D&D: Five Monsters That Will Devour You in the Dead of Winter
The winter is deadly, and not just because of the cold. These are five of the deadliest winter monsters. Stay warm if you can.
Winter is a dark, cold time, full of long nights and all manner of horrors that wait. The sun seems to be devoured. And until the renewal of the spring rushes forth, bringing with it the hope for another year, Winter reigns.
And while the cold and harsh conditions might be dangerous. They’re nowhere near as deadly as some of the wintriest monsters in the manual (or compendium or whatever book they’re found in). Here are our five favorite arctic monsters!
Abominable Yeti
Why mess with the classics? The Abominable Yeti is a D&D staple. Many an adventuring party has been pounced on by these creatures since the earliest days of D&D.
These Yetis are surprisingly stealthy, with the ability to camouflage themselves while in the snowy terrain. What’s more, they are empowered with elemental ice, dealing cold damage with every attack. Their icy breath can kill weaker party members outright!
But what makes them truly deadly is their chilling gaze, which can paralyze a target completely for up to a minute, while also dealing a pile of cold damage. A lone Abominable Yeti can freeze an unsuspecting target at the back ranks, abscond with them into the snow, and vanish, like a Wampa with its prize, back to its lair.
Elder Tempest
In places where the elements run wild and primal, elementals may manifest. In harsh and extreme climes, you might be unfortunate enough to run across an Elder Tempest. These are terrifying storms given life. Beings carved from clouds and wind and ice and lightning. Elder tempests assume the shape of massive winged serpents.
These living storms are at the center of harsh weather for miles around. Rain and snow and ice follow in their wake. A single Elder Tempest can decimate a whole region with its screaming gales, and lightning storms that are called to its side. Add to that, the blasts of energy it can reliably call upon, and these are dangerous foes indeed.
Remorhaz
Remorhazes are another D&D arctic staple. These monstrous insect-like creatures live in the tundra and deepest ice deserts. But unlike many frost-aligned creatures, these are immune to both cold and fire.
Their superheated bodies keep them warm and allow them to burrow through the icy terrain. But they also afford them a strong protection. Any creature that touches the remorhaz or hits it with a melee attack within 5 feet of it, takes fire damage just for being near.
On top of that, they can bite and swallow targets whole, roasting them alive as they burrow beneath the earth with their prize. Even if you manage to cut your way free, there’s no guarantee you’ll make it back to your party.
Ice Troll
Like a troll but icier. These are fearsome creatures who regenerate rapidly. And the chilly arctic environments have left a magical mark on them. An aura of bitter cold surrounds an ice troll, damaging all who dare to approach within 10 feet of the creature and extinguishing any nonmagical flames.
On top of that, they deal additional cold damage and are massive bulwarks of hit points that keep regenerating unless you happened to bring some acid or fire. If you didn’t, you’ll face a relentless foe that cannot be killed and will stalk your scent across the icy tundra.
White Dragon
Finally, the iconic winter predator in D&D. The White Dragon. White dragons are considered the weakest of the Chromatic Dragons, but that is only a relative weakness. They’ve been the climax of many an adventure just to show how truly terrifying a dragon can be.
With the ability to walk on ice, burrow, and breathe bouts of cold as harsh as the northern wastes, a white dragon grows colder as it grows more powerful. Eventually becoming like the arctic itself.
