Dustdigger

Large monstrosity, unaligned

Armor Class 13 (natural armour)
Hit Points 32 (5d10 + 5)
Speed 10 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
17 (+3) 11 (+0) 13 (+1) 2 (-4) 10 (+0) 3 (-4)
Skills Perception +2, Stealth +4
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Tremorsense 60 ft., Passive Perception 12
Languages —
Challenge 1 (200 XP)
Ambusher. In the first round of a combat, the dustdigger has advantage on attack rolls against any
creature it surprised.
Prepared Camouflage. As part of a short rest the dustdigger can dig a hole in loosely packed sand,
cover itself with a layer of sand, and then inflate itself to fill up the hole it made, leaving the ground
above level with the surrounding terrain. While hiding in its hole the dustdigger has advantage on
Dexterity (Stealth) checks until it attacks, or otherwise reveals its location (deflating does not reveal
the dustdigger only the presence of a sinkhole).
Actions
Multiattack. The dustdigger makes one attack with its tentacles and one chew attack.
Chew. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature that is grappled by the dustdigger,
Hit: 8 (1d10 + 3) piercing damage.
Tentacles. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) bludgeoning
damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 13). Until this
grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the dustdigger can't use its tentacles for anything other
than maintaining the grapple.
Deflate. While inflated within its hole the dustdigger can deflate, all creatures above the
dustdigger’s space sink 1d4 + 1 feet into the sand and become restrained. As long as a creature isn't
completely submerged in sand, it can escape by using its action and succeeding on a Strength check.
The DC is 10 plus the number of feet the creature has sunk into the sand. A creature that is
completely submerged in quicksand can't breathe (see the suffocation rules in the Player's
Handbook). A creature can pull another creature within its reach out of a quicksand pit by using its
action and succeeding on a Strength check. The DC is 5 plus the number of feet the target creature
has sunk into the quicksand.
Swallow. The dustdigger makes one chew attack against a target it is grappling. If the attack hits, the
target is swallowed, and the grapple ends. The swallowed target is blinded and restrained, it has
total cover against attacks and other effects outside the dustdigger, and it takes 10 (3d6) acid
damage at the start of each of the dustdigger's turns. The dustdigger can have only one target
swallowed at a time. If the dustdigger dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and
can escape from the corpse using 5 feet of movement, exiting prone.

Variant: Illusion Caster

Twenty percent of Dustdiggers have a born talent for illusion. They can create an illusion no larger
than a 10-foot cube that looks, sounds, and smells like some other sort of natural terrain. They will
typically project a pool of bubbling water in the desert sands above its hole when those approaching
come within striking range.
The tactile characteristics of the terrain are unchanged, so creatures entering the area are likely to
see through the illusion. If the difference isn't obvious by touch, a creature carefully examining the
illusion can attempt an Intelligence (Investigation) check against DC 10 to disbelieve it. A creature
who discerns the illusion for what it is, sees it as a vague image superimposed on the terrain.

The Dustdiggers inhabit arid areas that have loosely packed, sandy conditions, such as desert dunes.
A dustdigger will typically dig a hole, cover itself with a layer of sand, and then inflate itself to fill up
the hole it made, leaving the ground above level with the surrounding terrain. When an animal walks
on top of it, the dustdigger deflates, looking very much like a sinkhole, and uses the sands shifting
towards its mouth to slow the escape of its prey. After it has fully deflated, it folds its arms up
around the victim and attempts to kill it before digestion. The dustdigger’s back is AC 4 but its front
side is only AC 7, although once it has folded up, its prey is caught and cannot attack. Thus, the best
strategy is to recognize a dustdigger before it folds.
Dustdiggers look like giant starfish with five around a central maw. They travel above ground only at
night and never for longer than a few minutes at a time. They often travel in groups of between one
and twenty.
Twenty percent of Dustdiggers have a born talent for illusion. They will typically project a pool of
bubbling water in the desert sands when those approaching come within striking range.
Dustdigger
Gargantuan monstrosity, unaligned
Armor Class 19 (natural armour), 10 inside
Hit Points 232 (15d20 + 75)
Speed 10 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
30 (+10) 9 (-1) 20 (+5) 2 (-4) 10 (+0) 3 (-4)
Skills Perception +4, Stealth +7
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Tremorsense 60 ft., Passive Perception 14
Languages —
Challenge 13 (10,000 XP)
Ambusher. In the first round of a combat, the dustdigger has advantage on attack rolls against any
creature it surprised.
Illusion Caster. The dustdigger can create an illusion no larger than a 20-foot cube that looks,
sounds, and smells like some other sort of natural terrain. They will typically project an oasis in the
desert sands above its hole when those approaching come within striking range.
The tactile characteristics of the terrain are unchanged, so creatures entering the area are likely to
see through the illusion. If the difference isn't obvious by touch, a creature carefully examining the
illusion can attempt an Intelligence (Investigation) check against DC 10 to disbelieve it. A creature
who discerns the illusion for what it is, sees it as a vague image superimposed on the terrain.
Prepared Camouflage. As part of a short rest the dustdigger can dig a hole in loosely packed sand,
cover itself with a layer of sand, and then inflate itself to fill up the hole it made, leaving the ground
above level with the surrounding terrain. While hiding in its hole the dustdigger has advantage on
Dexterity (Stealth) checks until it attacks, or otherwise reveals its location (deflating does not reveal
the dustdigger only the presence of a sinkhole).
Actions
Multiattack. The dustdigger makes three tentacle attacks.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 23 (3d8 + 10) piercing damage. If
the target is a Large or smaller creature grappled by the dustdigger, that creature is swallowed, and
the grapple ends. While swallowed, the creature is blinded and restrained, it has total cover against
attacks and other effects outside the dustdigger, and it takes 42 (12d6) acid damage at the start of
each of the dustdigger's turns.
If the dustdigger takes 50 damage or more on a single turn from a creature inside it, the dustdigger
must succeed on a DC 25 Constitution saving throw at the end of that turn or regurgitate all
swallowed creatures, which fall prone in a space within 10 feet of the dustdigger. If the dustdigger
dies, a swallowed creature is no longer restrained by it and can escape from the corpse using 15 feet
of movement, exiting prone.
Deflate. While inflated within its hole the dustdigger can deflate, all creatures above the
dustdigger’s space sink 1d4 + 1 feet into the sand and become restrained. At the start of each of the
creature's turns, it sinks another 1d4 feet to a maximum of 15 feet. As long as a creature isn't
completely submerged in sand, it can escape by using its action and succeeding on a Strength check.
The DC is 10 plus the number of feet the creature has sunk into the sand. A creature that is
completely submerged in quicksand can't breathe (see the suffocation rules in the Player's
Handbook). A creature can pull another creature within its reach out of a quicksand pit by using its
action and succeeding on a Strength check. The DC is 5 plus the number of feet the target creature
has sunk into the quicksand.
Tentacle. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (3d6 + 10) bludgeoning
damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 18). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained.
The dustdigger has five tentacles, each of which can grapple one target.