10 Homebrew D&D Monsters Ready to Drop Into Your Campaign

The official Monster Manual is a masterpiece. It's also been on every DM's shelf since 2014, which means your players have read it too.

Nothing surprises a veteran player like a monster they've never seen before. These ten homebrew creatures are designed for arctic and wilderness campaigns — specifically the kind of frost-haunted, Norse-flavored setting we explored in building a frozen north campaign. But they're modular: swap out the flavor text and they'll fit into any region.

Each entry includes a complete 5e stat block and three adventure hooks.

1. Rimfrost Revenant

Medium undead, neutral evil

A warrior who died in a blizzard, denied burial rites by the cold. Rimfrost Revenants are identifiable by the frost that forms on any surface they touch and the sound of wind moaning through their empty chest.

Armor Class 13 (natural armor) Hit Points 67 (9d8 + 27) Speed 30 ft.

| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | |-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----| | 18 (+4) | 10 (+0) | 16 (+3) | 9 (−1) | 10 (+0) | 14 (+2) |

Damage Immunities cold, poison; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 Languages the languages it knew in life Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

Icebound Hatred. The Rimfrost Revenant knows the direction and distance to any creature that dishonored its remains or denied it burial. It pursues that creature until one of them is destroyed.

Frost Aura. Any creature that starts its turn within 5 feet of the Revenant takes 5 (1d10) cold damage.

Actions

Multiattack. The Revenant makes two Frozen Touch attacks.

Frozen Touch. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage plus 9 (2d8) cold damage. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or gain one level of exhaustion.

Glacial Howl (Recharge 5–6). The Revenant emits a freezing wail. Each creature within 30 feet that can hear it must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed until the end of its next turn.

Adventure Hooks

• A merchant hired the party to retrieve goods from a shipwreck. The cargo includes a body that was robbed of burial jewelry.
• A village is being haunted by something that freezes door handles and leaves frost-prints heading toward the graveyard.
• The Revenant is hunting a party member's ancestor — and won't stop until it gets answers.

2. Kulde (The Hunger of Winter)

Large fiend (demon), chaotic evil

Kulde are predators born from the void between the stars that drift through arctic skies during deep winter. They appear as distorted shadows shaped like wolves, but their touch leaves frostbite on anything they brush against. They hunger for warmth — from fire, magic, or living bodies.

Armor Class 14 Hit Points 102 (12d10 + 36) Speed 50 ft., fly 50 ft. (hover)

| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | |-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----| | 20 (+5) | 18 (+4) | 16 (+3) | 8 (−1) | 13 (+1) | 12 (+1) |

Damage Resistances fire, lightning; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Damage Immunities cold, poison Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, poisoned Senses blindsight 60 ft., passive Perception 11 Languages Abyssal Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)

Heat Hunger. The Kulde can sense sources of heat, fire, or magical energy within 120 feet as if it had truesight.

Shadow Form. The Kulde can move through creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.

Actions

Multiattack. The Kulde makes one Void Bite and one Chill Claws attack.

Void Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) necrotic damage. The target's maximum hit points are reduced by the damage dealt until they finish a long rest.

Chill Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) cold damage and the target's speed is reduced by 10 feet until the end of its next turn.

Extinguish (1/Day). The Kulde targets all nonmagical flames within 60 feet of it. Each flame is snuffed out. Magical flames in the area require a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw from their caster or are also extinguished.

Adventure Hooks

• A hunting camp's fire went out in the night. Three hunters are missing. One survivor is describing a wolf-shaped shadow that walked through a wall.
• A Kulde has bonded to an abandoned lighthouse, preventing anyone from lighting the flame. Ships have started running aground.
• The party's warmth-generating magic items begin flickering — something is close, and it's drawn to their light.

3. Glassbone Elk (Corrupted Spirit)

Huge fey, neutral evil

Once revered as an aspect of the forest spirits, the Glassbone Elk has been twisted by dark ritual or ancient corruption. Its antlers are crystalline and razor-edged. Its body flickers at the edges like a lantern flame in wind. Druids and rangers who encounter one feel instinctive grief before the fear sets in.

Armor Class 15 (natural armor) Hit Points 136 (16d12 + 32) Speed 60 ft.

| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | |-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----| | 22 (+6) | 14 (+2) | 14 (+2) | 10 (+0) | 16 (+3) | 18 (+4) |

Skills Perception +7 Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks not made with cold iron Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 17 Languages Sylvan, Druidic (understands but rarely speaks) Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)

Aura of Sorrow. Any creature that starts its turn within 30 feet of the Elk and can see it must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened until the start of its next turn.

Legendary Resistance (2/Day). If the Elk fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.

Actions

Multiattack. The Elk makes two Crystal Antler attacks.

Crystal Antler. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (3d8 + 6) slashing damage plus 9 (2d8) psychic damage.

Trample. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 22 (3d10 + 6) bludgeoning damage. If the target is Large or smaller, it must succeed on a DC 18 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Shatter Antler (Recharge 5–6). The Elk shakes its head and shards of crystal spray outward. Each creature within 15 feet must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 28 (8d6) slashing damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.

