Winterghast

Medium undead, chaotic evil

Armor Class 13
Hit Points 78 (12d8 + 24)
Speed 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
16 (+3)	17 (+3)	15 (+2)	10 (+0)	13 (+1)	9 (-1)

Skills Stealth +5
Damage Vulnerabilities fire
Damage Resistances necrotic
Damage Immunities cold, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages Common
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Creeping Cold. A creature that fails its saving throw against the winterghast’s bite attack becomes infected with the creeping cold disease. At the end of each long rest, the infected creature must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw each day or take 9 (2d8) cold damage and 5 (2d4) necrotic damage and suffer one level of exhaustion if the creature has no levels of exhaustion. The target’s hp maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken. The exhaustion and hp maximum reduction last until the target finishes a long rest after the disease is cured. If the disease reduces the creature’s hp maximum to 0, the creature dies, and it rises as a winterghast 1d4 hours later. A creature that succeeds on two saving throws against the diseases recovers from it. Alternatively, the disease can be removed by the lesser restoration spell or similar magic.
• Hidden Stench. Fire damage melts some of the ice covering the winterghast, unleashing its horrific stench. Each creature within 20 feet of the winterghast when it takes fire damage must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of its next turn.

ACTIONS

• Multiattack. The winterghast makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its claw or two with its claws.
• Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage plus 4 (1d8) cold damage. If the target is a humanoid, it must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or contract the creeping cold disease (see the Creeping Cold trait).
• Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) slashing damage. If the target is a creature other than an undead, it must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

ABOUT

This blue-skinned corpse, covered in frosty patches with a ridge of icicles down its spine, lumbers forward.

Eater of Frozen Corpses. While most types of ghouls prefer freshly killed meat, winterghasts enjoy flesh afflicted with frostbite or gangrene. Since the opportunity for meals is diminished in less populated tundra, winterghasts are careful to avoid spawning additional winterghasts through the disease they inflict. This outlook also prevents winterghasts from gathering in large numbers, but they sometimes form clans for mutual protection and to keep other winterghasts from hunting in their territories. When times become lean, these clans often tear each other apart through infighting, and the survivors scatter to hunt in solitude.

Scorned by Darakhul. Even from their underground kingdoms, darakhul (Tome of Beasts, p. 216) are aware of the existence of winterghasts but believe them to be just as brutish as lesser ghasts and ghouls. Much of the darakhul’s attitude derives from their inherent sense of superiority, since very few darakhul have encountered winterghasts. If not for the winterghasts’ remote location, the darakhul would have attempted to wipe them out long ago. Some darakhul necromancers have researched the creation of darakhul-winterghast hybrids, eradicating the winterghasts’ susceptibility to fire and their hunger for frostbitten flesh. These necromancers have had little success finding test subjects, delaying a darakhul conquest of arctic lands.

Hungry Dead Nature. A winterghast doesn’t require air or sleep.