Fragments Beyond the Veil Issue #2
Trivia Question❓
In Dungeons & Dragons lore, which legendary frost giant Jarl, known for his icy fortress and command over blizzards, resides in the frozen realm of Jötunheim and is featured as a key antagonist in arctic-themed campaigns?
Answer at the bottom of the newsletter
Dungeon Master Advice
Welcome back to our DM tips series! Last week we covered getting started with the basics. This week we're exploring tips 4-6 of 12, focusing on preparation strategies and embracing the unpredictable nature of tabletop gaming.
Recap
1. Start Small and Keep it Simple
2. Read the Rules, but Don’t Overdo It
3. Know Your Players
4. Prepare, but Don’t Overprepare
Learn the basics of the story: Know the key locations, NPCs, and encounters, but don’t script every moment. Players often take the story in unexpected directions, so flexibility is key.
Use bullet points for notes: Instead of writing long paragraphs, jot down quick reference notes about important plot points, monster stats, and NPC personalities.
5. Be Flexible and Embrace Chaos
Expect the unexpected: Players will derail your plans—it’s part of the fun! Adapt to their choices rather than trying to force them back onto a specific path.
Say “Yes, and…”: Instead of shutting down creative ideas, build on them. If a player wants to swing from a chandelier to attack an enemy, let them try it and describe what happens.
6. Master the Art of Description
Set the scene: Use sensory details to make the world come alive. Describe what the players see, hear, smell, and feel in a way that sparks their imaginations.
Ask questions: Encourage players to contribute to the story. For example, ask, “What does your character do when they enter the bustling tavern?”
Monster of the Week
Monster: Frostbound Revenant
Lore: The Frostbound Revenant is a creature born of vengeance and the harsh, unyielding winter. These spectral beings are the remnants of those who perished in bitter cold, betrayed or abandoned by those they trusted most. In death, they are bound to the icy winds of their demise, forever seeking retribution. Their presence turns warm lands frigid, spreading frost and despair wherever they tread.
Legends say that Frostbound Revenants are summoned by curses or powerful winter spirits who channel their rage. The sight of one heralds an unnaturally harsh winter, a season stained by the chill of malevolence.
Physical Description: The Frostbound Revenant appears as a gaunt, translucent humanoid figure, its form clad in icy, tattered robes. Shards of frost and ice cling to its skeletal frame, and its hollow eyes glow with an icy blue light. Long, jagged icicles extend from its hands like claws, dripping with freezing mist. Snowflakes swirl around it constantly, caught in a vortex of supernatural cold.
Stat Block
Medium Undead, Neutral Evil
Armor Class: 15 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points: 127 (15d8 + 60)
Speed: 30 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover)
STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
14 (+2) | 16 (+3) | 18 (+4) | 12 (+1) | 14 (+2) | 20 (+5) |
Saving Throws: Dex +6, Wis +5, Cha +8
Skills: Perception +5, Intimidation +8
Damage Vulnerabilities: Fire
Damage Resistances: Cold, Necrotic, Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from nonmagical attacks
Condition Immunities: Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Paralyzed, Poisoned
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 15
Languages: Common, Infernal
Challenge: 8 (3,900 XP)
Traits
Aura of Bitter Cold (10 ft.):
A frigid aura surrounds the Frostbound Revenant. Any creature that starts its turn within 10 feet of the revenant must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or take 9 (2d8) cold damage and have their speed reduced by 10 feet until the end of their next turn.
Frozen Heart:
If the Frostbound Revenant takes fire damage, it has disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws until the end of its next turn.
Vengeful Spirit:
The revenant has advantage on attack rolls against creatures that have harmed it or any creature it protects.
Icy Glide:
The revenant can move across icy surfaces without needing to make an ability check. Additionally, difficult terrain composed of ice or snow doesn’t cost it extra movement.
Actions
Multiattack:
The Frostbound Revenant makes two Frostclaw attacks.
Frostclaw:
Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 18 (4d6 + 4) cold damage. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed until the end of their next turn.
Freezing Breath (Recharge 5–6):
The revenant exhales a cone of frigid air in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw, taking 36 (8d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. Creatures that fail the saving throw are also restrained by ice until the end of their next turn.
Winter’s Wrath (1/Day):
The revenant calls upon the winter winds, creating a storm of snow and ice in a 30-foot radius around it for 1 minute. The area becomes heavily obscured, and any creature other than the revenant that starts its turn there must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or take 10 (3d6) cold damage and fall prone.
Legendary Actions
The Frostbound Revenant can take 2 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time, and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The revenant regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Glacial Step: The revenant teleports up to 20 feet to an unoccupied space it can see, leaving behind a patch of slippery ice in the space it vacated. Any creature moving through the ice must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone.
Icy Stare (Costs 2 Actions): The revenant targets one creature it can see within 30 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or take 14 (4d6) psychic damage and be frightened for 1 minute. The frightened target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
Encounter Hooks
The Frost King’s Vengeance: A Frostbound Revenant has been unleashed by a dying king’s curse, seeking vengeance on the nobles who betrayed him.
Village in Peril: A Frostbound Revenant haunts a snowbound village, its icy breath turning homes into tombs. Can the players find the source of its rage and end its torment?
Frozen Relic: The revenant guards an ancient relic buried deep within a glacial cave, preventing anyone from disturbing its icy tomb.
Joke of the Day
Why don’t Dungeons and Dragons parties ever play in the snow?
Because the bard keeps breaking the ice!
