Sand Haunters
In the desert, there are always treasure hunters. There are stories about mountains of gold, ancient tombs filled with treasure, and so much more, if only someone would go out there and claim them for their own. And ambitious young men, either filled with too much drink, or in search of glory among their friends, do just that. They go out into the desert, ill prepared for what lies ahead.
The most obvious of the desert’s dangers is the lack of water. Many would-be adventurers are killed, not by the dangerous monsters who roam the forest, nor the ancient curses within the tombs. No, they are killed because they failed to prepare themselves properly. Groups who are unfortunate enough to not have a member who can conjure water from thin air might just die of thirst, and could very well join the ranks of the Sand Haunters.
Sand Haunters are ghosts of the desert, spirits who were, in their mind, wrongly denied the chance to gain the richest that they so greatly deserved. They were killed before even entering the dungeon, without the chance to test their ability, and the now believe that they have the right to such treasures, through whatever means necessary.
A Sand Haunter in its natural form is completely incorporeal and unable to interact with normal matter, beyond observing it. Unlike other spirits, however, when it manifests itself, it does not do so only part-way. A Sand Haunter must possess sand, and mold it into the form this creature took in life. A Sand Haunter’s corporeal form has any of the gear currently on its corpse. These creatures therefore usually dress up their former bodies with royal cloth, and with highly decorated weapons.
Sand Haunters have only one thing on their mind: riches. Unfortunately for travelers and traders who must venture through the desert, these spirits cannot simply carry on with the quest they had intended to complete in life. The corporal form of these spirits must always be touching a pile of at least two pounds of sand, and since dungeons typically are not full of this necessity, Sand Haunters usually cannot raid ancient tombs. Instead, they hunt, rob and kill travelers for their valuables.
Sand Haunters can typically get along. They are very competitive, always trying to out-rob one another, however they understand that they can take down more powerful prey with a larger group. There are often entire tribes of Sand Haunters who work together, with the richest member being in charge. Anything can be bought in Sand Haunter society, and if someone is cautious enough, he might even be able to make a deal with these creatures. They are expert guides of the deserts, and they can even be persuaded to act as caravan guards, in exchange for a large cut of the profits, usually at least thirty percent. However, they will only do this if they have some reason to believe that they cannot just kill the owner and take the entire shipment for themselves, which is difficult to do.
Sand Haunter Template
As Base Creature, Except as Below
Type: Changes to Undead
Hit Dice: Changes to d12
Special Attacks: Vicious Strike, Desert Heat, Merge
Special Qualities: Undead, Damage Reduction 5/-, Manifestation, Spell Resistance 10+hit dice, Aversion to Water
Challenge Rating: +3
Level Adjustment:+6
Vicious Strike: A Sand Haunter can use the momentum of any critical hit to strike at his opponent again. If it scores a critical hit, regardless of if it confirms or not, it can attack again, at a -5 to hit.
Desert Heat: A Sand Haunter carries the heat of the desert in itself. If it attacks with one of its sand weapons and hits, it deals an additional 1d6 of fire damage.
Merge: Is a Sand Haunter wishes, he may attempt to grapple another creature. If he succeeds, he deals heat damage as though he had successfully attacked. If he succeeds again next round, it deals 2d6 fire damage the next round. Finally, if he succeeds a third time in a row, the Sand Haunter may force itself into the opponent, possessing it like a ghost. However, 2d6 heat damage is dealt to the body every round. The Sand Haunter leaves the body once it reaches zero hit points, to save itself, flowing out and resuming its normal form, so the body can still be stabilized. In addition, if water is poured on a possessed person, the Sand Haunter flees.
Manifestation: It takes a Sand Haunter a full round to manifest. If a Sand Haunter is slain, there is a fifty percent chance that it will emerge at its body a day later. However, if the body is destroyed, so is the Sand Haunter.
Aversion to Water: Sand Haunters hate water, it is treated like holy water to them, ignoring their damage reduction. In addition, if a Sand Haunter is completely covered in water, it suffers the following ailments. It loses its damage reduction, Desert Hear and spell resistance, and if it is killed in this form it is destroyed for good. These ailments last until the Sand Haunter is completely dried.