TEXT: EN World EN5idEr | Horrors Beneath the Ice
   
  writing Walt Ciechanowski
   color art Phil Stone
   
  editing James J. Haeck
   
  layout Eric Life-Putnam
  I
  n an apparent upheaval of natu-
  ral hibernation cycles, there are 
  some threats that only appear during 
  the bitter cold of winter. Whether they 
  migrate with the cold, lay dormant 
  during warm months, or cross over 
  from another plane of existence, these 
  creatures of the cold only menace trav-
  elers and other isolated folk when the 
  weather is freezing.
  Three such threats are offered here. 
  All have one thing in common; they 
  are hidden threats, creatures who hide 
  in the obscuring ice and snow until 
  their unsuspecting prey gets too close. 
  It is then that they spring their traps, 
  engulfing and destroying their vic-
  tims when it is too late to resist. Only 
  the hardiest adventurers survive such 
  encounters.
  Horrors
  Beneath 
  the Ice
  
  Horrors Beneath the Ice | EN World EN5idEr
  Open Game Content | The game rule information 
  in this article is designated Open Game Content. All other 
  material in this article, including maps and illustrations 
  (including illustrations in the public domain), in-character 
  and out-of-character narrative and descriptive text, 
  character and place names, trade dress, “EN Publishing,” 
  “EN World,” “EN5ider,” EN Publishing product 
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  Black Icer
  Large ooze, unaligned
  Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 95 (10d10 + 40)
  Speed 20 ft.
   STR  
  DEX  
  CON  
  INT  
  WIS  
  CHA 
   18 (+4)  
  6 (–2)  
  18 (+4)  
  1 (–5)  
  6 (–2)  
  1 (–5)
  Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slash-
  ing from nonmagical attacks 
  Damage Immunities cold
  Damage Vulnerabilities acid, fire
  Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, 
  exhaustion, frightened, prone
  Senses blindsight 60 ft (blind beyond this radius), pas-
  sive Perception 8
  Languages —
  Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
  Amorphous. The black icer can move through a space a 
  narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.
  Slick Surface. Black icers have extremely slick surfaces 
  when hardened. Any creature stepping on a black icer 
  must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or slip and 
  fall on top of the black icer. The black icer may engulf 
  the creature as a reaction.
  Transparent. Black icers are difficult to see when on a 
  smooth surface and even when they settle into a patch 
  of “ice” on natural ground they look no different than 
  regular ice. Even when in plain sight, it takes a success-
  ful DC 17 Wisdom (Perception) check to spot a black 
  icer that has neither moved nor attacked. A creature 
  that tries to enter the black icer’s space while unaware 
  of the black icer is surprised by the black icer. 
  Actions
  Pseudopod. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one creature. Hit: 10 (3d6) cold damage.
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  Engulf. The black icer moves up to its speed. While do-
  ing so, it can enter Large or smaller creatures’ spaces. 
  Whenever the black icer enters a creature’s space, the 
  creature must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. 
  On a successful save, the creature does not slip and 
  may enter the nearest 5-foot space outside of the black 
  icer’s spaces. On a failed save, the creature takes 10 
  (3d6) cold damage and is engulfed.
    The engulfed creature can’t breathe, is restrained, 
  and takes 21 (6d6) cold damage at the start of each 
  of the black icer’s turns. The black icer cannot move 
  while it has engulfed a creature (although it may attack 
  others with its pseudopods) and it can only engulf one 
  creature at a time.
    An engulfed creature can try to escape by taking an 
  action to make a DC 16 Strength check. On a success, 
  the creature escapes and enters a space of its choice 
  within 5 feet of the black icer.
  The precise origin of the black icer is unclear. The 
  generally accepted explanation is that it is an ooze 
  that has adapted to the cold and that only enters 
  civilized areas when the weather is cold enough, 
  but the fact that it thrives in civilized conditions 
  (black ice requires smooth surfaces) steers academ-
  ics towards a more exotic solution. Some believe 
  it is an alchemical experiment gone wrong, while 
  others believe that it is a denizen of an outer plane 
  that slipped into this dimension. In any case, the 
  black icer does seem to behave like any other ooze, 
  lulling victims into a false sense of security in order 
  to trap them and feed.
  
