Fighter Archetype: Winter Blade

Winter Blades are fighters who have formed a bond with a primordial spirit of ice. This bond manifests through their chosen weapon, allowing them to channel arctic power, freeze their foes, and eventually, take on the aspect of a fearsome ice dragon.

Bond of the Rime-Blade

You perform the ritual over 1 hour, which can be done during a short rest. The weapon must be within your reach throughout the ritual, at the conclusion of which you touch the weapon and forge the bond.

Once you have bonded a weapon to yourself, you can’t be disarmed of that weapon unless you are incapacitated. If it is on the same plane of existence, you can summon that weapon as a bonus action on your turn, causing it to teleport instantly to your hand.

You can have up to one bonded weapon. If you attempt to bond with a second weapon, you must break the bond with the first one.

Frozen Heaven's Rebuke

 As an action, you can expend one use of this feature to target one creature you can see within 60 feet. An ethereal dragon of ice and snow lunges from your blade toward the target.

The target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, it takes 2d10 cold damage and has its speed reduced to 0 until the end of its next turn. On a successful save, it takes half as much damage and its speed is not reduced.

The damage increases to 3d10 at 7th level, 4d10 at 10th level, and 5d10 at 15th level. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Your save DC for this and other Winter Blade features is 8 + your Proficiency Bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice).

Subjugation of the Heavens

As a bonus action, you can create a 15-foot radius of difficult terrain centered on yourself. This terrain is slick ice that lasts until the start of your next turn. You are unaffected by this difficult terrain.

Additionally, you have resistance to cold damage.

Dragon Hail Flower

The creature takes an additional 2d8 cold damage, and must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be restrained until the end of your next turn as ice erupts to encase them.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Grand Crimson Lotus Ice Ring

As a bonus action, you can awaken the full power of your rime-blade, undergoing a draconic transformation. For 1 minute, you gain the following benefits:

• Ice Dragon Wings: You sprout massive wings of ice, granting you a flying speed of 60 feet.
• Aura of Frost: You emanate an aura of intense cold in a 10-foot radius. When a hostile creature enters the aura for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it takes cold damage equal to your Constitution modifier.
• Empowered Blade: Your weapon attacks with your rime-blade deal an additional 1d8 cold damage.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Thousand-Year Ice Prison

Your mastery over ice becomes absolute. While your Daiguren Hyōrinmaru feature is active, you can use your action to unleash your ultimate technique.

You choose a point you can see within 120 feet. Massive pillars of ice erupt in a 30-foot-radius sphere centered on that point. Each creature in that area must make a Constitution saving throw.

• On a failed save, a creature takes 10d10 cold damage and is paralyzed for 1 minute, frozen solid in a tomb of ice.
• On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage and is not paralyzed.

A paralyzed creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. Once you use this ability, your transformation ends, and you cannot use this feature again until you finish a long rest.