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Ice Mephit 5e: Fog, Frost and a Body That Shatters
An ice mephit is a CR 1/2 Small elemental with AC 11, 21 hit points, a 30-foot fly speed, immunity to cold and poison, and vulnerability to fire. It casts Fog Cloud once a day, exhales a 15-foot cone of cold air on a recharge, and bursts into shards when it dies. In the 2014 rules it is also vulnerable to bludgeoning damage, so a mace or a warhammer hits it for double. The 2024 version drops that weakness and its False Appearance, but its breath gets stronger: 7 (3d4) cold against a Constitution save instead of 5 (2d4) against Dexterity.
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Ice Mephit Stat Block (2014)
Ice Mephit
Small elemental, neutral evil
Armor Class 11
Hit Points 21 (6d6)
Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft.
STR
7 (−2)
DEX
13 (+1)
CON
10 (+0)
INT
9 (−1)
WIS
11 (+0)
CHA
12 (+1)
Skills Perception +2, Stealth +3
Damage Vulnerabilities bludgeoning, fire
Damage Immunities cold; poison
Condition Immunities Poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages Aquan, Auran
Challenge 1/2 (XP 100; PB +2)
Traits
Death Burst.When the mephit dies, it explodes in a burst of jagged ice. Each creature within 5 ft. of it must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw, taking 4 (1d8) slashing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
False Appearance.While the mephit remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from an ordinary shard of ice.
Innate Spellcasting (1/Day).The mephit can innately cast fog cloud, requiring no material components. Its innate spellcasting ability is Charisma.
Actions
Claws.Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) slashing damage plus 2 (1d4) cold damage.
Frost Breath (Recharge 6).The mephit exhales a 15-foot cone of cold air. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw, taking 5 (2d4) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Stat block from the SRD 5.1 (2014 rules) by Wizards of the Coast, licensed under CC-BY-4.0. Check an encounter with this monster in the encounter calculator.
The pieces that shape the fight:
•Frost Breath (Recharge 6): 15-foot cone, DC 10 Dexterity, 5 (2d4) cold, half on a success.
•Fog Cloud (1/day): a 20-foot-radius sphere of heavily obscuring fog that spreads around corners, up to an hour with concentration.
•False Appearance: motionless, it looks like an ordinary shard of ice.
•Death Burst: jagged ice, DC 10 Dexterity, 4 (1d8) slashing, half on a success.
•Vulnerable to bludgeoning and fire. A 1d8 + 3 warhammer hit (7.5 average) becomes 15.
The Ice Mephit in the 2024 Rules
Ice Mephit
Small Elemental, Neutral Evil
Armor Class 11
Initiative +1 (11)
Hit Points 21 (6d6)
Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft.
STR
7 (−2)save −2
DEX
13 (+1)save +1
CON
10 (+0)save +0
INT
9 (−1)save −1
WIS
11 (+0)save +0
CHA
12 (+1)save +1
Skills Perception +2, Stealth +3
Vulnerabilities fire
Immunities cold; poison; Exhaustion; Poisoned
Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 12
Languages Primordial (Aquan, Auran)
Challenge 1/2 (XP 100; PB +2)
Traits
Death Burst.The mephit explodes when it dies. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 10, each creature in a 5-foot Emanation originating from the mephit. Failure: 5 (2d4) Cold damage. Success: Half damage.
Actions
Claw.Melee Attack Roll: +3, reach 5 ft. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) Slashing damage plus 2 (1d4) Cold damage.
Fog Cloud (1/Day).The mephit casts Fog Cloud, requiring no spell components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability.
Frost Breath (Recharge 6).Constitution Saving Throw: DC 10, each creature in a 15-foot Cone. Failure: 7 (3d4) Cold damage. Success: Half damage.
Stat block from the SRD 5.2.1 (2024 rules) by Wizards of the Coast, licensed under CC-BY-4.0. Check an encounter with this monster in the encounter calculator.
2014
2024
Vulnerabilities
Bludgeoning, fire
Fire
Frost Breath
DC 10 Dex, 5 (2d4) cold
DC 10 Con, 7 (3d4) cold
Death Burst
DC 10 Dex, 4 (1d8) slashing
DC 10 Con, 5 (2d4) cold
False Appearance
Yes
Removed
Fog Cloud
1/day
1/day, no spell components
Immunities
Cold, poison; Poisoned
Adds Exhaustion
Moving both saves to Constitution changes who gets hurt. A rogue with Dex +4 saved against the 2014 breath three times in four; in 2024 it rolls its weaker Constitution. Fighters and barbarians, proficient in Constitution saves, now resist it better.
