Storms of Winter (Patreon)

The winter months are finally upon us, which means it is time for some winter-themed content! This addition to the Stormbound contains a new series of winter-themed Storm veils that tap into the weather of the planes that border the material, and new Confluence feats to utilize these, and past, storm veils!

New Storm Veils

The Crystalline

Descriptors: Cold

Class: Stormbound

Slot: Storm

Saving Throw: Reflex half

Fist-sized shards of crystalline ice fall from the sky like flakes of windswept snow, beautiful to behold until one drifts too close. A mystical storm of the far north said to form when the border between the realms of air and water grow thin. It is said by those who dwell in these frigid lands that when the light of the sun begins to refract and the sky grows Crystalline, seek cover, watch the light, and pray for stillness.

Once per turn as a free action, choose a single 5-foot wide space within your storm. A pillar of slowly drifting ice crystals forms within this space, reaching from the top of your storm to the ground (or the base of the storm, if you are flying or swimming). Until the end of your next turn, any creature who moves into this pillar or ends their turn in this pillar causes the ice slowly falling within it to coalesce and spontaneously grow in size, crystallizing on their skin and freezing their flesh. That creature takes 1d6 points of cold damage and has their movement speed halved until the end of their next turn. A successful Reflex saving throw halves this damage and negates the slowed movement. After being triggered, the pillar of ice crystals disappears.

Essence: For each point of essence invested in this veil you may create an additional pillar, and each of your pillars deals an additional 1d6 points of cold damage when triggered. You may only have a single pillar in any square at a time. If a creature triggered multiple pillars in a single turn, every pillar after the first deals 50% reduced damage.

Chakra Bind (Storm): Binding this veil allows you greater control over the storm, allowing you to cause the falling crystals to coalesce at your command. As a standard action, you can cause any number of your pillars to immediately coalesce, affecting the creatures inside their space. If a single creature is affected by multiple pillars at once using this effect (such as a large or larger creature who has two or more pillars in their space), they only make a saving throw against a single pillar, but the damage is increased by 50% per additional pillar that they are affected by. This damage increase is additive. For example, if a creature is affected by 3 pillars, those pillars would deal the base damage, +100% additional damage.

The Quelling

Descriptors: Mind-affecting

Class: Stormbound

Slot: Storm

Saving Throw: Will (see text)

The gloom of winter is said to permeate the mind itself, encouraging sleep and inaction. In places where the barriers between the realm of shadows and the prime are thin, Quellings can brew. These storms seem to drain light itself, and with that loss so too goes the will to survive.

Shaping this veil causes the sky above your storm to shimmer with an eerie aurora that twists and diminishes the light it touches.

When at least 1 point of essence is invested in this veil, the aurora grows in size and power, lowering the light level within the storm’s area by 1 step (to a minimum of darkness). Any creature who ends their turn within the area of the storm begins to feel ennui, lethargy, depression, and eventually an unwillingness to act. Affected creatures must make a Will saving throw: on a failed save the creature becomes fatigued and suffers a -1 penalty to their Will saving throws until they leave the storm, and then for one round thereafter.

Essence: Investing essence in this veil causes the feelings of boredom and ennui worsen, as does the dulling of their will. For each point of essence invested in this veil beyond the first, the penalty to Will saving throws are increased by -1.

When at least 3 points of essence are invested in this veil, a fatigued creature who ends their turn in the storm must make a Will saving throw: on a failed save, they become exhausted until they leave the storm, and then for one round thereafter.

When at least 6 points of essence are invested in this veil, an exhausted creature who ends their turn in the storm must make a Will saving throw: on a failed save, they become both exhausted and staggered until they leave the storm, and then for one round thereafter.

When at least 9 points of essence are invested in this veil, an exhausted and staggered creature who ends their turn in the storm must make a Will saving throw: on a failed save, the creature falls prone and becomes unwilling to defend themselves or take actions, leaving them helpless until they are removed from the storm, and then for one round thereafter.

Chakra Bind (Storm): Binding this veil allows you to focus the quelling powers of the storm’s shadowy aurora upon a single creature, causing it to lose the willingness to act at all. As a standard action, select a single creature within the storm. That creature must make a Will saving throw, or become staggered until the end of their next turn. If that creature was already staggered from the effects of this veil, they instead take no actions on their next turn.

