Frost Worm
Description
With armor-crushing jaws, flesh that radiates cold, and a terrible keening cry capable of holding creatures fascinated, frost worms are apex predators of the frozen tundra and glaciers. In the frost worms' far-reaching hunting grounds, they fear only the remorhaz, for the heat generated by an enraged remorhaz causes intense pain to a frost worm.
This extreme aversion to heat, as well as its freezing touch and devastating breath weapon, stems from an unusual facet of frost worm physiology—veins that run with magically cold blood. This creature's ichor is clear, but infused with such sub-freezing temperatures that the monster's flesh can freeze water in the skin of creatures that touch it. When a frost worm dies, this magical energy dissipates, and both blood and muscle immediately freeze solid and then explode into a catastrophic barrage of icy shrapnel. As a result, even those predators that might legitimately prey upon the burrowing monstrosities tend to leave frost worms well enough alone.
An adult frost worm measures 35 feet long and weighs 8,000 pounds.
Combat Stats
- Melee
- bite +25 (4d10+15 plus 4d6 cold)
- Space
- 15 ft.
- Reach
- 10 ft.
- Racial Modifiers
- +8 Stealth in ice and snow
Ability Scores
Special Attacks
breath weapon (60-ft. cone, 15d6 cold damage, Reflex DC 23 half, usable once per hour)
Death Throes — When killed, a frost worm explodes in a 100-foot-radius burst that deals 12d6 cold damage and 8d6 piercing damage (DC 23 Reflex half). The save DC is Constitution-based.
Trill — As a full-round action, a frost worm can emit a strange trilling sound that affects all creatures within a 100-foot radius. Creatures must succeed on a DC 18 Will save or be fascinated for as long as the worm continues to trill (the frost worm can maintain this trill by concentrating). Once a creature has resisted or broken the effect, it cannot be affected again by that same frost worm's trill for 24 hours. This is a sonic mind-affecting effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Special Qualities
Cold — A frost worm's body generates intense cold, allowing it to deal an additional 4d6 cold damage with its bite attack. Any creature that attacks a frost worm with an unarmed strike or a natural weapon takes 1d6 points of cold damage per successful hit. A creature that grapples or is grappled by a frost worm takes 4d6 points of cold damage per round the grapple is maintained.
Feats
Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Perception), Stand Still, Weapon Focus (bite)
Special Abilities
Universal Monster Rules
Special Abilities
Feats, Traits & Items
As a standard action, you can make a single attack at your full base attack bonus against a foe within reach. If you hit, you deal damage normally and can make an additional attack (using your full base attack bonus) against a foe that is adjacent to the first and also within reach. You can only make one additional attack per round with this feat. When you use this feat, you take a –2 penalty to your Armor Class until your next turn.
You may make a number of additional attacks of opportunity per round equal to your Dexterity bonus. With this feat, you may also make attacks of opportunity while flat-footed.
You can choose to take a –1 penalty on all melee attack rolls and combat maneuver checks to gain a +2 bonus on all melee damage rolls. This bonus to damage is increased by half (+50%) if you are making an attack with a two-handed weapon, a one handed weapon using two hands, or a primary natural weapon that adds 1-1/2 times your Strength modifier on damage rolls. This bonus to damage is halved (–50%) if you are making an attack with an off-hand weapon or secondary natural weapon. When your base attack bonus reaches +4, and every 4 points thereafter, the penalty increases by –1 and the bonus to damage increases by +2. You must choose to use this feat before making an attack roll, and its effects last until your next turn. The bonus damage does not apply to touch attacks or effects that do not deal hit point damage.
You get a +3 bonus on all checks involving the chosen skill. If you have 10 or more ranks in that skill, this bonus increases to +6.
When a foe provokes an attack of opportunity due to moving through your adjacent squares, you can make a combat maneuver check as your attack of opportunity. If successful, the enemy cannot move for the rest of his turn. An enemy can still take the rest of his action, but cannot move. This feat also applies to any creature that attempts to move from a square that is adjacent to you if such movement provokes an attack of opportunity.
You gain a +1 bonus on all attack rolls you make using the selected weapon.
Skills
Perception +17, Stealth +6 (+14 in ice and snow)
- Type
- Magical Beast
- Alignment
- N
- Size
- Huge
- Environment
- cold plains or mountains
- Organization
- solitary
- Treasure
- incidental
- Senses
- darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +17
- Source
- Bestiary 2