2023 Advent Calendar Christmas Bonus! The Naughty List (Magic Item Monday)

The Naughty List

Wondrous item, legendary

As an action, you can write a creature's true name on this list. That creature must succeed on a DC 15 Charisma saving throw or its alignment becomes evil, and you are protected from it as if by a protection from evil and good spell. You can use a bonus action to cast Command (DC 15) on a creature on the list, filling its mind with guilt. The command can be more than one word, but must be to perform a good deed, such as giving away a possession, sitting in time-out, or apologizing for naughty behavior. Once a creature on the list has atoned 3 times, its name disappears from the list, and its alignment becomes good.

2023 Advent Calendar Day 23: The 22 Birds of Xmas (map)

 

"Behold, a map!" - Diogenes, holding a plucked Christmas goose

Scale: 3 miles (1 hour) per hex. I like this one-page system for random encounters: once per hex, roll a d20; it determines whether an encounter occurs, and which nearby hex you should look in to see what it is. v2, at the bottom of the page, is much easier to understand. Jack Frost shows up anywhere on an encounter roll of 19.

2023 Advent Calendar Day 21-22: The 22 Birds of Xmas (adventure)

I lacked inspiration for a couple days, but now it's time to start pulling all these weird things together into weird Christmas adventures. This is a small-scale hexcrawl adventure for around 3rd-5th levels, with options for nonviolent resolution. Map is coming tomorrow!

What are you doing sir, there is nary a pear in sight
(JJ Harrison, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Holly the Druid lives in her orchard with 12 Awakened Pear Trees and her pet partridge Perry (1d4). She has lost her birds, and if you bring them all back to her, she will create the Spear of Baldr for you.

2023 Advent Calendar Day 18: Five Golden Rings (Magic Item Monday)

Ring of the Hibernaculum

Ring, rare (requires attunement)

While attuned to this heavy golden ring emblazoned with a sleeping bear, you can bank surplus food for future use. Each day's worth of food you eat beyond your daily requirements adds one charge to the ring. You can spend a charge from the ring to forego eating for a day. On a day when you are not eating, you can not engage in strenuous activity (such as traveling or adventuring) for more than 4 hours; if you exceed this limit, you must eat a full day's nourishment or face starvation, as normal.

Additionally, you can expend one charge to cast sleep as a 5th-level spell.

If the ring has no charges remaining, you become irritable and aggressive until it is refilled.

Ring of Adaptation

Ring, uncommon (requires attunement)

This magic ring is made of light electrum and set with an uncut rock crystal. While wearing it, you treat temperatures as one category warmer for determining exposure. (supernatural cold > extreme cold > mild cold > comfortable > mild heat > extreme heat > supernatural heat)

Ring of Many Colors

Ring, very rare (requires attunement)

This dark golden ring is studded with seven brightly-colored gemstones evenly spaced around its band: a ruby, sapphire, emerald, amber, periwinkle, amethyst, and diamond, which glow brightly to indicate the number of charges remaining. The ring holds 7 charges, and regains 1d6+1 daily when the first star is visible at sundown. You can expend charges from the ring to cast the following spells: dancing lights (0 charges), color spray (1 charge), darkvision (1 charge), see invisibility (2 charges), hypnotic pattern (3 charges), crown of stars (7 charges), prismatic spray (7 charges). You can also expend all remaining charges in the ring to cast prismatic wall, but the ring has a 20% chance to be destroyed after doing so, plus 10% for each charge missing.

Ring of Snowballs

Ring, common

These little trinkets, designed for harmless winter fun at wizarding universities, achieved unexpected deadly success after the advent of firearms. When you make a ranged attack, you can choose to gain a +1 bonus to the attack roll in exchange for a -2 penalty to the damage roll. Additionally, your throwing distance is doubled, applying to the regular and maximum ranges of any weapon with the Thrown property. (Typical throwing range for other items is 20'/60'.)

Ring of First Bloom

Ring, legendary (requires attunement)

This ring is worn by the Great Chieftain of the Tribes of Spring, elected at their yearly Moot. It contains the power to banish winter and usher in the next stage in the worldly cycle. It is a wide band of rose gold, set with a ruby carved in the shape of a rose which buds, unfolds, and wilts with the seasons, and mixed with veins of jade in the shape of vines. A creature with resistance or immunity to cold damage who puts on the ring takes 6d10 piercing damage from the thorns, and 2d10 piercing damage per round until it is removed. To attune to the ring, you must brew a tea of pine needles harvested on the winter solstice, boiled in water from the last snowmelt of winter, over a fire from the last fallen leaves of the previous year, and share it in a ceremony with at least three other people. No other creature can then attune to it for at least nine months.

