I'm cheating, I know

[Shinoskay]

So I just stepped into a new game and already gm is throwing me for a loop, which is pretty cool. However, would love to crowd source brainstorming.


Someone's driven an axe head into the bottom of it on this side, obviously to serve as a wedge to keep the door shut.

The wood is cold to the touch. Fingertips feel a little numb the closer they get to the door itself.

Behind the door is a soft whooshing sound. Like someone left a window open during a winter storm. Except it's not winter.


hints of necromantic and evocotaive magicks. But they are overlaid by a stronger sense of something having been conjured up.

Honestly, I cant even begin to guess. I thought maybe a ghost trap but why the hell would the door be wedged shut on my side of it? Could perhaps be an enhanced undead? but those arent conjured.

maybe its not even a monster {im going to laugh my ass off if its just a flapping door and a cold wind}, but then the whole numb fingers and wedged door thing? maybe someone was locked in there and tried to sneak out a window but then why would it be so unnaturally cold?

a ghost not stuck in a trap wouldnt give a **** about a wedged door, so its not that.

the building im in is occupied by a bunch of high, low tier, pirates so I dont imagine itd be anything TOO crazy, like probably not a dragon or a vampire or some nonsense. Also, I guess its something weak enough that a manor door can stop it... maybe?
Could be a minor/small or medium wind elemental? but then why the faint necromancy and evocation aura? and a conjured wind elemental wouldnt need to be locked up... itd probably disappear in a matter of rounds even if it DID turn on those who summoned it.

[Beni-Kujaku]

That looks like something corporeal, but undead. And the cold theme looks very important here. I want to say it's a chraal, an elemental created when a creature dies on the Elemental Planes that particularly enjoys being called by Planar Binding/Ally and constantly emits cold winds that increase its claw damage and deflect weapon. Not really undead, but the lore fits.

I mean, it may also be a winterwight (the only corporeal undead I know with the Cold subtype), but if you're not very high-leveled, it's probably not.

[Squire Doodad]

Definitely some kind of undead, depending on what your GM is into it could be an allusion to the "Frozen Throne Lich" archetype and there's some sort of mid-tier undead revenant there on behalf of a far higher tier undead.
Of course it could be as simple as a "Draugr", they get depicted as cold-centric undead sometimes.

The stronger sense is probably a boss for later in the dungeon, as opposed to what's about to rend your flesh and feast on your bones.

[Maat Mons]

Silly guess: A Necromancer was tired of smelly rotting corpses, so he Planar Bound an Ice Paraelemental, and put it in a metal-lined room so its Chill Metal aura would effectively turn it into a refrigerator. The door doesn't stay shut on its own, so he uses the axe head to keep it closed when he's not around. The whooshing sound and Evocation aura come from some magic he put in place to circulate air, in the hopes it would help chill new corpses down faster.

[sleepyphoenixx]

The cold could just be brown mold. Most undead are immune to cold after all.

[Vaern]

What's your party's level? The possibilities can be narrowed down significantly if we know what kind of CR range we should be looking at.

[Kol Korran]

While I don't know exactly what lies behind the door, I think I can hazard a guess as to the scene of what happened, and why the scene is set up as it is.

Behind the door there is a lab, or summoning chamber. In it some kind of spell caster, and possibly a more melee oriented guard/ mook/ companion (The one wielding the axe). The caster summoned a creature of great cold (possibly a summoning circle?), But something went wrong. (My guess? The caster wanted to make a deal, either with a fiend of a clod theme, or... the fey... possibly the winter court? And either the creature broke control, or the portal to it's supernatural realm still remain... )

The melee oriented fellow ran out, and stuck the axe to prevent what is inside of getting out. This is why it is on your side- Someone was in a rush to jam the door, and get the hell away!

Why the mild necromatic and evocation auras? Either from the lab/ summoning chamber equipment, the spells used to try and fight the summoned creature, or the magical equipment on the remains of the caster.

That is my guess. Not sure I'd like to open the door without finding more, and getting better prepared (Cold protection, fire spells?)

I am curious. Please tell us once you find out please?

[Thurbane]

Could it be some kind spell trap with the Lord of the Uttercold metamagic? Bit of a longshot, but I though I'd mention it.

[Phhase]

Blightborn, perhaps? They become dormant if not supplied with heat I think. And they're corporeal icy undead.

[daremetoidareyo]

Kick down the door and kill it, whatever it is

[Beni-Kujaku]

Kick down the door and kill it, whatever it is

If it's an undead, it might prove difficult.

[Telonius]

I'm ... guessing you've found a morgue, with something nasty summoned to protect it. Gentle repose for the bodies ("hint of necromancy") and maybe something like Wall of Ice (evocation) to further preserve the corpses.

EDIT: Just saw this was a week ago. What did it turn out to be?

[Shinoskay]

well, a party of like 6 or 7 did indeed kick down the door and swarmed it. It's some kind of undead thats CREATING, or SUMMONING, cold wind. I may not actually be able to full identify it as one of the party members immediately moved to burn it as I started investigating it.

but at least I can give closure to this fun mystery and say it was indeed an undead creature of some sort. Humanoid, very numble, gm referred to it as a sort of zombie.

It didnt really get much of a chance to attack people.

[daremetoidareyo]

Yeehaw. Kick down the door and kill it works again!