Planar Bestiary
Weird, wind-sculpted snow and ice formations are sometimes found in wintry climates and snowy dimensions. Some look almost lifelike, as if they were travelers frozen solid that then were whittled down by months and years of relentless blizzards. Because, in fact, that's exactly what they are, victims of krumveret.
Krumveret race across the permafrost of Material Plane worlds, but also make their homes in glaciers of mountainous regions of the Outer Planes. Krumveret require frigid temperatures. Tropical and even temperate regions are lethal to these creatures unless they can find an ice cave or some other always-cold location in which to dig their dens.
Frost giants prize krumveret, finding their arctic flesh tasty and alluring. A drove of krumveret can also serve as incidental guards for a frost giant's castle. The creatures may still nip a frost giant now and then, but their freezing bite has no effect.
A krumveret's bite can take down small prey immediately. But even larger prey have reason to fear this dire hare's bite. The krumveret's saliva contains a magical property that freezes the blood in the veins of living creatures. Even a light nip injects enough saliva to begin this process. Those not hardy enough to fight off the effect feel their limbs cool and stiffen until they are transformed into an ice sculpture of themselves, every ounce of liquid in their bodies having turned to ice. Victims can be revived safely only with magic. Those who are allowed to heat up gradually usually "melt" into a mass of slushy remains.
A drove of krumveret can feed off an ice sculpture for weeks before seeking out more sustenance.
Motive: Hungers for ice formed from transformed flesh
Environment: Anywhere icy in the multiverse, in droves of three to five; "domesticated" droves can be encountered near frost giant lairs
Health: 6
Damage Inflicted: Moderate wound (4 points)
Armor: 1
Movement: Short; immediate when burrowing
Modifications: Moving across rocky, snowy, or icy terrain as level 7; jumping as level 7 (jumps clear a short distance)
Combat: A krumveret's freezing bite inflicts damage, and a target that has no natural or magical resistance to cold that fails a Might defense task partially transforms to ice. Partially transformed victims can't move from their current location, and all physical tasks are hindered. The partially transformed victim must attempt a second Might defense task on their next turn. On a success, they fight off the partial transformation; otherwise, they fully turn into ice. Restorative magic can release a transformed target. If a frozen target is allowed to thaw naturally in a warm area, the ice retreats, but the resultant flesh is damaged, leaving the victim with 1 point of health (or 1 Pool point) and dying; the victim is debilitated.
Krumveret are immune to cold attacks.
Interaction: Krumveret interact with other creatures somewhere on the continuum between coyotes and rabbits, sometimes cautious, other times predatory.
Use: Some krumveret are bred as racers. Every midwinter, champion krumveret—each the fastest of their litter—are conveyed to a hosting frost giant's domain. At the sound of the horn, the competing krumveret dash and leap across the glacier serving as the track. The one that wins is accorded special breeding privileges. The others are usually bound for the cooking pot.
GM Intrusion: Some piece of equipment a character possesses freezes and shatters.