You are immune to cold damage while attuned to the ring. You can use an action to touch a creature and allow it to expend a hit die, regaining hit points equal to its Constitution score. You can cast banishment (DC 17) at will, targeting an elemental. A target with resistance or immunity to cold damage has disadvantage on the saving throw. You can also cast plant growth at will, and reincarnate once per day. When casting reincarnate, you can expend any number of hit dice and apply them as a bonus or penalty to the roll to determine the target's new species.

2023 Advent Calendar Day 17: Ice Cube (spell)

The Incredibles (2004)

Ice Cube

1st level conjuration, 1 action, 30 feet, VS, Concentration up to 1 minute 

You trap one creature in a blast of icy mist. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw or become trapped in a block of ice. On a failed save, the target takes 2d6 cold damage and is restrained for the duration. While the target is restrained in this way, you can use a bonus action on subsequent turns to deal 1d6 cold damage to it automatically.

The mass of ice is an object with an AC equal to your spell save DC and 5 hit points, immunity to acid and cold damage, and vulnerability to fire and thunder damage. When the ice is destroyed, the spell ends.

At higher levels, its hit points increase by 5 for each slot level above 1st. (5hp/lvl)

2023 Advent Calendar Day 16: Miscellaneous Monsters (monster)

Winter Sprite T ♥13 ⟁12 ☺3 ↟20'

{-3 +2 +2 -3 +1 -3}, Stealth +6, [V] fire, [R] BPS/magic, [I] acid, cold, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, stunned
Insubstantial. Perception 13 to see, end inside object: 1d10 force
Freeze +4 ⍟ 3 C, Protective Re: ally damaged, Freeze attacker, Gust ⍟ ≤M STR 11, ≤5lbs pushed 10', False Life (3/day) ⍟5' 1d4+4 THP 1hr, Armor of Agathys (1/day) ⍟5' 5 THP, † 5 C, Cure Wounds (1/day) 1d8+1 HP, Druidcraft

Winter sprites are errant scraps of elemental cold energy that appear as faint whisps or clouds of icy crystals. They often piggyback on greater elementals when they are summoned to the material plane. Less experienced conjurers usually don't notice or care about these unimportant hangers-on, and so they are rarely subjected to the rituals that bind summoned elementals to service, leaving them to make their own way freely through the world. Winter sprites have the intelligence and personality of a particularly clever dog, vigorously protecting the creatures they see as friends, and readily imprinting onto new friends. They have no sense of tactics or preserving their abilities for later, and will immediately use them the first time they might possibly be useful.

Winter sprites can be used as familiars. They are enthusiastic, loyal, and playful, but are easily distracted and shouldn't be trusted with complex tasks.

Frost Heave H ♥115 ⟁16 ☺15 ↳30' (snow)

{+4 +0 +4 -3 +0 -2}, [V] fire, thunder; [R] acid, BPS/magic; [I] cold, poison, exhaustion, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, unconscious
Ice Skate (don't disturb ice, snow), Jagged Shards (B, thunder 5': 1d10 C)
MA Slam 1/arm, Slam +7 †10' 1d+4 B + 1d C, BA Malleable Form Slam: 1x d20, 2x d10, 3x d6, 4x d4, +20', B↔P

A frost heave is a hulking mass of ice and snow arranged into crude, malleable limbs and held together by magic. Their bodies are often protected by thick sheets of ice and jagged icicles. They have the ability to extrude and retract new limbs at will, with fewer arms giving more powerful attacks, as well as reshaping their bodies in other ways, like extending their reach for a round. The elemental spirit isn't tied to any particular body of snow or ice, so it can move freely through snowbanks without disturbing them, jettisoning its old form and reforming anew when it leaps out to attack. 

Frost heaves are probably the most durable creature in the armies of the Princes of Winter, except possibly the ice golems with their full immunity to weapons. They are incredibly strong, and can take out large groups of mortal soldiers, but are mainly used as siege monsters to tear down and breach walls (they're the only thing the Princes have that really can).

