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View Full Version : 3rd Ed "The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway": Elsa from "Frozen" :)



Cruiser1
2016-02-04, 08:43 PM
http://images6.fanpop.com/image/polls/1323000/1323455_1390557070340_full.png

Elsa (http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Elsa_the_Snow_Queen) from the movie "Frozen" is a powerful magic user, and arguably the strongest Disney character. Elsa can actually be translated into D&D 3.5 more accurately than many characters, with a build that gives most of the capabilities that she can or should be able to do, but not much beyond that. Nothing can be mapped perfectly of course, but this does reasonably n-ice-ly. :smallwink: Elsa builds have been proposed before (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?392006-Is-Elsa-a-16th-Level-Sorcerer), but not completed with a full spell list and all. The below comes from looking at the “Frozen” movie, the “Frozen Fever” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojxCG5148qY) short feature, and the Frozen characters as featured in the “Once Upon a Time” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_Upon_a_Time_(season_4)) TV show (first half Season 4). I’d say it’s Tier 3 since it does one thing very well (cold theme) although is backed with general utilities such as minion management, similar to a fixed list full caster.

In summary, Elsa is a level 17 generic Spellcaster (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/genericClasses.htm#spellcaster) (Arcane CHA-based), giving her 8th level spontaneous casting from a fixed list. Generic Spellcaster works better than Sorcerer, because many of the most appropriate spells are on the Cleric or Druid lists, so this allows us to brrr-ring in the best cold spells. :smallwink:

Elsa's special (a Disney princess) so she gets elite array (8,10,12,13,14,15):

Str 10: Able to climb the North Mountain without problem.
Dex 12: She “doesn't dance” and can't dodge a falling chandelier, but is still pretty lithe.
Con 8: Low hp, since crossbows are a serious threat to her.
Int 14: Spent most of her childhood in her room thinking by herself.
Wis 13: Wise enough to know you shouldn't marry someone you just met. :smalltongue:
Cha 15+4=19: Put all 4 level up points into casting stat. High CHA fits royalty too of course.
Skill points focus on:

Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty): She's a queen and knows how to do coronation ceremonies.
Perform (Sing): For very obvious reasons (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0MK7qz13bU). :smallwink:
Craft: Given her ability to make beautiful things with ice, design her iconic dress, and decorate their dresses with flowers in "Frozen Fever".
Feats (Elsa gets 11: 7 as 17th level Human + 4 bonus from Spellcaster):

Eschew Materials: Elsa never needs material components.

Silent Spell: Elsa often casts without speaking.
Still Spell: Elsa can cast even with her hands restrained in mitten manacles.
Rapid Metamagic (CM): Needed for spontaneous casters using Quicken Spell.
Quicken Spell: Elsa casts more than one spell every six seconds.
Familiar: Spellcaster can spend a bonus feat to acquire one.
Improved Familiar: Allows Elsa to have an elemental familiar. Olaf is Elsa's familiar, a snow elemental or a frozen water elemental.
Versatile Spellcaster (RotD): For more higher level slots, e.g. spamming Halaster’s Fetch.
Spell Thematics (FR:PGtF): For CL and her showy snowflake themed casting effects. This build fluffs it so that Elsa doesn’t really “create life”, but rather her spell theme is snow seeming to form whatever she casts, summons, or calls. Olaf only says Elsa created him because the familiar ritual imbued a relatively lifeless elemental construct with new awareness.
Snowcasting (Fb): More CL, and prerequisite for Frozen Magic.
Frozen Magic (Fb): Very thematic. What Elsa build can pass up on a feat called “Frozen Magic”? :smallwink:
Spell list (17th level generic Spellcaster gets 9,5,5,4,4,4,3,3,2 spells known):


