The Sand Watches Back

The desert doesn’t need help trying to kill you. The sun strips you bare, the thirst gnaws at you, and the horizon lies to your face. But some deserts have worse things waiting. Things with eyes in the storm and claws in the sand.

That’s where the Dune Stalker comes in. A medium-sized cat by shape, but that’s only the beginning. Its body ripples with the wind like it’s made of mirage, part spirit, part predator, part whirling dervish of grit and claw. You’ll never be sure if it’s flesh or illusion until it’s already slashing.

A Mirage with Teeth

Travelers swear they saw nothing. Just the shifting sands until suddenly they were bloodied and confused. The Dune Stalker doesn’t just hunt, it toys. The air bends around it, turning every glimpse into a question. Is that a trick of the heat haze, or something waiting to pounce?

Scholars have tried to classify it, and failed. Beast Lore rolls falter under its strange nature, always at a Bane. It isn’t just an animal; it’s the desert’s cruelty given form.

Running It at the Table

This is a monster that thrives on paranoia. Use Awareness rolls opposed by its Sneak of 14, with a Bane for the poor souls trudging through open sand. The stalker doesn’t reveal itself until it chooses to strike, and when it does, it twists the fight. The first attack roll against it each round suffers a Bane, while it dances on the dunes with an Evade of 14 and a Boon when it calls on the wind itself.

The Dune Stalker knows it has time on its side during every encounter. It silently stalks its prey at a distance, always watching, always waiting. If possible, it will pick off a pack animal or a slower moving traveler and then retreat back into the sands.

Likewise, if it feels defeat is near, it will vanish back into the sands. It recovers quickly under the desert heat and sun, giving it full HP back after an undisturbed Shift rest.

In the desert, the sands protect it further. Its hide hardens with grit, stacking two more points of natural armor on top of its already tough skin. And it never fights like a brute. It hits, it vanishes, it circles. By the time your party thinks they have it cornered, it’s already behind them.

Description: A medium desert cat twisted with the spirit of the dunes. Shifting sands cloak its body, making it half mirage and half predator.

Special Rules:

  • The first attack roll against the Dune Stalker each round suffers a Bane.
  • Gains a Boon on Evade rolls while in desert terrain.
  • Beast Lore rolls to identify it suffer a Bane.

Ferocity: 2
Size: Medium
Movement: 12 (14 in sand)
Armor: 2 Natural (4 when in the desert)
HP: 16

Skills: Sneak 16, Evade 14

MONSTER ATTACKS
d6 Attacks:
1: Claw Swipe: lashes out with a claw on one target for 1d8 slashing damage.
2: Pounce : leaps up to 6 meters onto a target. The victim is knocked prone and takes 2d8 damage.
3: Sandstorm Lash: whips grit into eyes; all enemies in 4 meters range suffer a Bane on Attack and Evade checks until end of next round.
4: Bite:  clamps its jaws down on one target for 1d8 damage.
5: Mirage Double: creates a shimmering illusion; gains a Boon on its next Evade roll.
6: Whirlwind Strike:  claws and sand whirl together, all enemies in 4 meters range take 1d8 slashing damage.