Death from Below
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Climate/Terrain | Any Sand |
| Frequency | Uncommon |
| Organization | Pack |
| Activity Cycle | Any |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Intelligence | Low |
| Treasure | see text |
| Alignment | Neutral |
| No. Appearing | 2d4 |
| Armor Class | 4 (0 in sand) |
| Movement | 3/24 (when in ectoplasmic form) |
| Hit Dice | 6+2 |
| THAC0 | 15 |
| No. Attacks | 2 |
| Damage per Attack | 1d6 |
| Special Attacks | see text |
| Special Defenses | see text |
| Magic Resistance | nil |
| Size | L |
| Morale | Steady (11-12) |
| XP Value | 975 |
Description
Psionics Summary
| Level | Dis/Sci/Dev | Attack/Defense | Score | PSPs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1/0/1 | --/-- | 12 | 120 |
The first sign of these creatures approaching is usually the party spotting a purple protrusion, about 2 foot high and curved over towards them at the top ending in 2 holes, moving towards them at great speed (80% chance per party member looking in the appropriate direction). The creature itself is a Twelve foot long purple ellipsoid with two 8 foot long 'arms', 2 large white eyes and its nose which serves as a kind of periscope (it sniffs its victims out). It has no mouth, simply absorbing its victims -- a process done some 50 foot under the sand and taking 1d8 hours per size category of the victim.
Combat
The creatures use a special version of the psionic power Ectoplasmic Form which allows them to control exactly which parts of their bodies are corporeal and which are not. Use the following description of the power Controlled Ectoplasmic Form:
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Power Score | 12 |
| Initial Cost | 18 |
| Maintenance Cost | 12 |
| Range | 0 |
| Prerequisites | None |
| Pwr Score | 3 rounds of free maintenance |
| 20 | Can't attempt again for d4 hours |
In all other ways, Controlled Ectoplasmic Form is the same as Ectoplasmic From as presented in CPsiH.
They attack with both claws which inflict d6 points of damage each and can grab an opponent (if they are size category L or smaller) and drag him or her under the sand unless a saving throw vs paralyzation is made (characters gain a +1 to the roll for ever point of 'to hit' bonus they have due to high strength). The save is made at -4 if both claws hit.
Once under the sand (1 round after the initial grab) the victim takes automatic damage from any claws that have grabbed it and quickly begins to suffocate and choke. In game terms they take an additional d4 points of damage the first round, then 2d4,4d4,8d4...etc unless he or she thinks fast and does something to avoid or reduce damage. (I rule here on a case by case basis.)
Example.
- Player "I'll hold my Breath"
- DM "You're being squeezed etc and having great difficulty not taking a breath so make a save vs Death"
- Player "Yep did it"
- DM "OK take half damage from suffocation and save again in 2 rounds"
Seems harsh-you bet. It’s not easy fighting under the sand. Anyone attacking the creatures when they are under the sand (and within weapon reach!) receives a minus 4 penalty to their attack roll and there is a 15% chance per size category of the victim (15% for tiny,30% for small etc) of hitting a suffocating individual unless special precautions are taken. Due to the creatures inherent semi-substantial nature they take only half damage from non magical weapons. There is little known about this creatures ecology. There are rumors of them living in underground mazes (perhaps the sand filled underdark of the Athas of old!) but no one has ever substantiated this.
Notes
A pack will if possible wait for the majority of members to succeed in becoming ectoplasmic before attacking.