White Pudding H ♥92 ⟁8 ☺2 ↠10'
{+4 -2 +5 -5 -2 -5}, [V] fire; [I] acid, cold, blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, prone
False Appearance (snow), Spider Climb
Ooze Pool. Fills space, enter → Engulf ᵂ⁄ disadv
Engulf move, DEX 14 grappled (escape 14, others: 2d6 C to attempt) 2d6 B + 2d6 C per turn, 𝕊 moved, BA Crystallize AC, escape 18, ↠0', no Engulf, Spider Climb, 𝕍 thunder; also revert, Drain Heat grappled CON 14 4d6 C 𝕊 ½, 0 HP: petrified (frozen), Pseudopod +6 †10' 1d6+4 B + 2d6 C

White puddings are arctic ambush predators. They bury themselves in piles of snow and lie in wait for unwitting wanderers stumble into them, then quickly spring up and swallow them. Once it has a victim ensnared, a pudding will freeze itself solid, trapping the unfortunate creature inside as it slowly leeches away its body heat. Puddings leave their meals mostly intact, but frostbitten and shriveled mummies. If a meal fights back too much, or if it has friends that try to save it, the pudding will rebury itself and try to spring its trap again. If its victims persist in attacking it, it will flee once it reaches half health.

They may also be magically summoned from the icy corners of the multiverse, often in tandem with other icy elementals. The pudding isn't intelligent enough to coordinate with its "allies" or follow orders, instead continuing its ambush hunting. More intelligent elementals will use white puddings as traps, flitting about near them and trying to lure adventurers into their gooey snares. Allies may be able to convince it not to flee when it's losing, but maybe not; they are more effective keeping other morsels away from the pudding so that it can digest unmolested.

2023 Advent Calendar Day 15: Ancient Blizzard Dragon (monster)

Ancient Blizzard Dragon

Huge dragon, lawful evil
Armor Class 18
Hit Points 422, bloodied 211
Speed 50', fly 50'
STR 24 (+7), DEX 18 (+4), CON 27 (+8), INT 22 (+6), WIS 23 (+6), CHA 22 (+6)
Saving Throws Str +14, Con +15, Wis +13, Cha +13
Skills Perception +13, Stealth +11
Damage Immunities cold
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened
Senses darkvision 120', passive Perception 23
Languages Draconic, Primordial (Glacian), understands Common but will not deign to speak it
CR 22

Traits

Ice Walk. Unaffected by difficult terrain made of ice or snow.
Freezing Winds. Any creature that ends its turn within 5' of the blizzard dragon is pushed up to 15' to a space of the dragon's choice.
Sudden Flurry. When the dragon takes cold damage, each enemy in its Freezing Winds aura is moved up to 10' to a space of the dragon's choice.
Clumsy Flier. While flying, the dragon has disadvantage on attack rolls, and Strength and Dexterity saves.
Legendary Resistance (3/LR).

Actions

Multiattack. 1x Bite + 1x Claw, or 2x Claw.
Bite. MWA, 15' reach, +14 to hit, 2d8+5 piercing + 1d8+5 cold and target's speed reduced to 0 until the end of the dragon's next turn.
Claw. MWA, 15' reach, +14 to hit, 2d6+8 slashing + 2d6+8 cold, and target is pushed up to 20' to a space of the dragon's choice.
Deep Freeze (1/SR, must be bloodied). Each creature within 25' of the dragon must make a DC 22 Constitution save. On a failure, it takes 3d10+5 cold damage, and its speed is reduced to 0 and it has disadvantage on Constitution saves (save ends, DC 15). On a successful save, it takes half as much damage, and the effect lasts until the end of the dragon's next turn.

Bonus Actions

Rising Winds. If the radius of the dragon's Freezing Winds aura is less than 25', it expands by 10'. If it is 25', each creature within the aura must make a DC 22 Constitution save. On a failure, it takes 4d8+12 cold damage and falls unconscious (save ends, DC 15). The radius then resets to 5'.

Reactions

Chill Rebuke (1/SR, recharges when first bloodied). When the dragon is hit by a melee attack, each creature of the dragon's choice within 25' must make a DC 22 Constitution save, or it takes 1d10+16 cold damage and its speed is reduced to 10' (save ends, DC 15).

Legendary Actions (3/round)

Wing Blast (costs 2). Each creature in the dragon's Freezing Winds aura must make a DC 22 Strength save or be knocked prone. The dragon then flies up to half its speed.
Detect. The dragon makes a Perception check.
Cantrip. The dragon casts a cantrip.

