#dune runner

“Zombie Token” © Wizards of the Coast, by Igor Kierlyuk. Accessed at the Original Magic Art store here

[Dark Sun had fast zombies a good decade before Hollywood! They also had something like templates before that became a hard and fast part of the D&D rules in 3rd edition, and many of their undead have vague statblocks where most of the entries are “as in life”. Like the flavor text insinuates, the original dune runners were elven undead by default, as elves in Dark Sun are faster than most other playable races and are nomadic travelers. But in that edition, they could turn other races into dune runners as well. And probably would--in that edition, the running curse is an area of effect that can affect up to five creatures per HD of the dune runner! I wanted to at least give parties a fighting chance.]

Dune Runner CR 6 CE Undead This desiccated humanoid looks clearly dead, but is nevertheless incredibly fast and agile.

Dune runners are peripatetic undead, the remnants of desert nomads who died without reaching their destination. Their only goal is to similarly thwart others, and so they stalk caravan routes and port cities, seeking to send travelers astray. A dune runner may disguise itself as a living creature in order to lure travelers into coming close, and may carry flags of trade or parley as additional deceptions. To keep themselves light and mobile, they rarely carry much of a load, although they may have small valuables and trinkets that they wore when alive.

Dune runners can move faster than horses and easily outpace travelers on foot. They weave in and out of combat, trying to afflict as many enemies as possible with their curse. Those afflicted are forced to run themselves to exhaustion and death. A creature slain in this fashion rises as a new dune runner and darts off in a random direction, carrying on the legacy of the curse. They can use mind-altering magic to force creatures to act in particular ways—a dune runner usually uses this ability to keep the allies of someone affected by the deadly dash from being able to restrain or cure them.

The first dune runners were elves, but they can arise from any humanoid species. Larger and smaller dune runners are possible (simulate these with the giant and young simple templates).

i made an anthro version of my alien desert dog i made last night cause i just really love the aesthetic of huge buff arms small cute legs