[Creature] Buried beneath bitter breath...

[The Vorpal Tribble]

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[SIZE="6"]Huffing White[/SIZE]

Gargantuan Magical Beast (cold)
Hit Dice: 23d10+161 (287 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares), burrow 20 ft. (snow and ice only), swim 30 ft.
Armor Class: 21 (+2 dex, +13 natural, -4 size), touch 8, flat-footed 19
Base Attack/Grapple: +23/+53
Attack: Bite +40 melee (3d8+16 plus 2d6 frostbite)
Full Attack: Bite +40 melee (3d8+16 plus 2d6 frostbite) plus 2 claws +35 melee (2d6+8 )
Space/Reach: 20 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: Breath of winter, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 15/-, darkvision 60 ft., gelid blood, low-light vision, scent, vulnerability to heat
Saves: Fort +20, Ref +15, Will +10
Abilities: Str 43, Dex 14, Con 25, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 16
Skills: Hide +4*, Jump +30, Listen +16, Spot +16, Swim +18
Feats: Alertness, Combat Expertise, Endurance, Improved Sunder, Improved Trip, Power Attack, Run, Snatch, Track(B)
Environment: Cold forest and plains
Organization: Solitary, pair, or following (1 huffing white and 20-40 totem giants)
Challenge Rating: 17
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: 24-55 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: -

A deafening, high pitched howl sounds from the muzzle of this monsterous white beast that has the body of a massive polar bear with the slick, streamlined head and tail of an arctic fox of a size to match. Its eyes are comparatively small and a reflective, pearlesque white with specks of pale blue. Unlike either bear or fox its nose is as white as its silky fur, as is its skin beneath. Upon its back is an enormous hump like a drift of piled snow. The air about its maw freezes before it can go more than a few inches and falls silently in an almost inaudible chime of clashing crystals.

Huffing whites are the uncontested lords of the permafrost and the coldest of boreal forests. They are often considered to be the offspring of deities themselves by totem giants and can generally be found nearby. They tend to be quick thinking, wiley creatures whom are wont to explore, crossing frozen seas and wandering along fjords, simply out of a curiosity of what the lands hold. They are often attracted to odd happenences, and will often aid others, though more as a distraction than from any empathy. Their paths are often marked by monuments erected by awed peoples. If one can sufficiently interest a huffing white an exchange of information and lengthy conversation can insue.

They are, as might be expected, carnivores whom prey upon the mightiest of dire beasts for their meat, along with even the occassional whale. A huffing white will not touch the flesh of sentient beings except in self defense or sentencing.

Huffing whites stand some twenty-two feet high at the shoulder and weigh a number of tons. They speak Giant and Sylvan.

Combat
A huffing white combines the best of both sides of its heritage, having the great strength and patience of the polar bear with the cunning and agility of the fox. They tend to ignore most fights, simply hiding or leading on those of smaller creatures. Larger beasts however tend to become meals or a challenge to the huffing white whom is always ready for a bone to gnaw. It will use its arctic haze ability to disguise itself and walk nimbly atop the snow to leap with bared teeth those it decides is worth its trouble.

Despite its mighty form a huffing white is likely to flee fights that threaten to overpower it, trying to mislead and entrap its opponent with fox-like deviousness.

Breath of Winter (Su): As a full round action once per minute a Huffing White can extend its neck and cause enormous quantities of snow to erupt from its maw out to 1,000 feet, covering a radius of 230 feet as the Call Avalanche spell (Frostburn, p. 90). Those in this radius must succeed on a DC 28 reflex save or take 8d6 points of crushing damage.
Its hump disapears after the use of this ability and slowly grows back over the course of a minute. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Gelid Blood (Ex): Any manufactured weapon that strikes a huffing white becomes brittle, reducing its hardness by 5 for 1d4 minutes unless its wielder succeeds on a DC 28 reflex save., thereby increasing the effectiveness of sunder attempts against the weapon. In addition, rolling a 1 on an attack with the targeted weapon causes it to take damage equivalent to the ammount it would have dealt on a successful hit. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Snowsight (Ex): A huffing white can see in snow as per the snowsight spell.

Spell-like Abilities:
At will - Arctic Haze, Flash-Freeze, Snow Walk; 3/Day Hibernal Healing. Caster level 20th. Save DC's are Charisma-based.

Skills: A huffing white has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line. *A huffing white’s coat and structure bestows a +14 racial bonus on Hide checks in snowy areas.

[martyboy74]

Wait. for breath of winter, what does it do? It seems to me what you're saying is that it can extend it's head up to 1000' to use as the center of effect for the avalanche, which seems...unlikely to me.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Wait. for breath of winter, what does it do? It seems to me what you're saying is that it can extend it's head up to 1000' to use as the center of effect for the avalanche, which seems...unlikely to me.

The Call Avalanche spell causes snow and ice to suddenly form overhead and plummet down to the ground. Basically this thing is geisering out the snow from its mouth, sending it out to 1000 feet before it falls.

