The Yuki-onna - the Snow Woman

The yuki-onna (snow woman) is a spirit of Japanese folklore. As beautiful as she is malevolent, she seeks out those lost in snowstorms to feed on their life forces and leave frozen corpses in her wake.

Yuki-onna

Medium undead, neutral evil

Armor Class 11

Hit Points 45 (10d8)

Speed 0 ft., fly 40 ft.

Str        Dex      Con      Int        Wis      Cha

7 (-2)   13 (+1) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 13 (+1) 17 (+3)

Skills Deception +6, Stealth +4

Damage Resistances acid, fire, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons

Damage Immunities cold, necrotic, poison

Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11

Challenge 5

Ethereal Sight. The yuki-onna can see 60 feet into the Ethereal Plane when it is on the Material Plane, and vice versa.

Innate Spellcasting. The yuki-onna’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 14). The yuki-onna can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

At will: gust of wind

1/day each: compulsion, Otiluke’s freezing sphere, telekinesis

Incorpeal Movement. The yuki-onna can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.

Actions

Life-Draining Touch. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (4d6+3) necrotic damage. The target’s hit point maximum is reduced by an equal amount, and the yuki-onna regains hit points equal to that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0, leaving a frost-covered corpse.

Cold Breath (Recharges 5-6). The yuki-onna exhales an icy blast in a 60-cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw, taking 36 (8d8) cold damage on a failed save, half as much damage on a successful one. A creature killed by the yuki-onna’s cold breath becomes a frozen statue until it thaws.

Etherealness. The yuki-onna enters the Ethereal Plane from the Material Plane, or vice versa. It is visible on the Material Plane while it is in the Border Ethereal, and vice versa, yet it can’t affect or be affected by anything on the other plane.

The yuki-onna comes with the winter storm, seeking out those who are lost in the driven snow. The spirit of one who died in the snow, the yuki-onna is a vengeful creature. It seeks to bring the same fate to others that befell it in life.

The yuki-onna appears as a tall, beautiful woman who is extremely pale, with long, black hair. It dresses in white, and blends into the snow easily. It is only when it draws near enough to see its eyes, like twin flecks of ice, that its inhumane nature becomes clear.

The Freezing Touch of Death

The yuki-onna uses the cover of the blizzard to draw close to its prey. It tries to deceive those it hunts, striking when the prey comes within reach. The yuki-onna’s touch feels bitterly cold, drawing forth the life force of the living upon which it feeds.

The yuki-onna can do far more than kill with its touch. The spirit wields a variety of supernatural powers, such as compelling a victim to move away from safety or redirecting the wind. Its very breath can freeze a man solid, leaving a horrible monument to its malevolence.

Typically, the yuki-onna’s attack is without mercy. Occasionally, however, the spirit will spare someone. Its reasons are mysterious, but those it spares are usually very young or very beautiful.