Frost Wight
Medium undead, neutral evil
Physical Description
A frost wight appears as a humanoid figure preserved in a state between ice and decay. Its flesh is a mottled blue-white, with patches of blackened frostbite and ice crystals jutting from joints and wounds. The creature's eyes glow with a pale blue light that seems to flicker like distant stars. Frozen vapor emanates from its mouth and nostrils with each rattling breath, and small ice crystals form momentarily in the air around it. The frost wight's movements produce an unsettling crackling sound as ice breaks and reforms with each step. Its touch brings an unnatural cold that seems to penetrate to the bone, leaving frost patterns on anything it contacts.
From the frozen shadows emerges a figure of living winter—a humanoid form preserved in death by unnatural cold. Its skin is a patchwork of pale white and mottled blue, with jagged shards of ice protruding from its joints. The air around it crystallizes with each labored breath, and its eyes burn with a cold light that promises not just death, but the endless suffering of a winter without end.
Lore
Winter's Remnants. Frost wights are commonly created when humanoids die from extreme cold in areas saturated with negative energy or dark magic. Battlefields in frozen wastes, ice-locked mountain passes, and ancient frozen tombs are common sites for their emergence.
Endless Hunger. Unlike some undead that hunger for flesh or blood, frost wights crave warmth and life essence. They are drawn to living creatures not just to kill, but to experience the fleeting sensation of warmth as they drain the heat from their victims.
Prisoners of Winter. Many frost wights retain fragmented memories of their former lives, creating a tormented existence. They experience constant pain from their frozen state and can find temporary relief only by draining the warmth from living beings.
Spreading Cold. Areas inhabited by frost wights gradually transform to match their frozen nature. Temperatures drop unnaturally, water sources freeze, and eventually, plants and smaller animals die, creating an expanding zone of frozen desolation.
Mountain Guide's Tale
"The old stories say that frost wights can smell your warmth from miles away. The colder the night, the more active they become. If you're caught in the mountains when the blizzard hits, better to risk freezing to death in the open than seeking shelter in the wrong cave. At least freezing is a peaceful end—what the wights do is something else entirely." — Varrik Stonefoot, Dwarf Guide
Stats
- Armor Class: 14 (natural armor)
- Hit Points: 45 (6d8 + 18)
- Speed: 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 (+2) | 10 (+0) | 16 (+3) | 6 (-2) | 12 (+1) | 8 (-1) |
- Damage Resistances: cold, necrotic
- Damage Immunities: poison
- Condition Immunities: exhaustion, poisoned
- Senses: darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
- Languages: understands Common and Sylvan but can't speak
- Challenge: 2 (450 XP)
Frozen Resilience. If the frost wight takes fire damage, it loses its Chill Aura until the end of its next turn.
Ice Walk. The frost wight can move across and climb icy surfaces without needing to make an ability check. Additionally, difficult terrain composed of ice or snow doesn't cost it extra movement.
Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the frost wight has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Actions
Frostbite Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) cold damage plus 4 (1d6) necrotic damage.
Chill Aura. Creatures within 10 ft. of the wight must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution save or take 7 (2d6) cold damage at the start of their turn. Creatures that successfully save are immune to this wight's Chill Aura for 24 hours.
Tactics
Frost wights exploit their resistance to cold by fighting in the harshest winter conditions, where their opponents suffer environmental penalties while they operate at full capacity. They prefer to engage multiple opponents at once, using their Chill Aura to weaken groups while focusing their Frostbite Claw attacks on a single target. Against fire-wielding opponents, frost wights will attempt to close distance quickly and neutralize the threat before their Chill Aura can be disabled. If significantly damaged, they retreat to frozen terrain where they can hide and recover before resuming the hunt.
The frost wight moves with a cruel deliberation, ice crackling around its joints with each step. The temperature plummets in its presence, turning breath to visible vapor and causing moisture to freeze on exposed skin. It reaches toward you with clawed hands that promise not the mere cessation of life, but the eternal, conscious cold of a winter without end.