The 10 Best D&D Christmas Monsters
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The holidays are always a magical time of the year. If you’re a Dungeons & Dragons fan, however, they’re also the perfect time to cozy up with a good DnD Christmas one shot or add a dash of festive flare to your ongoing campaign. Of course, no adventure is complete without a few good monsters to throw at your players.
Fortunately, there are plenty of options to add to your naughty list. To help you get started, we’ve put together a few of our favorites. From frosty fiends to classic creatures with a holly jolly twist, these monsters are sure to keep your players laughing (or screaming in terror) all the way. For ease of reference we’ve sorted them by challenge rating from lowest to highest, and included the sourcebook you can find them in, along with a link to their stats and a brief explanation for how to fit them into your holiday-themed adventure.
So grab your +3 Candy Cane of Smiting and get ready to jingle all the way into battle as we celebrate… the 10 best D&D Christmas monsters.
10. Ice Mephit
Sourcebook: Monster Manual
Challenge Rating: 1/2
Why We Picked Them: With their icy breath and fog cloud abilities, these nasty little creatures are perfect for creating a chaotic Christmas adventure. They also work well in a variety of different environments, appearing in everything from the arctic wilds to frozen dungeons, making them ideal for just about any holiday-themed DnD session. If you’re looking for a Jack Frost vibe, these pint-sized pests have you covered.
9. Mimic (Disguised as a Present)
Sourcebook: Monster Manual
Challenge Rating: 2
Why We Picked Them: Let’s face it: nothing beats unwrapping presents under the Christmas tree. Of course, your players might just reconsider once that “present” sprouts teeth and tries to bite their faces off. Yes, Mimics disguised as gifts are the perfect way to inject a little dark humor into your yuletide-themed adventure. They also make you think that maybe getting a pair of socks for as a present isn’t so bad after all.
8. Snow Golem
Sourcebook: D&D Wiki
Challenge Rating: 2
Why We Picked Them: Why build a snowman this holiday season when you can fight one? Enter the Snow Golem, a D&D take on Frosty the Snowman that’s both hilarious and formidable. Capable of passing themselves off as a harmless immobile snowman, they spring into action when their prey draws near. Just make sure to yell, “Do you wanna build a snowman?” as it rips your players apart.
7. Yeti
Sourcebook: Monster Manual
Challenge Rating: 3
Why We Picked Them: The perfect abominable beasts for your next holiday adventure, Yeti’s are strong, stealthy, and have a deadly gaze the literally freezes adventurers in place. They’re a a great option for a monster to ambush your players in a snowy wilds or to recreate the always-dreaded “Bumble” from the Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer claymation movie.
6. Winter Wolf
Sourcebook: Monster Manual
Challenge Rating: 3
Why We Picked Them: If your players are looking to go walking in a winter wonderland this holiday season, then why not throw these nasty monsters at them? A bigger, badder version of the Dire wolf, the Winter Wolf is a massive predator with ice-cold breath and the intelligence to strategize its attacks. They’re perfect for arctic encounters or as loyal companions to a frosty villain. When this puppies starts dashing through the snow, your party will wish they’d stayed by the fire and kept their chestnuts intact.
5. Rudolph the Nightmare Reindeer
Sourcebook: Monster Manual
Challenge Rating: 3
Why We Picked Them: Prepare to ruin your players’ cherished Christmas memories with this reskinned version of the dreaded Nightmare monster from D&D lore. Featuring fiery hooves and infernal eyes to go along with his shiny red nose, this fiendish creature makes for a memorable mount for an evil Santa or a cursed ally your party must rescue. Just don’t expect this version of Rudolph to guide any sleighs—unless of course, you’re planning a sleigh ride straight into the Nine Hells.
4. Frost Giant
Sourcebook: Monster Manual
Challenge Rating: 8
Why We Picked Them: The ultimate gargantuan grinches, Frost Giants enjoy lobbing boulders the size of Santa’s sleigh and dashing adventurers’ brains through the snow with a single swipe of their massive clubs. If you’re planning on using them in a D&D Christmas session, they’re a great option for an icy wilderness encounter or as guardians of ancient icy ruins. Just bear in mind they do have a pretty hefty challenge rating, so make sure your players are prepared. Because nothing ruins the holidays like a giant-sized total party kill.
3. Ice Devil
Sourcebook: Monster Manual
Challenge Rating: 14
Why We Picked Them: The ultimate nightmare before Christmas, the Ice Devil is a terrifyingly fridging foe complete with a spiky carapace and the ability to crush players under under a wall of ice. This high-level monster is perfect for festive showdown and would be a great option as the evil mastermind behind an eternal winter curse. If your players manage to take down this frozen fiend without getting their stockings stuffed, it’ll truly be a Christmas miracle.
2. Krampus
Sourcebook: 5e SRD
Challenge Rating: 21
Why We Picked Them: Believe it or not the legendary Krampus has his own D&E 5e stat block, which makes him ideal for use in your next high-level Christmas adventure. Packing his trademark chains, sack of punishment and hunger for the flesh of naughty-doers, he’s perfect as an epic-level boss monster who delivers both beat downs and lessons about the true meaning of the holidays. After all, nothing warms the heart like flaming chains and hoof stomps to the face.
1. Santa Claus
Sourcebook: 5e SRD
Challenge Rating: 21
Why We Picked Them: And finally, the ultimate Christmas combat encounter: facing down jolly old Saint Nick himself. Not surprisingly, the big guy can definitely hold his own, wielding a number of magical abilities, including an ear-splitting jolly laugh and the ability to stuff his enemies into his Bag of Holding. You could have players face down a version of Santa who has been corrupted by evil (and it’s up to them to free him from the curse) or they could just pull of a heist of his workshop in North Pole. However you want to play it, facing down Big Red is definitely going to be one D&D Christmas memory your players won’t soon forget.
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Cameron Nichols is a Senior Editor who lives in Boston, Massechustes, and has been playing D&D since the early 90s, when he was introduced by his older brother and cut his teeth on AD&D 2nd Edition. Since then he’s played virtually every RPG he could get his nerdy little mitts on (including a weird Goth phase in the early 2000s when he rocked Vampire: The Masquerade pretty hard). His favorite D&D campaign setting is the Forgotten Realms and his favorite character to play was a Half-Orc Barbarian named Grug (who was unfortunately devoured by a gelatinous cube).