How Ice Mephits Fight
Fog first, then fight in it. Inside the fog, the area is heavily obscured, and the mephit's darkvision doesn't see through it any better than the party does. So the fog isn't an attack. It's a shield. Drop it over the party's archers and casters, and spells that need a target the caster can see stop working. The mephit then attacks whoever stays outside it.
Pair it with blindsight. A creature that doesn't need sight fights normally in fog. A flying sword (blindsight 60 feet) or a gray ooze (blindsight 60 feet) inside an ice mephit's fog attacks a party that can't see it.
Breathe on the cluster. The cone is small, so wait until two or three characters line up in a corridor. In 2024 the average is 7 per failed save. Three characters with Con +1 each need a 9 to save, so 40% fail. Counting half damage on a success, one breath averages about 15 damage across the three.
Hide in the ice (2014). With False Appearance, a mephit sitting still on a frozen ledge or among icicles is just a shard of ice. Let the party walk past it, then breathe on them from behind.
Claws are a fallback. +3 to hit against AC 14 lands half the time for 5 (3 slashing plus 2 cold), about 2.5 a round.
How Many Ice Mephits for Your Party?
An ice mephit is worth 100 XP. Check the 2014 Dungeon Master's Guide numbers with our encounter calculator.
Party
Encounter
XP
2024 budget
2014 guidelines
4 level 2 characters
2 ice mephits
200
Low
Easy
4 level 2 characters
3 ice mephits
300
Low
Hard
4 level 2 characters
2 ice mephits + 2 flying swords
300
Low
Hard
4 level 3 characters
6 ice mephits
600
Low
Hard
One Fog Cloud per fight is plenty, since the mephit has to concentrate on it and several overlapping fogs make the whole map unplayable.
How Players Beat Ice Mephits
•Fire. Vulnerable in both editions. Burning Hands at 3d6 doubles to 21 on a failed save, which is exactly an ice mephit's hit points. A torch swung as a weapon deals 1 fire, doubled to 2.
•Blunt weapons (2014). Maces, clubs, warhammers and quarterstaffs deal double. A monk's unarmed strikes are bludgeoning too.
•Break concentration. Damage forces the mephit to make a Constitution save (+0) to keep its fog up. Any hit of 21 or less sets the DC at 10, which it fails 45% of the time.
•Blow the fog away. In 2014, a wind of at least 10 miles per hour disperses Fog Cloud. In 2024, a strong wind such as Gust of Wind does.
•Forget cold damage. It is immune to cold, so Ray of Frost deals nothing and only slows it by 10 feet.
Ice Mephit Encounter Ideas
The ice house. A brewery's cold cellar is packed with straw-wrapped blocks of ice, and three ice mephits sit motionless among them. They fog the stairs when the party comes down and fight in the dark between the blocks.
The frozen bell. A mountain shrine's bell is encased in ice that won't melt. Two ice mephits keep refreezing it. Ringing it again needs fire, and fire draws the mephits.
Elemental feud. An ice mephit and a steam mephit are fighting over a hot spring. The party can side with one. Ice mephits also show up with dust mephits on a dry glacier and with magma mephits where lava meets a frozen lake.
Frequently Asked Questions
What CR is an ice mephit?
An ice mephit is CR 1/2 (100 XP) in both editions, with AC 11 and 21 hit points.
What is an ice mephit vulnerable to?
In the 2014 rules, bludgeoning and fire damage. In the 2024 rules, only fire. It is immune to cold and poison in both.
What does an ice mephit's Death Burst do?
In the 2014 rules, each creature within 5 feet makes a DC 10 Dexterity save, taking 4 (1d8) slashing damage, or half on a success. In the 2024 rules, it's a DC 10 Constitution save for 5 (2d4) cold damage, half on a success.
What spell does an ice mephit cast?
Fog Cloud, once per day. It creates a 20-foot-radius sphere of heavily obscuring fog and requires the mephit's concentration.
Stat blocks: System Reference Document 5.1 (2014) and 5.2.1 (2024), Wizards of the Coast, CC-BY-4.0. Tactics, encounter math and ideas are Loreify's own.
This page includes material from the System Reference Document 5.1 and 5.2.1 by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Loreify is not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.