Meltless Mourning Snowman
Armor Class 12 (packed snow)
Hit Points 33 (6d8+6)
Speed 25 ft.
Skills Deception +4, Perception +3
Damage Vulnerabilities fire
Damage Immunities cold, poison
Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Common
Challenge 1 (200 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Actions
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"Don't cry. If you cry, the snowman cries too." — Mara Vell, written in frost on a farmhouse window
Lore & Description
Appearance
This squat snowman stands nearly five feet tall, built from three lumpy spheres of gray-white snow packed around twigs, old mittens, and scraps of blue yarn. Its coal eyes are glossy and too deep, as if they look through the world rather than at it. A carrot nose has blackened at the tip, and a child's red scarf hangs stiffly around its neck, crusted with frost that never melts. When it moves, its body gives a soft, wet crunch, and its shadow sometimes resembles a small child holding a shovel.
Behavior & Origins
The snowman was built by Mara Vell, a grieving child who lost her older brother, Tomas, during a blizzard near Bellweather Farm. Mara whispered to it that it must never melt before Tomas came home. Tomas never did, but the snowman remained after the thaw, animated by the force of Mara's refusal to accept the loss. It now wanders from house to house seeking someone who will say, "Poor thing," because every expression of pity convinces it that grief is still keeping Tomas close. The snowman can be calmed if someone discovers Tomas's missing red mitten, buried beneath the oldest pine at Bellweather Farm, and tells it the truth: Tomas is gone, but Mara is still waiting.
Running Meltless Mourning Snowman
Tactics
The snowman begins by using Child's Lament to make one or more creatures pity or fear it, then attacks any creature that approaches with comforting words. It throws Sorrowful Snowballs at archers and spellcasters while using its fists against anyone who has become Pitied. When reduced below half its hit points, it seeks out the most sympathetic-looking creature and fights to the death unless shown Tomas's mitten or offered proof that Mara still lives.
DM Tips
- Telegraph its danger with children's footprints that stop abruptly, a red scarf frozen solid, and villagers who insist that comforting it only made the murders worse.
- Give the snowman a soft, pleading voice and have it repeat fragments of Mara's words before suddenly speaking in a much older, colder voice.
- The Pity Makes It Dangerous trait should reward wary roleplaying: characters can show compassion through investigation or honest conversation without automatically using an action to comfort the creature.
- For a weaker party, remove the extra cold damage from Pity Makes It Dangerous; for a stronger party, let a Pitied creature also lose 5 feet of speed until the mark ends.
Loot
- Tomas's Red Mitten — A child's mitten frozen inside the snowman's left arm. Showing it to the snowman can end the encounter peacefully and points toward the grave beneath the oldest pine at Bellweather Farm.
- Coal Eye of Remembrance — One of the snowman's black eyes remains warm to the touch. Once placed on a grave or memorial, it allows the bearer to hear one final whispered memory from the deceased.
- Mara's Blue Yarn — A frayed loop of blue yarn from the snowman's body. It never gets wet and can be tied around an object to make the owner recognize it as a treasured keepsake.
