An anubian’s swirling sand comes together to form a snarling, canine-faced humanoid whose eyes shine with an eerie, blue glow. Anubians are elementals summoned to guard tombs or protect treasures.

Piles of Dust. An anubian at rest resembles a pile of sand or dust, often strewn about an already dusty location. When active, it rises up to form a muscular humanoid with the head of a jackal. A destroyed anubian collapses into an inert pile of sand.

Death to the Unarmored. In combat, anubians prefer to fight unarmored foes rather than creatures wearing armor. They associate unarmored creatures with spellcasters, and their latent resentment over centuries of being summoned as servants drives them to attack such figures when they aren’t shackled by magical bondage.

Sandstorm Tag Teams. Anubians fight effectively as teams, using their haboob attacks to corner and isolate the most vulnerable targets.

Elemental Nature. An anubian doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.

Anubian

Medium elemental, chaotic evil
Armor Class 13
Hit Points 44 (8d8 + 8)
Speed 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
12 (+1)	16 (+3)	12 (+1)	10 (+0)	12 (+1)	10 (+0)

Skills Stealth +5 (+7 in sand terrain)
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, unconscious
Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 30 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages Elemental or Primordial
Challenge 2 (450 XP)

Sand Step. Instead of moving, the anubian’s humanoid form collapses into loose sand and immediately reforms at another unoccupied space within 10 feet. This movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks. After using this trait in sand terrain, the anubian can Hide as part of this movement even if under direct observation. Anubians can sand step under doors or through similar obstacles, provided there’s a gap large enough for sand to sift through.

Vulnerability to Water. For every 5 feet the anubian moves while touching water or for every gallon of water splashed on it, it takes 2 (1d4) cold damage. An anubian completely immersed in water takes 10 (4d4) cold damage at the start of its turn.

Actions

Multiattack. The anubian makes two claw attacks.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage.

Haboob (1/Day). The anubian creates a sandstorm in a cylinder 30-feet high, that reaches to within 5 feet of it. The storm moves with the anubian. The area is heavily obscured, and each creature other than an anubian that enters the sandstorm or ends its turn there must make a successful DC 13 Strength saving throw or be restrained by it. Also, each creature other than an anubian that ends its turn inside the sandstorm takes 3 (1d6) slashing damage. The anubian can maintain the haboob for up to 10 minutes as if concentrating on a spell. While maintaining the haboob, the anubian’s speed is reduced to 5 feet and it can’t sand step. Creatures restrained by the sandstorm move with the anubian. A creature can free itself or an adjacent creature from the sandstorm by using its action and making a DC 13 Strength check. A successful check ends the restraint on the target creature.