Shade
Monster Junkie
That'll work. Updated. Another one done!
Frostmourn
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Arctic lands
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVITY CYCLE: See below
DIET: See below
INELLIGENCE: Low (5)
TREASURE: E
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
NO. APPEARING: 1-2
ARMOR CLASS: 0
MOVEMENT: 12
HIT DICE: 15
THAC0: 5
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1d10+9 or by weapon (2-20+9)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Freezing touch, Hurling rocks for 2-24 (2d12)
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Impervious to cold, +2 or better weapon to hit
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
SIZE: H (21’ tall)
MORALE: Champion (16)
XP VALUE: 14,000
Frostmourns are undead frost giants whose bodily tissues were completely dessicated by the intense cold of their environment. The things look like giant withered corpses with facial hair. Their eyes have an evil gleam common to all undead. A frostmourn can turn itself into a swirling white cloud or miniature blizzard but can’t attack in the former shape.
Combat: Undeath gives frostmourns both increased Strength and decreased Dexterity. Thus, although they can hurl boulders to a distance of 250 yards, inflicting 2d12 hp damage, they can no longer catch similar missiles as they could in life. Greater Strength means they also cause more damage in melee combat, whether with weapons (2d20+9 hp damage) or the naked hand (1d10+9 hp damage).
Some frostmourns wear their old armor, but this is due to force of habit and nothing more, for their dessicated flesh is now so tough that they always have an armor class of 0, armor or no armor.
The most potent attack of a frostmourn is its freezing touch. If the victim does not save vs. death magic when touched by the giant, he suffers an additional 2d20 hp damage, making the saving throw reduces the damage by half. In addition, all metallic items (weapons, armor, metallic flasks, or other containers, etc.) must save vs. cold or become brittle, falling apart almost immediately. Those slain by a frostmourn cannot be revived with raise dead spell; a resurrection spell, however, works normally.
These creatures retain their immunity to cold-based attacks, and their undead status likewise gives them immunity to mind-affecting magic, sleep, hold, paralyzation, and poison. Fire-based attacks, however, inflict double damage, and a vial of holy water splashed on the frostmourn inflicts 2d4 hp damage. The A raise dead spell slays a frostmourn instantly.
Like most undead, frostmourns detest sunlight and actively avoid it, even though it causes them no harm. In the chill northern environments they call home, however, the sun is often blotted out in the daytime by blizzards ro thick cloud cover, so these creatures can come out in the daytime on those occasions. In addition, once far enough north, the sun goes down for months at a time when true winter comes around; PCs whoe neglect their research and sit around praying for the sun to drive off their undead enemies are in for a disappointment.
Habitat/Society: Frostmourns are largely solitary creatures, although a quarter of all frostmourn lalirs have two residents instead of one. All undead tend to hate companionship, and their innately chaotic nature only intesfies this hate. Frostmourns often seek out and destroy enemies of their old tribe or clan, but they are just as likely to hunt their former kin.
Ecology: Life is less abundant in the frigid north than in the warmer lowlands. The barren conditions often disguise the desolation left by a frostmourn. Newcomesrs to the area can easily find themselves unknowingly trampling through the lair of these dangerous monsters. As they are sustained by the energy of the Negative Material Plane, frostmourns have no need to eat. Wizards often use their body parts as material components for cold-based spells or in the construction of cold-related magical items. Their dessicated hides are used in experiments to create the equivalent of magical leather armor that also gives immunity to cold-based attacks, but so far as is known, no successes have been achieved.
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #254 (1998).
Frostmourn
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Arctic lands
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVITY CYCLE: See below
DIET: See below
INELLIGENCE: Low (5)
TREASURE: E
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
NO. APPEARING: 1-2
ARMOR CLASS: 0
MOVEMENT: 12
HIT DICE: 15
THAC0: 5
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1d10+9 or by weapon (2-20+9)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Freezing touch, Hurling rocks for 2-24 (2d12)
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Impervious to cold, +2 or better weapon to hit
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
SIZE: H (21’ tall)
MORALE: Champion (16)
XP VALUE: 14,000
Frostmourns are undead frost giants whose bodily tissues were completely dessicated by the intense cold of their environment. The things look like giant withered corpses with facial hair. Their eyes have an evil gleam common to all undead. A frostmourn can turn itself into a swirling white cloud or miniature blizzard but can’t attack in the former shape.
Combat: Undeath gives frostmourns both increased Strength and decreased Dexterity. Thus, although they can hurl boulders to a distance of 250 yards, inflicting 2d12 hp damage, they can no longer catch similar missiles as they could in life. Greater Strength means they also cause more damage in melee combat, whether with weapons (2d20+9 hp damage) or the naked hand (1d10+9 hp damage).
Some frostmourns wear their old armor, but this is due to force of habit and nothing more, for their dessicated flesh is now so tough that they always have an armor class of 0, armor or no armor.
The most potent attack of a frostmourn is its freezing touch. If the victim does not save vs. death magic when touched by the giant, he suffers an additional 2d20 hp damage, making the saving throw reduces the damage by half. In addition, all metallic items (weapons, armor, metallic flasks, or other containers, etc.) must save vs. cold or become brittle, falling apart almost immediately. Those slain by a frostmourn cannot be revived with raise dead spell; a resurrection spell, however, works normally.
These creatures retain their immunity to cold-based attacks, and their undead status likewise gives them immunity to mind-affecting magic, sleep, hold, paralyzation, and poison. Fire-based attacks, however, inflict double damage, and a vial of holy water splashed on the frostmourn inflicts 2d4 hp damage. The A raise dead spell slays a frostmourn instantly.
Like most undead, frostmourns detest sunlight and actively avoid it, even though it causes them no harm. In the chill northern environments they call home, however, the sun is often blotted out in the daytime by blizzards ro thick cloud cover, so these creatures can come out in the daytime on those occasions. In addition, once far enough north, the sun goes down for months at a time when true winter comes around; PCs whoe neglect their research and sit around praying for the sun to drive off their undead enemies are in for a disappointment.
Habitat/Society: Frostmourns are largely solitary creatures, although a quarter of all frostmourn lalirs have two residents instead of one. All undead tend to hate companionship, and their innately chaotic nature only intesfies this hate. Frostmourns often seek out and destroy enemies of their old tribe or clan, but they are just as likely to hunt their former kin.
Ecology: Life is less abundant in the frigid north than in the warmer lowlands. The barren conditions often disguise the desolation left by a frostmourn. Newcomesrs to the area can easily find themselves unknowingly trampling through the lair of these dangerous monsters. As they are sustained by the energy of the Negative Material Plane, frostmourns have no need to eat. Wizards often use their body parts as material components for cold-based spells or in the construction of cold-related magical items. Their dessicated hides are used in experiments to create the equivalent of magical leather armor that also gives immunity to cold-based attacks, but so far as is known, no successes have been achieved.
Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #254 (1998).
