Frozen Horror (Dread Codex Monster)

This material is published under the OGL

Template:Creature Table Frost-rimmed and torn clothing clings loosely to this blue-skinned humanoid. A bestial glint in its coal-black eyes highlights its otherwise withered features. The humanoid bares a jagged set of teeth and claws before rushing to attack.

The frozen northern landscape is a sea of ice and snow amidst tranquil snow-packed mountains. But amidst this beauty is a veritable graveyard of creatures that die in that dangerous beauty. Harsh elements and starvation take the lives of so many creatures that are not native to the north. Those that lay dead for over a year, however, gather the power to return. If a living creature being walks over the grave spot of a creature that died in the elements, there is a 10% chance per Hit Die of the living creature that the corpse animates as a frozen horror. It claws its way to freedom and follows the tracks of the creature which tread across its former resting place. Frozen horrors see their victims as arrogant nobodies who purposely strode over their grave to mock their failure at overcoming the elements.

Combat

Frozen horrors fall upon their victims with tooth and claw, numbing their victims with their icy grip as they rend flesh from bone. They sometimes grapple with their prey, holding them in a freezing embrace until the victim is overcome by the chill, and meanwhile dig with their teeth for warm blood. If outnumbered, frozen horrors endeavor to use their numbing grip on as many foes as possible before moving to the task of finishing their chilled victim.

Numbness (Ex): Anyone hit by a frozen horror must make a DC 15 Fortitude save or take 1 point of temporary Dexterity damage.

Numbing Grip (Ex): If a frozen horror successfully grapples an opponent or otherwise maintains contact with him for a full round, he must succeed at a DC 13 Fortitude save at the beginning of his turn or take 1d4 points of temporary Dexterity damage.

Skills: Frozen horrors receive a +2 racial bonus on Hide, Move Silently, and Survival checks, and a +4 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks.

Treasure

Standard — While a frozen horror does still possess the equipment it had during its life, it does not use any it. Weapons are ignored in favor of its numbing bite and claw attacks and treasure such as coins and magic items are carried out of familiarity. In fact, it is because of familiarity with certain items that the horror acquires more treasure — tending to pick up and carry items from its victims which resonate on some kind of emotional level.

• Rose quartz gems (x4) [60 gp each]
• Belt pouch [1 gp]
• Dagger [2 gp]
• Leather armor [1 gp due to uselessness of the armor from age]
• Masterwork short sword [310 gp]
• Potion of endure elements [50 gp]
• Small tapestry depicting an icy locale with a lone pine tree in the center of a grassy field; an "X" is hand drawn just west of the pine tree [350 gp but the tapestry could be worth far more if it is what it appears to be—a treasure map. Different horrors in the same pack might have other important pictorial clues about the treasure or the GM can replace the tapestry in this list with a family heirloom of comparable value]
• 246 gp

In Your Campaign

Frozen horrors are not without some intelligence. In its relentless pursuit of the creature which disturbed its rest, a horror pretends to be a living being to those it encounters. Communities, no matter their size, might house a pack of frozen horrors and no one would be the wiser. These undead may crave the warm bodily juices of humanoids, but they do not need them to survive like a vampire needs blood. Frozen horrors can be cautious and cunning, even to the point of renting an apartment in a city whilst it attacks in the dead of night; for after its primary victim is slain, the horror is free to kill at its whim.

Frozen horrors can lie buried for decades before awakened by unknowing passerby. This makes their clothing out of date and is a possible tip-off for those characters encountering them that something is suspicious. You can grant a character a +3 circumstance bonus on a Spot check to notice something "odd" about the horror. Or, conversely, give the horror a -3 bonus to any Disguise checks meant to fool a character into believing it is not undead.

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