The Heart of Ice A 5e Adventure for #RockYourScar Make Lives Better through D&D This adventure is one piece of a movement within the D&D community to invite, encourage, and include those who have not been, both in the RPG community and nearly everywhere in real life. Wyrmworks Publishing is dedicated to using RPGs to help you make lives better, to provide tools, training, and a community to this end. We believe that this will extend far beyond the ever-growing RPG community as more and more people learn, grow, and give and receive acceptance. Sign up for our free weekly announcements for news, discounts, and opportunities to improve the RPG space. Content Trigger Warnings This adventure includes death, violence, and dangers associated with Congenital Heart Disease. Are you ready to chill with the Glaciadon and save the Heartstone? This adventure is for 3–4 characters, levels 6–8. Congenital Heart Defect affects heart function before birth, leading to symptoms like shortness of breath and fatigue. Rock Your Scar celebrates the bravery of those with this condition and empowers them to embrace their strength. Support people with CHD, or get support if you or a loved one lives with CHD at Mended Hearts. Setting & Synopsis A small village is being threatened by a Glaciadon, a powerful ice elemental, that has taken control of the Heartstone, a magical artifact that regulates the temperature of the village. The villagers have sought the help of adventurers to defeat the elemental and reclaim the Heartstone. The party must travel to the Glaciadon’s lair in a frozen cave system, encountering frost giants who want them to hunt caribou for them. The party finds Lirien, a half-elf rogue with a congenital heart defect, who’s trying to steal the Heartstone back. The players must defeat the Glaciadon, retrieve the Heartstone, and return it to the village. mountain village with wooden viking houses in the snow, blizzard, winter landscape Adventure Frozen Heart of the Matter As the adventurers approach the village, they find it covered in snow and ice. The villagers explain that an ice elemental has taken control of the Heartstone and is making the temperature drop rapidly. They ask the party to journey to the elemental’s lair in the nearby mountains and defeat it to reclaim the Heartstone. A Hearty Meal frost giant with horns and a club As the party nears the mountains, they encounter two frost giants who are blocking their path. The frost giants demand tribute in the form of six caribou for their next meal in exchange for safe passage. The next valley, a 350-foot radius clearing of tundra grass, has a herd of 25 caribou, but the party must catch or kill six before they all flee without ruining the meat. Each turn, the herd moves in a random direction determined by the DM or through a d6 roll. On a roll of 1–3, the herd moves in a straight line for 40 feet, beginning by moving away from the party. On a roll of 4–5, the herd splits into two groups and moves in opposite directions for 20 feet each. On a roll of 6, the herd head back toward its starting position. When the herd splits, treat each group as a separate herd for determining movement. If a group gets smaller than three, it will move toward the nearest group. The party can attempt to corral the herd by surrounding them with creatures or objects. If at least half of the herd is surrounded, the herd stops moving for that turn. femme elf with black hair drawing an arrow for a shortbowIf the party does not successfully corral the herd, they will continue to move until they have moved out of the party’s reach. In this case, the party will have lost their chance to hunt the caribou, and the Frost Giants will attack the party to eat them instead. Hot on the Trail When the adventurers reach the lair, a cave with a twenty-foot entrance, they discover that one of the villagers, a young half-elf named Lirien, is already hiding in the cave, attempting to steal the Heartstone back herself. Lirien reveals that she has a congenital heart defect, and she needs the Heartstone to regulate her heart rhythm. The Glaciadon’s control over the Heartstone is putting Lirien’s life in danger. Out of Your Element The party must recover the Heartstone, which is in the back of the cave on a ten-foot high stalagmite. The cave opens into a fifty-foot diameter chamber with a forty-foot ceiling. The Glaciadon stands in the center of the chamber, staring at the Heartstone, until it notices the party, after which it attacks immediately. The Glaciadon stole the Heartstone because, since it banishes harsh cold from the village, it senses that the stone can banish the Glaciadon back to the Plane of Frost, where it wants to return. If an arcane caster obtains the Heartstone while the Glaciadon still threatens, a successful DC 18 Intelligence (Arcana) check will reveal how to banish the Glaciadon. humanoid ice elemental: blue, rocks, and skulls. Mountains in background. Heartwarming Reunions Upon retrieving the Heartstone, the adventurers return to the village where Lirien and the other villagers are waiting. Lirien thanks the adventurers for their help and offers to share a meal and stories with them. As they sit down to eat, the village elder approaches the group and presents Lirien with a ceremonial necklace made from the Heartstone. The elder explains that the Heartstone is not only a symbol of life, but also of bravery and courage. Lirien is overjoyed and thanks the adventurers again, telling them they will always have a place in her heart. The villagers cheer and offer the adventurers a round of drinks, and the group spends the evening sharing tales of their adventures and making new friends. a red and blue diamond on a black surface with rocks and gravel around it, with a black background and a red and blue light shining on the top of the diamond Dramatis Personae Caribou Large beast, unaligned Armor Class 10 Hit Points 13 (2d10 + 2) Speed 50 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 16 (+3) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 2 (-4) 10 (+0) 6 (-2) Senses passive Perception 10 Languages — Challenge 1/4 (50 XP) Charge. If the caribou moves at least 20 ft. straight toward a target and then hits it with a ram attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 7 (2d6) damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. Actions Ram. