Frost Worm

This immense white worm has a single circular eye in the center of its head. Wisps of icy fog waft up from between its mandibles.

Frost Worm CR 12

XP 19,200
N Huge magical beast (cold)
Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +17

DEFENSE

AC 27, touch 11, flat-footed 24 (+3 Dex, +16 natural, –2 size)
hp 168 (16d10+80)
Fort +15, Ref +13, Will +10
Immune cold
Weaknesses vulnerable to fire

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft., burrow 10 ft.
Melee bite +25 (4d10+15 plus 4d6 cold)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks breath weapon (60-ft. cone, 15d6 cold damage, Reflex DC 23 half, usable once per hour), death throes, trill

STATISTICS

Str 31, Dex 16, Con 21, Int 2, Wis 16, Cha 11
Base Atk +16; CMB +28; CMD 41 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Perception), Stand Still, Weapon Focus (bite)
Skills Perception +17, Stealth +6 (+14 in ice and snow); Racial Modifiers +8 Stealth in ice and snow
SQ cold

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Cold (Su)

A frost worm’s body generates intense cold, allowing it to deal an additional 4d6 cold damage with its bite attack. Any creature that attacks a frost worm with an unarmed strike or a natural weapon takes 1d6 points of cold damage per successful hit. A creature that grapples or is grappled by a frost worm takes 4d6 points of cold damage per round the grapple is maintained.

Death Throes (Su)

When killed, a frost worm explodes in a 100-foot-radius burst that deals 12d6 cold damage and 8d6 piercing damage (DC 23 Reflex half). The save DC is Constitution-based.

Trill (Su)

As a full-round action, a frost worm can emit a strange trilling sound that affects all creatures within a 100-foot radius. Creatures must succeed on a DC 18 Will save or be fascinated for as long as the worm continues to trill (the frost worm can maintain this trill by concentrating). Once a creature has resisted or broken the effect, it cannot be affected again by that same frost worm’s trill for 24 hours. This is a sonic mind-affecting effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.

ECOLOGY

Environment cold plains or mountains
Organization
solitary
Treasure
incidental

With armor-crushing jaws, flesh that radiates cold, and a terrible keening cry capable of holding creatures fascinated, frost worms are apex predators of the frozen tundra and glaciers. In the frost worms’ far-reaching hunting grounds, they fear only the remorhaz, for the heat generated by an enraged remorhaz causes intense pain to a frost worm.

This extreme aversion to heat, as well as its freezing touch and devastating breath weapon, stems from an unusual facet of frost worm physiology—veins that run with magically cold blood. This creature’s ichor is clear, but infused with such sub-freezing temperatures that the monster’s flesh can freeze water in the skin of Creatures that touch it. When a frost worm dies, this magical energy dissipates, and both blood and muscle immediately freeze solid and then explode into a catastrophic barrage of icy shrapnel. As a result, even those predators that might legitimately prey upon the burrowing monstrosities tend to leave frost worms well enough alone.

An adult frost worm measures 35 feet long and weighs 8,000 pounds.

Variant: Frost Worm, Ingot Worm (CR 12)

[Source]

This immense, dark black metallic worm has a single circular eye in the center of its head. Its entire body is covered with jagged sharp edges, especially around its mandibles. Ingot worms fear only breaking the surface into the bright sunlight and will rarely risk breaching onto the surface world. The only creatures that will actively feed upon them are gold dragons who enjoy the metals they find inside them.

Breath Weapon (Su)

60-ft. cone, razor-sharp shards of various ores dealing 15d6 points of piercing and slashing damage. Creatures with damage reduction 5 or greater that is not overcome by magic, piercing, slashing, adamantine, cold iron, and silver are immune to this effect. Reflex DC 23 save for half; the breath is usable once per hour. The save DC is Constitution-based.

This replaces a frost worm’s normal breath weapon special attack.

DR 20/adamantine; this replaces a frost worm’s immunity to cold.

Sunlight Powerlessness (Su)

An ingot worm cannot stand bright light or natural sunlight and flees from it (4th level or higher spell with the light descriptor). An ingot worm struck by such light cannot attack and can take only a single move or standard action for one round, and always uses this in an attempt to flee.

This replaces a frost worm’s vulnerability to fire.

Severe (Su)

An ingot worm’s body is extremely jagged and sharp from the opening of its maw about its entire mass, allowing it to deal an additional 4d6 piercing and slashing damage with its bite attack. Any creature that attacks an ingot worm with an unarmed strike or a natural weapon takes 1d6 points of piercing and slashing damage per successful hit. A creature that grapples or is grappled by an ingot worm takes 4d6 points of slashing and piercing damage per round the grapple is maintained.

Death Throes (Su)

When killed, an ingot worm explodes in a 100-ft.-radius burst that deals damage as its breath weapon but deals 20d6 instead of its normal amount (DC 23 Reflex half).

Sonic Pulse (Su)

Once per day as a swift action, an ingot worm can create a magical sonic pulse by manipulating the minerals within its body that affects all living creatures within a 100-ft. radius; it creates a variety of mind-affecting effects though a successful Will save (DC 23) negates, The save DC is Constitution-based.

If a creature fails its save against this ability, roll on the following table to determine the effect.

d20 Effect
1–4 Hallucinations: The victim attacks a randomly determined target within 30 ft. until there is no longer a living creature within 30ft
5–8 Pain: The victim suffers a –6 circumstance penalty on attack rolls, combat maneuver checks, skill checks, and ability checks for one hour
9–12 Dazed: The victim suffers the dazed condition for one round
13–16 Synapse Damage: The victim suffers 2d4 points of Dexterity damage
17–20 Mind Sludge: The victim suffers 2d4 points of Wisdom damage

This ability replaces a frost worm’s trill special attack.

Environment underground; this replaces a frost worm’s cold plains or mountains.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 2, © 2010, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors Wolfgang Baur, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, Graeme Davis, Crystal Frasier, Joshua J. Frost, Tim Hitchcock, Brandon Hodge, James Jacobs, Steve Kenson, Hal MacLean, Martin Mason, Rob McCreary, Erik Mona, Jason Nelson, Patrick Renie, Sean K Reynolds, F. Wesley Schneider, Owen K.C. Stephens, James L. Sutter, Russ Taylor, and Greg A. Vaughan, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.

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