Appendix D: Frost Giant Sorcerer

Some people have asked that we include another bloodline option for the sorcerer in our upcoming Appendix D supplement for Dungeons & Delvers. While Melissa was working on Krampus Run, I started working on a frost giant bloodline because I thought it would be a thematic fit. I'd even considered including a 5-level build in the adventure, but didn't because I don't want to charge people twice for duplicate content.

For context I want to point out (or remind you if you've already read whatever issue of the Appendix D "zine" has the sorcerer in it) what the dragon bloodline gets so you can compare the two: scaling fire resistance (starts at 5 and goes up by 5 every five levels), Firebolt (basically a ranged cantrip), Smell Magic (you can smell magical items and effects), and Draconic Claws (your hands can become claws that deal 1d4 damage).

Sorcerers have more Mana than wizards, and since they also have more WP and VP this allows them to take more frequent/greater risks when using their magic. Even better, they gain additional benefits when they run out of Mana and VP (the drawback is that their magical options are quite limited). For dragon sorcerers, using up all of their Mana causes scales to cover their body, granting an AC and DR bonus, and when they run out of VP their blood begins to burn, potentially harming anyone that wounds them.

Talent choices include enhancing their breath weapon and claws, commanding fire, growing wings and a tail (which get automatically activated for free when they run out of Mana or VP)

With the frost giant bloodline I didn't want to just reskin everything, change fire to cold, and call it good. The dragon bloodline has some good ranged and area-effect attacks (though the claws can be a nice fallback if something is fire resistant/immune), and all the scales make you pretty durable. For the frost giant I wanted to make it more of a melee-beater, with abilities that hedge enemies in and keep them from running away (via slowing/immobilizing abilities).

Here's what we got so far:

Frost Giant Bloodline

• 1st-Level: You gain Icy Breath, Chill Touch, Crushing Fists, and cold resistance 5
• 5th-Level: You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with melee attacks, and your cold resistance increases to 10.
• 10th-Level: You instead gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with melee attacks, and your cold resistance increases to 15

Transformation
Your body undergoes reflexive transformations in response to injury and drawing upon the magic that courses through your blood.

• Mana Depleted: You are surrounded by powerful gusts of icy wind. Creatures that move or start their turn next to you must succeed on a Fortitude save or suffer 1d4 cold damage and be slowed until the start of their next turn. At 5th-level the damage increases to 1d6. At 10th-level creatures suffer 1d8 cold damage and are immobilized on a failed save, and on a successful save they are still slowed.
• Vitality Depleted: You become much stronger: you gain a +1 bonus to melee attack and damage rolls, as well as any Strength checks. At 5th-level this bonus increases to +2, and at 10th-level it increases to +3.

Talents

Aurora Curtain
Concentration
Drain: 2d4+1
You create a shimmering wall of light, up to 5 feet in length per sorcerer level. It reaches 5 feet high. When you conjure the wall, creature’s adjacent to it suffer 5d6+Charisma lightning damage (ignores metal armor, half damage on a successful Reflex save). Creatures moving through the wall also suffer this damage (though they can attempt Reflex saves to halve it).
+1d4 Drain: The damage is increased by 1d6. The total damage dice cannot exceed your level. The wall’s height is also increased by 5 feet.

Blizzard
Concentration
Drain: 4d4+1
Over the course of 1d6 x 10 minutes you conjure a blizzard that affects an area of 1,000 feet per sorcerer level around you. It lasts 1 hour per sorcerer level or until you stop concentrating, after which the weather gradually returns to normal.

Chill Touch
When you wish it, your hands emanate intense cold. Your mere touch inflicts 1d4 cold damage. If used with your unarmed strike, it also inflicts cold damage and targets you damage are slowed until the end of your next turn.

Crushing Fists
Your unarmed strike is a light weapon that inflicts 1d6 bludgeoning damage. If you attack with both fists, you make the attack and damage roll twice and use the highest result. At 5th-level the damage increases to 1d8, and at 10th-level it increases to 1d10.

Frost Armor
Drain: 1d4
As a Swift Action you gain temporary Vitality Points equal to your sorcerer level+Charisma, and fire resistance 5 as long as you have temporary VP from this talent. Temporary VP does not stack, is lost first when you suffer damage, and they also go away after you take a short or long rest. When determining whether you transform, they don’t count as VP.
Transformation: When your Mana is depleted this talent activates for free.

Frost Brand
Concentration
Drain: 1d6+2
You enchant a weapon held or touched (including your own fists). For 10 minutes per sorcerer level, it gains a +1 bonus to hit and deals +1 cold damage.

Frozen Flesh
Sustain: 2
You can use your Charisma instead of Dexterity to determine your AC.
1d4 Drain: You must be sustaining this talent in order to use this ability. When a creature strikes you with a melee attack, as a Reaction you force them to make a Fortitude save: on a failure they suffer 1d8+Charisma cold damage and are slowed for one round per sorcerer level. On a success they suffer half damage and aren’t slowed.
Transformation: When your Mana is depleted this talent activates for free.

Giant Form
Drain: 1d6
Your size increases to Large for one round per sorcerer level. While you’re enlarged, your Strength increases by 1 (up to a maximum of +6) and your melee attacks have Reach and inflict +1d4 damage.
Transformation: When your Vitality is depleted this talent activates for free.

Giant Strength
Sustain: 4
Your Strength increases by 1, up to a maximum of +5.
Transformation: When your Vitality is depleted this talent activates for free.

Ice Storm
Drain: 2d4+1
Shards and fragments of ice rain from the sky, affecting a 20-foot radius within 100 feet of you. Creatures and objects in the area of effect suffer 5d6+Charisma bludgeoning and cold damage, and are slowed until the end of your next turn (if there is already a snowstorm present the damage dice are d8's). On a successful Fortitude save, affected creatures only suffer half damage and are not slowed.
+1d4 Drain: Increase the damage by 1d6. The total damage dice cannot exceed your level.

Ice Walk
You can walk and run on ice and snow without any problems: you never slip, you aren’t slowed, and you don’t leave tracks unless you want to. You also don't fall through sheets of ice or snow unless you want to.

Icy Breath
Drain: 1d4
You breathe forth a 15-foot cone of wind and ice. Creatures caught in the area of effect suffer 1d8+Charisma cold damage and are slowed until the end of your next turn. On a successful Fortitude save they suffer half damage and are not slowed.
+1d4 Drain: Increase the damage by 1d8. The total damage dice cannot exceed your level.

Wall of Ice
Concentration
Drain: 2d6+2
You conjure one 5-foot by 5-foot panel of ice per sorcerer level, up to 60 feet away from you. Each panel of ice must be connected to another by at least one edge. If the wall is conjured in a creature’s space, it suffers 8d6+Charisma cold damage (half on a successful Fortitude save). If you conjure the wall to seal an opening or block passage, a creature next to it can also attempt a Reflex save to leap past it.
Each section of ice has an AC of 10+Charisma and 20 WP per sorcerer level. The wall otherwise remains for 1 minute per sorcerer level before melting away.
+1d6 Drain: The damage the wall inflicts is increased by 1d6. The total damage dice cannot exceed your level. The wall’s WP also increases by 10.

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