Torsten
twin-saber outrunner of the frost-bound dead host
Torsten — The Encounter
twin-saber outrunner of the frost-bound dead host · a boss your table can run with almost no prep. SRD 5.1-compatible.
Who Is Torsten
Among the White Runners, Torsten was the swiftest blade in life and remains so in death, for the cold that took him also stilled the weariness that slows living men. He runs at the host's leading edge, twin sabers weaving, marking which of the enemy will fall first so the slower dead behind him know where to press. Old hunters who track the frost-host say they hear Torsten before they see him: a dry whisper of crossed steel sweeping nearer through the white. He never tires, never breaks formation, and never strikes a foe his packmates have not already begun to surround.
Run Torsten in Sixty Seconds
- Kill priority then send Torsten at the foe your other dead already surround for Pack Runner advantage.
- Open with a charge then move 20+ feet straight in to trigger Fleet Charge on the first hit.
- When bloodied then use Cross-Step to slip a melee hit and re-charge a new flank.
- Never solo then keep him cycling between flanks the warband has opened, not toe-to-toe alone.
Torsten
Medium undead, lawful evil
CR 6 · 2,300 XP · GUIDELINEPack Runner. Torsten has advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of his allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
Fleet Charge. When Torsten moves at least 20 feet straight toward a target before attacking, his first hit on that turn deals an extra 9 (2d8) slashing damage.
Actions
Multiattack. Torsten makes two Curved Sword attacks.
Curved Sword. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage.
Bonus Actions & Reactions
Cross-Step (Reaction). When a creature within 5 feet hits Torsten with a melee attack, he can move up to 10 feet without provoking opportunity attacks.
A frost-crusted warrior whose two pale sabers cross and uncross faster than the eye can follow.
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.
Run Torsten as a flanking skirmisher who darts to whichever foe a packmate already threatens. Open by closing 20+ feet for the Fleet Charge bonus, then cut and slide away. He never duels alone; the pack surrounds, he finishes.
Lead the flight: Torsten charges the softest target, banking on Pack Runner advantage from his packmates. When bloodied, use Cross-Step on the first hit to peel off and re-charge a fresh flank. Keep him moving every round so he never fights as a lone duelist.
Slot Torsten into a full warband as the kill-confirm blade. Send him after spellcasters the host has already encircled, Fleet Charging each round. He fights as part of the flight, never solo, falling back behind heavier dead the moment he is isolated.
Put Torsten 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 Torsten?
Torsten is CR 6 at his native Tier 2 (about 2,300 XP). Drop him to roughly CR 2 for Tier 1 parties or scale to about CR 11 for Tier 3 using the tier table; traits stay identical, only the numbers move.
How does Torsten fight alongside the rest of the White Runners?
He is the host's leading blade, sprinting ahead to mark and open the softest target while slower dead close the ring. Pack Runner rewards him for staying beside packmates, so he should never be played as a lone duelist.
Is Torsten a boss?
No. He is an elite skirmisher, not solo_capable. Use him as a fast finisher within a warband; pair him with shield-bearers like Jorenn Gall or a caster like Gorm for a full encounter.
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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