Harssaf (CR 5)

Medium Monstrous Humanoid (Fire)
Alignment: Usually lawful evil
Initiative: +3 (Dex); Senses: blindsense 30 ft., Listen +4, and Spot +4
Languages: Common, Ignan


AC: 20 (+3 Dex, +3 natural, +4 chain shirt), touch 13, flat-footed 17
Hit Dice: 6d8+18 (45 hp); DR: 5/bludgeoning
Fort +5, Ref +10, Will +5
Speed: 30 ft., burrow 10 ft.
Space: 5 ft./5 ft.
Base Attack +6; Grapple +8
Attack: Kukri +10 melee
Full Attack: Kukri +8/+3 melee and kukri +8 melee
Damage: Kukri 1d4+1/18-20 plus 1d6 fire
Special Attacks/Actions: Flaming aura, sand pulse
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 11, Wis 11, Cha 13
Special Qualities: fast healing 3, immunity to blindness and fire, sand form, SR 17, vulnerability to cold
Feats: Alertness; Lightning Reflexes; Two-Weapon Fighting; Weapon Finesse; Weapon Focus (kukri)
Skills: Climb +1, Hide +5, Jump +4, Knowledge (nature) +1, Listen +4, Move Silently +5, and Spot +4
Advancement: By character class
Climate/Terrain: Warm deserts
Organization: Solitary, squad (2-5 plus 1 3rd-level sergeant), or band (30-60 plus 50% noncombatants plus 1 3rd-level sergeant per 10 adults, 3 5th-level lieutenants, 3 7th-level captains, and 1 9th-level chieftain)
Treasure/Possessions: Standard

Source: Monster Manual III

Flaming Aura (Su): at will as a free action, a harssaf can generate an intense fiery heat. This aura takes the form of a miragelike shimmering around a harssaf's body. Any creature that comes within 5 feet of a harssaf automatically takes 1d6 points of fire damage per round, and any creature struck by a harssaf's melee attacks takes an extra 1d6 points of fire damage. Only metallic weapons conduct this heat, but harssafs rarely wield wooden weapons when they use this ability, since doing so typically renders the weapons useless after a few rounds.

Sand Pulse (Su): once per day as a standard action, a harssaf can generate a sand pulse in a 30-foot-radius spread centered on itself. All creatures within the area must make a DC 16 reflex save or take 3d6 points of damage from the high-powered blast of sand and be blinded for 5 rounds. Success negates the blindness and halves the damage. The save DC is constitution-based.

Creatures that do not rely on eyes to see (such as grimlocks) are unaffected by the blindness but can still take damage from the sand pulse. Harssafs are immune to the sand pulses of other harssafs.

Sand Form (Su): at will as a standard action, a harssaf can assume the form of a pile of mobile sand. This ability works as the gaseous form spell, except the harssaf is composed of sand instead of vapor and it cannot fly; harssafs in sand form slither along the ground and can fit through gaps or crevices less than one-quarter inch wide.

A harssaf prefers to ambush its opponents, hiding among the dunes near the desert edge in sand form or just beneath the sands and using its blindsense to determine when potential targets wander by. Once engaged in melee, a harssaf ignites its weapons and closes to melee, wielding its twin kukris with deadly efficiency. Most clans of harssafs include monks that specialize in the arts of grappling, and one of these can frequently be found as part of a raiding party. These individuals have the unenviable job of subduing spellcasters, especially those that exhibit any signs of casting cold magic.

Fire Subtype

A creature with the fire subtype has immunity to fire. It has vulnerability to cold, which means it takes half again as much (+50%) damage as normal from cold, regardless of whether a saving throw is allowed, or if the save is a success or failure.