Frostmarrow
Gargantuan • Undead • Neutral Evil
Armor Class 17
Hit Points 313 (19d20 + 114)
Speed 40 ft.
Initiative +3 (13)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 (+7) | 7 (-2) | 23 (+6) | 10 (+0) | 11 (+0) | 14 (+2) |
Saving Throws Str +12, Con +11
Damage Vulnerabilties fire
Damage Immunities cold, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, poisoned, frightened
Senses darkvision 300 ft (unimpeded by snow)., passive Perception 10
Languages Abyssal, Common, Infernal, telepathy 120 ft.
CR 16 (XP 15,000 or 18,000 in lair; PB +5)
Blizzard. Heavy snow falls in a 10-mile emanation originating from the frostmarrow. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 19, any creature starting its turn in a 100-foot emanation from the frostmarrow. Failure: 7 (2d6) cold damage.
Frostbite. Whenever a creature in a 100-foot emanation originating from the frostmarrow takes 10 cold damage or more, its maximum hit points are reduced by an amount equal to half the cold damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest outside the cold. The target dies if its hit point maximum is reduced to 0 and becomes a skeleton (with cold immunity) under the frostmarrow’s control.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The frostmarrow makes one Slam attack and one Bite attack.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +12, reach 10 ft. Hit: 16 (2d8 + 7) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) cold damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 20). Until this grapple ends, the frostmarrow can't bite another target.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +12, reach 10 ft. Hit: 14 (2d6 + 7) bludgeoning damage.
Freeze (Recharge 6). The frostmarrow gains 100 temporary hit points. While the frostmarrow has these temporary hit points, it is incapacitated, has a speed of 0, its Blizzard trait increases to a range of 300 feet, and the damage by an additional 7 (2d6) cold damage. Also, any creature without cold resistance gains disadvantage on the saving throw.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
Legendary Action Uses: 3 (4 in Lair). Immediately after another creature's turn, the frostmarrow can expend a use to take one of the following actions. The frostmarrow regains all expended uses at the start of each of its turns.
Frost. Strength Saving Throw: DC 19, one creature within 60 feet of the frostmarrow that it can see. Failure: 7 (2d6) cold damage, and the target's speed is reduced to 0 until the end of its next turn. Success: Half damage.
Slam. The frostmarrow makes a Slam attack.
Summon Skeletons. The frostmarrow summons 1d6 + 3 skeletons (with cold immunity). The summoned creatures appear in randomly determined unoccupied spaces within 60 feet of their summoner and act as an ally of their summoner. They remain for 10 minutes, until they or their summoner dies, or until its summoner dismisses it as a bonus action. The frostmarrow can't take this action again until the start of its next turn.
Frostmarrow
Gargantuan • Undead • Neutral Evil
Armor Class 16
Hit Points 279 (18d20 + 90)
Speed 40 ft.
Initiative +3 (12)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 (+6) | 7 (-2) | 21 (+5) | 10 (+0) | 11 (+0) | 14 (+2) |
Saving Throws Str +12, Con +11
Damage Vulnerabilties fire
Damage Immunities cold, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, poisoned, frightened
Senses darkvision 300 ft (unimpeded by snow)., passive Perception 10
Languages Abyssal, Common, Infernal, telepathy 120 ft.
CR 13 (XP 10,000 or 11,500 in lair; PB +5)
Blizzard. Heavy snow falls in a 10-mile emanation originating from the frostmarrow. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 18, any creature starting its turn in a 60-foot emanation from the frostmarrow. Failure: 5 (1d10) cold damage.
Frostbite. Whenever a creature in a 100-foot emanation originating from the frostmarrow takes 10 cold damage or more, its maximum hit points are reduced by an amount equal to half the cold damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest outside the cold. The target dies if its hit point maximum is reduced to 0 and becomes a skeleton (with cold immunity) under the frostmarrow’s control.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The frostmarrow makes one Slam attack and one Bite attack.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +11, reach 10 ft. Hit: 10 (1d8 + 6) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) cold damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 19). Until this grapple ends, the frostmarrow can't bite another target.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +11, reach 10 ft. Hit: 9 (1d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage.
