Monster Monday: Ice Cube - The Freezing Ooze

Today's Monster Monday is an ice cube, an arctic version of the gelatinous cube that will literally chill you to the bone and leave behind nothing more than an eerily lifelike ice sculpture.

Photo by Editor at Large, via Wikimedia

Ice cubes will be making an appearance in this winter's holiday adventure, The Chaining of Krampus, a continuation of last year's Escape from the Lair of the Krampus.  I'll be trying to get that adventure finished as soon as possible - hopefully earlier than last year's embarrassing release date of December 26th.  I'll also try to make it shorter than last year's installment, which tended to take two sessions to finish.  Stay tuned to d20 Despot for more news on this free Christmas-themed adventure!

The following text in gold is available as Open Game Content under the OGL. Open Game Content is ©2015 Jonah Bomgaars.

What looked like a solid wall of ice begins to slide forward, rippling ominously. 

Ice Cube       CR 6

XP 2,400

N Large ooze (cold)

Init -5; Senses blindsight 60 ft.; Perception -5

DEFENSE

AC 10, touch 4, flat-footed 10 (-5 Dex, -1 size, +6 natural)

hp 100 (8d8+64)

Fort +10, Ref -3, Will -3

Immune cold, ooze traits

Vulnerability fire

OFFENSE

Speed 15 ft.

Melee slam +11 (1d6+6 plus 2d6 cold plus glacification)

Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.

Special Attacks chill metal, engulf (DC 20)

STATISTICS

Str 22, Dex 1, Con 26, Int --, Wis 1, Cha 1

Base Atk +6; CMB +12; CMD 17 (can’t be tripped)

SQ freeze

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Chill Metal (Su)

With a touch attack, an ice cube can cause a single metal item to become intensely cold, as per the effects of the spell chill metal. 

Engulf (Ex)

An ice cube can engulf Large or smaller creatures in its path as a standard action.  It cannot make slam attacks during a round in which it engulfs.  The ice cube merely has to move over the opponents, affecting as many as it can cover.  Opponents can make attacks of opportunity against the cube, but if they do so they are not entitled to a saving throw.  Those who do not attempt attacks of opportunity can attempt a DC 20 Reflex save to avoid being engulfed - on a success, they are pushed back or aside (opponent’s choice) as the cube moves forward.  Engulfed creatures automatically take 2d6 points of cold damage per round, are subject to the ice cube’s glacification ability, gain the pinned condition, are in danger of suffocating, and are trapped within its body until they are no longer pinned.  The save DC is Strength-based. 

Freeze (Ex)

An ice cube can hold itself so still it appears to be a large block or wall of ice.  While in an icy environment, an ice cube using the freeze ability appears to all non-magical means to be solid, non-living ice.  It cannot make attacks, but it gains DR 10/adamantine.  An ice cube cannot use its freeze ability if it has one or more living creatures engulfed within it. 

Glacification (Su)

An ice cube’s slam and engulf attacks cause the flesh to freeze and harden.  Each time a creature is damaged by the ice cube’s attacks, it must succeed on a DC 16 Fortitude save or take 1d4 points of Dexterity damage as its flesh freezes.  A creature that is reduced to 0 Dexterity by glacification is turned to ice.  The creature is now petrified, except their body is made of ice instead of stone, with all the inherent weaknesses of ice. 

   Every day, a creature turned to ice in this manner can attempt a new DC 16 Fortitude save to recover, at which point the victim returns to flesh with 1 Dexterity.  But after a glacified character fails three of these Fortitude saves in a row, the glacified state becomes permanent.  A glacified character can be returned to flesh with the spell break enchantment.  Stone to flesh does not work.  The ice cube’s effective caster level for this effect is 8.  A creature restored to flesh by magic has its Dexterity damage caused by glacification removed, but not any existing Dexterity damage from other sources.  Glacification affects only flesh and bone, not any items the creature may have been carrying. 

   This is a supernatural cold effect.  Any bonuses to saves vs elemental cold apply to saves vs glacification as well.  Creatures that have cold resistance gain a flat +5 bonus to their saves against this effect.  Creatures that are immune to cold are immune to glacification as well. 

   The save DC is Constitution-based, and includes a -6 racial penalty.   

ECOLOGY

Environment any cold

Organization solitary

Treasure none

This freezing ooze superficially resembles a gelatinous cube, but it is far deadlier.  Denizens of glaciers and ice floes, these oozes eat the warmth of life out of their prey, leaving behind corpses in the form of eerily lifelike ice sculptures.  An ice cube softens to jelly to absorb its victims, then hardens its icy shell to deflect attacks against it.  Their only weakness is fire, and they instinctively move to engulf anyone or anything that attempts to melt them.  

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-your glacified d20 despot