Yeti: Fear Not the Snow…

On your guard! That’s not the wind howling!
Kelesta Hawke of the Emerald Enclave

Lore: …Fear That Hidden Within

Miners and herders the world over fear the windborne howls of the yeti. Folk traveling the peaks go well-armed in large groups for fear the ever-hungry yeti will smell them out. Not even a blizzard can hide their scent from the beast.

Some yetis hunt alone, others in packs. Should one manage to escape a yeti attack, chances are they’ll be pounced upon by another. This may result in a territorial dispute between yetis, with the loser serving as the winner’s first meal in its newly claimed territory.

A yeti’s howl rides along the icy winds, often before an avalanche, a blizzard, or a deadly frost falls. Some see the sound as an ill-omen, the cries of loved ones lost in the snow foreboding disaster.

When herds of mountain animals are plentiful, yetis avoid humanoid domains. Should they enter these realms, they do so brutally, breaking down gates and walls to devour the creatures hiding within. Some folk are devious, manipulating the simple yetis into attacking enemy lands by luring it with food.

Among yetis is the larger, deadlier abominable yeti. These most typically live alone, though a pair might live long enough to sire children. They’re more savage than the average yeti, making them far more dangerous than their smaller cousins.

This lore is decent. You can write some decent encounters or side quests with it. But ultimately, it’s just an animal. A savage, terrifying animal. But an animal nonetheless. You can’t exactly write a compelling villain or BBEG out of that.

Design: The White Beast

I’m not sure what I was expecting.

“Those arms look like hugging machines!” – last words of the average player

There’s really nothing to say about this design. It sure is a yeti. It’s impossible not to recognize it at a glance. Not unless you’ve lived under a rock and never heard of a yeti to begin with.

In short: boring. Next.

Stats: Big and Bigger

A normal yeti isn’t a particularly durable monster. Its AC is low and its HP is only okay. Though it is immune to cold! Big shocker, I know.

With Fear of Fire, it has… take a guess. Should it take fire damage, it will have disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks until the end of its next turn. An interesting way to incorporate a weakness into battle, moreso than just ‘fire does more damage.’

Keen Smell gives it advantage on perception checks relying on smell. Snow Camouflage gives it advantage on stealth checks in snowy terrain. Both make being ambushed by this monster that much more likely.

Finally, we have the action Chilling Gaze. If a creature within 30ft can see the yeti, they must succeed a save or take cold damage and be paralyzed. Once they make the save, they’re immune to the effect for the next hour.

As for the abominable yeti… it’s literally just the same exact monster but with higher stats and an extra action. That action being Cold Breath. It does cold damage in a cone. Big shocker.

Well, at least you have a yeti for all levels.

Either way, this can make for a pretty decent fight. It’s mostly simple, but Chilling Gaze and Cold Breath can both add a few extra layers of strategy to the mix. Maybe not exceptional, but still pretty strong.

Placement

Overall, this entry is… fine. It’s lore is good and it’s stats are good. Though it’s design is really boring. It isn’t a bad entry, but it doesn’t excel in any one regard.

With all that in mind, the Yeti is going to #121 on the Best of the Bestiary!

Beholder
Death Tyrant
Mind Flayer
Dragon Turtle
Tarrasque
Mummy/Mummy Lord
Nagas (all three of ’em)
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Treant
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Yeti <——————————–
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