Oddities for a Frozen Waste
This week on d-Infinity Live we're talking about winter, and you can't get more wintery than a frozen wasteland of eternal ice and snow. From cursed kingdoms rules by winter warlocks to the frozen planet Hoth, our parties spend more time in frozen wastelands than we give them credit for. With that in mind, the frozen fiends behind 100 Oddities for a Sewer and Oddities for a Cabin in the Woods bring you a new table of ever growing, ever evolving random encounters, characters, and objects to populate the arctic wilderness where your party seeks adventure!
This week on d-Infinity Live we're talking about winter, and you can't get more wintery than a frozen wasteland of eternal ice and snow. From cursed kingdoms rules by winter warlocks to the frozen planet Hoth, our parties spend more time in frozen wastelands than we give them credit for. With that in mind, the frozen fiends behind 100 Oddities for a Sewer and Oddities for a Cabin in the Woods bring you a new table of ever growing, ever evolving random encounters, characters, and objects to populate the arctic wilderness where your party seeks adventure!
- The remains of a party of adventurers frozen in a pillar of packed ice. There is an equal chance the ice pack was created by a tribe of cannibals to preserve leftovers, or a slow moving arctic ooze digesting its meal over months.
- A wooly mammoth, easily twice the size of the largest known specimen, trudges through the ice and snow with slow, thunderous steps. Ancient spears and arrows protrude from the beast's thick hide, sheets of ice flaking away with each step. There is a 50% chance the creature is Grandfather Mammoth, totem and spiritual progenitor of all megafauna.
- A pack of 2d4 ice demons capers and cavorts around a swirling column of snow. Within the wintery vortex is a portal to a frozen corner of one of the seven hells from which another ice demon emerges every 1d6 rounds. If a total of nine demons capers around the vortex, the gateway swings wide releasing a demon lord of blizzards who will extend the frozen wasteland deep into the south.
- A flowing with brilliant orange and red petals, reminiscent of a blazing summer sun, grows from packed permafrost in defiance of the arctic terrain.
- The outline of an leviathan, frozen for a millennia, is visible through the pristine blue ice of an ancient glacier. Stress fractures in the ice suggest the titanic creature is attempting to break free.
- A gnome in heavy winter gear drives cart pulled by a pair of shaggy, snub-nosed canines the size of ponies. Stacked high on the cart are large barrels containing hot chocolate, spiced rum, cider, and other heated drinks perfect for fortifying the body and spirit against the cost. Subtle enchantment keeps the drinks hot and fresh. The gnome is in a hurry, but is will to stop and fill a few mugs for the right price. Though the gnome puts on the appearance of a gruff merchant, he will gladly offer a free drink to anyone suffering from the cold.
- A stack of boulders rises up from the wastes, rising as high as a large hill. This is no random pile of rocks, but rather the cairn of an ancient frost giant jarl. Hidden within nearby snowdrifts are 1d4-1 frost giants charged with protecting the cairn against tomb robbers.
- An arctic unicorn strides the wastes somewhere nearby, its presence calming the freezing winds turning the raging blizzard into a gentle, powdery snow. The unicorn is practically invisible against the show, its presence only betrayed by the occasional play of sunlight or moonlight against its icicle-like horn.
- Atop a frozen mountain stands a woman with snow-white hair and eyes that shine blue like glacial ice. She gesticulates wildly, causing winds to whip the falling snow into hypnotic swirls. She is the daughter of the North Wind, conducting a blizzard like a wild, impassioned symphony.
- A fire made from scavenged wood, still glowing red, is frozen within a block of ice. If thawed, the fire continues to burn and radiate heat.
And that's only the beginning! In the coming days your favorite d-Infinity contributors will add to this list, as will our most dedicated readers. How many oddities for a frozen waste can we creation? How quickly can we reach 100 original oddities? Let's find out!
