(TFT) Winter wolves in TFT

[Rick Smith <rsmith@lightspeed.ca>]

Monster: Winter Wolves in TFT 
(c) 2011 by Richard W. Smith.

Winter wolves are horrible monsters who have escaped
from some cold hell to hunt people fighting to survive
a blizzard.  They morph from solid form to shattered
fragments of snow and wind, then reform in the shadows
behind the victim's back.  Their hell eyes are black 
as ice - hating anything living.

They only appear in Blizzards.

ST 12 to 20
DX 13
IQ 8 to 11 (But they lack language.)
MA 16 which is unaffected by snow, ice and wind.

Armor -2 hits / attack.  Never take cold damage.
When insubstantial, they can't be harmed by physical
weapons.
Bite: 1d+1 (2d+2 in HTH)

Magical abilities (Listed and described below.)
-- Magic Resistance.
-- Phantom Wolves.
-- Magic Howls
-- Insubstantially.

Strong magic resistance.  Missile spells do 1/3 damage
round down.  If a Thrown Spell is cast on them they
may attempt a 3vsIQ - should they succeed the spell costs
full fST but fails.  They can sense if a creation is
an Illusion and Image and may disbelieve Illusions as
a free action once per turn regardless of their 
movement or other actions.  Summoned creatures and 
Fire spells do normal damage.  Other spells have 
approximately half effect or no effect GM choice.

Winter wolves cast Phantoms around them.  Basically
short lived Images (which don't vanish at a touch)
a Phantom looks like another winter wolf, half formed
out of snow and wind.  These Phantoms make it look
like a pack hunting their victims is about double
the actual numbers in the pack.  They never attack
with Phantoms but use them to demoralize and 
distract their prey as the Phantoms fade in and out
of visibility.  It cost a Winter Wolf 1 fST per 
battle to have a Phantom ally.  (Max 2 phantoms per
wolf.  Usually just one per wolf.)

(The packs of winter wolves are smaller than real 
wolf packs - typically from 2 to 4 wolves.  However, 
it is not that unusual for a winter wolf to attack 
singly.)

Winter wolves have a terrible howl that is an unholy
joining of a hell wind and wolf song.  In fact, often 
an especially powerful blast of wind will follow on
their howls.  This howl cost them 3 fST each time 
they do it.  (They can make regular howls that 
sound just as bad, but do not have the magic affects
listed below and cost no fST.)

The person hearing their howl must attempt a 3vsIQ or 
suffer the following:
-- Lose one point of fST from exhaustion, fear and
cold.
-- Become confused as to direction as per the 
Trail Twister spell for a period of 30 seconds.
-- Become fearful and eager to flee in panic or a
near panic.  This only lasts for 15 seconds or so.
This can be role played but if the PC's seem too
calm, the GM may impose increasingly severe saving
throws vs. IQ to stand their ground if the PC's 
are faced with multiple such howls.

Note that if a winter wolf has tasted your blood, 
the saving throws are 1 die more difficult (4vsIQ) 
and the Trail Twister and Desire to Run last for
a full minute each.

They may become Insubstantial taking only a single
turn to do so.  (While changing they must move
downwind at 1/2 their movement - no more and no less.)
At the start of the movement they are solid, after
their action (which is to switch) they are 
insubstantial.  Turning solid also takes one turn
and their action but their is no movement restriction.
While insubstantial, they may be invisible, but 
prefer to be half visible things of fang and fear,
wind and wickedness, driven snow and despair.

There is an important exception to their ability to
go insubstantial - they can not leave solidity while
blood is on their fangs.  However, they are more
than willing to race off into the storm, lick their
teeth clean carefully (this takes about a minute)
and return to the hunt.

They do not regenerate but many wise people believe
that they can do so.  This is because their Phantoms
will looks wounded after they have been hit, and 
then over the next few minutes the wounds fade.
Their blood is blue with streaks of orange in it.
The blue will evaporate in the air, until only an 
orange mass is left.  This can be used as a 
common ingredient, especially for potions or 
items that have to do with Insubstantially.  They
recover 1 damage per night.

They seem to love playing with their food.  On more
than one occasion they will have a decisive advantage
in combat but withdraw, if they feel the PC's have
no real chance of improving their situation.  They
love to get PC's lost in tangles of snow and 
underbrush.  When the PC's are stiff and know that 
they are doomed to die of cold, the wolves move in
for the kill.

Winter wolves hate the sun and only rarely hunt 
during day time.  (The storm must be very great and
the clouds too thick to allow the slightest of 
shadow.  Furthermore it must be very gloomy.)  They
fear eggs, and an egg with a painted sun on it will
drive them off if presented to them courageously.
If someone who has wounded them presents them with
such an egg, that Winter Wolf will never bother 
that person or their companions again.  This is 
good for an experience bonus worth 1/2 what someone
would get for killing them.

Highly dangerous, killing a Winter Wolf is worth
5 times what you would get for a normal wolf of its 
attributes.

----

Let me know what you think.

Warm regards, Rick.
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