“The ice comes every winter. Every year. And with it, some beings better off melted in summer breezes.” Hermit by the side of the road.
With the weather getting colder, we knew that a winter-themed zine was right around the corner. After a little brainstorming, and repurposing from past games, we ended up with Domhnell Frostbeak, a conniving screechling who’s sure to put players on ice!
Domhnell’s defensive profile is nothing to scoff at, starting with his Fly speed, courtesy of his screeching capabilities. This allows Domhnell to keep his distance from particularly dangerous foes, so his 17 AC doesn’t have to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to damage avoidance. Domhnell’s Legendary Resistance trait allows him to turn a saving throw failure into a success twice per day, giving him an answer to the many combat-altering abilities players have access to.
131 Hit Points might not seem too high for 7th-level characters, but Domhnell’s Ice Armor trait is sure to keep him in the fight, causing Domhnell to regain 20 Hit Points every turn if he has at least 1. He’ll keep regenerating until his Snow Constructor has been destroyed, at which point this trait won’t function.
Domhnell’s no slouch on the offensive end either, letting off two Ice Spike attacks per turn, dealing 16 Cold damage with each attack on average. He can make these attacks at range or in melee, letting Domhnell pepper enemies while in flight or go toe-to-toe if players manage to keep him grounded.
Encasing Ice is Domhnell’s show stopper, a 40-foot cone of ice and snow dealing 24 Cold damage on average and giving targets the Restrained condition. Those who fail can repeat the save at the end of their next turn, but a second failure doesn’t mean continuing the Restrained condition, but the Paralyzed condition instead, as targets are fully encased in ice. If a creature with the Paralyzed condition takes 10 or more Fire damage, this condition ends.
Domhnell’s Legendary Actions are pretty varied, each meant to be used in different ways. Frigid Flug lets Domhnell make another Ice Spike attack, while Frost Burn deals a little Fire damage to a target and halves their speed until the end of their next turn, helping to keep threatening characters at bay. His last Legendary Action, Hardened Hoarfrost, is defensive in nature, giving Domhnell Resistance to all damage types except Poison, Psychic, and Thunder until the end of the next turn in Initiative. This helps Domhnell to stick around on the battlefield longer, giving him more time to soften up enemies and freeze them solid, statuesque symbols of the screeching’s might!
It was a fun challenge creating abilities that fit with Domhnell’s wintery aesthetic, and we hope you can enjoy running Domhnell Frostbeak in your games!
By Ivo Hoying
Epigraph by Inti Navia
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