Sandling [Earth Kin]

A sandling is a shapeless heap of sand that slides and shifts as it moves, changing color to blend with its surroundings. It is a solitary, non-carbon creature that asks only to eat and guard its patch of ground. It will not start trouble, but because it is so hard to spot, explorers stumble into it all the time.

Sandlings attack any intruder in their territory, slashing and tearing with a coarse, gritty pseudopod. Their fluid, shifting bodies shrug off physical blows, hence AC 3. Dousing one with at least ten gallons of water or other liquid slows it as the slow spell and halves its damage to 1d8.

Stepping on a sandling triggers a reflex rather than a planned attack: it heaves upward and engulfs one or two man-sized creatures, much as a trapper does, and the surprise imposes a -2 penalty on their surprise rolls.

A sandling perceives moisture, sound and heat. Wetness annoys it, so it burrows down to escape rain or water unless it is busy defending its land. Its body matches the ambient temperature, which hides it from infravision, and its bizarre nature makes it immune to charm, hold, sleep and similar mind magic.

Solitary to the core, sandlings guard their ground so fanatically that cooperation even with their own kind is impossible. They seem to be silicon-based, and some sages trace them to the plane of earth. Despite tall tales, they eat only rock, sand and minerals, and they detest organic matter: after killing a trespasser, a sandling moves about a quarter mile away. That is why their lairs hold little treasure, though victims' gear often sinks into the sand under the creature's weight. Regrettably, they also eat gems.

Adults live in lonely, sandy places such as empty deserts, caverns and deserted beaches. A sandling has no true lair; it simply rests in the sand within borders set by instinct, existing only to feed on minerals, breed and guard its territory.

Once a sandling reaches its full ten-foot diameter, it reproduces by budding. Buds detach at about two inches across, and an adult's domain often swarms with thousands of young, none bigger than six inches; any that grows beyond that is seen as a threat and killed by the parent. When the parent dies, the largest youngster takes over and kills its rivals if it can. Massed infants make the ground lumpy and can trip the unwary. There are unconfirmed tales of sandlings three times normal size, which would likely fight with two pseudopods instead of one.

Sandlings sit outside the ecosystem, harmlessly consuming a tiny share of the minerals in any area. Dwarf mining clans sometimes track them to see whether they have uncovered fresh deposits. Some people kill sandlings to use as mortar, since their bodies are said to bind remarkably well, and druids who find a building held together with sandlings may well try to blast it apart.