Play Your Next 5E D&D Game as the Coolest Character Around

July 6, 2021

Character Builds/ Dungeons & Dragons/ Player tips/ Terrains and Locales

Summer is on over here in the US and it is hot outside. If you are like me and looking for a way to cool off why not think about and make some cold weather characters for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons? Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frost Maiden has been out for a while now but I still hear people talking about it and new 5E D&D games start all the time. Rime of the Frost Maiden hoists characters into an arctic environment and while it is easy to put on a cold weather outfit why not look for those 5E D&D races used to being in cold environments so there is no need for the extra gear?

Cold and calculating 5E D&D character creation

Dragonborn immediately come to mind when I think of 5E D&D character options ideal for cold environments. A Draconic Ancestry of white or silver grants cold resistance. A barbarian character or a spellcaster of any kind can wear the slightest bit of clothing and not worry about all the bitter wind and automatically succeed on the saving throw to avoid exhaustion caused by extreme cold. Goliaths get the Mountain Born trait, which gives them the same resistance and they can also withstand the pressure of high elevation. Why not stand out from all those landlubbers and be a triton? The swim speed might not be super useful but you will certainly stand out and being used to oceanic depths they also get cold resistance.

If these races do not suit you and you are willing to wait there are some additional ways characters learn to adapt to cold weather. Taking a look at the official 5E D&D classes I am surprised by the lack of winter and cold-oriented character subclasses. I was able to find some help here though. At 10th level an artificer can use the Replicate Magic Items infusion to create boots of the winterlands while a Draconic Bloodline sorcerer with a white or silver Dragon Ancestor can spend a sorcery point to gain resistance to cold at 6th level. The Fathomless Otherworldly Patron for warlocks receive the Oceanic Soul feature at 6th level and you guessed it — this grants the cold resistance you are looking for too.

There are of course a number of magic items that will help but when you make your character most times the Dungeon Master doesn’t allow you control of your loot. And if you need a way to put all this cold resistance to the test perhaps your 5E D&D adventurers can take on The Witch of Flame Skull Peak!

Where does the inspiration for all this cold come from? Part of it is the heat outside but I am happy to say Snowbound is being released from WizKids. D&D Icons of the Realms: Snowbound releases on August 5 and I have seen a sampling of this spectacular set of miniatures. As with each set WizKids puts out there is a premier miniature. For Snowbound the premier miniature is a massive mammoth with a giant companion. I know the giant is the biggie and the mammoth is their companion, but not to me. The fun thing with this mini is how the saddle can come off of the giant can be added as a rider so if your 5E D&D adventurers kill one of the two minis the battlefield can be altered to show either the mammoth alone, the giant alone or the giant riding the mammoth. Pictures do not do it justice.

As with all blind purchase boxes the thrill is getting something you did not know was in the set or getting the one piece you are looking for. In my sampling the miniatures that stood out to me were the axebeak, the awakened tree and the snow golem. It is fun to have new mount options and I dig the axebeak. The snow golem allows us to fight frosty the snowman and not feel bad about it while the awakened tree is great because it can be a monster or terrain. Check out more of the cool WizKids minis and boost your collection of cold weather monsters for your tabletop roleplaying game.

You’ll also discover lots of fun cold weather content inside Treasures of the Tundra, one of our own creations. Uncovering the secrets of the frozen tundra gives adventurers the edge they’ll need to survive. Arctic creatures, items and player options represent the values and cultures of a perilous environment for the unprepared adventurer. The yaska are hale and hearty folk who dwell in these cold climes and new subclasses put the power of the tundra in players’ hands along with more Treasures of the Tundra ready to drop into your Fifth Edition games here. Our products begin life as monthly rewards for our Patreon supporters and since we publish them on the Patreon page even new supporters get instant access to everything. You can also sign up for Nerdarchy the Newsletter and get several free gifts including $9.99 in store credit to add Treasures of the Tundra or whatever else grabs your attention.

New playable race — yaska, diminutive cousins of the tundra yeti
4 New Subclasses — College of Rime bard, Way of Northern Wind monk, Froststrider ranger and Iceborne sorcerer
2 New Creature Mounts
17 New Magic Items — including magic item sets
10 New Tundra Poisons

Thanks for reading. Until next time, stay nerdy!

*Featured image — This dynamic premium set from WizKids’ D&D Icons of the Realms: Snowbound features a Frost Giant and Mammoth that can be played separately or together with the Frost Giant becoming a mounted rider on the Mammoth! [Image courtesy WizKids]