Ichlar

Description

An Ichlar resembles a crystalline stand of deep blue glacial ice. The bitterly cold nature of this being draws much of the heat from the surrounding air. They make a deep ice grinding noise whenever they move, making it nearly impossible for the Ichlar to sneak up on anyone with normal hearing. They can exist anywhere there is frozen water, although they prefer crevasses within deep glaciers.

Combat

These ice elemental creatures are so utterly cold that any creatures within 5' must take 1d3hp of freezing damage per round. An endure cold spell will reduce the damage from this cold to only 1hp per round. A resist cold spell will provide complete protection against this cold.

The primary attack form of an Ichlar is to freeze their foe in a solid shell of bitterly cold ice. They create this shell by enveloping their opponent and immobilizing them within ice. This shell is bitterly cold and inflicts 1d4hp of freezing damage per round to the victim. The victim is allowed a Bend Bars/Lift Gates roll each round in an attempt to escape. Delivering at least 10hp of damage against the ice is also sufficient to break the shell. The creation of the ice shell drains the Ichlar of energy, so it is only able to perform this attack once every three rounds.

An Ichlar is able to blast shards of its own body in a narrow cone that will inflict 3d6hp of piercing damage the target. The cone is 30' long and 10' wide at the end. Anybody caught in the cone can make a saving throw versus petrification for half damage. Each time the Ichlar performs this attack, it suffers 1d6hp of damage to its own body, so it is understandably reluctant to do so unless it cannot escape.

They are highly resistant to cold damage, suffering only half-normal damage if they fail their saving throw and no damage if they succeed. However, they are even more vulnerable than most ice elemental creatures to heat and will take damage from a simple fire. Magical Fire inflicts twice the maximum possible damage, although the Ichlar can still make a saving throw to reduce this effect. All Ichlar suffer a -4 to their morale rolls whenever they are in the presence of a fire larger than a candle.

Habitat/Society

These creatures normally dwell within solid ice and rarely come up to the surface unless they need to travel to another glacier. They are able to move through solid ice at a movement rate of 3", or across open surfaces at 6". The tunneling of an Ichlar does not leave a passage through which another creature might pass.

An Ichlar is a solitary creature that does not need the company of its own kind or other beings. Only during mating season will they seek each other out. The eggs of an Ichlar resemble a beautiful blue crystal gem that is cold enough to instantly cause frostbite. They are laid in clutches of 3-5 eggs at the base of a deep glacial crevice and are difficult to distinguish from the surrounding ice.

Ecology

These beings seem to gain whatever nutritional requirements they need to survive from pockets of minerals and gases caught within a glacial flow. These minerals form a beautiful rare crystal in the heart of an Ichlar that can be recovered if the being is slain. These crystals sparkle mysteriously in a rainbow of colors when they are turned about. The beautiful Ichlar Crystal is quite fragile and very rare, bringing 5-800gp from a reputable gem dealer.