Wolf, Blizzard

Blizzard Wolf

Blizzard wolves, also called wind wolves, are native predators of the plane of Frost, and resemble nothing so much as white winds and frost coalesced into the form of a long ‘tail’ and the fore body of a canine bearing oversized claws and fangs, with two empty pits for eyes. When still (something that happens very rarely), they more resemble conventional wolves.

COMBAT: Blizzard wolves will attack anything and anybody which crosses their path. Ice elementals, mephits, humanoids — it doesn’t matter; once they attack, they fight until victorious or slain. Blizzard wolves don’t so much run as swoop; the creatures are intangible and can fly at incredible speeds. A pack of blizzard wolves chasing you is one of the scarier sights of the Inner Planes…all too often it’s one of your last; the wolves howling like the coldest Winter winds of Pandemonium.

In combat the wolves attack with two claws and a savage bite; in addition to normal damage, the wind-wolves’ touch chills for 1-4 hp additional damage. They take no damage from slashing and half damage from piercing weapons, as the weapons pass right through the wolf’s semi-corporeal body.

In addition, nonmagical weapons must save vs magical cold or become brittle, breaking on a roll of 1-3 on 1d20. Any unprotected contact with a blizzard wolf causes 1-4 hp cold damage.

More fearsome still are the pack tactics of the blizzard wolves. Working together, a group of three wolves can create an effect identical to that of acone of cold, up to three times per day. When backed into a corner, a blizzard wolf may panic (50% chance) and release its most deadly defence. The body of the creature dissolves into nothing and seconds later, an ice stormhits the area. This kills the creature, but since other blizzard wolves are not affected by it can save a hunting pack by sacrificing one.

HABITAT/SOCIETY: Blizzard wolves live a life of constant “running” and hunting, attacking and feeding on anything they encounter. They are entirely indigenous to the Plane of Frost, though marauding bands of the beasts can sometimes be seen on the Plane of Ice. It’s also said that blizzard wolves have been spotted on Caina, the eighth layer of Baator. If that’s true, they must be mighty touch to survive the attentions of the rapacious gelugons that guard the layer.

ECOLOGY: With no real opponents, blizzard wolves sit at the top of the heap in the plane of Frost. Their main prey are ice elementals and mephits; the rare ice or frost genasi and almost unknown planewalker are considered especial delicacies. Blizzard wolves give nothing back to their ecology save the odd humanoid corpse. Mage chant goes that the semi-corporeal tails of blizzard wolves are good ingredients in potions of cold resistance and the like.

Source: Kristias Fireflight and Jon Winter-Holt