Planar Bestiary
A Winter herald acts as a prophet of the Tomb of Winter.
Winter heralds are created or raised up from undead ghouls. However, the voracious hunger most ghouls constantly feel is quenched in the herald by their devotion to the Tomb of Winter. In gratitude for that peace, a herald pledges to serve the ancient primordial's mysterious goals. Usually, those goals are to pacify the living, announce the coming of Winter, and talk other powerful, intelligent undead into considering the advantages of an alliance with their lord, possibly by conveying Winter's Blessing, which protects them from magical effects specifically designed to influence or destroy undead.
Sometimes Winter heralds are tasked with exploring secret places in the multiverse that haven't been visited since the beginning of time, looking for "signs of change."
Motive: Pacify the living, protect undead, serve and convert others into the service of the Tomb of Winter
Environment: Anywhere in the multiverse where undead congregate, often in the company of two to three undead ghouls
Health: 18
Damage Inflicted: Moderate wound (5 points)
Armor: 1
Movement: Short; long when flying
Modifications: Resists effects specifically targeting undead as level 7
Combat: A herald attacks twice each round with their claws, each inflicting a moderate wound (4 points) plus 1 point of Speed damage (ignores Armor) from penetrating cold. Clawed victims that fail a Might defense task are paralyzed for one minute. A paralyzed victim is unable take physical actions and suffers 3 points of Speed damage (ignore Armor) each round from cold suffusing their flesh. A paralyzed victim can attempt a subsequent Might defense task each round on their turn to end the effect early.
About once a minute, the herald can target an area up to a long distance away with cold. Targets in the area an immediate distance in diameter that fail a Speed defense task suffer 7 points of damage, or 3 points even if successful.
An angered herald automatically emits a grave-like stench out to immediate range. A living creature that moves into or starts their turn there is overcome with the stench on a failed Might defense task, hindering their tasks for one round. One successful defense task renders a creature immune to the stench for a day.
Winter's Blessing is automatically conferred on all undead within immediate range of a herald, easing all their tasks, including attacks and defense. While at least one undead is within immediate range, the herald regains 1 point of health per round, even at 0 health.
About once each minute, a winter herald can use their action to become invisible, lasting until the herald attacks another creature or is exposed to sunlight.
A Winter herald is immune to cold and necrotic attacks, but vulnerable to sunlight; sunlight hinders all their tasks while they are exposed.
Interaction: A Winter herald is an unapologetic advocate of the Tomb of Winter and undead. They may negotiate (using any of a number of common languages, or Primordial, the language of elder elementals), but only if convinced that undead interests will benefit in whatever bargain is reached.
Use: A necromancer calls up an undead ally with an old ritual. But the Winter herald they gain, along with the herald's attachment to the Tomb of Winter, is far more baggage than the necromancer wants; the herald's goals threaten to overshadow the necromancer's agenda. Secretly, the necromancer looks for agents to destroy the herald.
Loot: A winter herald may carry a few useful cyphers, such as a sling stone of detonation (massive) that causes heat drain (cold damage), an amulet of effect resistance, and possibly an artifact, such as an amulet that allows the user and a handful of allies to transfer to a previously visited planar location (level 5; depletion: 1 in 1d6).
GM Intrusion: The herald's penetrating cold attack freezes a character's hand into an unresponsive claw for a few rounds, or shatters a vulnerable piece of the character's equipment (such as a potion vial).