8) Fimbulwinter (Fb): Elsa accidentally cast this to put Arendelle into its deep freeze.
8) Greater Planar Ally: Elsa cast this to call Marshmallow. A huge snow elemental was sent, which liked Elsa and the environment so much it agreed to stay indefinitely for zero pay. XP cost is why she only did it once.
7) Ice Castle (Fb): Cast to create the North Mountain ice castle. At CL 20 (17 base + 1 each from Snowcasting/Frozen Magic/Spell Thematics) it should be large enough, with main tower + 3 additional towers, at 400 ft circumference (127 feet diameter).
7) Halaster's Fetch IV (FR:CoS): Like Summon Monster but the summons stay forever. Elsa accidentally spammed this in “Frozen Fever” to call in all the Snowgies (tiny elementals).
7) Control Weather: A less permanent version of Fimbulwinter.
6) Heartfreeze (Fb): Elsa accidentally struck Anna with this.
6) Halaster's Fetch III (FR:CoS): More Snowgies from lower level slots.
6) Freezing Sphere: For combat and quick way to freeze water into ice.
5) Mantle of the Icy Soul (Fb): Elsa cast this once to give herself permanent cold immunity.
5) Flesh to Ice (Fb): Accidentally cast upon Anna.
5) Break Enchantment: To undo Fimbulwinter and Flesh to Ice, at least if given a minute to contemplate the Power of Love. <3
5) Fabricate: Elsa transforms her coronation outfit into her iconic blue ice dress, and moves real flowers into her and Anna’s dresses in “Frozen Fever”. Also great way to shape and manipulate ice in detail.
4) Wall of Ice: Make ice bridges like the one across the chasm, or walls to block crossbow bolts.
4) Ice Storm: “Let the storm rage on...” :smallwink:
4) Conjure Ice Beast IV (Fb): Elsa should be able to summon temporary ice minions too.
4) Orb of Cold (SC): Used to break through the wall of the dungeon. Any cold mage needs one of the best damage spells in the game!
3) Ice Shape (Fb): Shape and manipulate ice.
3) Column of Ice (Fb): Cast underneath Anna when they were playing as kids.
3) Ice Lance (SpC): Elsa used this in combat against the crossbowmen.
3) Control Temperature (Fb): Obvious.
2) Flash-Freeze (Fb): Quick way to freeze fountains into ice sculptures.
2) Conjure Ice Object (Fb): Elsa conjured ice skates for Anna.
2) Icicle (Fb): Elsa made semi-permanent icicles stick out in and around her ice castle.
2) Ice Darts (Fb), Snowball Swarm (SpC): More snow and ice based combat.
1) Path of Frost (DM): Elsa frequently walks and leaves a trail of ice behind her.
1) Ice Slick (Fb): Elsa cast this to allow her subjects to ice skate in the town square.
1) Glaze Lock (Fb): Elsa froze the lock to her prison cell.
1) Snowdrift (Fb): Shape and manipulate snow.
1) Thunderhead (SC): Permanencied version of something like this was cast to give Olaf a cloud that follows him around in summer. :smallwink:
0) Ray of Frost: Cast into the air when playing with her powers.
0) Prestidigitation: To color her iconic dress cyan. Also even in the dungeon Elsa looked perfectly clean with pristine purple eyeshadow. :smalltongue:
0) Arcane Mark: Elsa’s signature snowflake symbol appears in many places.
0) Open Close: Elsa is able to “turn away and slam the door” without touching it at the end of “Let it Go”.
0) Mage Hand, Mending, Know Direction, Resistance, Virtue: Generic spellcasters must know 9 cantrips, so here are a few more that aren’t too unelsaish (is that a word? ;)

GnomishPride
2016-02-04, 09:01 PM
This looks super awesome! I love it! :smallbiggrin:

Aetis
2016-02-05, 12:28 AM
Nice work!

questionmark693
2016-02-05, 01:01 AM
I like it! Nice spell list that's very canon...not a bunch of extras like you normally see

FocusWolf413
2016-02-05, 08:58 AM
I'm really not sure about this. D&D seems like exactly the wrong thing to stat her out in. Just because there are lots of ice spells doesn’t mean she belongs in D&D.

Even if someone does build her in D&D, a high level build doesn't work for her. She's pretty much just an average person. Yes, she's the ruler of an area and yes, she has magic, but that doesn’t warrant being high level.

I'd probably just stat her as a third level aristocrat and give her lots of at will, 5/day, and 1/day spell like abilities.

It's still pretty cool, though.

Extra Anchovies
2016-02-05, 10:35 AM
This is a really good list - nice job putting it together. For those of us (myself included) who don't much care for Olaf1 and/or who want to play an Elsa-inspired build in a more serious game, Improved Familiar could be replaced with Celestial Familiar. Why? Because Elsa makes sense as a good-aligned character2, and because a Musteval Guardinal (BoED 174) can be refluffed very easily into a troll sent to help her learn to control her magic3. They've got a burrow speed, good stealth skills, and a number of SLAs that are very fitting for the trolls as portrayed in the film (detect evil, detect magic, disguise self [as a rock, maybe?], magic missile, and see invisibility all at-will, and invisibility 1/day).

1He broke the tone of the otherwise moderately-serious tone a few times too many for my tastes.
2I'd peg her as CG - fiercely independent, well-meaning, and repentant for the harm she's caused once the full consequences of her actions are revealed.
3Personally, this is what I think Frozen's comic relief character should have been - and a wary, temperance-minded NG Musteval troll would make a good foil to Elsa's indomitable, proactive CG. I can already imagine the little guy facepalming every time Elsa uses a flashy spell for something trivial.


