DCC RPG – Ice Golem

Winter is Coming II

Last fall @twwombat ran the inaugural Winter is Coming blog festival. The Iron Tavern participated in the festival with The Linnorm Ice Throne, a powerful artifact for the Pathfinder system, and A Winter Chase, a winter time chase using the Pathfinder chase rules.

This year @MarkMeridith has continued the festival with Winter is Coming II over at dicemonkey.net. The Iron Tavern is once again participating with today’s post!

In the spirit of winter and the cold weather I post some example Ice Golems for the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG system. Golems are highly customizable in DCC RPG, but these two examples should provide some basis for judges wanting to add some winter themed fun to their DCC RPG campaign.

Ice Golems

Golems are a popular guardian for powerful mages. Not needing sleep or food, golems offer several attractive options for a mage seeking to guard his workshop. In the winter wastes of the north, ice golems are a popular choice for the enterprising wizard. The cold environments easily sustain the golem’s ice flesh.

Crafting an ice golem is still a somewhat difficult task, requiring a mold to be made to freeze the water into the desired size and shape the mage desires. Once a mold has been made though, multiple ice golems can be crafted from the same mold and water for freezing is typically plentiful.

A mage can create varying sizes of ice golems. Depending on the mage’s talent an ice golem can be imbued with various special qualities. Rituals are used to create ice golems with special qualities. Mages of the north keep these rituals as guarded secrets.

Sample Golems

Ice Golem, Large: Init -2; Atk fist +8 melee (dmg 2d6+6) or icy breath; AC 13; HD 10d8+10; MV 20′; Act 1d20; SP icy breath, double damage from fire-based attacks; SV Fort +5, Ref +2, Will +4, AL N

Icy Breath: (cone, width 15’, length 15’, 6d6 dmg, DC 15 Fortitude for half damage)   An ice golem can use its icy breath attack every 1d5 rounds. Using the icy breath weapon consumes the ice golem’s action for that round. Targets caught in the breath weapon’s cone-like shape can attempt a Fortitude save for half damage.

An icy breath attack also has a chance to extinguish any open flames (torches, candles, etc). If an open flame is in the area of the attack there is a 60% chance the open flame will be extinguished.

Double Damage, Fire-based Attacks: An ice golem is especially susceptible to fire-based damage. Fire-based attacks do double their normal damage on a successful hit.

Ice Golem, Medium: Init -2; Atk fist +5 melee (dmg 1d10+4) or icy breath; AC 12; HD 5d8+5; MV 20′; Act 1d20; SP icy breath, double damage from fire-based attacks; SV Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +3, AL N

Icy Breath: (cone, width 5’, length 10’, 4d6 dmg, DC 13 Fortitude for half damage)   An ice golem can use its icy breath attack every 1d6 rounds. Using the icy breath weapon consumes the ice golem’s action for that round. Targets caught in the breath weapon’s cone-like shape can attempt a Fortitude save for half damage.

An icy breath attack also has a chance to extinguish any open flames (torches, candles, etc). If an open flame is in the area of the attack there is a 60% chance the open flame will be extinguished.

Double Damage, Fire-based Attacks: An ice golem is especially susceptible to fire-based damage. Fire-based attacks do double their normal damage on a successful hit.

A Winter Chase

As part of @twwombat‘s Winter is Coming Blog Festival I have written a winter time chase that can be dropped into most suburban settings. This chase is based on the chase rules presented in the Pathfinder GameMastery Guide or from the Pathfinder PRD. A few subtle tweaks would allow it to work in a wider variety of situations. What leads up to Obstacle One is up to the GM. If the person being pursued makes it to the end before the pursuing party reaches him the GM can certainly develop a final zone for some sort of showdown!

Obstacle One: To the Roof!

Catching sight of the pursued cresting the roofline of a near two story stone building the party finds themselves at the foot of the building.

Scale the Wall (Climb DC15): The stonework of the building make climbing a reasonable option to reach the roof.

Find Recessed Ladder (Perception DC15): At the far corner there is a recessed, iron ladder that leads to the top of the building. A perception check allows one to find it and easily ascend to the roof.

Obstacle Two: Back to the Streets.

After crossing the roof of a building or two, the row of buildings end at a gap. There appear to be two ways down from here.

Jump into Snow bank (Acrobatics DC15): A large snow bank lies below to soften the jump from this height. An Acrobatics check is required to leap successfully into the snow bank without risk of injury. Failure results in 1d6 damage and loss of the next round’s action to recover from the fall.

Descend the icy wall (Climb DC20): The wall on this side is quite icy making the climb down difficult. Failure on the check by 5 or more results in 1d6 damage and the loss of the next round’s action to recover from the fall.

Obstacle Three: Crowd by bonfire.

After reaching the ground again the party is able to follow the pursued through an alley back to the main street. Upon turning the corner the party encounters a large crowd near a big bonfire. The crowd is thick and not parting easily as the group rounds the corner.

Talk your way through (Diplomacy DC15): Party members can try to talk their way through to both gain confirmation the pursued came through this way and to get the crowd to more easily allow them through.

Bully your way through (Intimidate DC15): Party members can also try to intimidate the crown into letting them pass through unhindered.