Freeze (Recharge 6). The frostmarrow gains 60 temporary hit points. While the frostmarrow has these temporary hit points, it is incapacitated, has a speed of 0, its Blizzard trait increases to a range of 150 feet, and the damage by an additional 5 (1d10) cold damage. Also, any creature without cold resistance gains disadvantage on the saving throw.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
Legendary Action Uses: 3 (4 in Lair). Immediately after another creature's turn, the frostmarrow can expend a use to take one of the following actions. The frostmarrow regains all expended uses at the start of each of its turns.
Frost. Strength Saving Throw: DC 18, one creature within 60 feet of the frostmarrow that it can see. Failure: 5 (1d10) cold damage, and the target's speed is reduced to 0 until the end of its next turn. Success: Half damage.
Slam. The frostmarrow makes a Slam attack.
Summon Skeletons. The frostmarrow summons 1d4 + 2 skeletons (with cold immunity). The summoned creatures appear in randomly determined unoccupied spaces within 60 feet of their summoner and act as an ally of their summoner. They remain for 10 minutes, until they or their summoner dies, or until its summoner dismisses it as a bonus action. The frostmarrow can't take this action again until the start of its next turn.
Frostmarrow
Gargantuan • Undead • Neutral Evil
Armor Class 18
Hit Points 367 (21d20 + 147)
Speed 40 ft.
Initiative +4 (14)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 (+8) | 7 (-2) | 25 (+7) | 10 (+0) | 11 (+0) | 18 (+4) |
Saving Throws Str +12, Con +11
Damage Vulnerabilties fire
Damage Immunities cold, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, poisoned, frightened
Senses darkvision 300 ft (unimpeded by snow)., passive Perception 10
Languages Abyssal, Common, Infernal, telepathy 120 ft.
CR 19 (XP 22,000 or 25,000 in lair); PB +6)
Blizzard. Heavy snow falls in a 10-mile emanation originating from the frostmarrow. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 21, any creature starting its turn in a 100-foot emanation from the frostmarrow. Failure: 9 (2d8) cold damage.
Frostbite. Whenever a creature in a 100-foot emanation originating from the frostmarrow takes 10 cold damage or more, its maximum hit points are reduced by an amount equal to half the cold damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest outside the cold. The target dies if its hit point maximum is reduced to 0 and becomes a skeleton (with cold immunity) under the frostmarrow’s control.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The frostmarrow makes one Slam attack and one Bite attack.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +12, reach 10 ft. Hit: 17 (2d8 + 8) piercing damage plus 11 (2d10) cold damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 22). Until this grapple ends, the frostmarrow can't bite another target.
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +12, reach 10 ft. Hit: 17 (2d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage.
Freeze (Recharge 6). The frostmarrow gains 140 temporary hit points. While the frostmarrow has these temporary hit points, it is incapacitated, has a speed of 0, its Blizzard trait increases to a range of 500 feet, and the damage by an additional 9 (2d8) cold damage. Also, any creature without cold resistance gains disadvantage on the saving throw.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
Legendary Action Uses: 3 (4 in Lair). Immediately after another creature's turn, the frostmarrow can expend a use to take one of the following actions. The frostmarrow regains all expended uses at the start of each of its turns.
Frost. Strength Saving Throw: DC 21, one creature within 60 feet of the frostmarrow that it can see. Failure: 7 (2d6) cold damage, and the target's speed is reduced to 0 until the end of its next turn. Success: Half damage.
Slam. The frostmarrow makes a Slam attack.
Summon Skeletons. The frostmarrow summons 2d4 + 4 skeletons (with cold immunity). The summoned creatures appear in randomly determined unoccupied spaces within 60 feet of their summoner and act as an ally of their summoner. They remain for 10 minutes, until they or their summoner dies, or until its summoner dismisses it as a bonus action. The frostmarrow can't take this action again until the start of its next turn.
QUICK REFERENCE
USING MONSTER VARIANTS
Monster variants allow the GM to adjust encounters to better match the party’s strength, narrative needs, or world-building logic. A weaker variant may represent a juvenile, wounded, or lesser specimen, while a stronger variant can serve as a leader, champion, ancient creature, or apex predator.
Variants can be used to fine-tune difficulty without changing the core identity of the monster, making them ideal for scaling encounters, reinforcing hierarchy within a faction, or creating memorable boss-style enemies. You can even use the same stat block but different variants in the same encounter if you want.
Design Note. Each monster is primarily balanced around its normal version. Weaker and stronger variants are derived adjustments and may not always preserve every tactical nuance or “feel” of the original creature. GMs are encouraged to review variants carefully and adjust abilities or tactics as needed to best suit their table.