Vinheim, White Knight of Bloom (3.5e Monster)
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Beset with long, haggard silvery white hair and an untamed beard, this old deposed king has lived for over 300 years, sustained by the divine power he has been granted. Driven to keep an ancient evil from returning, his watch in the frozen wastes of the Northlands is unending.
Vinheim's rule in the Northern lands of Varlandt had been long contested by the many detractors left over from his predecessor's long reign. Because he rose to prominence and power by staging a coup d'êtat against the tyrannical ruler of his age, Ereheim the Fierce, Vinheim never managed to gain the full trust of the Northlanders, themselves a stubborn people who value loyalty and warrior pride above all. Even so, he was a beacon of intelligent rulership and knowledge amidst a people that had been largely branded as savages, and his lineage still exists today, having brought countless social and technological developments to the primitive North, like election-appointed counsilors and aqueducts that filter clean water from the mountain sources into the cities of the Varlandt. He however remained ever vigilant against the powers that warped and twisted the minds of his predecessors, and discovered dark secrets that needed to remain hidden at all costs. Now, he walks in the shadow of the tallest mountains, silently performing his divinely appointed vigil.
Combat[edit]
Vinheim is a level 18 warbladeToB, who has been granted divine powers and extraordinary longevity as a Holy Knight. He is treated as an 19 HD creature when targeted by HD-dependent effects, and the weapon he wields is treated as lawful-aligned, epic and adamantine for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Battle Mastery: As a level 18 warblade, Vinheim receives his Intelligence bonus (+6) to Reflex saves, critical confirmation rolls, opposed checks against bull rush and trip attempts, damage against flat-footed and flanked opponents, and damage on attacks of opportunity.
Maneuvers: As a level 18 warblade, Vinheim knows the following 12 maneuvers. He may ready 6 maneuvers at once for use. See Tome of Battle for more information on maneuvers.
1st— Moment of Perfect Mind; 2nd—Action before Thought, Emerald Razor; 3rd—Mind over Body; 4th—White Raven Strike; 5th—Disrupting Blow, Rapid Counter; 6th—Greater Insightful Strike, Order Forged from Chaos; 7th—Avalanche of Blades; 8th—Diamond Nightmare Blade; 9th—Time Stands Still. Initiator level 18th.
Stances Known—Bolstering Voice, Pearl of Black Doubt, Stance of Alacrity, Stance of Clarity.
Holy Knight Abilities[edit]
As a holy knight, Vinheim has been endowed with powers over frost. He may use the following abilities. Any save DCs associated with Vinheim’s holy knight powers are Strength-based (DC 29). Vinheim is neither affected nor impeded in any way by his own powers.
Blooming Blade (Ex): As a standard action usable once every 1d4 minutes, Vinheim can focus his divine energies within Ice’s blade, causing a beam of all-consuming frost to sprout from the weapon. When this buff is active, the weapon’s reach increases by 10 feet, and with every attack action the wielder can target every creature or object in a 15-foot line, as long as each target within the line lies within the weapon’s reach. This line need not originate from the wielder, but must be straight. Each target requires a separate attack roll. While this buff is active, all of the damage from Ice counts as both slashing or piercing (depending on the style used, see zweihänder) and cold, for the purpose of bypassing damage reduction and resistance respectively. The buff remains for 5 rounds.
Any damage dealt by Ice while in Blooming Blade mode resists recovery and healing as flowering ice expands through the wound, reducing all healing done down to a third until all damage done by this ability is healed.
Flowering Death (Ex): Vinheim stabs Ice into the ground and focuses his frost powers into it as a full-round action. Within a 20-foot radius around Vinheim, huge ice flowers of sharp, jagged thorns erupt from the ground, transforming it into difficult terrain and dealing 18d6 points of cold damage and 1d6 points of bleedout (Reflex to halve both) to any caught within this ability as well as to any who start their turn within the affected area. Any who take damage from this ability must make a Reflex save or become entangled within the ice blades, requiring a DC 20 Strength or Escape Artist check to get loose.
The Flowering Death remains for 2 rounds, and Vinheim must wait 2d4 rounds before it can be used again.