Adventure Hooks

• Druids are asking the party to put the Elk down — but one of the party's rangers recognizes it as the spirit her village once honored.
• The Elk is the only creature that knows where an ancient grove used to stand. It can communicate but seems unwilling.
• A cult claims that if the Elk is sacrificed during the next eclipse, it will restore something that was lost. What it will actually do is unclear.

4. Runestone Golem

Large construct, unaligned

Carved from glacier ice infused with ancient runes, Runestone Golems are bound to specific sites — usually burial mounds, sacred groves, or old fortifications. They do not pursue. They defend. And they are patient in ways that living things cannot be.

Armor Class 17 (natural armor) Hit Points 178 (17d10 + 85) Speed 20 ft.

| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | |-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----| | 24 (+7) | 6 (−2) | 20 (+5) | 4 (−3) | 10 (+0) | 3 (−4) |

Damage Immunities cold, poison, psychic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks not made with adamantine Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 10 Languages understands the language of its creator but can't speak Challenge 10 (5,900 XP)

Immutable Form. The Golem is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.

Runic Wards. Spells of 3rd level or lower that target the Golem automatically fail. Higher-level spells succeed only if the caster succeeds on a DC 15 ability check using their spellcasting ability.

Threshold Bound. The Golem cannot move more than 300 feet from the location it was created to protect. It knows if its ward has been crossed.

Actions

Multiattack. The Golem makes two Rune Strike attacks.

Rune Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (3d8 + 7) bludgeoning damage plus 9 (2d8) force damage.

Cold Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 25 (4d8 + 7) bludgeoning damage. If the target is Large or smaller, it must succeed on a DC 18 Strength saving throw or be restrained in ice until the end of its next turn.

Adventure Hooks

• The party needs to retrieve something from a burial mound. The runes say it was placed there willingly. The Golem was told to prevent removal.
• The Golem has been dormant for centuries and has just reactivated. No one knows why, or what it's protecting.
• An ancient cartographer wrote that the Golem knows the location of a lost city — but you have to phrase the question in old runes.

5. Frost Wight Berserker

Medium undead, chaotic evil

A standard wight is bad enough. The Frost Wight Berserker was a warrior in life who died in a state of battle-rage — and death didn't calm them down.

Armor Class 14 (natural armor) Hit Points 85 (10d8 + 40) Speed 35 ft.

| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | |-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----| | 20 (+5) | 12 (+1) | 18 (+4) | 6 (−2) | 8 (−1) | 8 (−1) |

Damage Resistances necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Damage Immunities cold, poison Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9 Languages understands languages it knew in life but can't speak Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)

Relentless (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). If the Berserker takes damage that would reduce it to 0 hit points, it is instead reduced to 1 hit point.

Reckless. At the start of its turn, the Berserker can gain advantage on all melee attack rolls during that turn, but attack rolls against it have advantage until the start of its next turn.

Actions

Multiattack. The Berserker makes three attacks: two with its Frost Greataxe and one Life Drain.

Frost Greataxe. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d12 + 5) slashing damage plus 4 (1d8) cold damage.

Life Drain. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or its maximum hit points are reduced by the damage dealt. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest.

Adventure Hooks

• The party hears battle sounds from inside a barrow. The Berserker has been fighting the same battle for three hundred years.
• A necromancer has been trying to bind Frost Wight Berserkers as soldiers. The bindings keep breaking.
• The Berserker recognizes a party member as a descendant of its killer and won't attack anyone else.

6–10: Stat Block Summaries

(For use with the full descriptions in our homebrew monsters supplement in the store)

6. Tide Shade

Medium undead, neutral — CR 4. A drowned spirit that appears in fog and coastal mist. Special ability: Drowning Field (creatures within 10 ft. must save vs. suffocation each round). Great for harbor or island encounters.

7. Bleached Oracle

Small fey, neutral good (usually) — CR 2. A small white fox that speaks in riddles and sells information. Technically harmless. Infuriating. Its answers are always true and always incomplete. Good roleplaying encounter.

8. Null Hound

Large monstrosity, unaligned — CR 8. A magical predator that suppresses spellcasting in a 30-ft. aura. Devastating against casters. Physically unremarkable, which makes it terrifying when the party's wizard goes silent mid-combat.

9. Veilstag

Huge fey, chaotic neutral — CR 11. A massive stag that phases between the material plane and the feywild. Phase Shift: can teleport up to 120 ft. as a bonus action. Leaves behind a trail of crushed flowers. Immune to being tracked by mundane means.

10. Permafrost Wurm

Gargantuan monstrosity, unaligned — CR 15. A massive worm that burrows through frozen earth and ice. Creates tremors as a lair action. Blizzard Breath (cone, cold damage + blindness). The region boss encounter for a high-level arctic campaign.

These monsters are designed to be dropped in directly or adapted freely. If you use them in your game, we'd love to hear what happened — share your session stories in our Discord community.

Want the full stat blocks for entries 6–10, plus encounter tables and lair maps? They're in our homebrew supplement in the store. And sign up for our newsletter — we release new homebrew content every month.