Glacien

Glacien are small humanoids with blue or icy white skin. They are descended from icy elemental creatures.

Glacien are commonly found in extremely cold climates. Few people travel to glacien communities due to the dangers in the environment, so they are often viewed as reclusive. While this isn’t true, they don’t have much of a need to travel far from their homes, and only rarely have to deal with monsters or other threats.

Heart of Ice

When the Frozen Huntress was destroyed, her body shattered into tiny slivers of ice. Where the fragments of ice fell, snow formed around them, taking the shape of an icy humanoid. This is how the first glacien were born, powered by the fragment of the Frozen Huntress as their heart.

A glacien’s heart is crystalline ice, pumping blue blood imbued with elemental cold through their body. The shape of the heart looks like a sliver of ice, but it still pulsates and pumps blood. It can be used as a powerful reagent by evil spellcasters and can be found for sale at high prices in certain black markets.

Frozen Core

The elemental energy within a glacien is so powerful that they can empower items with a fraction of their cold. Ice crystals grow upon whatever they hold, and they can even project blasts of freezing energy.

Glacien prefer cold environments, but aren’t uncomfortable in hot environments. Their bodies keep cool even if ice would melt.

Icy Demise

A glacien’s existence is a balance between the warmth of life and the elemental cold in their heart. Glacien die when their body is no longer able to hold back the power of the cold. When this happens, their body turns into a solid sculpture of ice in their likeness.

Initially supernaturally cold, it begins to warm to normal ice temperatures over time. Much like a human body decomposes over time, a glacien’s frozen body melts.

Glacien Names

Glacien typically have short names that are only a few syllables long.

Example Names: Nara, Fir, Kondar.

Glacien Traits

Glacien share certain traits as a result of their elemental heritage.

• Ability Score Increase. You gain a +2 and +1 bonus to two different ability scores of your choice, or +1 to three different ones.
• Age. Glacien reach adulthood in their 20s and generally live up to 200 years.
• Size. Glacien have the same size as a Halfling. Your size is Small.
• Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
• Cold Resistance (Minor Feature). You have resistance to cold damage.
• Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Sylvan.

Major Features

Choose two of the following major features. You can exchange one major feature for two additional minor features. You can only choose one feature with the (Magic) tag.

• Flash Freeze. Your cold touch can freeze a creature in place. When you hit a creature with a melee attack, you can imbue it with cold. The creature must make a Constitution saving throw. The DC for this saving throw is 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus. On a failed save, the target’s speed is reduced to 0 until the end of their next turn. If the saving throw fails by 5+, they are instead restrained until the end of their next turn. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
• Ice Block. As a reaction when you take damage, you can freeze yourself in a block of ice for up to 1 minute. While frozen in this way you are petrified, and gain an amount of temporary hit points equal to five times your level. You are aware of your surroundings while in this state, and can choose to unfreeze yourself at the start of any of your turns within the next minute. Your temporary hit points disappear when you unfreeze. After one minute, you automatically unfreeze. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
• Ice Magic (Magic). You know the frostbite cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the armor of agathys spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the heat metal spell once with this trait, but dealing cold damage instead of fire damage, and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. You don’t require material components for these spells. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
• Ice Shaper (Magic). You know the shape water cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the entangle spell once with this trait, but with ice and snow instead of grasping vines, and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the earthen grasp spell once with this trait, creating a hand with ice and snow, and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. You don’t require material components for these spells. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
• Icy Empowerment (Transformation). As an action, you can channel cold energy through your body, letting your heart of ice temporarily overpower your life energy. This lasts for 1 minute, or until you end it as a bonus action. During it, at the end of each of your turns, you and each creature within 10 feet of you take cold damage equal to half your level (rounded up). In addition, once on each of your turns, you can deal extra cold damage to one target when you deal damage to it with an attack or a spell. The extra cold damage equals your level. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Minor Features

Choose one of the following minor features, or three if you only chose one major feature.

• Darkvision. You have superior vision in darkness. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were in bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
• Fluent. You can speak, read, and write two additional languages of your choice.
• Icy Nature. You know the ray of frost or frostbite cantrip. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for it.
• Snow Camouflage. You have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks when in a snowy environment.
• Snowy Acclimation. You are adapted to extremely cold environments. You ignore any of the drawbacks caused by a cold environment and any movement penalties or difficult terrain from snow and ice.
• Survivalist. You have proficiency in the Survival skill.
• Trained Tools. You have proficiency in two tools of your choice.