Dustform Creature

The dust of the waste is not all arid dirt and fine sand. Creatures long-dead eventually become dust, and as dust they can return.

(Sandstorm)
Originally posted on Forgotten Realms Helps

Dustform creatures appear more or less as they did in life, though in form only. Even casual observation reveals that they are composed entirely of compacted dust, like realistic but nor quite finished statues.

They understand whatever languages they understood in life, though they can no longer speak them.

Creating A Dustform Creature

“Dustform” is an acquired template that can be added to any living creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature).

A dustform creature uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to construct. Do not recalculate base attack bonus, saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged.

Hit Dice: Change all current and future Hit Dice to d10s.

Armor Class: The base creature’s natural armor bonus increases by 5.

Attack: The creature retains all the attacks of the base creature and gains a slam attack if it didn’t already have one. If the base creature can use weapons, the dustform creature retains this ability. A creature with natural weapons retains those natural weapons. A creature fighting without weapons uses either its slam attack or its primary natural weapon (if it has any). A creature armed with a weapon uses its slam or a weapon, as it desires.

Full Attack: A creature fighting without weapons uses either its slam attack (see above) or its natural weapons (if it has any). If armed with a weapon, it usually uses the weapon as its primary attack along with a slam or other natural weapon as a natural secondary attack.

Damage: Dustform creatures have slam attacks. If the base creature does nor have this attack form, use the appropriate damage value from the table below according to the dustform creature’s size. Creatures that have other kinds of natural weapons retain their old damage values or use the appropriate value from the table below, whichever is better.

Size	Damage
Fine	1
Diminutive	1d2
Tiny	1d3
Small	1d4
Medium	1d6
Large	1d8
Huge	2d6
Gargantuan	2d8
Colossal	4d6

Special Attacks: A dustform creature loses all the special attacks of the base creature, but gains those described below. Saves have a DC of 10 + 1/2 dustform creature’s HD + dustform creature’s Charisma modifier unless noted otherwise.

Breath Weapon (Su): As a standard action every 2d4 rounds, a creature can spew our a 10-foot cone of dust and sand. The cone deals 1d6 points of damage for each 2 Hit Dice the creature possesses, and creatures within the area can make Reflex saves for half damage. The save DC is Charisma-based.

If the base creature already has a breath weapon, that breath weapon changes to sand, with a Charisma-based saving throw DC. Otherwise, all details remain the same. For example a dustform juvenile blue dragon could spew forth a line of sand (rather than lightning) once every 1d4 rounds, dealing 8d8 points of damage, with a Reflex save DC of 19.

Special Qualities: The creature retains all the special qualities of the base creature and gains the following abilities:

Blindsight (Ex): They are blind, but they can sense all creatures within 60 feet as a sighted creature would by detecting subtle vibrations in the air around them. Beyond that range, they treat all targets as having total concealment.

construct Traits: Constructs have immunity to poison, sleep, Paralysis, stunning, and mind-affecting spells and abilities. They are not subject to extra damage from critical hits or flanking. In addition, a dustform creature cannot be polymorphed into a non-dustform creature.

Damage Reduction (Su): The creatures have damage reduction 5/magic. A dustform creature’s own natural weapons are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Abilities: Adjust the base creature’s abilities as follows: Strength +4, Dexterity -2. As a construct, a dustform creature has no Constitution or Intelligence score.

Skills: They have a +8 racial bonus on Hide checks made in a sandy or dusty environment. Otherwise same as the base creature.

Environment: Dustform creatures are found exclusively in deserts and wastelands.

Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +2.

Treasure: None.

Alignment: Always neutral.

Advancement: None.

Level Adjustment: Same as the base creature +2.

Dustform Creature Weaknesses

Dustform creatures have one fatal weakness. A critical hit with a bludgeoning weapon forces the dustform creature to make a Will save to remain cohesive; otherwise it dissolves into lifeless dust again. The DC for the Will save is equal to 10 + damage dealt.