Spellcasting

The dragon's spellcasting ability is Intelligence (+13 to hit, save DC 21). The dragon knows the following wizard spells:

Cantrips:
 - Frostbite. 60', CON save, 3d6 cold & disadvantage on next weapon attack
 - Ray of Frost. 60', attack, 3d6 cold & speed reduced by 10 until start of dragon's next turn

5th level (Recharge 4-6):
 - Expeditious Retreat. CONCENTRATION, BA Dash when cast and for duration
 - Thunder Step. Teleport up to 90', all within 10' CON vs 5d10 thunder, save 1/2
 - Counterspell. 60', negate spell cast of 5th level or lower, roll (+6 vs 10+spell level) for to negate higher levels
 - Magic Circle. (Only affects humanoids)
 - Absorb Elements. Resist triggering elemental damage, +5d6 of same type on next melee attack

Lair Actions

Falling Icicles. 3 icicles fall down from the ceiling, targeting points in the lair. A creature underneath a falling icicle must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 2d6 piercing + 1d6 cold damage. If the target fails by 5 or more, it is also restrained until the icicle is removed (action, DC 10 Strength check) or destroyed (AC 13, HP 13; immune acid, cold, psychic, poison; resist bludgeoning, slashing, radiant; vulnerable fire, thunder).
Ice Spikes. A 10'x10' area in the lair grows jagged ice spike. A creature in that space when the spike appear, or that enters the space, must make a DC 15 Dexterity save or take 2d6 piercing + 1d6 cold damage, or half as much on a success. A creature that ends its turn in the spikes takes this damage automatically. If the target fails by 5 or more, it is also restrained until it is broken free or the spikes are destroyed (as icicles, 18 HP per 5'x5' section).
Summon Minion. The dragon summons an icy minion to a space in its lair. A minion is accompanied by 1d4-1 Winter Sprites if none are already present. d8: 1-2 Ice Mephit, 3-4 Ice Golem, 5-6 Winter Wolf, 7 White Pudding, 8 Frost Heave.

2023 Advent Calendar Day 13: Iceberg (spell)

Iceberg

5th level evocation, 1 action, 60 feet, VS, Concentration up to 30 seconds

You batter a target you can see within range with a series of progressively larger hailstones. When you cast the spell, and as a bonus action on subsequent turns, you force the target to make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, it takes 3d6 cold damage, plus 2d6 cold damage for each round you have maintained your concentration. (3d6 initially, then 5d6, then 7d6, and so on.) On a success, the target takes half as much damage.

At higher levels, the maximum duration of the spell increases by one round for each slot level above 5th.

2023 Advent Calendar Day 12: Vampire Penguins (monster/encounter)

Blocking your path is a frozen pond, and in the center of the pond are one dozen vampire penguins. On the far side is a cache of wooden stakes and holy water. The penguins move much faster than you on the ice, but you move much faster than them on land. How can you avoid them long enough to get to the vampire-killing weapons?

A player that moves more than half its speed on ice must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. Penguins waddle 10' per round on land but can slide on ice or snow at 60' per round. The pond is 300 feet across.

Penguin (2d6, 30' swim, immune cold)

Vampire (+3d)

Life Absorption. The vampire's attacks deal necrotic damage, and the vampire regains an equal amount of hit points.

Charming Gaze. A creature that looks at the vampire must make a DC 10+HD Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by it, regarding it as a trusted friend. The vampire can use its action to force a charmed creature to make a Charisma saving throw against the same DC; on a failure, the vampire decides the creature's action on its next turn; on a success, the charm ends until the creature's next turn. A creature can choose to avert its eyes at the start of its turn, avoiding the effect for the round, but it is effectively blinded with respect to the vampire, and must immediately make the save if it looks at the vampire in the meantime. The charmed condition lasts as long as the vampire maintains its concentration; if it concentrates for one full hour, the charm last for the next 8 hours, when the charmed creature can save again; if the second save fails, the charm lasts until dispelled.

Eternal Undeath. When the vampire is reduced to 0 hit points, it turns into a black mist and flies back to the location of its coffin, where it returns to unlife with full hit points at the next midnight. This trait does not function if the vampire is killed in a specific ritualized way, such as being impaled by a wooden stake, drowned in holy water, or cutting off its head.

Sunlight Sensitivity. While in direct sunlight, the vampire takes 5 radiant damage per round, and has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.

