Greater Air Elemental [Dark Sun]

Unlike its kin, a greater air elemental of the desert world has no humanoid shape at all; it is a huge, formless pillar of moving air. It cannot speak, but it can howl like a twister or moan like a storm in the night. It can be called up anywhere there is open air and blowing wind, and summoners often do so in the open desert during sand and wind storms.

The elemental can merge with natural winds and drift along with them, invisible to normal sight, though detect magic reveals something magical in the air. It cannot attack while hidden this way, and taking its true form again takes one round; when it does, foes suffer -3 to surprise rolls.

Its main attack is a dense blast of air, often shaped like a giant churning fist, that deals 5d10. It is swift and nimble aloft, gaining +2 to hit and +5 to damage against airborne opponents.

On command it can become an immense funnel cloud 15 feet wide at the bottom and up to 45 feet wide at the top. Its height depends on its Hit Dice: 50 feet at 10 HD, 70 feet at 14 HD, and 90 feet at 18 HD. Forming or dispersing the funnel takes a full turn. The whirlwind lasts three rounds, killing outright every creature of 4 Hit Dice or levels or fewer that it sweeps up and dealing 2d10 per round to everything else, halved by a successful save vs. breath weapon each round.

Desert sands make the funnel far worse. Out in the dunes it whips up a sand cloud 60 feet across that cuts vision to 10 feet and deals 1d4 per round (save vs. breath weapon for half), lasting six rounds: three with the whirlwind and three more as it settles. Within 50 feet of the silt sea, the cloud swells to nearly 150 feet across and blinds everyone completely. All creatures inside must save vs. paralysis. Those who succeed take 1d10 per round; those who fail begin to choke, dying within four rounds unless heal or similar magic intervenes. Creatures that do not breathe ignore this damage.