Ice Witch

It is easy to underestimate just how deadly the cold can be. In the depths of winter, far from the comforts of civilization, even the most experienced and prepared of travellers can succumb to the frost with just a little misfortune. In those parts of the world where winter seems to never truly end, where the sun does not rise for month after month, the cold seems to take on a strange sentience. It is as though the winter is an uncaring, sometimes malevolent entity, a demon of the frost who’s ire is drawn by the tread of the unprepared outsider. Here the winter brings with it more than just the deathly cold, but the isolation and desolation, a great white nothing stretching out beyond the bounds of mortal comprehension that is enough to drive a man mad before it drains the life from him. 

To those who make their home within the great white nothing however, this seeming cruelty of nature is often seen as a harsh blessing. For any who can endure the hardships of endless winter the death frost offers sanctuary and safety from the dangers beyond their home. History is littered with countless stories of would-be conquerors marching grand, indomitable armies into the great white nothing, only to have their legions annihilated by the very land they trespass upon. The endless winter, it seems, is very protective of those who call it home. And there is no more obvious example of this protectiveness than the existence of the Ice Witches.

The Ice Witches are individuals who have seemingly been imbued with a little of winter’s power. Typically female, although not exclusively, the ice witches stand apart from their kin from the moment they are born. Their skin is pale and cold to the touch and their eyes are like blue crystals. As they age, and grow more powerful, other changes become evident. They are unbothered by changes in temperature, their blood freezing in their veins until it flows like a glacier, and their breath frosts in the air even under the hot summer sun. Even their personality seems to be affected, as often they grow up to be cold, unfeeling individuals who have trouble expressing any inner passion or emotion, or sometimes even lacking such feelings in the first place. The power they gain from this strange blessing however is unmistakable.

With the wrath of winter flowing through their veins the power of an Ice Witch is truly something to behold. As they utter their arcane spells the cold within reaches out through their fingertips and infuses into the magic that is sent forth. Even spells which would typically inflict death through heat or flame are twisted into blasts of biting frost, the very essence of the magic infested with the harshness of winter. So intense and frigid is the cold at their command that creatures naturally inured to the ice, or even those born of it, find themselves overcome by the Ice Witch’s frigid touch, for none are truly safe from the endless winter. As the Ice Witch’s power grows so too does the cold in their heart. Their body becomes numb to pain, and rot refuses to set in even when inflicted by magical means. At the apex of their power the Ice Witch can call upon the wrath of winter itself to surround them, the winds lifting them off of their feet. Any who would wish them harm find themselves blinded by the howling gale, as their bodies slowly begin to freeze mid-swing. To challenge an Ice Witch is to challenge winter itself, and it is a rare man indeed who can survive such a confrontation.

Ice Blooded

The icy cold of your blood inures you to the cold, and numbs you to the pain of non magical wounds. You gain resistance to cold damage. At 10th level this resistance increases to immunity to cold damage. At 14th level this feature also grants you resistance to necrotic damage, as well as non magical bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage.

In addition, you are naturally one with the cold of winter. Cold conditions have no negative effects upon you regardless of how severe. If you are in naturally wintery conditions you can cast any spell at 1 level higher than normal without using a higher level spell slot (such as casting a 1st level spell at 2nd level with a 1st level spell slot), however this cannot take a spell above 9th level.

Touch of Frost

At 6th level the ice in your soul begins to infest the magic of your spells, twisting them into expressions of winter’s wrath. Whenever you cast a spell which deals damage, the damage of the spell is automatically changed to cold. If the spell inflicts multiple types of damage you must select one to change to cold, the other damage type(s) do not change. If a spell inflicts cold damage already then it does not change. 

In addition, whenever you inflict cold damage through any means (Spell, Weapon attack, Class feature, ect) add your proficiency bonus to the damage total. Cold damage inflicted by you ignores cold resistance, and creatures who have cold immunity suffer half of all cold damage you inflict upon them.

Frigid Lethargy

Also at 6th level you are able to use the cold of your magic to slow an enemy’s reaction time. As a reaction when a creature you can see within 60ft rolls initiative you may spend 1 sorcery point to reduce it’s initiative roll by a d4. You may choose to do this before or after they roll, but before combat begins. You may choose to spend additional sorcery points to increase the size of the die by 1 per extra sorcery point spent (2 sorcery points for a d6, ect) to a maximum of 5 sorcery points to reduce the roll by a d12.

Icy Companion

At 14th level you can summon a spirit of winter as a permanent companion. You learn the find greater steed spell, which counts as a sorcerer spell for you. You always have the spell prepared and may cast it once without spending a spell slot. You must complete a long rest to do so again. When you cast the spell you can only choose a polar bear or a sabre toothed tiger as your steed. The steed always counts as an elemental, and shares all your resistances and immunities.

Wrath of Winter

At 18th level you can temporarily become an avatar of winter’s wrath as a bonus action, surrounding yourself in the biting winds of the great white nothing. When you activate this feature you may choose any number of creatures to be immune to its effects. All ground and air within a 30ft radius ball centred on you becomes difficult terrain, including for flying creatures. Any attack roll made by a creature who is not immune to this feature against a target within the radius is made at disadvantage as the strength of the wind obstructs their aim. Creatures who start their turn within the radius or who enter the radius immediately take 2d6 cold damage. This feature lasts for 1 minute, or until you dismiss it as a free action on your turn. For the duration of the ability you gain a fly speed equal to your walking speed as the winds lift you off of your feet. 

Once you use this feature you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest. Alternatively you may spend 9 sorcery points to use it again.