2023 Advent Calendar Day 11: Spear of Baldr (Magic Item Monday)

The Spear of Baldr

Weapon (spear), legendary (requires attunement)

This magic spear made of mistletoe gives a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls. The wielder can cast entangle (DC 16) twice per day and goodberry twice per hour. When a target restrained by the spear's entangle spell is hit with the spear, it must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or die as mistletoe parasitizes its entire body.

2023 Advent Calendar Day 10: The Woodsman & The Walking Tree (encounter)

This stretch of woods contains an Awakened Tree (8d10, resist BP) hiding somewhere among endless rows of identical pines. The Woodsman (5th-level ranger) wants to chop it down, and beseeches your aid in finding and defeating it. The Tree is crafty, and has every reason to stay still and silent. How can you make it break its disguise?

Why?

1d10, or based on the party's prevailing alignment:
1. Lawful Good. The Tree serves a cabal of evil druids, and has been working with them to undermine the town and torment the inhabitants. The Woodsman will give a long list of its crimes: tearing down homes brick by brick, polluting crops, spreading rats, giving children nightmares.
2. Neutral Good. The Tree is a hanging tree, animated by the restless souls of criminals who have died in its branches. The Woodsman seeks to destroy their evil for good and lay the souls to rest.
3. Chaotic Good. Young people of the village make promises and sacrifices at the Tree to win supernatural favors, including carving the names of their crushes into the tree to win their love. The Tree is actually possessed by a devil, and there are horrible consequences to the deals they unwittingly make. The Woodsman's lover was charmed by the devil on behalf of another man, and he seeks revenge and to free her from the curse.
4. Lawful Neutral. The Tree was a deodand (an inanimate object held legally responsible for the accidental death of a person). A mischievous druid animated the Tree to save it, and the Woodsman has been sent to bring it back to justice. It may be able to use its newfound sentience to bargain for a new trial.
5. True Neutral. The Woodsman wants the glory of defeating the most powerful tree in his woods, and is willing to pay a reasonable sum for assistance, as well as giving you its branches as trophies (which may have magical or alchemical properties).
6. Chaotic Neutral. The Woodsman believes that the Tree will grant a wish to whomever kills it. He plans to wish for fabulous riches, and promises a modest share to anyone who helps him, but demands the killing blow - and will turn on the party to ensure he gets it (if they haven't already turned on him).
7. Lawful Evil. The Woodsman is an agent of the local Baron. The Tree is allied with a local group of highwaymen rebelling against his rule, and had been sent to spy in the Baron's own pleasure gardens; capturing the Tree will prevent that information from leaking back to the rebel scum, and give the Baron valuable intelligence on his enemies.
8. Neutral Evil. The Tree is a wood nymph who shelters and feeds lost travelers. The Woodsman is a sadist who hunts people for sport, and he is tired of his quarry escaping with the Tree's help. Once the Tree is defeated, he will use the players for target practice. Roll again to determine what lie he tells them.
9. Chaotic Evil. Oaths taken before the Tree are held sacred by Zikru, and her paladins make pilgrimages here to receive their holy orders. The Woodsman works for a necromancer whose plans have been foiled for the last time, and if the Tree is destroyed, then the paladins will lose their powers to oppose him.
10. There is no animated tree. The Woodsman is a madman. Roll again or pick one for his delusion.

The trees whisper to each other through their roots, and it knows where its pursuers are. If given the opportunity, it will walk into an area already searched. (To detect changes in an area already searched, the players must explicitly declare they are doing so. It takes half as much time as searching it initially, and requires a DC 20 check - any combination of Intelligence, Wisdom, Nature, Perception, or Survival; making the roll hard isn't the point, if they've already thought to re-check.) Otherwise, it has basically no reason to do move, talk, or do anything other than look and act like a regular tree.

The Tree has about twice as much HP as similar mundane trees (4d10), and won't react to being attacked until it has lost a quarter of its hit points; after that, it checks morale each time it's hit, crying in pain on a failure. Once it gives up its position or is bloodied, it will attack suddenly and aggressively, but will flee and resume its disguise at the first opportunity. It can command other trees to grapple (with +3).

2023 Advent Calendar Day 8: Candy Cane Weapons

Giant candy cane. 2d6 + Strength piercing or bludgeoning damage, heavy, two-handed. Can choose to deal only 1 + Strength bludgeoning damage instead, and automatically grapple the target (escape DC = your Strength score) or knock it prone.

