Planar Bestiary
Composed of earth and air, princes of dust emerge from the Elemental Planes and the Elemental Chaos but are often encountered in other dimensions, extending their trails of influence. Humanoid and standing nearly 10 feet tall, they are composed of scintillating sand and dust that constantly trickles in rivulets from their bodies.
A prince of dust is a power to be reckoned with, even in the Elemental Chaos, where claims of nobility are often suspect. Creatures of earth and air often offer their services to princes of dust. Named princes of dust sometimes work together to achieve an end, but usually jealous rivalry sets them at odds. All seek to one day gain power even greater than that of a djinni or a dao (an earth genie), possibly even ascending to the power of the legendary primordials.
Though sustained by the elements, a prince of dust can transform the blood of living foes to dust. That transformation releases a surge of life that princes relish. This urge to feed sometimes ruins a particular prince of dust's negotiations with beings of other planes as they try to extend their influence and power.
In accordance with their self-assumed noble title, princes of dust enjoy traveling the planes, looking to extend their knowledge and reach through trade. Such trading convoys are typically made up of a prince of dust, several servants of animate dust, and a couple of dragged sledges, each bearing a secure chest. One chest contains trade goods (often, gems from Elemental Earth). The other is like as not to be a trained mimic (a semi-intelligent amorphous creature that can assume the shape of doors, treasure chests, and other items for the purpose of ambushing creatures) meant to act as a diversion should the trade convoy become the target of thieves. In return for wealth, princes of dust make alliances and pacts, and seek to learn secrets of the multiverse.
Known named princes of dust include Prince Eoghanan, Prince Nilidh, and Prince Rodachan.
Motive: Power
Environment: Any planar location, especially ones suitable for air or earth elementals
Health: 20
Damage Inflicted: Moderate wound (5 points)
Armor: 2
Movement: Short; immediate when seeping
Modifications: Might defense as level 7; Speed defense as level 5 due to large size
Combat: A prince of dust transforms their arms into whips of compacted dust, striking twice each round for a moderate wound (5 points) and grabbing targets that fail a Might defense task. All a grabbed target's physical tasks are hindered until they escape with a successful Might task as their action.
As an action, a prince of dust transforms one grabbed creature's blood to dust, inflicting a moderate wound (6 points) on a failed Might defense task (ignores Armor) and restoring 3 points of the prince's health.
Any creature that hits a prince with a melee attack is immediately hit by a blast of erosive dust, inflicting a moderate wound (4 points). Once per day, a prince can blow a cloud of magical dust into an immediate area, putting all creatures to sleep for a minute if they fail an Intellect defense task. A sleeping creature awakens if they take damage, or another creature uses an action to wake them.
By shifting their form to something more amorphous than solid, a prince can pass through any opening that permits dust to pass through it, moving an immediate distance each round. When in this form, the prince cannot attack, and attacks against them are eased.
A prince of dust is immune to poison attacks. A prince of dust is vulnerable to fire; every time they take 1 point of fire damage, they take 1 additional minor wound (1 point).
Interaction: As very self-important creatures, princes of dust see themselves as better than common mortals and expect to be treated with deference and respect. They are open to negotiation and trade, but sometimes their hunger for life energy overcomes them and they interrupt the conversation with an attack.
Use: A royal elemental with an entourage arrives and seeks to trade exotic goods for gold and gems.
Loot: A prince of dust usually carries at least five expensive gems (worth about 100 gold coins each), and might have a few magical cyphers, such as a stone of speed boost or a powder of strength boost.
GM Intrusion: The prince of dust releases a surge of necromantic power against a character in immediate range, turning the character's blood to dust as if the prince had grabbed them.