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{{Creature
 
{{Creature
| image = [[File:Dustdigger.jpg|250px]]
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| image = [[File:Dustdigger.png|250px]]
| caption = ''A dustdigger ensnares a group of adventurers.''
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| caption =
 
| name = Dustdigger
 
| name = Dustdigger
 
| size5e =
 
| size5e =
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| first = [[Monster Manual II 1st edition|''Monster Manual II'' 1{{st}} edition]]
 
| first = [[Monster Manual II 1st edition|''Monster Manual II'' 1{{st}} edition]]
 
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[[File:Dustdigger-0.jpg|thumb|220x220px|A dustdigger ensnares a group of adventurers.]]
 
A '''dustdigger''' was a huge monster that lurked underground and projected illusions to lure prey into its maw.<ref name="MMII1e-61" />
 
A '''dustdigger''' was a huge monster that lurked underground and projected illusions to lure prey into its maw.<ref name="MMII1e-61" />
   
 
==Description==
 
==Description==
A dustdigger resembled a huge five-pointed upside-down starfish with flexible arms and a many-fanged mouth in the center, which faced upwards. It had a tough, armored hide, but the underbelly (facing up) was comparatively softer.<ref name="MMII1e-61" /> The outer hide was dark blue and purple, and the inner hide was orange.<ref name="ADDc-02"/>
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A dustdigger resembled a huge five-pointed upside-down starfish with flexible arms and a many-fanged mouth in the center, which faced upwards. It had a tough, armored hide, but the underbelly (facing up) was comparatively softer.<ref name="MMII1e-61" /> The outer hide was dark blue and purple, and the inner hide was orange.<ref name="ADDc-02" />
   
 
==Behavior==
 
==Behavior==

Revision as of 17:59, 9 March 2020

Dustdigger-0

A dustdigger ensnares a group of adventurers.

A dustdigger was a huge monster that lurked underground and projected illusions to lure prey into its maw.[1]

Description

A dustdigger resembled a huge five-pointed upside-down starfish with flexible arms and a many-fanged mouth in the center, which faced upwards. It had a tough, armored hide, but the underbelly (facing up) was comparatively softer.[1] The outer hide was dark blue and purple, and the inner hide was orange.[2]

Behavior

Dustdiggers usually formed groups of up to twenty individuals. They often traveled as a group but did not exhibit pack behavior. They traveled short distances, only at night and only for a few minutes before digging a hole and settling in again.[1]

Tactics

A dustdigger would dig a hole in loose, sandy soil or a dune, and cover itself with a layer of sand, then inflate itself to form a slight mound. Lying in wait just under the surface, a dustdigger trapped creatures walking over it by deflating rapidly, causing a sinkhole effect as the shifting sand hopefully prevented the victim from avoiding its mouth. After deflation, the arms came up, enclosing the victim and pinning them, making a counterattack nearly impossible. Dustdiggers preferred to kill their prey using their sharp fangs before ingesting them.[1]

About one in five dustdiggers were able to project an illusion, such as a pool of cool refreshing water, to lure in prey.[1]

History

Vajra Valmeyjar was familiar with dustdiggers.

The famed dwarf smith Jogaoh kept a pet dustdigger named Ulala to guard his home in the mountains near Waterdeep. When Vajra Valmeyjar, Cybriana, Timoth Eyesbright, Onyx the Invincible, and Priam Agrivar sought out the smith in the Year of the Prince, 1357 DR, they sighted a pool of sparkling fresh water and rushed into it. They were soon ensnared by the dustdigger, which then dropped the illusion and tried to devour them. Fortunately, Jogaoh called off his pet.[2]

Locations

Dustdiggers were common in the desert of Raurin.[3]

Appendix

Appearances

Adventures
Desert of Desolation
Comics
The Bounty Seekers Of Manshaka

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Gary Gygax (August 1983). Monster Manual II 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 61. ISBN 0-88038-031-4.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Michael Fleisher (January 1989). “The Bounty Seekers Of Manshaka”. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons #2 (DC Comics) (2)., pp. 1–3, 5–6.
  3. Tracy Hickman, Laura Hickman, Philip Meyers, Peter Rice, William John Wheeler (May 1987). Desert of Desolation. (TSR, Inc.), p. 25. ISBN 978-0880383974.