Candy cane dagger. 2d4 + Dexterity piercing damage, light, finesse. Can choose to leave it in the target, losing the weapon, but the target takes 1d6 cold damage automatically at the end of each of their turns until the dagger dissolves (see below) or the target uses an action to remove it.

Every time it's used, it gets a cumulative -1 to hit and damage; when it gets to -5 it breaks or dissolves.

2023 Advent Calendar Day 7: Flash Freeze (spell)

Flash Freeze

1st level abjuration (ritual), 1 action, Touch, VSM (a piece of dried fruit), 30 days

A Medium or smaller object you touch is instantly frozen and protected by a thick layer of ice. The object gains 30 temporary hit points for the duration. While it has these hit points, it remains inert and physically unchanged, without suffering from any sort of decay, loss of potency, or physical damage whatsoever. When the spell ends, the object has no ill effects from having been frozen. Casting this spell on armor or a shield protects the equipment itself, but does not grant any additional protection to the wearer.

At higher levels, the temporary hit points increase by 10 for each slot level above 1st. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, you can target a Large or smaller object, and the duration is 1 year. When you cast it with a spell slot of 5th level or higher, you can target a Huge or smaller object, and it lasts until dispelled.

2023 Advent Calendar Day 6: Brandy, Hot Cocoa, Wassail of Good Will (potions)

Brandy (common). Also known as "adventurer's breakfast," drinking 2oz of this potion substitutes for a meal, allowing you to gain the benefits of resting, although it does not prevent starvation. For the next 4 hours, you are considered distracted, taking a -5 penalty to passive Perception, and rolling a natural 1 on Dexterity checks or saving throws is a critical failure, regardless of bonuses. Brandy is usually sold in 26oz bottles, weighing 2lbs and costing 1gp.

Hot Cocoa (common). This thick brown potion takes the edge off of cold. The first time you take cold damage within 10 minutes of drinking it, you have resistance to that damage. The effects of the potion then end. Hot cocoa costs 5gp per dose.

Wassail of Good Will (legendary). When you drink this potion, your alignment becomes neutral good. Every 24 hours, you must make a DC 18 Charisma saving throw; on a success, your alignment moves one step back towards your original alignment.

2023 Advent Calendar Day 5: Ice Golem (monster)

Last year, I was disappointed in the official D&D advent calendar, which didn't have any actual game content. So I decided to make my own.

Ice Golem L ♥68 ⟁15 ☺10 ↠20'

{+4 -2 +3 -4 -1 -3}
[R] ballistic; [I] cold, poison, psychic, BPS/magic, charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Burning Fire (fire dmg recharges Rime), Cold Absorption, Immutable Form, Magic Resistance, Magic Weapons
MA 2x attacks; Slam +6 † 2d8+4 B + 1d8 C; Frostbite Spear +6 †↗20'/60' 1d6+4 P + 1d6 C & -1 WIS/turn (action ends); Rime (R 5-6) co30' STR 13 slowed 15' (save ends)

Ice golems are CR 6, either elementals or constructs, depending on how you're using them. They can take a lot of different forms, usually blocks of ice stacked into humanoid shapes 10 or 12 feet high. The icicle spears they carry are huge, more like harpoons or pikes, and although they're not as physically devastating as being smashed with a hundred-pound fist, they have a dangerous mental effect. The tip of the spear breaks off and remains lodged in the target, sucking up body heat and with it focus, energy, and alertness, leaving behind hallucinations, lethargy, delirium, and rapid death.

Like other ice monsters, ice golems make sense as summons or constructs, conjured by crafty cryomancers. While it could be used as a naturally-occurring monster in an arctic environment, its status as a golem leans strongly towards an artificial servant. It has enough going on to be a whole encounter by itself, but would also pair nicely with anything that forces a wisdom save, or a skirmisher or ranged attacker that players will want to chase after. In the siege of Racina, they're used in small numbers throughout the ice armies for special guard duties and important battles, including as personal bodyguards for Dymtu Parzillu. They're the elite servants of the Ice Jester, one of the Princes of Winter, because his jokes get a lot funnier when you have -3 wisdom.

2023 Advent Calendar Day 4: Staff of Seasons (Magic Item Monday)

 Last year, I was disappointed in the official D&D advent calendar, which didn't have any actual game content. So I decided to make my own.