Obstacle Four: Massive Snow bank

Once through the crowd the pursued heads towards the outskirts of the town through a side entrance. Just outside the town is a massive snow bank from the winter winds that stands six to eight feet tall.

Plow through snow bank (Strength Check DC15): Party members can try to push their way through the deep snow bank with a strength check.

Spot the tunnel in the shadows (Perception Check DC15): Some children have dug a small tunnel through the base of the snow bank. A successful perception check allows a party member to find the tunnel and allow passage through the base of the snow bank.

Obstacle Five: Frozen Stream

Once past the snow bank the chase runs through the area outside town for a short distance until reaching a frozen stream that the pursued appears to have crossed.

Move Across Ice (Acrobatics DC20): Move across the ice requires an acrobatics check to do so successfully.

Low Hanging Branch (Climb DC15): A large tree limb from a near tree provides a means to climb the tree and cross via the limb to the other side of the frozen stream.

The Linnorm Ice Throne

The Linnorm Ice Throne is a magical artifact for the Pathfinder Roleplaying System and written as part of the Winter is Coming Blog Festival. The throne can be dropped into a campaign for use with a nemesis in the cold lands of the north or it can be used to bring winter to any region you wish during any season!

The Linnorm Ice Throne

Aura: Strong Abjuration, Evocation and Transmutation      CL: 20th
Slot: None                                                                            Weight: 1900 lbs

Description:

A towering throne of graying ice with a harsh contrast between a smooth seating area and the jagged ice crystals surrounding it the Linnorm Ice Throne make a commanding presence. The light plays off the crystal-like cold throne in a glittering play of reflection.

The throne’s back stands nearly eight feet tall, the likeness of a great linnorm is carved from the ice, weaving about the back culminating in a vicious serpent head with ice fangs bared arched over any who would sit in the throne. Large, smooth arm rests sit to either side of a nearly three feat side seat, with four short pillars of ice forming the legs of the throne.

There is some mystery as to history of the Linnorm Ice Throne, the most common story one of an archmage of ancient times having crafted it in a lost ice citadel to the north. Driven by his desire to command the prevalent linnorms of the frozen north the Linnorm Ice Throne came into being.  The throne is said to be fused with the blood of an ice linnorm that still flows within the throne itself and provides the throne with its power.

Powers:

The Linnorm Ice Throne holds several powers to help the person that currently controls the throne maintain their rule.

Control Weather (Winter): The throne has the power to permanently control the weather in the two mile radius. The throne prefers a brutally cold climate and will manifest winter weather in any region it is moved to. The weather created by the throne are near blizzard-like conditions.

Endure Elements: Upon any person seated in the throne it will place an endure elements spell upon the person to allow them to easily withstand the frozen surroundings the throne surrounds itself with. The throne owner must return to the throne every 24 hours to have this effect renewed.

Cold Ice Strike: The person seated on the throne can use a command word to cause the linnorm carved into the ice of the throne to spel forth a flurry of ice slivers as described in the Cold Ice Strike spell. This can be done three times per day and acts as 15th level caster.

Icy Prison, Mass: The person seated on the throne can use a command word to cause the throne to cast Mass Icy Prison as a 15th level caster.

Mage’s Private Sanctum: The throne is always treated as if centered within a casting of Mage’s Private Sanctum (450′ Cube).

Destruction:

Destroying the Linnorm Ice Throne is quite difficult due to its controlling effects of weather. One must have a Fire Giant that can withstand the effects of the cold the throne produces smash it upon an anvil with a magical hammer of fire and then immediately have the pieces of the throne ingested by a great red dragon. Failure to immediately have the pieces consumed will find the throne reassembling itself.

Winter is Coming!

Winter is Coming RPG Blog FestivalWinter is coming. Wait, what? Yes, with the first day of fall the Winter is Coming RPG Blog Festival launches! This will give you plenty of time to take the articles from this festival and work them into any winter themed games you may have!

@twwombat has kicked off the idea of a week-long RPG blog festival that starts today, September 23rd. The theme for the festival is winter-themed elements for a variety of RPG game systems including D&D, Pathfinder and a few more. The elements can be new magic items, encounters, NPCs, feats and more all written by a wide variety of contributors to the RPG blog festival. At last count @twwombat had twenty-five participants lined up for the upcoming week.

The Iron Tavern will be participating in RPG blog festival with two contributions during the upcoming week. First we will look at the cold and mysterious Linnorm Ice Throne. From the frozen lands to the north this long lost, powerful artifact of the cold has been discovered again. This will be a magical artifact designed using the Pathfinder rule system.

Next up The Iron Tavern will publish a winter chase encounter using the Pathfinder rule system chase rules. What winter hazards will your players have to face to succeed? This chase encounter will be a drop-in encounter possibly with slight modifications for your specific campaign taking place during the winter.

There are lots of other contributors lined up for the Winter is Coming RPG Blog Festival. Be sure to keep an eye here for The Iron Tavern’s contributions and an eye on Wombat’s Gaming Den of Iniquity so you don’t miss any of the great stuff in store for the upcoming week. Winter is coming!