Homebrew Yuki-Onna Species Details

A long time ago, there lived two hunters, Nobu and Tanaka. Nobu was young and Tanaka was very old. One winter day, they could not come back home because of a blizzard. They found a hut in the mountain and decided to sleep there. On this particular evening, Tanaka woke up and found a beautiful lady with white clothes. She breathed on old Tanaka and he was frozen to death. She then approached Nobu to breath on him, but stared at him for awhile, and siad, "I thought I was going to kill you, the same as that old man, but I will not, because you are young and beautiful. You must not tell anyone about this incident. If you tell anyone about me, I will kill you. Several years later, Nobu met a beautiful young lady, named Yuki (Snow) and married her. She was a good wife. Nobu and Yuki had several children and lived happily for many years. Mysteriously, she did not age. One night, after the children were asleep, Nobu siad to Yuki, "Whenever I see you, I am reminded of a mysterious incident that happened to me. When I was young, I met a beautiful young lady like you. I do not know if it was a dream or if she was a Yuki-Onna..." After finishing his story, Yuki suddenly stood up, and said "That woman you met was me! I told you that I would kill you if you ever told anyone about that incident. However, I can't kill you because of our children. Take care of our children..." Then she melted and disappeared. No one saw her again.

—Una Nymeria, College of Lore Bard

 

Yuki-Onna can shift their forms with a simple thought. Many Yuki-Onna use this gift to change into kind women or grieving mothers looking for a child in the snow. If threatened they use this gift to form into clouds of mist or snow. This leads many people to treat Yuki-Onna hatred and suspicion.

A Hidden People

Wherever humans live, Yuki-Onna resides also; the question is whether their presence is known.

Yuki-Onna are born to one of three paths. There are a few who reside in unstable communities where they are true to their nature and deal openly with the people around them. A few are orphans, raised mainly by the races who are of the evil alignment, who find their way in the world without ever knowing another like themselves. While others are part of nomadic clans spread across the Five Nations, families who keep their true nature hidden from the other races.

When creating a Yuki-Onna consider the character’s relationships with the people around them. Do they conceal their true nature? Do they embrace it? Do they have connections to other Yuki-Onna or are they alone and in search of companions?

Otherworldly Beauty

Yuki-Onna prey on travelers lost in the heavy snowstorms that blanket the mountains across the Cold Lands in winter. They have an otherworldly beauty, with long pale or ink-black hair and piercing eyes. Their skin is ageless and as white as snow, but their bodies are as cold as ice. A mere touch is enough to give anyone other than their race a deep, unshakable chill. They feed on life force, sucking it from the mouths with an icy breath that freezes their victims solid.

Yuki-Onna Names

Yuki-Onna uses names that contain snow or ice in its meaning. Yuki-Onna are an all-female race. Male Yuki-Onna are extremely rare but not impossible to see. 

Yuki-Onna Names: Crystal, Eira, Eirwen, Lumi, Miyuki, Neve, Neiva, Neva, Nevada, Pearl, Yukiko

Yuki-Onna Traits

Your Yuki-Onna character has the following traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma score increases by 2. In addition, your Constitution score increases by 1.

Age

Yuki-Onna mature slightly faster than most races but share a similar lifespan to some—typically they can live to be up to 600 years old.

Alignment

A few Yuki-Onna tend toward pragmatic neutrality, while the majority of them embrace evil.

Size

Your size is Medium. To set your height and weight randomly, start with rolling a size modifier:

Size modifier = 2d4

Height = 5 feet + 1 inch + your size modifier in inches

Weight in pounds = 115 + (2d4 × your size modifier)

Speed

Your base walking speed is 20ft, while your base flying speed is 30ft.

Transformation

As an action, you can change your appearance and your voice. You determine the specifics of the changes, including your coloration, hair length, and sex. You can also adjust your height and weight, but not so much that your size changes. You can make yourself appear as a member of another race, though none of your game statistics change. You can’t duplicate the appearance of a creature you’ve never seen, and you must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs that you have. Your clothing and equipment aren’t changed by this trait.

You stay in the new form until you use an action to revert to your true form or until you die.

Ghostly Instincts

You gain proficiency with two of the following skills of your choice: Deception, Intimidation, and Persuasion.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common, Sylvan, and one other language of your choice.

Cold Immunity

Yuki-Onna are completely impervious to cold weather and temperatures.