Homebrew Yuki-onna Species Details

"There is no promise of spring in the long white form of Yuki-Onna, for her mouth is the mouth of Death and her ice-cold lips draw forth the life-blood of her unfortunate victims."

---F. Hadland Davis, Yuki-Onna: The Snow Woman

 

Yuki-Onna

Touched by the stillness of deep winter, yuki-onna carry the eerie beauty and quiet terror of falling snow. Some trace their lineage to mountain spirits, wandering winter ghosts, or ancient curses softened by time into mortal form. Their voices are soft, their presence is chilling, and their magic reflects the white mist, killing frost, and supernatural stillness of the storm. There is no single story of the Yuki-Onna. From dread snow vampire of the mountains to a loving bride and mother, she has played many roles over the centuries; worn many costumes. She is ephemeral as a windblown mist of snow, and as impossible to hold.

Yuki-Onna's are a female only humanoid race that appears in the folklore of cold and snowy regions as a snow spirit of ethereal beauty that would appear before travelers trapped in snowstorms with the purpose of killing them. While the Yuki-Onna is not inherently malevolent, their stoic demeanor and their natural environment being hazardous to most other races, may have given rise to myths that they intentionally cause deaths.

Possessing elemental control over ice and snow, Yuki-Onna can not live in high temperature environments without assistance. A Yuki-Onna's appearance is similar to that of beautifully attractive human or elven woman, with very pale skin, blue lips, and long flowing hair of black or white.Should a Yuki-Onna die, it's body melts away and leaves behind a single icy heartstone: a heart shape shard of unmelting ice that emits a pulsating wave of cold in a rhythm similar to a heartbeat; when attempting the resurrection of a Yuki-Onna, you must use the heartstone submerged in an amount cold water that's near equivalent to her body weight before death.

There are legends and myths about Yuki-Onnas summoning eternal winters, freezing empires and starting ice ages. All of those myths are false, any wizard with enough resources and power can do that, but popular culture believed that they were responsible of some of those calamities. Although their ice magic shouldn't be underestimated, these myths are mostly false.

Yuki-Onna Traits

Yuki-Onna have the following traits

Creature Type. Fey

Age. Yuki-Onna mature at a similar rate to humans but cease to age around their mid-20's . They are known to live to about 1000 years.

Size. Medium

Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision. You have Darkvision with a range of 60 feet.

Winterborn. You have Immunity to Cold damage.

Heat Vulnerability. You have vulnerability to fire damage. You also have disadvantage on all attack rolls and ability checks whenever you are adventuring in environments of extreme heat. 

Ice Walker: You are considered to be permanently under the effects of the Feather Fall spell, and are not affected by difficult terrain. You leave no tracks in the snow.

Cold Hands: You know the Chill Touch cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the Ice Knife spell once per day, and you learn the Ray of Frost cantrip. When you reach 7th level, you learn how to cast the Ice Storm spell once per day.

 

Yuki-onna Traits

As a Yuki-Onna, you have these special traits.

Size

Yuki-Onna have a similar build to humans. Your size is medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Lanugages

You speak common, sylvan, and one language of your choice.

Type

Yuki-onna identify as Fey creatures

Frozen Heart

You are immune to cold damage, but have vulnerability to fire damage. 

Ice Walker

You are considered to be permanently under the effects of the Feather Fall spell, and are not affected by difficult terrain. You leave no tracks in the snow.

Cold Hands

At level 1, you gain the Chill Touch cantrip. At level 3, you learn the Ray of Frost and Ice Knife. At 7th level, you can cast Ice Storm. You always have that spell prepared. You can cast it once without a spell slot, and you regain the ability to cast it in that way when you finish a Long Rest. You can also cast the spell using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level. Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for the spells you cast with this trait.