Dust Digger (CR 4)

Large Aberration
Alignment: Always neutral
Initiative: +0; Senses: tremorsense, Listen +4, and Spot +4


AC: 16 (-1 size, +7 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 16
Hit Dice: 4d8+4 (22 hp)
Fort +2, Ref +1, Will +4
Speed: 10 ft.
Space: 10 ft./5 ft.
Base Attack +3; Grapple +2
Attack: 5 tentacles +5 melee
Full Attack: 5 tentacles +5 melee
Damage: Tentacle 1d6+3
Special Attacks/Actions: Sinkhole, improved grab, swallow whole
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 10
Special Qualities: Burrow, tremorsense
Feats: Alertness
Skills: Hide +0*, Listen +4, and Spot +4
Advancement: 5-8 HD (Large); 9-12 HD (Huge)
Climate/Terrain: Warm desert
Organization: Solitary, gang (4-8), or colony (9-20)
Treasure/Possessions: None

Source: Converted

Sinkhole (Ex): By deflating its body (when buried in sand), the dust digger uses the sands shifting toward its mouth to slow the escape of its prey.

A creature caught in the shifting sand can only move at half speed, and must make a Reflex save (DC 13 with the DC increasing by +1 per round to a maximum of +3) each round to maintain its footing. If the save fails, the creature falls and slides toward the dust digger's mouth. On a successful save, the creature maintains it's footing, but must make another Reflex save (same DC) for each round it remains in the shifting sand.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the dust digger must hit with two of its tentacles. If it gets a hold, it can bite or swallow its prey.

Swallow Whole (Ex): By making a successful grapple check, a dust digger can swallow a grabbed opponent of Medium-size or smaller. Once inside, the creature takes 2d8+2 points of crushing damage plus 6 points of acid damage per round from the dust digger's digestive juices. A swallowed creature can climb out of the digger with a successful grapple check. This returns it to the digger's maw where another successful grapple check is needed to get free. A swallowed creature can also cut its way out by using claws or a Small or Tiny slashing weapon to deal 25 points of damage to the gizzard (AC 20). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must.again cut its own way out. The dust digger's gizzard can hold two Small creatures, four Tiny, eight Diminutive, or sixteen Fine or smaller opponents.

Burrow (Ex): A dust digger can glide through sand, loose soil or almost any sort of loosely packed earth as easily as a fish swims through water. Its burrowing leaves behind no tunnel or hole, nor does it create any ripple or other signs of its presence. A move earth spell cast on an are containing a burrowing dust digger flings the dust digger back 30 feet, stunning the creature for 1 round unless it succeeds at a Fortitude save.

Tremorsense (Ex): A dust digger can automatically sense the location of anything within 60 feet that is in contact with the ground.

*Dust diggers receive a +8 racial bonus to Hide checks when in sand covered terrain.

A dust digger buries itself and waits for its prey. When a creature walks on top of a dust digger, the dust digger deflates its body, creating an area very much like a sinkhole. Once fully deflated, the dust digger folds its arms up around the victim and forces it into its maw.

The Dust Digger first appeared in the Monster Manual II (Gary Gygax, 1983).