Planar Bestiary
Swirling sand condenses to form a humanoid figure, constantly crumbling away and reforming in a never.ending whirlwind of scouring particles. Able to grow three to five times their "resting" size or shrink away to a mere dusty breeze, a sand elemental can be an egregious threat, or easily missed even by keen observers.
The turmoil of the Elemental Chaos never ceases, infused with material, energy, and naked life force in equal measure. Add in a little binding magic from some long-forgotten or currently active wizard, and a sand elemental can swirl into existence. Over time, many find their way to more stable planes if they came to be in the Elemental Chaos.
When first encountered, a sand elemental in mostly solid form might be taken for a nomad of the dunes, wandering the seared, sandy plains in search of an oasis to parch their thirst.
A sand elemental doesn't require air, food, drink, or sleep.
Motive: Curiousity about the living, vengeance against the living
Environment: The Elemental Chaos, dry regions of worlds of the Material Plane, alone, in the company of a summoner, or in groups of two or three
Health: 15
Damage Inflicted: Moderate wound (5 points)
Armor: 1
Movement: Short; short when flying; immediate when burrowing (doesn't disturb material they move through)
Modifications: Disguise and deception as level 5; damages objects and structures as level 7
Combat: When solid, the elemental attacks twice each round with their fists.
The sand elemental can spin themself into a "shamal" of dangerous, spinning sand every few rounds, inflicting 8 points of damage to all creatures within immediate range that fail a Speed defense task. Damaged creatures are also blinded for a few rounds, or until they succeed on a Might task as their action to clear their vision.
The elemental can choose to take the form of blowing sand as their action. In this form, only magical attacks can affect them, and they can only make their "shamal" attack. They can return to their regular form as part of another action.
A sand elemental is immune to electricity and poison attacks.
Interaction: The somewhat humanoid form that sand elementals adopt allows them to explore their curiosity about life lived by humans and similar species. Some attempt to pass as human, though few ever get so good that daylight doesn't reveal their sandy forms. Most only know the language of elder elementals (Primordial). When spurned (as they often are), sand elementals revert to a form more obvious in its elemental nature as their rage grows to become an enveloping storm of loss and, often, revenge on those who rebuffed them.
Use: Reports of "grit bandits" (individuals with sand for flesh) robbing desert travelers are common in the caravanserai situated at the edge of a great desolate desert.
GM Intrusion (Group): The sand elemental calls up a storm like their "shamal" ability, but one that fills an area a long distance across that lasts for several minutes or hours, potentially moving toward a nearby settlement, visible as a towering dust devil as it goes.