualities: Animal companion, damage reduction 10/cold iron, electricity resistance 10, icewalking, immunity to cold, nature sense, rejuvenation, spell resistance 24, wild empathy, wildshape (4/day), woodland stride, venom immunity, vulnerability to fire
Saves: Fort +17, Ref +14, Will +19
Abilities: Str 26, Dex 14, Con 18, Int 12, Wis 20, Cha 21
Skills: Appraise +9, Balance +10, Bluff +15, Climb +14, Concentration +14, Diplomacy +13, Gather Information +13, Handle Animal +14, Heal +13, Hide +2, Intimidate +18, Knowledge (Nature) +9, Spellcraft +9, Spot +14, Survival +13, Swim +16.
Feats: Augment Summoning, Cleave, Dodge, Improved Critical, Mobility, Persuasive, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Intimidate), Spell Focus (Conjuration), Spring Attack, Weapon Focus
Environment: Cold Mountains and Hills
Organization: Unique
Challenge Rating:
Treasure: Double Standard (no potions)
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Advancement: –
Level Adjustment: –
This being appears as a huge hag, over 20 feet tall, with whitish-gray skin and a hideous blue-black face. Her hair is a mass of white tangles. She is dressed in tartans, and bears a heavy mallet of holly wood. A massive crow, as large as a man, perches on her left shoulder, and a large silver-gray wolf crouches at her feet. The very air around her seems to crack with cold.
The Cailleach Bheur is a unique creature. Although fey, she is related to and the patron of certain hags. She represents winter, cold, snow, and ice – particularly in the mountainous regions she calls home. She dwells in a fortress made of stone and ice with her monstrous sons, and served by the frozen dead created by her life leech ability. She is the guardian spirit of the natural creatures in her domain – most notably the wild horned creatures (including cattle, goats, and deer) and wolves. She keeps winter wolves as others might keep dogs.
Normally, the Cailleach Bheur keeps to herself during the summer months, content to remain in her fortress. Although she is evil, during the summer she sometimes favors heroes who approach her lair with humility, offerings, and the wisdom to avoid calling her by her real name. At this time, she can be a source of information and adventure hooks, for the Cailleach Bheur is centuries old and knows much that has been forgotten or otherwise lost.
In the late autumn, she comes forth as the herald of winter. At this time, and through the winter months, she is a terrible foe to all who venture into her domain. She uses her control weather ability to create fierce storms (called Wolf Storms by the people dwelling nearby) in a bid to stop the spring from coming. The spring always returns, however, and the Cailleach Bheur retreats to her fortress.
At any time, the Cailleach Bheur may act to protect her animal wards from being over hunted. She does not allow these populations to be threatened, regardless of the need of the hunters for food, sport, or self-protection. However, in the summer months she is more likely to send the frozen dead or her sons to punish overzealous huntsmen than to look into the matter herself.
The Cailleach Bheur is 22 feet tall and weighs 12,000 pounds. She speaks Common and Draconic, as well as the languages of frost giants, winter wolves, and whatever intelligent animals dwell in her domain.
Combat
If the Cailleach Bheur is aware of trespassers in her domain, she will most likely send wolves to watch them first. If they are not destructive, and harm none of her creatures, this is likely to be all that happens. During the spring, summer, and autumn months, she will send her sons to deal with troublemakers. Only during the winter is she likely to leave her fortress.
At the start of any combat, the Cailleach Bheur prefers to invoke her freezing fog power. She then uses summoning spells to engage opponents (see Standard Spells, below), giving herself an opportunity to use her breath weapon, charm person, spells, frozen dead, crow, and wolf to hamper opponents. Any being that she charms she will draw toward her, bringing her victim into the range of her frigid aura and life leech abilities.
When forced to close with foes, the Cailleach Bheur relies upon her damage reduction and spell resistance to protect her in combat, but is not above using her spells or her wildshape ability to flee. She makes use of Bluff in combat to feint, and uses Intimidate to demoralize opponents. Don’t forget that the Cailleach Bheur gains a +8 bonus due to size when making Intimidate checks against medium foes.
Animal Companion (Ex): The Cailleach Bheur gains animal companions as a 10th level druid. She uses this ability to command a powerful wolf.
Breath Weapon (Su): As a standard action, the Cailleach Bheur can breath a 60-foot long cone of intense cold and snow. Any creature caught in the area of her breath weapon takes 10d6 points of cold damage unless they make a Fort save (DC 24, half). The Cailleach Bheur can use her breath weapon three times a day. The save is Constitution-based.
Charm Person (Sp): The Cailleach Bheur can cast charm person as a 20th level sorcerer three times each day. Those affected must succeed on a Will save (DC 16, negates) or be charmed for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Cold (Ex): The Cailleach Bheur is intensely cold, causing opponents to take an extra 1d8 points of cold damage every time she succeeds on a claw attack or a grapple. Opponents attacking her unarmed or with natural weapons take this same cold damage each time one of their attacks hit.
Control Weather (Sp): The Cailleach Bheur can cast control weather three times each day as a 20th level druid.
Freezing Fog (Sp): Three times per day, the Cailleach Bheur can create a freezing fog. Freezing fog is similar to a solid fog spell, but also causes a rime of slippery ice to form on any surface the fog touches, creating the effect of a grease spell. The Cailleach Bheur is immune to the grease effect. This ability is the equivalent to a 5th level spell, cast as a 20th level sorcerer (Reflex DC 20 against the grease effects; this save is Charisma-based).
