Yuki-on-na
| Climate/Terrain: | Arctic mountains, hills, and forests |
|---|---|
| Frequency: | Very rare |
| Organization: | Solitary or family |
| Activity Cycle: | Any |
| Diet: | Carnivore |
| Intelligence: | High (13-14) |
| Treasure: | Nil |
| Alignment: | Chaotic evil |
| No. Appearing: | 1-3 |
| Armor Class: | 1 |
| Movement: | 12 |
| Hit Dice: | 8 |
| THAC0: | 13 |
| No. of Attacks: | 1 + gaze |
| Damage/Attack: | 1-10 |
| Special Attacks: | See below |
| Special Defenses: | See below |
| Magic Resistance: | Nil |
| Size: | M (5' tall) |
| Morale: | Elite (13) |
| XP Value: | 2,000 |
The yuki-on-na is a beautiful but deadly humanoid creature who is native to the coldest regions of Kara-Tur.
Similar in appearance to a human maiden, the yuki-on-na is unmatched in her beauty and elegance (her Charisma is 18). She has waist-length black hair, soft blue eyes, and full red lips. Her skin is pale blue and icy to the touch. She wears snowy white robes that continually billow and swirl about her, even when no winds are blowing.
The yuki-on-na speaks the languages of all arctic creatures, as well as the trade language and the languages of any humans common to her area. Her voice is soft and soothing, her laughter like the gentle tinkling of ice in a glass.
Combat: The yuki-on-na has a fanatical hatred of all humans, and she despises anything or anyone associated with them. She tries to kill lone human travelers who are foolish enough to enter her territory.
Devious and shrewd, the yuki-on-na always attempts to attack during a snowstorm or similar weather, because her white robes make her virtually impossible to spot at a distance. In such situations, a yuki-on-na always is encountered within 3-30 (3d10) feet, and the surprise rolls of her opponents are modified by -5. She is a dangerously seductive creature, and any victim who meets her gaze must make a saving throw vs. paralyzation with a -2 modifier; those who fail become hypnotically paralyzed by her striking appearance for 2-8 (2d4) rounds. She can affect one victim per round with this gaze attack.
The yuki-on-na attacks with her icy touch, inflicting 1-10 hit points of damage. Additionally, she can use disguise, know history, comprehend languages, and ESP at will. Once per day, she can touch a victim and cause him to lose the path; the affected victim will become totally lost and unable to find his way for the next 3-18 (3d6) hours (although he can still be guided by an unaffected companion).
The yuki-on-na is immune to all cold-based attacks, but suffers an extra point of damage from all fire-based attacks.
Habitat/Society: The first yuki-on-na was derived from the spirit of Lin-Tze, the concubine of Oikjo Nifi, one of the first emperors of Kozakura. Lin-Tze was so jealous of the emperor that she poisoned his wife, his children, and all members of his family so that she would not have to compete for his attention. The outraged Oikjo petitioned the Celestial Bureaucracy for justice. The Celestial Bureaucracy responded by transforming Lin-Tze into the horrible yuki-on-na and banishing her to the arctic north, an area as cold as the villainess's heart.
Today, most yuki-on-na still dwell in the northern parts of Kozakura, though some have been sighted in other arctic regions of Kara-Tur as well. A yuki-on-na's lair is usually a small mountain cave with a floor of ice, though some live in snowy valleys surrounded by evergreens or other trees indigenous to arctic areas. A yuki-on-na rarely strays more than a few miles from her lair. Most yuki-on-na live alone, but families of two or three are occasionally encountered.
All yuki-on-na are female. They have life spans of about 500 years. If a yuki-on-na survives this long, she retires to her lair and falls into a condition of temporal stasis, covering herself in a blanket of snow. Over the next year, her body gradually changes to solid ice. If she receives even a single point of damage during this period, she crumbles to a pile of ice crystals and dies. Otherwise, at the end of this period, her body cracks into two or three pieces. Each piece swells into a full-sized yuki-on-na, complete with the creature's full allotment of hit points and all of her natural abilities. These new yuki-on-na may either remain together as a family or go their own ways to establish individual lairs. Yuki-on-na have no interest in treasure.
Ecology: Though hostile and cruel to humans, yuki-on-na have been known to live in harmony with other intelligent creatures within their domain, ignoring the presence of hengeyokai, kala, and similar creatures as long as the yuki-on-na are undisturbed.
Yuki-on-na eat all types of meat, but they prefer human flesh. They consume all parts of their prey, bones included.