Sylvarin
winged frost-wyrm and living standard of the dead host
Sylvarin — The Encounter
winged frost-wyrm and living standard of the dead host · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Sylvarin
Sylvarin is the living standard of the White Runners, the cold-blooded thing the dead follow as a flock follows the storm-front. No corpse commands it; rather the host runs where the wyrm hunts, and the wyrm hunts where the host drives prey. From the air it marks the fleeing living and stoops, breathing a killing frost that freezes them in place for the runners to overtake. Skalds say the frost-host's true terror is not its tireless dead but the pale dragon wheeling above them, for so long as Sylvarin's shadow crosses the snow, the corpses below will not stop, will not break, and will not be outrun.
Run Sylvarin in Sixty Seconds
- Kill priority then drop Sylvarin first if you can reach it; its Pack Standard keeps the whole host fearless and deadly.
- Open with Frost Breath then a 30-foot cone, DC 16, 45 cold and halved speed sets up the runners.
- Spend legendary actions then Drive the Host for free undead attacks and Frost Wings to escape melee.
- When bloodied then keep it flying, breathe on recharge, and let the dead screen it; never let it get pinned.
Sylvarin
Large dragon, lawful evil
CR 11 · 7,200 XP · GUIDELINEPack Standard. While Sylvarin is not incapacitated, allied undead within 60 feet of it can't be frightened and have advantage on attack rolls against any creature within 5 feet of Sylvarin.
Frozen Hide. A creature that touches Sylvarin or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet takes 4 (1d8) cold damage.
Actions
Multiattack. Sylvarin makes one Bite attack and two Claw attacks.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d10 + 5) piercing damage plus 4 (1d8) cold damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 5) slashing damage.
Frost Breath (Recharge 5-6). Sylvarin exhales killing frost in a 30-foot cone. Each creature there makes a DC 16 Constitution save, taking 45 (10d8) cold damage on a failure, or half on a success. A creature that fails has its speed halved until the end of its next turn.
Bonus Actions & Reactions
Wing Buffet (Reaction). When a creature Sylvarin can see ends its turn within 10 feet, Sylvarin can beat its wings; the creature must succeed on a DC 16 Strength save or be pushed 10 feet and knocked prone.
Legendary Actions (3/Round)
Detect. Sylvarin makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Claw. Sylvarin makes one Claw attack.
Drive the Host. (Costs 2 actions) One allied undead within 60 feet that Sylvarin can see moves up to its speed and makes one weapon attack.
Frost Wings. (Costs 2 actions) Sylvarin flies up to half its speed and each creature within 10 feet of where it lands makes a DC 16 Dexterity save or takes 7 (2d6) cold damage.
A frost-scaled wyrm spreads tattered wings above the snow, and the dead surge wherever its shadow falls.
Guideline numbers — formula-tuned and read from the miniature's design, not yet table-proven. Tell us how it ran in the comments.
How It Fights — by Tier
Same creature, scaled threat. The traits never change; only the numbers move.
Way above a Tier 1 party's weight; use only as a fly-over standard, not a fight. If it must brawl, it stoops once with Frost Breath, then withdraws so the dead finish. Even scaled down it leads the host, never duels.
Run Sylvarin as the airborne centerpiece of a White Runners warband. Open with Frost Breath to slow a cluster, then strafe and let the dead converge. Use legendary actions to Drive the Host so runners get free moves and attacks. It anchors the flight, not a lone duel.
As a near-solo centerpiece, lead with Frost Breath on the bunched party, then bite the front-liner and claw the casters. Each round spend legendary actions on Drive the Host to keep runners attacking and Frost Wings to reposition out of melee. When bloodied, stay airborne, breathe on recharge, and let the surviving dead screen it.
Put Sylvarin on the table
Download the presupported STL and run the fight tonight — the model, and the encounter that comes with it.
Get the STL on MyMiniFactory →Clay Cyanide Companion Rules v1
How a bound creature acts
- A companion acts on its owner's initiative, immediately after the owner.
- It uses the Companion block above — roughly ×0.6 HP and damage, no recharge abilities, and at most one reaction trait.
- It moves freely; it takes its Action only while its owner is conscious.
- At 0 HP a companion is broken, not dead — restored on a long rest unless your table rules otherwise.
Original Clay Cyanide material © Clay Cyanide LLC — explicitly not the non-SRD official sidekick rules.
Questions, Asked at the Table
What CR is Sylvarin?
Sylvarin is CR 11 at its native Tier 3 (about 7,200 XP). The tier table offers downscaled stats for lower-tier tables, but it is the warband's centerpiece and far outweighs a Tier 1 party; treat lower tiers as fly-over cameos.
How does Sylvarin fight alongside the rest of the White Runners?
It is the living standard the dead follow. Pack Standard makes nearby undead fearless and lethal, Frost Breath freezes prey for the runners, and its Drive the Host legendary action grants packmates free moves and strikes. The host hunts wherever it stoops.
Is Sylvarin a boss?
Yes. Sylvarin is solo_capable, a frost-wyrm with legendary actions and a punishing breath. It can headline an encounter alone or, better, command a full White Runners warband as its airborne keystone.
Tell Us How It Ran
This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 ("SRD 5.1") by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document. The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.
Clay Cyanide Miniatures is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or specifically approved by Wizards of the Coast LLC. This content is compatible with the fifth edition of the world's most popular fantasy roleplaying game. Companion rules, lore, names, and original mechanics © Clay Cyanide LLC.
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