The Rime

Descriptors: Cold

Class: Stormbound

Slot: Storm

Saving Throw: None

Within the hells exists a layer of bitter cold utilized by the devils to form their flesh and armor. When the hells begin to encroach upon the mortal realm this Rime can pass between worlds as spiderwebs of creeping frost that spread from the thin cracks between the realities.

Shaping this veil causes a thin layer of web-like frost to creep and grow along creatures and objects within the storm’s area.

When at least 1 point of essence is invested in this veil, the frost produced by the storm begins to grow thick and painfully cold. Whenever a creature ends their turn within the storm, they take 2 points of cold damage and gain 2 temporary hit points. These temporary hit points stack with themselves, to a maximum of twice the number of temporary hit points granted by the veil this turn. These temporary hit points persist until the target leaves the storm, and then until the end of their next turn. Unlike normal temporary hit points, cold damage ignores these temporary hit points when dealing damage to the affected creature. If a creature reduces the damage dealt by this veil, or is immune to cold damage, they still benefit from the temporary hit points granted by this veil.

Essence: For each point of essence invested beyond the first, affected creatures take an additional 1.5 points of damage and gain an additional 1.5 temporary hit points (the total is rounded down).

Chakra Bind (Storm): Binding this veil allows you to call upon the storm to rapidly form a short-lived plating of ice around a single creature or object. As a standard action, you can deal 4 cold damage per essence invested in this veil to a single creature or object within the storm, and grant the target a number of temporary hit points equal to the damage dealt (before any reductions due to resistance, immunities, or other effects). These temporary hit points do not stack with themselves, are ignored by cold damage, and persist until the beginning of your next turn. These temporary hit points do stack with the temporary hit points granted by the primary ability of this veil.

The Stillness

Descriptors: Cold

Class: Stormbound

Slot: Storm

Saving Throw: Fortitude (see text)

The heavenly realms of law are often viewed as a paradise for mortals, but even these realms possess their own approximations of weather. Winter in these realms often comes in the form of a pervasive Stillness that chills the air and stills the wind, affecting creatures with a slowing torpor.

Shaping this storm causes the area of the storm to grow unnaturally calm and chill, reducing wind speeds in the area by 5 mph (to a minimum of 0 mph).

When at least one point of essence is invested in this veil, the oppressive chill and stillness grows in strength. When a creature enters this storm for the first time on their turn, or if they begin their turn within it, they must make a Fortitude saving throw. On a failed save, the creature suffers a -1 penalty to attack rolls, AC and Reflex saving throws until the end of their next turn. A creature with immunity to cold damage is immune to this effect, and a creature with resistance to cold damage gains a +1 bonus to their saving throw for every 5 points of cold resistance they possess.

Essence: For each point of essence invested in this veil, wind speeds within the area of the storm are reduced by an additional 5 mph. For each odd point of essence invested beyond the first, the penalty to attack rolls and AC is increased by -1. For each even point of essence invested, the penalty to Reflex saving throws is increased by -1.

Chakra Bind (Storm): Binding this veil allows you to focus the oppressive stillness upon a single creature, making it extremely difficult for them to move and act. As a standard action, you can force a single creature or object within the storm to make a Fortitude saving throw. On a failed save, that creature is staggered and moves at half its normal speed (rounded down to the next 5-foot increment) for a number of rounds equal to the essence invested in this veil, or until they end their turn outside of the storm. A creature with immunity to cold damage is immune to this effect, and a creature with resistance to cold damage gains a +1 bonus to their saving throw for every 5 points of cold resistance they possess.

New Confluence Feats

Crystal Torrent (Confluence)

Wind begins to swirl, pulling crystalline shards from the air into cyclones of whirling, frigid death.

Prerequisite: Ability to shape two or more Storm veils, ability to shape the crystalline and the cyclone Storm veils.