[Eighth_Seraph]

that seems...unrealistic to me. Let's say the creature is powerful enough to shoot snow 1000 feet away. it would take far more than six seconds, especially since you're essentially shooting it upwards and waiting for it to rain down. Maybe this is all included in the call avalanche spell desription, but there's got to be some hang time before the snow falls down.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

that seems...unrealistic to me. Let's say the creature is powerful enough to shoot snow 1000 feet away. it would take far more than six seconds, especially since you're essentially shooting it upwards and waiting for it to rain down. Maybe this is all included in the call avalanche spell desription, but there's got to be some hang time before the snow falls down.

In D&D falling is instantaneous.

My motto for my creations I steal from Celia.

"I don't make the crazy rules, I just twist them to my purpose..."

[Eighth_Seraph]

Well, this is the homebrew section, and I'm about to roll up my sleeves and get to some major eight-grade level physics applied to a fantasy setting.

Accelaration due to gravity: 9.809 m/s²
Peak of climb: let's assume 200 feet. It may be wildly off, but it's the weekend and physics can get frustrating quickly.

so what we need to find out is how long it would take something to fall from 200 feet up, then add the amount of time it took to get up there. we can also choose to calculate the speed of the snow jetting out of the huffer's mouth (speed leaving the ground=speed returniing to the ground assuming a level surface) if we want to find out exactly how high i and fast it would go. Now we have to compensate for the slope of the blast and we're ready to go.

three rounds sounds good. No, I didn't do any math. Anyone who wants to figure out how much it would be is fine with me, but what I'm saying is that no matter what you do, unless you instantaneously teleport an avalanche to directly above a creatures head, it would not be instantaneous. Remember that you're shooting this thing over a distance longer than that of an american football field.

[martyboy74]

Actually, I think I remember somewhere about you falling 150' the first round, and 300' every round after. Although that's not very realistic at all. You should actually fall 1,760'/second every round after the first. That's pretty damn fast.

[Eighth_Seraph]

so...one round going up, another crashing down?
The problem is, to cover 1000 feet horizontally with a mostly vertical trajectory, it would take a ridiculously low angle, with the peak of the blast being the vertex, I'd say at maximum a 30^o angle, and that's alot higher than I' actually expect it to be. Of course, no creature could possibly produce the pressure necessary to accomplish such a feat, but this is a magical beast after all, so I'd still say a good three rounds is appropriate.

And psionic devotee, It looks like you're using terminal velocity for a human, but what whould the terminal velocity be for a gigantic snowdrift? Not that it matters; 'enough to kill you' seems appropriate.

I am no longer a pixie! Hah! Beware VT, lest your position as a titan be swiftly usurped!

[theswarm]

Thats not accounting for air resistence. You would only fall that fast in a vacume.

[Eighth_Seraph]

In a vacuum, there is no terminal velocity, so you could fall at an indefinite rate. I really have no idea what terminal velocity is for a human, but the more mass, the higher terminal velocity is for the object, and an avalanche is considerably heavier than a human. If anyone could tell me the formula for terminal velocity with a single atmosphere of pressure, I could have the top velocity by tomorrow night, though not sure it matters for anything at all, though it might make a few of us feel better.

[The Demented One]

Well, this is the homebrew section, and I'm about to roll up my sleeves and get to some major eight-grade level physics applied to a fantasy setting.

Accelaration due to gravity: 9.809 m/s²
Peak of climb: let's assume 200 feet. It may be wildly off, but it's the weekend and physics can get frustrating quickly.

so what we need to find out is how long it would take something to fall from 200 feet up, then add the amount of time it took to get up there. we can also choose to calculate the speed of the snow jetting out of the huffer's mouth (speed leaving the ground=speed returniing to the ground assuming a level surface) if we want to find out exactly how high i and fast it would go. Now we have to compensate for the slope of the blast and we're ready to go.

three rounds sounds good. No, I didn't do any math. Anyone who wants to figure out how much it would be is fine with me, but what I'm saying is that no matter what you do, unless you instantaneously teleport an avalanche to directly above a creatures head, it would not be instantaneous. Remember that you're shooting this thing over a distance longer than that of an american football field.

Seriously. Stop.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Seriously. Stop.

*rolls and lolls in helpless laughter*

[Mike_Lemmer]

Getting off the avalanche physics...

The problem I have with this creature is the concept of a bearfox. It seems like a more disjointed combination than an owlbear. I spent a good three minutes trying to combine the two into one image in my head. And it really doesn't tie into its main traits, so it feels distracting. I think it would be better if you just made it either a fox or a bear.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Seemed to go pretty good together to me. Can't for the life of me figure out where my photo doctoring software went, so here is a quick and dirty job from windows Paint to give you a vague idea:




Thats actually far too cute, but still ;)

[Mike_Lemmer]

Awwww! Looks like a plump Siberian husky puppy! If that's the picture you have, why not make it a gargantuan white husky with the temperament of a wolf? It'd even be related to the Big Bad Wolf.

"I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll bury your igloo under 30 feet of snow!"

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Awwww! Looks like a plump Siberian husky puppy! If that's the picture you have, why not make it a gargantuan white husky with the temperament of a wolf? It'd even be related to the Big Bad Wolf.

"I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll bury your igloo under 30 feet of snow!"

Well, for one, because I don't want it to be merely an 'uber' winter wolf.