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This is another Vale-specific faction, and a cool one.

The Lore

The Winterbole forest takes up nearly the entire northern edge of the Vale. This snowy conifer forest is home to several different factions that exist in uneasy equilibrium, and the Frost Witches are one of the most powerful.

The Witches worship the primordial Cryonax, one of the Evil Elemental Princes, but no one outside their group knows about this. To most other inhabitants of the Vale they’re “merely” scary forest witches who manipulate and terrify others for their own benefit.

The Frost Witches count elves, humans, harpies and gnomes among their number. Every one of them knows how to use magic, and the vast majority are female. They increase their numbers mostly through active recruiting, which might mean kidnapping children from communities bordering the woods as often as it means inducting consenting adults into the coven. Their leader is the elf witch Clenderi, which rules the group with absolute authority second only to Cryonax himself.

The Witches are spread out through the whole Winterbole forest, in scattered huts housing either lone individuals or small groups of less than half a dozen. Their central headquarters is known simply as “Cold Camp”, and it’s important not only because it’s Clenderi’s home but also because it houses the source of their power, an artifact known as the Cold Cauldron.

The Cauldron is entirely made of ice, and a frozen flame burns eternally underneath it. Standing too close to it is hazardous to anyone who’s not a Witch, and it causes a wide area around itself to be covered in frost.

The Witches have no true friends outside their own group. Any alliances they make with others are opportunistic and likely to be temporary. They are absolutely willing to turn on these allies if circumstances change.

The Tigerclaw barbarians who also live in the Winterbole forest have been burned by this enough times that they now attempt to kill any Frost Witches they meet on sight. The Witches are wary around their territory but don’t consider them a serious threat. They maintain much better relations with the Winterbole treants, and are engaging on a subtle campaign of manipulation against the dragon Bitterstrike, intending to eventually convert her to the worship of Cryonax.

The Numbers

We start off with stats for the Cauldron, which will be relevant to any battle that happens inside Cold Camp. It’s 6 feet in diameter, so you could say it’s Large. Rules-wise it counts as an indestructible terrain feature, emitting an aura of Icy Flames (2) that deals cold damage to any enemy of the Witches who ends their turn inside. It also turns the terrain inside the whole of Cold Camp into Frozen Ground, which is difficult terrain for anyone without Ice Walk.

As you might expect, all stat blocks in this entry have Ice Walk and a lot of cold magic powers, along with resistance to cold and a vulnerability to fire. They also retain their racial traits, if any.

Icicle Swarm

This is a Medium swarm of Tiny, sharp ice elementals that the Witches known how to summon and control. It’s a Level 6 Skirmisher with 68 HP and all the standard swarm traits. Their Swarm Attack aura deals 5 cold damage to enemies inside, and their basic attack is an Icicle Stab that deals cold damage, allows them to shift 2 squares before or after the attack, and immobilizes on a critical hit (save ends).

Frost Witch

A typical member of the group. This one is human, but you can make her an elf or gnome by adding the proper traits. She’s a Level 8 Controller with 87 HP. She projects a Frost Aura (1) that makes enemies inside vulnerable 5 to cold. If the enemy was resistant to cold, this reduces their resistance, otherwise it increases any cold damage they suffer as normal.

The witch fights in melee with a Frost Staff that deals cold damage and slides 2 squares on a hit. At range she uses a Snow Blindness spell that deals cold and radiant damage. Cold resistance alone won’t protect you from it! Targets hit by the spell can’t see anything further than 3 squares away (save ends).

Once per encounter she can cast an Icy Blast (close blast 5) which deals cold damage, half on a miss, and turns the affected area into a zone of difficult terrain. This lasts a turn but can be sustained with minor actions.

Frost Witch Harpy

Harpy members tend to be a little stronger than the others, and their cold magic is geared towards enhancing their natural powers. They’re Level 12 Controllers with 123 HP. They add thunder resistance to the standard Frost Witch traits, and can fly with a speed of 8 (clumsy). Their Frost Aura has a radius of 2. They fight with Frost Claws that do cold damage, ranged Icy Stares that do cold damage and slow, and a Chilling Screech encounter power that hits a Close Burst 2, does cold and thunder damage, and if the target was slowed or immobilized also inflicts ongoing 10 cold damage (save ends).

They’re going to wait to use the screech once multiple players are slowed by their stare, or by their allies’ powers.

Frozen Cauldron Guardian

These elementals are made of frozen mist, and as their name implies they hang around the Cauldron to protect it from thieves and intruders. They’re Level 15 Brutes with 179 HP. Despite its misty look. Its diffuse nature makes it hard to hurt but that is represented by its high level and HP total - the creature is not insubstantial.

The guardian’s basic attack is called Cold Snap. It deals cold damage and causes the target to fall prone. It can also expand itself temporarily for a Enveloping Chill attack (recharge 4+), a Close Burst 1 that deals a bit less cold damage and knocks prone. It also has an extra rider: targets hit by the attack take ongoing 10 cold damage and are unable to stand up (save ends both).

Anyone fighting these things will stay prone for most of the fight, which makes every PC’s job more difficult. They pair really well with melee monsters that can exploit combat advantage.

Clenderi

The leader of the Frost Witches is probably one of the most powerful individuals in the Vale. Any fight against her will likely take place near the Frozen Cauldron, so she can expect help from a bunch of Guardians and any other high-ranking witches the GM cares to stat up.

Clenderi is an elf, and a Level 18 Elite Controller with the Leader tag and 344 HP. She projects a Frost Aura that inflicts Vulnerable 5 Cold on any enemies while they’re inside. She also has the usual elven Wild Step that lets her ignore difficult terrain when she shifts. She already ignores ice-based terrain anyway due to Ice Walk, but it’s also hard to restrict her movement in other ways. She can also benefit from Elven Accuracy once per encounter, which lets her reroll an attack roll that she dislikes and take the second result. In practical terms, she can reroll an attack she missed.

Clenderi’s Frost Staff basic attack works like that of the typical frost witch, dealing cold damage and sliding 2 squares. Her Icy Glare is an at-will ranged attack that deals cold damage and immobilizes. She can cast a Wind of Winter spell (recharge 5+) that deals cold damage in a selectice Area Burst 2 and creates a zone of icy wind that lasts for a turn. This is difficult terrain to creatures without ice walk, and allows Clenderi’s allies who are inside to spend a move action to teleport 10 squares to a space outside the zone.

Her ultimate technique is the Frostfall encounter power, a Close Blast 3 that deals cold damage and turns victims to ice! This is equivalent to being petrified, and is a (save ends) condition. On a miss, the target takes half damage and is restrained for a turn.

All of her spells target Fortitude, so most of the party’s squishies are going to be especially vulnerable to them.

Final Impressions

The greatest thing about the Frost Witches are their interactions with the other factions in the Winterbole Forest. The basic idea of an ice cult conspiring to take over the world really comes alive when you factor in those interactions and can see how they actually interact with the world around them.

If you need more Frost Witch stat blocks, there’s one back in the Bitterstrike entry for a Level 12 witch.