Benefit: When at least 3 points of essence are invested in both the crystalline and the cyclone, the storms merge in effect, carrying shards of dangerous crystal ice along with the cyclones. If a cyclone you have created enters one of your crystal pillars, or if you create a crystal pillar on top of one of your cyclones, the pillar is picked up by the cyclone, causing it to swirl with deadly ice, destroying the pillar. A cyclone can only pick up a single crystal pillar. Until the end of your next turn, this cyclone gains a +1 bonus to its CMB per 3 essence invested in the crystalline, and the first creature bull rushed by the affected cyclone is affected as if the triggered the crystal pillar, with a +1 increase to its saving throw DC per 3 points of essence invested in the cyclone.  

If a crystal pillar is picked up by an improved cyclone, the cyclone instead gains a +1 increase to the DC of its Strength check, rather than an increase to its CMB. Unlike a normal cyclone, an improved cyclone can pick up multiple crystal pillars, to a maximum of 1 additional pillar, plus an additional pillar per 3 essence invested in the cyclone. When a creature is affected by the crystal pillar, they take an additional 25% damage per additional pillar picked up. This damage increase is additive. For example, if the improved cyclone picks up 5 pillars (requiring 9 essence), it would deal the base damage, +100% additional damage.

Frigid Fog (Confluence)

Fog swirls amidst chilling air, freezing those it touches in place.

Prerequisite: Ability to shape two or more Storm veils, ability to shape the enshrouding and the rime Storm veils.

Benefit: For every 3 points of essence invested in the enshrouding, the cold damage dealt and temporary hit points granted by the rime increase by 2. When you have at least 3 points of essence invested in the rime, the fog created by the enshrouding becomes bitterly cold, quickly freezing creatures in its area. Whenever a creature ends their turn in the area of the storm, they gain a +1 natural armor bonus to their AC per 3 essence invested in the rime (this AC stacks with other sources of natural armor), and must make a Reflex saving throw using the enshrouding to determine its DC. On a failed saving throw the affected creature is frozen in place, becoming entangled and rooted to the floor until the end of their next turn. If the creature was airborne, swimming, or not touching the ground through another means, they are entangled but not rooted to their current position. A creature with immunity to cold damage automatically passes this saving throw, and a creature with resistance to cold damage gains a +1 bonus to their saving throw for every 5 points of cold resistance they possess.

The Cold Dark (Confluence)

Where shadows of calm meet, the cold dark comes to draw the living into a cold, dark sleep.

Prerequisite: Ability to shape two or more Storm veils, ability to shape the quelling and the stillness Storm veils.

Benefit: When at least 3 points of essence are invested in both the quelling and the stillness, the two storms merge in effect and inflict intense drowsiness upon all who remain within their area. Creatures who fail their saving throw against the stillness begin to grow drowsy, falling asleep at the end of their next turn if they don’t escape the area of the storm. Affected creatures remain asleep until another creature shakes them awake as a standard action, they take damage, or they end their turn outside of the area of the storm. The hit dice of creatures that can be affected by this effect is determined by the amount of essence invested in the quelling, and their current status. Creatures of 2 Hit Dice or fewer per essence invested in the quelling are affected if they are fatigued, creatures of 3 Hit Dice or fewer per essence invested in the quelling are affected if they are exhausted, creatures of 4 Hit Dice or fewer per essence invested in the quelling are affected if they are exhausted and staggered, and creatures of any number of Hit Dice are affected if the creature is exhausted, staggered, and helpless. This is a mind-affecting sleep effect.

Thundersnow (Confluence)

Bolts of lightning strike chaotically within the blinding snow, rendering the world in harsh shadows and bright flashes.

Prerequisite: Ability to shape two or more Storm veils, ability to shape the blizzard and the fulmination Storm veils.

Benefit: When at least 3 points of essence are invested in the blizzard, the bolts of lightning created by the fulmination are shrouded by the blinding snow and darkened sky, causing spots of light and blindness in the vision of those affected. Creatures struck by these bolts are dazzled for 1 round per 3 points of essence invested in the blizzard on a failed saving throw, or for 1 round on a successful save. A dazzled creature who fails their saving throw is instead blinding until the end of your next turn, or until the beginning of their next turn on a successful saving throw. When at least 3 points of essence are invested in the fulmination, the freezing snow of the blizzard becomes charged with ozone, causing creatures in the area of the storm to take a -1 penalty to saving throws and AC against electricity effects per 3 essence invested in the blizzard.

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