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage. Hooves. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one prone creature. Hit: 8 (2d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage. Frost Giant Huge giant, neutral evil Armor Class 15 (patchwork armor) Hit Points 138 (12d12 + 60) Speed 40 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 23 (+6) 9 (-1) 21 (+5) 9 (-1) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) Saving Throws Con +8, Wis +3, Cha +4 Skills Athletics +9, Perception +3 Damage Immunities cold Senses passive Perception 13 Languages Giant Challenge 8 (3,900 XP) Actions Multiattack. The giant makes two greataxe attacks. Greataxe. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 25 (3d12 + 6) slashing damage. Rock. Ranged Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, range 60/240 ft., one target. Hit: 28 (4d10 + 6) bludgeoning damage. frost giant with horns and a club Glaciadon Huge elemental, neutral Armor Class 17 (natural armor) Hit Points 84 (8d12 + 32) Speed 30 ft., fly 90 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 18 (+4) 14 (+2) 18 (+4) 6 (-2) 10 (+0) 8 (-1) Damage Vulnerabilities fire Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Damage Immunities cold, poison Condition Immunities exhaustion, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, unconscious Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., passive Perception 10 Languages Aquan Challenge 5 (1,800 XP) Blizzard Barrier (1/Day). A 10 foot radius barrier of snowy wind swirls around the elemental for 1d4 rounds. All creatures within the radius must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or take 9 (2d8) cold damage. A creature that succeeds on the saving throw takes half damage. Actions Multiattack. The elemental makes two slam attacks. Chilling Blast. Ranged Spell Attack: +3 to hit, range 60/180 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d8) cold damage. The elemental emits a concentrated blast of icy wind. On hit, the target must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed until the end of the elemental's next turn. Freezing Storm (Recharge 6). The elemental creates a storm of freezing winds in a 60 ft. radius centered on itself. Each creature in the area must succeed on a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw or take 18 (4d8) cold damage and be knocked prone. A creature that succeeds on the saving throw takes half damage and is not knocked prone. Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage + 9 (2d8) cold damage. Description The Glaciadon resembles a humanoid figure made entirely of ice, with shimmering blue-white crystal armor and a fierce expression. Its limbs and weapons are made of jagged icicles, giving it a deadly appearance. The Glaciadon is surprisingly agile and can fly swiftly through the air as icy winds propel it. In combat, the Glaciadon attempts to fly out of range of attackers while invoking its Freezing Storm, using its Chilling Blast as long as it can stay out of range of attackers. If it believes an attacker can reach it, the Freezing Storm reduces to the Blizzard Barrier the following round. If it takes damage from a ranged attack or has an opponent within 10 feet, it will switch to slam attacks. blue white & gray icy humanoid with skulls & rock Lirien Medium humanoid (half-elf), CN, She/Her Armor Class 14 (hide armor) Hit Points 22 (4d8 + 4) Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 8 (-1) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) Skills Acrobatics +5, Deception +4, Stealth +5 Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 Languages Common, Elvish, Thieves' Cant Challenge 1 (200 XP) Sneak Attack (1/Turn). The rogue deals an extra 7 (2d6) damage when she hits a target with a weapon attack and has advantage on the attack roll, or when the target is within 5 ft. of an ally of the rogue that isn't incapacitated and the rogue doesn't have disadvantage on the attack roll. Congenital Heart Defect. Lirien is easily tired and experiences Shortness of Breath. She has a −2 penalty on all saving throws against gas-based poison attacks and Constitution checks related to exertion. After three rounds of strenuous physical action such as melee combat, she must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or take one level of exhaustion until she stops the activity and rests for 2d10 minutes. Each round she continues, she needs to succeed on an additional saving throw, and the DC increases by 1 each round. Because she's used to assessing her physical capacity and finding creative solutions to perform physical tasks, once per long rest, she can choose to roll a Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution check with advantage. Actions Rapier. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage. Shortbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage. Description Lirien is a charismatic half-elf rogue with a passion for adventure and a quick wit. Despite her congenital heart defect, she never lets it slow her down and is always up for a challenge. Growing up in a small village, Lirien always felt stifled and yearned for something more. When she learned of the Glaciadon’s theft of the heartstone, she saw it as an opportunity to prove her bravery and do something good for her community. She’s a bit of a risk-taker and isn’t afraid to bend the rules to get what she wants, but her heart is always in the right place. She’s known for saying, “Life’s too short to play it safe,” before taking the next risk. femme elf with black hair drawing an arrow for a shortbow Credits & Copyright Writer: Dale Critchley Cartographer: Dale Critchley Limitless Champions Help us make history! We’re creating the largest, most diverse line of disabled fantasy miniatures ever made, which will launch in a Kickstarter campaign in Spring 2023 with 5e stat blocks. Wyrmworks Publishing logo Legal This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at https://dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document. The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.