Dune Stalker

Dune stalkers are creatures native to the Elemental Plane of Earth, though they are also frequently found on the Gray Waste of Hades. These monsters revel in evil and take their only joy from spreading its blight. They despise the Material Plane and avoid it as much as possible. Even so, they are sometimes summoned there by evil characters to kill targets or carry out other quests.

A dune stalker appears humanoid. It stands approximately 7 feet tall, but it would be taller if stretched out or forced to stand erect. Its head is triangular, and the neck attaches near the top of the head, causing its leering, toothy face and pointed chin to hang below its shoulders. The dune stalker’s gangly body is hairless, and its red, dusty, abrasive skin has no pores. The combination of short legs, long arms, and stooped posture causes its hands to drag on the ground. Its fingers and toes (four on each limb) are long and bony. The creature has massive shoulders and an enormous chest, which tapers to a narrow waist and hips.

A dune stalker that has been assigned a mission by its summoner pursues the literal fulfillment of its instructions to the exclusion of all else. It resents its time on the Material Plane and wants to make its stay there as short as possible. Occasionally, a summoner’s instructions are phrased in such a way that the dune stalker cannot actually carry them out. In this case, it is trapped on the Material Plane, where it takes out its frustration by killing all creatures it finds.

Despite their sonic abilities, dune stalkers do not speak, though they understand Common and Terran.

Combat

A dune stalker’s preferred tactic is to hide in a rocky area and attack from ambush. When possible, it tries to gain higher ground on its opponents by climbing up on a rock or a structure to conceal itself.

It often begins an assault by using its shout ability to disorient a group of opponents, then leaping into combat to deliver its kiss of death. Against foes within its reach, a dune stalker usually prefers to deliver a kiss of death against just one target rather than a shout against the whole group. The preferred target is the one it seeks to slay, or the one that presents the greatest danger, or the one that appears to have the strongest good alignment. (Given the dune stalker’s demented psychology, this last could be just about anyone, but paladins usually stand out.)

Kiss of Death (Su): The kiss of death is a sonic and death effect delivered with the dune stalker’s face pressed directly against the victim’s. If the dune stalker makes a successful melee touch attack (+9 melee), the opponent must attempt a Fortitude saving throw (DC 15). Success leaves the opponent stunned for 1 round; failure sets up lethal vibrations in the opponent’s body that result in instant death. This ability is usable at will.

Shout (Sp): Three times per day, the dune stalker can create an effect identical to that of a shout spell (caster level 6th; Fort save DC 14), except that the actual sound produced resembles a loud, rasping cough.

Improved Tracking (Ex): A consummate tracker, the dune stalker tracks as well as an invisible stalker does. Like that creature, it uses Spot checks rather than Survival checks to follow its quarry’s trail.

Jump (Ex): A dune stalker can produce a jump effect (caster level 6th) at will.

Skills: A dune stalker gains a +4 racial bonus on Intimidate checks.

Source: Monster Manual II, page 88. This creature’s statistics block has been updated to version 3.5 as given in the D&D® V.3.5 Accessory Update for Monster Manual II. Changed Wilderness Lore to Survival in the Improved Tracking entry.