Monsters of Frosthaven – Meet the Imps

In Frosthaven, you’ll be testing your skills against an array of menacing enemies. It’s time to shine the spotlight on them, so you can learn more about them and increase your chances of survival out there in the cold!

Meet the Imps

“Imp” is a broad and often carelessly used term. Common folk in Casskia apply it to any small magical nuisance that sours milk, sets things on fire, or steals the toilet paper.

However, what concerns would-be mercenaries and adventurers are the creatures formally referred to as Imps. They vary greatly in size, intellect, temperament, and even physical structure, so much so that scholars at the University regularly engage in heated debates over their classification.

A notable example of these debates is the Blood Imp. Created by the Choir of Blood during rituals intended to revive the Blood God, Blood Imps are, quite literally, animated volumes of blood. They are indeed autonomous, though barely more intelligent than a flea. This has fueled a long-standing argument: are they living creatures, undead constructs, or something else entirely?

For lack of a better classification - and to the bitter disappointment of many scholars - “imp” remains the most convenient label.

In recent years, the idea that prevails among the more respected scholars is that, to be considered a true imp, a creature must originate from another plane. Some Imps are fauna native to elemental realms and merely displaced here. Others appear to have arrived with intention.

Snow Imps

Snow Imps are small, winged beings originating from the Plane of Ice. Unsurprisingly, they thrive in the Northern Wastes. In fact, they predate the settlers of Frosthaven, and from the perspective of the Empire they may just as well be considered locals.

Snow Imps are regarded as semi-sapient. Most display behavior that appears instinct-driven and animalistic, yet certain individuals have shown curiosity and even attempted rudimentary communication through gestures and mimicry.

Of all known imps, Snow Imps most fully embody the mischievous reputation associated with their kind. They are notorious for harassment and petty sabotage, often seeming to cause trouble purely for their own amusement.

In Frosthaven and its surroundings, they are common enough that one must simply accept them as part of daily life. Encounters with Snow Imps are almost always irritating and often hostile, though rarely lethal, at least when dealing with small numbers.

Individually, they are fragile. A lone Snow Imp would struggle against a determined toddler.

The problem is that Snow Imps rarely remain alone.

They gather.

In sufficient numbers, they become dangerous.

Snow Imps are capable of conjuring and shaping surrounding ice into small projectiles. These shards are typically low in density and rarely cause significant injury on their own. However, when they strike exposed skin, they often leave behind a brittle crystalline residue. Flesh affected in this way becomes more vulnerable, allowing subsequent attacks to inflict far greater harm than expected.

A prepared mercenary should have little difficulty handling even a sizable group. The true danger arises when Snow Imps involve themselves in fights that were never theirs to begin with. They have a habit of joining ongoing battles simply because one is happening.

When paired with larger, more durable threats, their constant barrage of brittle-inducing projectiles, along with the usual impish talents for poison, curses, and muddling interference, can turn an otherwise manageable skirmish into something far more serious.

Removing the pesky imps first is often the wisest course of action.

Notes for Those Who Wish to Capture One

Capturing a Snow Imp is, in theory, easy. Often it is the imp that approaches you. Keeping one alive is considerably harder. They are extremely fragile, and it is surprisingly easy to injure them beyond recovery. The true difficulty, however, lies in enduring its company once captured. Perhaps this is the reason the Quatryl Institute of Wild Life report the average lifespan of a Snow Imp in captivity to last 2 min and 13 sec.

Forest Imps

Forest Imps are the most intelligent and social of all creatures commonly referred to as imps. Unlike many of their cousins, they are fully capable of speech, maintain organized societies, act as merchants, and can even learn foreign languages. For this reason, they have spread widely across Casskia.

Despite their name, Forest Imps are not limited strictly to forests. However, they are strongly drawn to wild and untamed places, particularly wooded regions. There they often establish small communities and are even known to actively tend the surrounding forest, treating it with something approaching religious devotion.

Forest Imps frequently object to being called “imps” at all, as the term is commonly associated with far less intelligent creatures. They have reportedly petitioned several authorities to adopt a more respectable name for their kind. None of these proposals have gained much traction.

In most encounters Forest Imps are friendly and curious and may even prove helpful. This attitude can change rather quickly if they feel mistreated, threatened, or if they believe you are showing insufficient respect toward the forest they care for.