Red Blossom (Ex): While Blooming Blade is active, Vinheim may make a regular attack against a single target as a standard action, and impale his target on the sword if the attack is successful. He makes an immediate grapple check against the impaled target at a +4 circumstance bonus to his opposed check, in order to hoist the target aloft on the blade. While he is in the middle of this maneuver, he takes a -4 penalty to his AC, but only takes half damage from all attacks and damaging effects in the mean time. When Vinheim pulls out out the sword, it immediately deals 2d4 points of additional bleedout damage.
If Vinheim maintains the impalement and the target starts its turn grappled (that is to say, impaled on Ice), Vinheim immediately deals 2d8+8 points of cold damage and 1d4 points of bleedout damage for each attack he would be allowed to make on a full attack action (4 times), as red, bloody ice flowers erupt from inside the creature’s body. He then pulls out the sword.
If the creature bleeds out as a result of the Red Blossom, all its movement speeds are halved and he takes a -4 penalty to attack rolls, saves, ability checks and skill checks until all the damage from this ability is completely restored.
The Cold Hand of Order (Sp): As a full-round action usable once per day, Vinheim may call upon the Cold Order to summon forth 1d4+1 elder order elementals. They cannot be influenced with any mind-affecting spells or effects, and will serve their summoner until dismissed or slain. This is the equivalent of a 9th level spell.
White Omen (Sp): Vinheim’s very presence saps the temperature from the land around him. Within a 200-foot radius centered on himself, he projects the effects of the blizzard spell. He may turn this ability on or off at will. This is the equivalent of an 8th level spell that is continuously active on Vinheim's being.
Equipment[edit]
As a very powerful and experienced human warrior, Vinheim has attained a great many riches and equipment to aid him in his divine-given missions. He wears a belt of great prowess +4, a cloak of resistance +5, a ring of protection +5, and amulet of natural armor +5. Furthermore, he has the following unique items.
Crown of the Frozen King: This old crown clings to Vinheim's head, conferring a +4 enhancement bonus to his Intelligence score and a +10 enhancement bonus to Concentration, Diplomacy and Intimidate checks.
Frozen King’s Regalia: This +5 royal plate is fashioned from a material as hard and resilient as adamantine yet white as ice. The armour is adorned with fur-backed shoulders and mantle. The wearer of the regalia gains access to the Winter domain, including its power (the Cold subtype). Non-cleric wearers can use the domain spells once per day at a caster level equal to their character level, up to the highest level spell said caster level allows. Furthermore, for every 3 points of damage absorbed by the cold immunity granted by this armor, the wearer heals one point of damage.
Difficult to see icy thorns grow constantly on the smooth armour, causing 2d6+5 points of cold damage to any creature attacking the wearer in melee.
The frozen king's regalia grant its wearer damage reduction 10/bludgeoning, a +15 armor bonus to AC, a maximum Dexterity bonus of +1, armor check penalty of -4, and an arcane spell failure chance of 50%.
Ice: This effective +6 zweihänder is fashioned from the same white adamantine as the armour. Ice possesses a long, wide blade that is constantly tinged with blooming hoarfrost, dealing an additional cold damage equal to the weapon’s base damage (2d8). The jagged edges of the ice that constantly forms on this weapon causes bleedout with every successful attack, dealing 1d4 points on the first attack and an additional point for every successful iterative attack of the round.
As a standard action, the wielder of Ice can swing the blade and attack any creature within 60 feet that touches the ground. A large spike of sharp, jagged ice will erupt from the ground to attack the target, dealing extra damage equal his base attack bonus on a successful hit and requiring the target to make a DC 29 Fortitude save or be staggered.
Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Monsters
| Alignment | Lawful neutral + |
| Author | Sulacu + |
| Challenge Rating | 19 + |
| Environment | Any + |
| Identifier | 3.5e Monster + |
| Level Adjustment | — + |
| Rating | Undiscussed + |
| Size | Medium + |
| Subtype | Cold + and Native + |
| Title | Vinheim, White Knight of Bloom + |
| Type | Outsider + |