  EN World EN5idEr | Horrors Beneath the Ice
  Snow Angel
  Large monstrosity, unaligned
  Armor Class 13
  Hit Points 75 (10d10 + 20)
  Speed 10 ft. (30 ft in deep snow), swim 60 ft.
   STR  
  DEX  
  CON  
  INT  
  WIS  
  CHA 
   16 (+3)  
  16 (+3)  
  14 (+2)  
  4 (–3)  
  12 (+1)  
  5 (–3)
  Skills Perception +5, Stealth +7
  Damage Immunities cold
  Damage Vulnerabilities fire
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
  Languages —
  Challenge 5 (1800 XP)
  Amphibious. The snow angel can breathe air and water.
  Camouflage. When covered by snow, the snow angel 
  appears to be an actual “snow angel” that was created 
  by someone laying in the snow and waving their hands 
  and feet. The snow angel usually adds some seemingly 
  valuable trinket—usually from a previous victim—in 
  the center of the snow angel, as if it was accidentally 
  left behind. It takes a DC 18 Wisdom (Perception) check 
  to notice that something is a bit “off” about the snow 
  angel imprint or to spot the small hole that the snow 
  angel is breathing through. 
  Pass without Trace. Snow angels have the ability to 
  slither through snow without leaving any traces of their 
  movements. Thus, the movements of a snow angel 
  can only be tracked by magical means. They receive a 
  +10 bonus to Dexterity (Stealth) checks when moving 
  around other creatures if there is at least half a foot of 
  snow on the ground.
  Actions
  Multiattack. The snow angel can make three attacks 
  with its tentacles or two attacks with its tentacles and 
  one with its bite.
  Tentacles. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 15 feet., 
  one target. Hit: 17 (4d8+3) bludgeoning damage, and 
  the target is grappled (escape DC 16). Until this grapple 
  ends, the target is restrained, and the snow angel can’t 
  use the tentacle on another target. It may, however, 
  bludgeon a grappled creature with another tentacle.
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 feet, one 
  target. Hit: 36 (6d10+3) piercing damage. The snow an-
  gel prefers to bite creatures it has grappled, although it 
  also bites those who step on it while it’s hidden.
  The snow angel is a strange and disturbing crea-
  ture—an invertebrate hexapod that buries itself in 
  the snow and attracts the curious with playful in-
  dentations in the snow and the promise of a reward. 
  This large creature originated in the coldest depths 
  of the ocean, adapting to life on land in the coldest 
  regions where it learned to use snow as a mode of 
  transport as well as camouflage. 
  While not particularly intelligent, the snow angel 
  has a shrewd animal cunning and has learned to 
  save the shiny things it comes across on its feedings 
  and travels to entice curious wanderers in the snow. 
  While this often attracts the most vulnerable mem-
  bers of a rural community, snow angels who settle 
  too close to such places often end up trapping dogs 
  and domesticated animals, hopefully providing 
  much needed clues to local authorities that some-
  thing dangerous is lurking nearby.
  
  Horrors Beneath the Ice | EN World EN5idEr
  Wailer on the Ice
  Medium undead, neutral evil
  Armor Class 12 (16 in icy terrain)
  Hit Points 102 (12d8 + 48)
  Speed 20 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover)
   STR  
  DEX  
  CON  
  INT  
  WIS  
  CHA 
   18 (+4)  
  14 (+2)  
  18 (+4)  
  10 (+0)  
  12 (+1)  
  16 (+3)
  Skills Deception +9, Intimidation +6
  Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slash-
  ing from nonmagical attacks.
  Damage Immunities cold, necrotic, poison
  Damage Vulnerabilities fire
  Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, fright-
  ened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, 
  restrained
  Senses blindsight 120 ft.
  Languages any it knew in life
  Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)
  Ethereal Sight. The wailer on the ice can see 120 feet 
  into the Ethereal Plane when it is on the Material Plane, 
  and vice versa.
  Frigid Armor. The wailer on the ice coats itself in a thick 
  barrier of ice while it is in direct contact with solid ice, 
  increasing its AC to 16.
  Incorporeal Movement. The wailer on the ice can move 
  through other creatures and objects as if they were 
  difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends 
  its turn inside an object. The wailer on the ice cannot 
  use this feature while body of ice is active.
  Actions
  Multiattack. The wailer on the ice makes two slam 
  attacks or ice weapon attacks.
  Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  creature. Hit: 21 (5d6 + 4) force damage plus 7 (2d6) 
  cold damage. In addition, the target may be knocked 
  prone if it fails a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. If the 
  target fails and is standing on ice, the ice in its space 
  breaks. 
  Ice Weapon. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft, 
  one creature. Hit: 26 (5d8 + 4) bludgeoning, piercing, or 
  slashing damage (the wailer on the ice chooses what 
  type of weapon to manifest and uses the appropriate 
  damage type), plus 7 (2d6) cold damage.
  Cone of Frost (Recharge 4–6). The wailer on the ice 
  blows a 30-foot cone of frost. Each creature in that 
  area must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving 
  throw, taking 36 (8d8) cold damage on a failed save, or 
  half as much damage on a successful one. 
  Etherealness. The wailer on the ice enters the Ethereal 
  Plane from the Material Plane, or vice versa. It is visible 
  on the Material Plane while it is in the Border Ethereal, 
  and vice versa, yet it can’t affect or be affected by 
  anything on the other plane.
  Wail. The wailer on the ice cries out for help, like a lost 
  soul upon the ice. Any creature within 300 feet can 
  hear this wail and it must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom 
  saving throw or be compelled to move towards the 
  wailer on the ice. The effect ends when the creature 
  takes damage or when it gets within 5 feet of the wailer 
  on the ice.
  The wailer on the ice is not a ghost or spirit, but a 
  painful echo, a manifestation of the despair of a fro-
  zen humanoid whose dying screams went unheard. 
  This ethereal remnant uses the ice that formed over 
  its frost-blackened mummy to create an icy facsim-
  ile of its original appearance. It is a tortured beacon 
  of despair; it believes—inasmuch as an ethereal 
  remnant can believe—that by luring and killing 
  others it may dull its own pain. Unfortunately, the 
  wailer can never truly know peace; every victim the 
  wailer on the ice lures to its death only magnifies its 
  suffering.
  Fortunately, wailers on the ice can only exist in 
  freezing conditions. When the thaw comes, the 
  wailers disappear, only to return when the snows 
  do. Over time, this can give an area a sinister repu-
  tation that doesn’t manifest itself throughout the 
  warmer parts of the year. e
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/EN World EN5ider/EN5ider 199 - Horrors Beneath The Ice.pdf