And their standards of “sufficient respect” are quite high.

In combat, Forest Imps behave in ways somewhat similar to Snow Imps. They are small, fragile creatures capable of flight, though even smaller than their icy cousins. This makes them particularly nimble and difficult to strike.

The more magically adept among them are known to wield a wide array of curses, which they apply with great enthusiasm during battle. These enchantments can make an already difficult fight even more frustrating. Hard as it is to land a clean strike on a nimble flying imp under normal circumstances, it becomes considerably worse when you suddenly discover you have two literally left hands.

Notes for Those Who Wish to Capture One

Forest Imps can be valuable allies, as many possess considerable healing magic. Unfortunately for would-be adventurers, they are also notoriously uninterested in joining expeditions of any sort.

As a result, some mercenary bands have attempted to capture and “domesticate” one, with varying degrees of success.

Forest Imps are perceptive creatures and tend to recognize such intentions long before any attempt is made. This means that most capture efforts begin, quite predictably, with a fight.

Should you survive that part, you must then be careful not to kill them, as they are rather fragile.

There is, however, one advantage: Forest Imps are fiercely communal. If one of their kind is in distress, others will almost always rush to help.

This is both the problem and the opportunity.

With enough imps flying about, the chances improve that at least one will still be in good enough condition for you to throw yourself at it and attempt to subdue it.

That is, of course, assuming you can still tell the difference between a Forest Imp and the thorny shrubbery around you.

This is not always easy once the curses start flying.

Black Imps

Black Imps are elemental creatures originating from the Plane of Night. They are often found in the wake of Night Demons and frequently act (or attempt to act) like them. Like their impersonatees, they are drawn to concentrations of darkness, often lingering near individuals or places that produce or embody it.

Around Frosthaven, they are most commonly encountered in the Radiant Forest.

Black Imps are not inherently malevolent, but they are territorial and will readily defend their chosen ground. Technically, they are predators, though far from the most dangerous ones inhabiting the forest.

Their continued survival among far more lethal creatures appears to stem from a rather unusual advantage:

Nothing wants to eat them.

Even with great care taken to remove the venomous glands, their meat is widely regarded as inedible - although, technically, still nutritious. Descriptions vary, but most agree it tastes remarkably similar to a mud-soaked mercenary’s boot - one that has not been removed since marching through the Lingering Swamps.

The smell is said to be worse.

This alone seems sufficient to discourage most predators. The notable exception are Vermlings, who consider Black Imp stew a delicacy. You are strongly advised not to share their enthusiasm, no matter how friendly (or persistent) the offer may be.

Their primary means of offense is the toxic substance they expel at their prey. This venom is delivered frequently and without much restraint, making prolonged exposure particularly dangerous.

Notes for Those Who Wish to Capture One

Finding a Black Imp, even around Frosthaven, is not a difficult task. They tolerate cold conditions well, which has allowed them to spread throughout the surrounding regions, including abandoned dungeons and the slopes of the Copperneck Mountains. They are rarely seen in the frozen wastes, not because of the cold, but likely due to the lack of available food.

They are not particularly mobile creatures. In both hunting and defense, they show little inclination to reposition, often adjusting their position only slightly and relying on their ranged attacks instead.

Individually, their attacks are not especially powerful, and a coordinated group can usually avoid prolonged exposure by controlling distance and timing their approach.

However, caution is still advised.

Black Imps apply their venom with remarkable consistency - every attack carries it. This makes recovery during combat difficult, as any attempt to heal is quickly undermined by renewed exposure. In practice, this often turns encounters into a race: either stay out of range or eliminate the imps quickly, or risk being steadily worn down.

Scholars may continue to argue over what should or should not be classified as an “imp.”

Common folk, however, have already reached a far more practical conclusion:

If it is called an imp, it is irritating and best dealt with sooner rather than later.

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Learn all about the Algox here:

Missed our series about the Unfettered? Here it is:

Take a peek across the planes and read about the Demons:

Prepare to face off against the Lurkers:

Don't be scared of the Undead:

Get to know the Abael:

Don't underestimate the Vermlings:

The Savvas will give you a hard time:

Always dangerous, no matter their size, Beasts:

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