![[Sandling pic.png|250]] | | | | ----------------- | -------------------------------------------- | | Climate/Terrain: | Temperate or tropical, sandy or subterranean | | Frequency: | Rare | | Organization: | Solitary | | Activity Cycle: | Any | | Diet: | Minerals | | Intelligence: | Non- (0) | | Treasure: | Nil | | Alignment: | Neutral | | No. Appearing: | 1 | | Armor Class: | 3 | | Movement: | 12, Br 6 | | Hit Dice: | 4 | | THAC0: | 17 | | No. of Attacks: | 1 | | Damage/Attack: | 2-16 | | Special Attacks: | Nil | | Special Defenses: | See below | | Magic Resistance: | Nil | | Size: | L (10' diameter) | | Morale: | Unsteady (7) | | XP Value: | 420 | 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](https://www.completecompendium.com/appendix/elekesan) 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](https://www.completecompendium.com/appendix/dwarf) 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.