Elemental, Earth Kin
| Pech
| Sandling
|
Climate/Terrain:
| Any subterranean
| Temperate or tropical, sandy
|
|
| or subterranean
|
Frequency:
| Rare
| Rare
|
Organization:
| Clan
| Solitary
|
Activity Cycle:
| Darkness
| Any
|
Diet:
| Omnivore
| Minerals
|
Intelligence:
| Average to exceptional
(8-16)
| Non- (0)
|
Treasure:
| See below
| Nil
|
Alignment:
| Neutral good
| Neutral
|
No. Appearing:
| 5-20
| 1
|
Armor Class:
| 3
| 3
|
Movement:
| 9
| 12, Br 6
|
Hit Dice:
| 4
| 4
|
THAC0:
| 17
| 17
|
No. of Attacks:
| 1
| 1
|
Damage/Attack:
| By weapon +3
| 2- 16
|
Special Attacks:
| See below
| Nil
|
Special Defenses:
| See below
| See below
|
Magic Resistance:
| 25%
| Nil
|
Size:
| S (4' tall)
| L (10' diameter)
|
Morale:
| Average (10)
| Unsteady (7)
|
XP Value:
| 1,400
| 420
|
The pech are creatures of the plane of elemental Earth, though some have
extensive mines in the deepest regions of the Prime Material plane. They dwell in
dark places and work stone.
Pech are thin and have long arms and legs. Their broad hands and feet are
excellent for bracing and employing tools to work stone. They have pale, yellowish
skin and red or reddish brown hair. Their flesh is nearly as hard as granite.
Their eyes are large and have no pupils. Pech have infravision to 120 feet.
Combat: The pech use picks and peat hammers (treat as war hammers) for work and
armament, and are usually equipped with equal numbers of each. Pech have 18/50
Strength.
Each pech can cast four
stone shape and four
stone tell spells per day. Four pech can band to together to cast a
wall of stone spell as a 16th-level mage. Eight together can cast a
stone to flesh spell. Group spells can be cast but once per day by any group. Pech are
immune to petrification.
When fighting lithic monsters such as stone golems, gargoyles, or galeb duhr,
pech are quite capable of knocking them to rubble, as their knowledge of stone
allows them full attack capability against such creatures, even with nonmagical
weapons. Each successful strike does maximum damage.
Habitat/Society: Pech are basically good and peaceful creatures that want to be left to
themselves. They hate bright light and open skies, and they are quick to ask others to
douse lights. Their lairs are constructed with numerous choke points so that
walls of stone can quickly stop intruders. Their lair holds 10-40 individuals, with equal
numbers of females and males, and young equal to 20-50% of the females.
Ecology: The pech home plane is hostile, so many travel to the Prime Material plane to
search for a better life. They have few enemies there. Pech do not save large
amounts of treasure; they mine for things to trade with others for food or
services. They do sometimes create simple, unobtrusive ornamental objects for
everyday use. A pech lair may contain 50-100 trade gems plus 5-30 dishes and utensils
worked from stone and raw metal. These items are not very valuable, averaging
150 gp each.
Sandling
These creatures are composed of silicates and originated on the elemental
plane of Earth. They look like piles of sand and can vary color to blend with
backgrounds. Sandlings have the same temperature as their surroundings, and are
immune to
sleep, charm, hold, and other mind-affecting spells or attacks. They claim territories with
boundaries recognizable only by them.
Sandlings are not aggressive unless provoked, but guard their territories from
intruders. If stepped on, a sandling reflexively lunges upward, trapping 1-2
man-sized opponents; opponents receive a -2 penalty to surprise rolls when
attacked in this manner. If the sandling hits its targets, they are unable to attack
or defend for 1d4 rounds. Sandlings also attack by slashing with an abrasive
pseudopod. If at least 10 gallons of water are poured on a sandling, it is
affected as if by a
slow spell, and its attacks cause only half normal damage.
Sandlings have no society, and their fierce defense of their territories
usually precludes cooperation, even with other members of their own race. They live
on minerals, but despise organic matter, always moving several hundred yards
from any place they have killed an intruder.
A sandling grows until it reaches its full size, 10 feet in diameter, then
reproduces by budding. Sandling buds split from their parent when they are about 2
inches long, and an adult's territory may swarm with thousands of these
creatures. When an infant grows to at least 6 inches in diameter, it either moves off
to find its own territory, or is hunted and killed by the parent. A group of
immature sandlings forms a surface with myriad tiny bumps, which may trip the
unwary.
Sandlings have little effect on an ecosystem, taking only a fraction of the
minerals in any parcel of land. Dwarves sometimes seek them in hopes of finding a
rich mineral deposit. They are said to be excellent ingredients for mortar,
but they and many druids object to this treatment.