Staff of Seasons

Weapon (quarterstaff), rare (requires attunement by a monk)

When you are wielding the staff of seasons, you have a +1 bonus to your ki save DC, and you have additional ki points equal to your proficiency bonus. The staff is attuned to a particular season, and you can change the season whenever you complete a short or long rest.

This staff has 4 charges. It regains all expended charges daily at dawn. Once per turn, when you hit a creature with an attack using this magic weapon, you can expend one charge. The target takes extra damage equal to your Martial Arts die, the type of which is determined by the staff's season, and must succeed on a saving throw against your ki save DC or suffer an additional effect. The additional effect lasts for up to one minute, as if you were concentrating on a spell, and the target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Spring. The extra damage is radiant. The target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be restrained as if by the entangle spell.

Summer. The extra damage is fire. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or gain vulnerability to fire damage, not including the triggering damage.

Autumn. The extra damage is necrotic. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of you.

Winter. The extra damage is cold. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or have disadvantage on Dexterity ability checks and saving throws.

2023 Advent Calendar Day 3: Clockwork Toy & Gingerbread Monster (monster templates)

Last year, I was disappointed in the official D&D advent calendar, which didn't have any actual game content. So I decided to make my own.

 Clockwork Toy

Sturdy Materials. The toy's AC equals 13 + its Dexterity modifier + its Constitution modifier, if it isn't higher already.

Damage Resistances. The toy is immune to poison and psychic damage, and resistant to piercing and slashing damage from nonmagical, non-adamantine weapons.

Lightning Attraction. The toy has disadvantage on saving throws against lightning.

Predictable Movements. If another creature succeeds on an Intelligence + Insight check against the toy's Intelligence score (no action required), then the toy has disadvantage on attacks against it on its next turn.

Gingerbread Monster

Soggy. When exposed to water, the creature begins to dissolve, and its current and maximum hit points go down: if water is splashed on it, 1d4 for each gallon; if submerged at least halfway, 1d8 per round in still water, or 1d12 in running water.

Going Stale. The creature's AC increases by 1 each time it takes fire damage. If it takes 10 or more fire damage at once, its AC increases by an additional 1 for each 10 points taken (e.g. 28 points from a fireball spell would bake it for +3 AC; 31 points would bake it for +4).

Sugar Rush (recharges on a short or long rest). The creature can take an extra action on its turn.

2023 Advent Calendar Day 2: Giant Snowflake (monster)

Last year, I was disappointed in the official D&D advent calendar, which didn't have any actual game content. So I decided to make my own.

This, but at 300 rpm:

Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley, public domain. Courtesy Jericho Historical Society.

 Giant Snowflake S ♥38 ⟁13 ☺8 ↠0' ↟30' (hover)
{+2 +3 +0 +4 +0 -1}; [I] cold, poison; Sharp († miss by 5: 1d8 P)
Whirl Dash move, DEX 12 2d8 S, 𝕊 1d8 C (stop after first hit); Frost Shield Re: adj ally hit, -1d6 damage 

Giant snowflakes are CR 2 elementals. They're about 3 feet across, made of sharp spikes and plates of ice, and spin and twirl through the air, so fighting one is like sticking your hand into a lawnmower. If you're into gore, you could describe how the spinning outer bits go from almost invisibly translucent to a thick red ring after they draw blood. They're also bizarrely intelligent, and have one big eyeball in the center that stays in place as they spin.

They're great for summons, perhaps as a familiar for an advanced cryomancer, or they could be naturally occurring in any snowy environment. Since they have a reaction to protect an ally, they do well in groups. I'm using them as part of the army of ice elementals besieging my city, where they're the elite troops of the aerial division, above cockatrices as the low-level infantry.

2023 Advent Calendar Day 1: Sela's Slippery Sidewalk (spell)

 Last year, my sister got me the official WotC D&D advent calendar as a Christmas present. Which was very nice of her, but I couldn't help but be disappointed in the contents of the gift itself - all of it was branded merch, and none of it was really useful for running or playing the game. A pencil and a pack of sticky notes, I guess, but I was hoping for real content: monsters, spells, character options, maybe an adventure or two to round things out.

So this year I decided to make that myself. Every day of December through Christmas Eve, I'll be posting one piece of useful* winter-themed homebrew content for 5th edition. Most of it will be DM stuff like monsters, but some will be player options. Almost none of it will be playtested.

(I definitely didn't spend 11 months thinking about this, and then forget to post on the very first day... It's time zones, I tell you. Blame it on the time zones.)