Innate Spellcasting. Cryonax’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 19). Cryonax can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: ray of frost (17th level), sleet storm, cone of cold, heat metal (legendary action only, see Chill Metal)
3/day each: ice storm, hold person, Freezing sphere, wall of ice (8th level),
1/day: storm of vengeance
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Cryonax fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.
Cold Absorption. Whenever Cryonax is subjected to cold damage, he takes no damage and instead regains a number of hit points equal to the cold damage dealt.
Magic Resistance. Cryonax has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Empowered Attacks. Cryonax's attacks are treated as magical for the purpose of bypassing resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks.
Ice Walk. Cryonax can move across and climb icy surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check. Additionally, difficult terrain composed of ice or snow doesn't cost Cryonax extra movement.
Cold Aura. Cryonax generates an aura of bitter cold that fills the area within 15 feet of him. At the start of the Cryonax's turn, all nonmagical flames in the aura are extinguished. Any creature that starts its turn within 15 feet of Cryonax takes 10 (3d6) cold damage.
Multiattack. Cryonax makes five tentacle attacks.
Tentacle. Melee Weapon Attack: +13 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 34 (3d12 + 14) bludgeoning damage plus 9 (2d8) cold damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 22 Constitution saving throw or its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies and is frozen solid if its hit point maximum is reduced to 0.
Breath of Chilling Death (Recharge 6). Cryonax exhales an icy blast in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 22 Constitution saving throw, taking 72 (16d8) cold damage plus 72 (16d8) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Frostbrittle. When Cryonax takes damage from a creature Cryonax can see within 60 feet of it, Cryonax can force that creature to make a DC 19 Constitution saving throw, on a failed save, Cryonax has advantage on attacks made against that creature and that creature is vulnerable to all damage from Cryonax until the end of his next turn, no effect on a success.
Cryonax can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. Cryonax regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.
Chill Metal. Cryonax casts heat metal at 9th level, but the fire damage is changed to cold damage.
Primordial Charge. Cryonax moves up to his speed, then makes a tentacle attack.
Freezing Touch (costs 2 actions). Cryonax makes a tentacle attack, if it hits, the creature must succeed on a DC 22 Constitution saving throw or become paralyzed for 1 round. Creatures immune to cold damage automatically succeed.
Description
Cryonax is the Prince of evil cold-using creatures, and one of the inhabitants of the Para-Elemental Plane of Ice. He somewhat resembled a yeti with two tentacles in place of each arm. He stood 15 feet (4.6 meters) tall and weighed 2,800 pounds (1,300 kilograms). He radiates an aura of terrible cold, said to chill both the body and soul of those around him. Within his plane Cryonax resides in the Chiseled Estate. A massive ornate fortress constructed of ice, rock crystal, and glass that rises a mile above the surface. It is claimed to be the coldest region in his entire plane, though in reality its frigid temperatures are surpassed by the Mountain of Ultimate Winter.
Cryonax's primary goal is raise the influence of his domain, constantly seeking out territory among the elemental planes to conquer, so that it may one day become a fifth base elemental plane. Though Cryonax is a careful schemer and he has much grander ambitions beyond that, plotting to one day surpass and usurp the other elemental forces of the Inner planes. And beyond that, he strives to one day freeze the entire multiverse.
He also seeks to unleash the Archdevil Levistus, but for what reason is unknown.
Unlike the other Evil Archomentals, there is neither a ruler of an opposing elemental force or Good Archomental counterpart actively competing against his interests. The closest thing to the former is Chilimba, but Cryonax does not consider them a credible threat.
On his own plane Cryonax is opposed by the Great White Wyrm, Albrathanilar, a potent and cunning wizard. The local immoths and some Ice mephits also oppose Cryonax's rule, mainly through living in isolation, though the latter have been known to aid his enemies.
His army consists of ice archons, frost giants, ice crabs, ice mephits, ice paraelementals, ice toads, white dragons, white puddings, winter wolves, and druids who specialize in cold-based magic.
One legend claimed that Cryonax was once a demon lord who had tried and failed to conquer the Elemental Chaos.
A djinni in service of a pasha from Calimshan believed that the Ring of Winter had the power to summon Cryonax.
Legend holds that back during the Dawn War, in a battle on a now-forgotten mountain top, Cryonax shattered his teeth upon the armor of the dwarven god Moradin and that jagged primordial shards of this can still be found today.
More recent rumors claim that within the Chiseled Estate lives a coven of enslaved planetouched wizards and priests, many of them either Ice genasi or water genasi, who work tirelessly to develop new forms of ice-based monsters for Cryonax's army. Another rumor attached to his fortress is that it draws power from the Negative Energy plane, though for what reason is never stated.
Lair and Lair Actions
Within his plane Cryonax resides in the Chiseled Estate. A massive ornate fortress constructed of ice, rock crystal, and glass that rises a mile above the surface. It is claimed to be the coldest region in his entire plane, though in reality its frigid temperatures are surpassed by the Mountain of Ultimate Winter. In lands of ice, snow, frost, and extreme cold, Cryonax can assert his mastery of elemental cold to take lair actions. On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Cryonax uses his lair action to cause one of the following effects:
- Howling primordial arctic winds heavily obscure the area within 30 feet of Cryonax, any creature that ends its turn in the area must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw, taking 10 (4d4) cold damage and 10 (4d4) thunder damage, and, if flying is knocked prone on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one and is not knocked prone. otherwise lasts until Cryonax uses this lair action again or until Cryonax dies.
- Cryonax spits in a 20-foot-radius at an area within 60 feet of Cryonax. The area becomes lightly obscured. A creature that moves through the affected area takes 1d8 cold damage and 1d8 necrotic damage for every 5 feet it moves there. Creatures that are knocked prone in the area also take this damage.
- Cryonax creates an opaque wall of black ice on a solid surface he can see within 120 feet of him. The wall can be up to 90 feet long, 90 feet high, and 3 feet thick. When the wall appears, each creature within its area is pushed 15 feet out of the wall’s space, appearing on whichever side of the wall it wants. Each 10-foot section of the wall has AC 15, 90 hit points, vulnerability to fire damage, and immunity to acid, cold, necrotic, poison, and psychic damage. The wall disappears when Cryonax uses this lair action again or when Cryonax dies.
Regional Effects
he region containing an elemental node in which Cryonax is present is warped his mastery over cold, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- When approaching Cryonax, combatants see only the swirling storm 150 feet out from the Prince of Elemental Cold. The storms make it impossible to fly toward Cryonax. Any creature that attempts to fly into the storm is smashed to the ground, taking falling damage and possibly damage from the prince’s aura.
- White Dragons, Frost Giants, Yetis, Frost Salamanders, Ice-Trolls, Ice Mephits, Ice Spiders, Ice Toads, Bheur Hags, Winter Wolves, and other arctic dwelling or creatures of elemental cold within 6 miles of Cryonax become more violent and loyal servants in Cryonax's army.
- Water within 6 miles freezes solid, and ice within 6 miles takes on a slight black coloring to it.
If Cryonax is destroyed or banished back to his home plane, the regional effects fade over the next 1d10 days.
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