Hello and welcome back for Frightful Fridays! (OK, yeah, it's Saturday) Lots of snow fell where I live, and that is unusual for this time of year, so it inspired me to create a snow-themed monster. Snow is a perfect vehicle for swarms, so you get the whiteout swarm, which stings, freezes, and potentially blinds those in its path. It also has a happy little poison it uses to make more whiteout swarms. Fun!
I hope you enjoy the whiteout swarm. I'll see you again soon with another wintry monster!
Thousands of
snowflakes and ice crystals swirl about in a confined space, ignoring the wind
(or lack thereof) around them.
Whiteout Swarm CR 8
XP 4,800
NE Fine outsider (air, cold, elemental, swarm, water)
Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., snow vision;
Perception +13
DEFENSE
AC 23, touch 23,
flat-footed 18 (+4 Dex, +1 dodge, +8 size)
hp 105 (10d10+50);
frost healing
Fort +10, Ref +11, Will +7
Defensive Abilities
swarm traits; Immune cold
Weaknesses heat
sluggishness, vulnerability to fire
OFFENSE
Speed 5 ft., fly
60 ft. (good)
Melee swarm (2d6
plus 4d6 cold, distraction, eye sting, and poison)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks
distraction (DC 20)
Spell-Like Abilities
(CL 10th; concentration +12)
3/day—chill metal (DC 14), hold monster (DC 17)
1/day—freezing sphere (DC 18)
STATISTICS
Str 1, Dex 18, Con 21, Int 4, Wis 10, Cha 15
Base Atk +10; CMB —; CMD —
Feats Dodge,
Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Mobility, Wind Stance
Skills Fly +20,
Knowledge (nature) +8, Perception +13, Stealth +24 (+32 in ice and snow),
Survival +13; Racial Modifiers +8
Stealth in ice and snow
Languages Aquan,
Auran (can’t speak)
ECOLOGY
Environment cold
land
Organization
solitary or snowsquall (2–8)
Treasure none
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Eye Sting (Ex) When
a whiteout swarm inflicts swarm damage, each creature damaged by the swarm must
attempt a DC 20 Fortitude save. On a failed save, an affected creature is blinded
for 1d4 rounds, otherwise, the creature is dazzled for 1 round. The save DC is
Constitution-based.
Frost Healing (Su)
In cold weather (below 40° Fahrenheit), a whiteout swarm gains fast healing 1. Severe
cold (below 0° Fahrenheit) improves the swarm’s fast healing to 2, and
extreme cold (below –20° Fahrenheit) improves its fast healing to 5.
Heat Sluggishness
(Ex) In temperatures above 40° Fahrenheit, a whiteout swarm moves at
half speed, and takes a –2 penalty to its Armor Class, skill checks, and saving
throws.
Poison (Su) Swarm—injury;
save Fort DC 20; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect
1d4 Dex; cure 2 consecutive saves.
Creatures with immunity to cold are immune to this poison. A Small or Medium creature
reduced to 0 Dexterity as a result of this poison, or killed while afflicted
with this poison, returns as a whiteout swarm in 1d4 rounds. A Large or Huge creature
converts into 2 swarms, and a Gargantuan or Colossal creature converts into 4
swarms.
Snow Vision (Ex)
A whiteout swarm can see perfectly well in snowy conditions and does not take
any penalties on Perception checks while in snow.
Spell-Like Abilities
A whiteout swarm infuses some of itself into the spell-like abilities it uses.
When it does so, it takes damage equal to the spell-like ability’s spell level.
Whiteout swarms are considered nuisances in the
intersections between the Plane of Air and the Plane of Water where they
reside. They become parasitic when they fall into the Prime Material Plane, or
when led to the Prime Material Plane by powerful ice elementals employing the
swarms as a vanguard during an invasion. The swarms seek out body heat with the
intent to extinguish it and convert the mass of creatures they kill into additional
swarms. Thus, whiteout swarms attack living creatures in preference to undead,
constructs, and other non-living targets. They also target larger creatures to
ensure the creation of more swarms.
Other powerful cold creatures, such as ancient (or older)
white dragons, and undead with arctic bases summon whiteout swarms to devastate
their foes and reduce resistance when they launch their attacks. The swarms
have rudimentary intelligence, so they follow orders, and they employ sound
tactics with external guidance. On their own, they use their spell-like
abilities to ensnare and otherwise hinder opponents. They despise warm temperatures
and seek to retreat when the temperature becomes unbearable. They are also
averse to fire, but they stand an equal chance to flee from opponents employing
fire or to focus their attention on such opponents.