I'm really not sure about this. D&D seems like exactly the wrong thing to stat her out in. Just because there are lots of ice spells doesn’t mean she belongs in D&D.

Even if someone does build her in D&D, a high level build doesn't work for her. She's pretty much just an average person. Yes, she's the ruler of an area and yes, she has magic, but that doesn’t warrant being high level.

I'd probably just stat her as a third level aristocrat and give her lots of at will, 5/day, and 1/day spell like abilities.

It's still pretty cool, though.

Without fiat, though, a high-level sorcerer makes the most sense - after all, there's nothing in the class description that says the character is aware of their full magical abilities :smalltongue:

If I were running a game and had a player who wanted an Elsa-inspired character, I'd probably put her at a lower level and explain the initial Fimbulwinter and Ice Castle as plot-magic events.

Arbane
2016-02-05, 04:50 PM
I'm really not sure about this. D&D seems like exactly the wrong thing to stat her out in. Just because there are lots of ice spells doesn’t mean she belongs in D&D.


She'd be easy in Nobilis: She's the Power of Winter. (Low Aspect, high Domain.)

Aleolus
2016-02-05, 05:53 PM
Looks pretty good, though I think she would really fit the Elemental Savant PrC. Trade one of her feats with Energy Sub (Cold), and however many Spellcaster levels with ElSa (:wink:)

Platymus Pus
2016-02-05, 06:16 PM
Even if someone does build her in D&D, a high level build doesn't work for her. She's pretty much just an average person.
I wouldn't call someone who can freeze lakes in an instant average or someone who is actually able to react to crossbow fire point blank average either.

Vaz
2016-02-05, 06:16 PM
I'm really not sure about this. D&D seems like exactly the wrong thing to stat her out in. Just because there are lots of ice spells doesn’t mean she belongs in D&D.

Even if someone does build her in D&D, a high level build doesn't work for her. She's pretty much just an average person. Yes, she's the ruler of an area and yes, she has magic, but that doesn’t warrant being high level.

I'd probably just stat her as a third level aristocrat and give her lots of at will, 5/day, and 1/day spell like abilities.

It's still pretty cool, though.

I think you do need to reread the premise, in that D&D isn't the perfect article (as mentioned in the OP), but rather that of the disney characters, Elsa translates best into D&D (as stated by the OP). Your point was tangential ;).

tadkins
2016-02-06, 12:23 AM
Great post. :) Elsa is the standard to which I built my own frost wizard around.

I read a lot of "Accidently" on that spell list.

Is there some feat/flaw/feature/etc that would involve an accidental discharge of spells like that?

Afgncaap5
2016-02-06, 12:59 AM
She'd be easy in Nobilis: She's the Power of Winter. (Low Aspect, high Domain.)

Aye, that she would. I've only glanced at Nobilis a bit, but that seems like a good fit for her. She'd be similarly easy in Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine.

Snow Magic: 5
Queening: 1
Not Accidentally Hitting Anna: -1
Door Closing: 1
Singing: 2 (Realistically probably 3 (if not 4 depending on how much you like the music), but I'm already beyond a starting character as is.)

She'd also be pretty easy with the Spheres of Power system. I'd give her a level of Aristocrat followed by three to five levels of Adept altered to work with Spheres, giving her a lot of drawbacks so that her magic can only work with Ice, Snow, and Cold related things, then I'd just giver her access to Weather, Conjuration, Creation, Destruction, and maybe something else (though I doubt she'd need much more.)

MilleniaAntares
2016-02-06, 02:34 AM
I like this, it makes sense!

Kyberwulf
2016-02-06, 10:10 AM
I don't think Elsa would make a good NPC. All her powers are too powerful in the first place. She doesn't have the experience required to even have her powers. I think Anna and Kristoff would be the PCs of that world. This is like trying to stat out High level mutants from Marvel. Maybe even stating out the Gods....er.. The Superheros of DC, as PCs. It won't work, because their powers are so powerful.

The Vagabond
2016-02-06, 01:25 PM
If I had to port Elsa over to a 3.x System, I would use the Spheres of Power system-

Incanter 15/Sphere Sorcerer [Boreal Bloodline] 1/Aristocrat 1, maybe earlier if you shift feats.
Feats mostly just skill focus and extra spell points, with Quicken spell included somewhere.
Talents:
Creation sphere, with the Material Focus (Ice). Grab, minimum, Create Raw Materials, Fleshcrafting, Fabricate, Permanent Change, Forge, Exquisite Detail, Larger Creation,

Destruction Sphere, with Numbing Blast, Frost Blast, and Air Blast.