Frigid Aura (Ex): The Cailleach Bheur constantly radiates a field of extreme cold in a 25-foot radius. Each round a target is within this area, it must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 25) or suffer 1d6 points of cold damage. The save DC is charisma-based.
Icewalking (Ex): This ability grants the Cailleach Bheur the effects of the spider climb spell, but the surfaces the creature climbs must be icy. It is always in effect.
Life Leech (Su): Any living being within 30 feet of the Cailleach Bheur must succeed on a Fort save (DC 25) each round or take 1 point of Strength damage. A victim whose Strength is reduced to 0 by this ability then dies and rises upon the following new moon as a frozen dead (see below). The save DC is Charisma-based.
Nature Sense (Ex): The Cailleach Bheur gains a +2 bonus on Knowledge (nature) and Survival checks.
Rejuvenation (Su): If the Cailleach Bheur is destroyed, she reforms after 2d4 days have passed. The only guaranteed way to be rid of the Cailleach Bheur is to destroy her body with magical fire causing at least 60 points of damage. This damage must be in addition to the damage that killed her, but her vulnerability to fire does apply.
Resist Nature’s Lure (Ex): The Cailleach Bheur has a +4 bonus on saving throws against the spell-like abilities of fey.
Spells: The Cailleach Bheur casts divine spells from the druid spell list as a 10th level druid. Her alignment restricts her from casting Good spells. She must choose and prepare her spells in advance. The save DC for the Cailleach Bheur’s spells is 15 + the spell level. The DC is Wisdom-based.
Trackless Step (Ex): The Cailleach Bheur leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked. She may choose to leave a trail if so desired.
Wild Empathy (Ex): The Cailleach Bheur can improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check made to improve the attitude of a person, using the Cailleach Bheur’s Charisma modifier to modify the roll.
Wild Shape (Su): The Cailleach Bheur can turn herself into any Small or Medium animal and back again four times per day.
Woodland Stride (Ex): The Cailleach Bheur may move through any sort of undergrowth at her normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. However, thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that have been magically manipulated to impede motion still affect her.
Standard Spells:
The standard spells of the Cailleach Bheur are as follows:
0-lvl: Create water (x3), detect magic (x2), guidance.
1st-lvl: Charm animal (x2), longstrider, summon nature’s ally I (x3).
2nd lvl: Bull’s strength, cat’s grace, chill metal, gust of wind, resist energy.
3rd lvl: Quench, sleet storm, summon nature’s ally III, wind wall.
4th lvl: Dispel magic (x2), ice storm, summon nature’s ally IV.
5th lvl: Summon nature’s ally V.
Given the opportunity, the Cailleach Bheur will cast summon nature’s ally V to summon a polar bear (if facing a single opponent) or 1d4+1 dire wolves (if facing multiple opponents). These creatures have a +4 enhancement bonus to Strength and Constitution due to the Cailleach Bheur’s Augment Summoning feat. She will direct them to attack the most dangerous-seeming foes (particularly anyone carrying a flaming weapon, or other obvious magical flames, and then focusing on spellcasters).
If she is still attacked by ranged opponents, she will use wind wall to foil archers, giving her a chance to cast her buff spells. Once her buffs are in place, she can hit troublesome opponents with an ice storm, then summon more allies to hamper movement and provide flanking and/or attacks of opportunity.
She uses create water to douse those carrying flames – which may provide other penalties in the cold.
Unique Equipment:
The Cailleach Bheur’s tartans and mallet are magical, as described below:
Mallet of Winter: This huge mallet is 8 feet long. It is the equivalent of a +3 greatclub and deals triple damage against inanimate objects. However, the wielder must have a Strength of at least 18 to wield it properly. Otherwise, she takes a –4 penalty on attack rolls.
Upon command, the mallet is sheathed in icy cold. The cold does not harm the wielder. The effect remains until another command is given. When sheathed in cold, the mallet deals an extra 1d6 points of cold damage on a successful hit.
If the mallet strikes with a critical hit, it also explodes with an icy burst upon the target, dealing an extra 1d10 points of cold damage. The icy burst does not harm the wielder. Even if the frost ability is not active, the weapon still deals its extra cold damage on a successful critical hit.
Strong evocation; CL 15th; Craft Wondrous Item, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, clenched fist, chill metal or ice storm; Price 57,305 gp; Cost 28,805 gp + 1,152 XP; Weight 160 lb.
Tartans of the Mountain: These grant a +5 deflection bonus to Armor Class. The wearer may control up to 26 HD of undead per day, as the control undead spell. At dawn each day, the wearer loses control of any undead still under her sway.
Strong necromancy and transmutation; CL 15; Craft Wondrous Item, control undead, mage armor; Price 74,000 gp.; Cost 37,000 gp + 1,580 XP; Weight 20 lb.
copyright 2006 daniel j. bishop
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How does she look? I did decide to keep the druid levels, as you can see, for the extra Hit Dice and all that comes with them. What would be the appropriate CR now?
Next up, I'll show the associated creatures: Her Sons, Wolf, Crow, and the Frozen Dead.
RC
BTW, check out my website at
www.danieljbishop.ca. It's a bit bare-bones now, and needs some serious revision, but it will eventually include the house rules, etc., of my campaign setting, and right now includes links to every story and poem I have written currently available on the Internet. Let me know what you think!