Item Spotlight
Item: Heart of the Frostbound King, Wondrous Item, Very Rare (requires attunement)
Description: The Heart of the Frostbound King is a crystalline orb the size of a clenched fist, pulsing with an icy blue light. Within, swirls of snowflakes and frost move as if caught in an eternal blizzard. The surface is cold enough to frost over anything it touches, leaving behind a fine layer of frost. Its stand is carved from dark ice and adorned with runes of eternal winter.
Lore: Legends speak of the Frostbound King, an ancient elemental lord who ruled over a frozen domain in the Elemental Plane of Ice. When he fell in battle against rival elemental forces, his heart was crystallized into this artifact. The Heart radiates the King’s lingering power, granting its wielder dominion over ice and snow. It is said to hum faintly with his voice during blizzards, whispering words of icy resolve or cold vengeance.
Mechanics:
Aura of Winter: While attuned, you are surrounded by a constant 10-foot aura of icy cold. Creatures within the aura (excluding you) take 1d6 cold damage at the start of their turn, and nonmagical flames are extinguished.
Frost Nova: As an action, you can unleash a blast of freezing energy in a 30-foot radius centered on yourself. Each creature in the area must make a Constitution saving throw (DC 16). On a failed save, a creature takes 4d8 cold damage and is restrained by frost for 1 minute. On a success, a creature takes half damage and isn’t restrained. You can use this ability once per long rest.
Iceborn Resistance: You gain resistance to cold damage and immunity to environmental cold effects (e.g., extreme cold weather).
Glacial Step: Once per short rest, you can cast Misty Step, leaving a trail of icy spikes in your wake. Creatures moving through the path (10 feet wide, 30 feet long) must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw (DC 14) or take 2d6 cold damage.
Location
The Heart of the Frostbound King is hidden deep in the frigid peaks of Everfrost Spire, a mountain cloaked in perpetual blizzards. It is guarded by a frost giant shaman who believes the artifact holds the soul of the Frostbound King and seeks to protect it from mortals.
Crafting
Creating a similar artifact would require:
The icy core of a slain ice elemental lord.
Crystals from the Elemental Plane of Ice.
Enchantments performed under the light of a full moon during a snowstorm.
A sacrifice of 1,000 gold worth of rare alchemical ice.
The crafting process takes 60 days and requires a DC 22 Arcana check to successfully bind the elemental essence.
Destruction
To destroy the Heart, it must be melted in the molten core of a volcano while a fire elemental lord performs a ritual to sever its planar essence. Without this ritual, the Heart will reform in the Elemental Plane of Ice after 1d10 days.
Quote
"Even in the frostbitten realms, a single spark of courage can ignite an adventure that warms the coldest hearts."
Player’s Corner - Spell
Frostbinder's Grasp
2nd-level Evocation
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S, M (a shard of ice or a silvered mirror)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Description:
As you weave this frosty incantation, the air crackles with a bone-chilling cold. A spectral hand made of jagged ice and swirling frost materializes around a target within range. The hand seeks to ensnare the creature, freezing it in place with a bitter, magical chill.
Gameplay Mechanics:
Target Restraint: Choose one creature you can see within range. The target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or become restrained by the icy hand for the duration. While restrained, the creature takes 2d8 cold damage at the start of each of its turns.
Chilling Grasp: A creature restrained by this spell has disadvantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws. Additionally, its movement speed is reduced to 0.
Ending the Effect: The restrained creature can use its action to make a Strength saving throw against your spell save DC at the end of each of its turns, shattering the ice on a success.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the cold damage increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 2nd.
Flavor and Lore:
It is said that Frostbinder's Grasp was first crafted by the glacial sorcerer Elandras of the Everfrost, who used it to fend off armies that dared to trespass on his icy domain. The spell draws upon the elemental power of winter itself, embodying the suffocating grip of ice that freezes both body and soul.
Interesting Facts
The "Frostburn" supplement for Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 introduced unique cold-weather creatures like the Frostwind Virago, an ice spirit that can control blizzards and sing haunting songs to trap adventurers.
The Rime of the Frostmaiden module for D&D 5e features the everlasting winter of Icewind Dale, where players face Auril, a goddess of winter who changes forms based on the time of day.
In D&D lore, the White Dragons are the smallest but most savage of all chromatic dragons, known to hoard treasure in frozen lairs and freeze their victims alive as decorations.
Community Showcase
The Guild Masters Guides is a DM-focused creator hub for anyone who loves running Dungeons & Dragons with less stress and more style. On YouTube, they share practical Game Master advice, campaign sparks, and encounter-design breakdowns—great for stealing a better scene ten minutes before game night. Their Patreon widens the toolkit with custom D&D content, exclusive posts, and behind-the-screen worldbuilding resources. If you enjoy actionable tips, clever monsters, and bite-sized inspiration you can drop straight into your next session, put them on your radar, subscribe, and consider supporting the project. A friendly vault of prep-savers built by DMs for DMs.
Joke of the Day Answer
Jarl Storvald.
Video
Adventure Hook of the Week
A blizzard has trapped the party in a remote mountain village where the townsfolk huddle in fear of "the Frostmaiden's Embrace," a phenomenon where villagers vanish, leaving only frozen statues in their place. As the storm worsens, the statues begin appearing closer to the party, their icy faces twisted into silent screams. The villagers insist the only way to end the curse is to venture into the heart of the storm and confront the Frostmaiden herself.
Until we meet again, brave souls, let your journeys be guided by the light of discovery. Next week, we’ll follow the shimmering trails of an otherworldly phenomenon—the Skyweave, a radiant tapestry that dances across the northern heavens. Prepare to uncover its mysteries and the whispers of ancient magic it carries.
Yours under the starlit skies,
The Dungeon Master