Weather Sphere, obviously, with Enlarge Weather, grab Climate.

Enhancement for Animate Object.

Now, here's the issue- You require a metric ****ton of spell points to do what Elsa does. How the hell do we do that? Well it's simple- Metamagic Feats cost spellpoints. Therefore, things that reduce metamagic cost should, naturally, reduce spell point cost.

Traits: Magical Lineage applied Creation sphere base ability. Wayang Spellhunter on Animate Object. Then, if in a 3.PF game, apply Arcane Thesis to all your Creation Sphere powers and the Weather Sphere. Grab Spellcrafting, apply spellcrafting to Animate Object and Create Raw Materials and Forge to summon animated objects based on snowmen. Grab Reach and Quicken Spell. Air Blast combined with Frost Blast.

Take Silverbrow, trade out Feather Fall for a Ice-Dragon themed spells, tap into a ley line there (Figure out some way to automatically succeed on the spellcraft check), then apply the Feeble and Frail flaw to decrease your 10 con to an effective 7 con.

Everything you need to do, you can do. Find ways without being aware to increase caster level.

The Curse of Cold Elsa cast was simply an accidental casting of Forge on Elsa's Brain and heart. Does nothing, by itself, but... Well, with part of her brain melting slowly, that just isn't particularly good. Same with the spell to the heart. Have every creature grant a spell called "Soul of Disney magic" which grants them a automatic dispel in the case of true love or similar capacity. Bam. Elsa, almost entirely rules legal.

Cruiser1
2016-02-07, 02:53 PM
Even if someone does build her in D&D, a high level build doesn't work for her.
High vs. low level is (mostly) invisible to characters in a setting, so we just want to ensure what's granted from being higher level actually fits the character. As established, 17th level works for Elsa's magic, given how the spell list maps to her abilities. However, higher level D&D characters get other things too (extra hp, skills, and BAB) that need to be checked and adjusted if necessary to ensure they're appropriate. I found them reasonable too:


HP: Elsa's hp (d4, 17 HD, 8 CON) is: 4+2.5*16-17 = 27. 27 hp is pretty low. We can make it even lower by decreasing her CON (either in stat block or through Pathetic flaw), or with the Quick trait (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/characterTraits.htm#quick), which would reduce it by another 17 to 10. With only 10 hp one crit with a crossbow can drop her to negatives.
Skills: Elsa has quite a few skill points at level 17, but that fits her abilities. Her Perform (Sing) would be 10 max ranks (if taken cross class over 17 levels) + 4 CHA bonus + 11 average roll = 25. Her impromptu rendition of "Let It Go" is a memorable performance (or can be an extraordinary performance if she rolls 16+).
BAB: Elsa has 8 BAB at level 17, which is kind of on the high side, since it's equivalent to an 8th level Fighter. Although with low STR and no proficiency she isn't hitting with a sword very often, which fits. Could lower it even more with Noncomatant flaw.


For those of us (myself included) who don't much care for Olaf
He broke the tone of the otherwise moderately-serious tone a few times too many for my tastes.
Indeed, Olaf is a classic sidekick character that all Disney films seem to have these days. I can understand the reasons for him, in order to make the film appeal to younger children. It looks like the Frozen novels (https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=y2mkCAAAQBAJ) treat Olaf and the storyline more seriously.


I'd peg her as CG - fiercely independent, well-meaning, and repentant for the harm she's caused once the full consequences of her actions are revealed.
I agree Elsa is CG. The whole reason why she hid from her sister growing up, and ran away from Arendelle, was that she didn't want to harm anybody. She does have a definite Chaotic side, with song lyrics like, "No right, no wrong, no rules for me... I'm free!" She also threw away her crown, and changed her Arendelle dress into something of her own design, and didn't go back to either even when she returned to Arendelle to be queen. She has impish streak on the occasion she opens up, such as when she made Anna dance with the Duke of Weselton.


I think she would really fit the Elemental Savant PrC. Trade one of her feats with Energy Sub (Cold), and however many Spellcaster levels with ElSa
Cool (no pun intended ;) I like that the abbreviation for "EL-emantal SA-vant" is ElSa. :smallwink: Another PrC that would fit well is Frost Mage (Fb) with 10/10 (instead of 8/10) casting progression, and which gains knowledge of extra cold spells.

Adderbane
2016-02-07, 09:56 PM
If you consider pathfinder, there's the Winter Witch PrC that fits her perfectly. She could even have a ice mephit familiar...

Warrnan
2016-02-08, 02:38 PM
This is seriously awesome. Great work, OP.

Ice mages from Elsa, Jaina Proudmore and the White Witch of Narnia would be proud!