Terrors Beneath the Sands
Deep beneath ancient sands lies a mechanical tyrant of unknown origin. This creature, known as the Dunestrider, is seldom seen by mortals, but can often be found quarreling with the inevitables that invade its domain. These inevitables, known as quarut, often strive to protect the flow of time and enact punitive measures against creatures that violate this flow. This being said, the cause for the Dunestrider's quarrels with these creatures is unknown as few have so much as seen the Dunestrider.
The only mortals who have any sustained contact with the Dunestrider are a conclave of rangers who share its name, the Dunestrider Rangers. These rangers worship the Dunestrider and the time they've spent in its domin allows them to manipulate the sands just as the Dunestrider can. More powerful Rangers of this conclave can manipulate the sands of time, but should they choose to use this power, they are often hunted by the quarut. This is the only real instance in which the Dunestrider can reliably be observed. The Dunestrider seems to protect these fugitive rangers, fending off the inevitables that hunt them.
The Dunestrider's Lair
The Dunestrider makes its lair amongst the rolling dunes of ancient deserts where its presence has created a small ecosystem of empowered beasts.
Atemporal Domain. The veil of time within the Dunestrider's domain is extremely weak and as such creatures who have spent extended periods within it have gained supernatural senses. They're said to be able to see a couple seconds into the future and, in turn, have enhanced reflexes. This is best observed with the conclave of Rangers that roam the Dunestrider's sands, who have gained great power from its influence.
Lair Actions. On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the Dunestrider can take a lair action to cause one of the following effects. It cannot use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- The Dunestrider causes the sands within 60 ft. of it to begin to swirl, creatures must make a Strength saving throw (DC 27) or be pulled 30 ft. towards the Dunestrider.
- The Dunestrider raises the sands around it to heavily obscure the area. Creatures within 30 ft. of the Dunestrider must make Constitution saving throw (DC 27) or become blinded until the end of their turn.
Regional Effects. The region containing the Dunestrider's lair is warped by its will, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- The perception of time within 10 miles of the Dunestrider's lair is inconsistent with the actual passing of time within the area. A minute of passing time can be misperceived as a day having passed and a full day's travel can feel like it has taken seconds. This has no impact on the events that take place during these time periods, merely the effected creature's perception of said events.
- Within 1 mile of the Dunestrider's lair, any spells that alter time or a creature's perception of time automatically fail if they are cast by a creature that does not have the Blessings of the Dunestrider feature.
- Creatures that live in areas within 50 miles of the Dunestrider's lair have the following additional action:
Blessing of the Dunestrider (Recharge 5-6). As a bonus action, the creature emits a slowing aura with a radius of 10ft. Any creature that starts its turn within this aura, or enters it for the first time on their turn, is under the effects of the slow spell until the end of their turn. The aura recedes at the start of the creature's next turn.
The Dunestrider
gargantuan construct, chaotic evil
- Armor Class 23 (Natural Armor)
- Hit Points 611 (33d20 + 264)
- Speed 50ft., burrow 50ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 17 (+3) 23 (+6) 26 (+8) 30 (+10) 28 (+9) 26 (+8)
- Saving Throws DEX +15, INT +19, WIS +18, CHA +17
- Skills Arcana +19, Insight +18, Perception +18
- Damage Resistances Cold, Fire, Necrotic, Thunder
- Damage Immunities Poison; Bludgeoning, Slashing and Piercing damage from nonmagical attacks
- Condition Immunities Blinded, Charmed, Deafened, Exhaustion, Frightened, Restrained, Poisoned, Stunned
- Senses Truesight 120 ft.
- Languages All, Telepathy 300 ft.
- Challenge 30 (155,000 XP)
Desynchronus Resurgence (Mythic Trait; Recharges after a Short or Long Rest). When the Dunestrider is reduced to 0 hit points, it collapses in on itself creating an implosion. At this time, any creature within 60ft. of the Dunestrider must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC 27) taking 16d6 force damage and being knocked prone on a failure or half as much damage and aren't knocked prone on a success. Immediately after the explosion's effects have been resolved, a rift in time opens and a copy of the Dunestrider from an alternate timeline emerges from it. This copy has 400 hit points and uses this open rift to draw upon additional powers.
Innate Spellcasting. The Dunestrider's innate spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 27). The Dunestrider can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
3/day: reality break
1/day: time stop
Legendary Resistance (3/day). If the Dunestrider fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Limited Magic Immunity. Unless it wishes to be affected, the Dunestrider is immune to any spells of 3rd level or lower. It has advantage on all saving throws against all other spells and magical effects.
Magic Weapons. The Dunestrider's weapon attacks are magical.
Resurgence. If the Dunestrider has at least 1 hit point, it can use it's bonus action to regain 15 hit points and can end one spell effect it is currently affected by (if any) as the Dunestrider reverts to a past version of itself.
Actions
Multiattack. The Dunestrider makes four Pseudopod or Temporal Lance attacks, or any mixture of the two.
Sandy Pseudopod. melee weapon attack: +15 to hit, 30ft. reach, one target. Hit: 21 (4d8 + 6) bludgeoning damage, and if the target is a creature, it must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 27) or be under the effects of the slow spell until the beginning of their next turn.
Temporal Lance. ranged spell attack, +19 to hit, 150 ft., one target. Hit: 31 (3d12 + 10) psychic damage, and if the target is a creature, it must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 27) or be under the effects of the haste spell (the creature may choose to fail this save). At the beginning of their next turn, the creature must repeat the save, on a successful save, the effect continues. On a failed save, the effects end on the creature and they cannot take any actions until the start of their next turn.
Accelerate (Recharge 6). As a bonus action, the Dunestrider chooses a creature within 120ft. of it, the Dunestrider shoots the target forward in time by 2d6 minutes. This also accelerates the duration of any effects affecting a creature, potentially ending the effect.
Legendary Actions
The Dunestrider can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The Dunestrider regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Butterfly Effect (Costs 2 Actions). The Dunestrider can claim any effect ended by the Accelerate action. The Dunestrider can stack multiple of the same effect on itself, and the duration of any effects placed on it is 1 minute.
Pseudopod. The Dunestrider makes a pseudopod attack.
Tomorrow (Costs 3 Actions). The Dunestrider chooses a creature that it can see, the creature's lifespan begins to shorten as the Dunestrider accelerates the creature's aging. At the beginning of its turn, the creature must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 27) or age 1d10 + 10 years. This creature continues to make these saves until it passes a saving throw. The aging cannot be undone by anything short of a wish spell.
Mythic Actions
If the Dunestrider's Mythic Trait is active, it can use the options below as legendary actions for 1 hour after using Desynchronus Resurgence.
Anomalous Recurrence (Costs 1 Action). The Dunestrider makes 2 pseudopod attacks against the same creature. Chronotrigger (Costs 2 Actions). If the Dunestrider under the effect of ant spell or spell-like effects, it may choose to reflect the effect onto the caster. The caster must make a Charisma saving throw (DC 27) or have the timeline altered as it casts the spell on itself.
The Dunestrider as a Mythic Encounter
The Dunestrider stands as a beast beyond reason or strength, if you want to emphasize its greatness you can use its Desynchronus Resurgence trait. When this happens, this timeline's version of the Dunestrider is destroyed and another one takes its place.
You can foreshadow this event by describing the effects of the Dunestrider's actions as not aligning visually with the performance of those actions. Read or paraphrase the following text when the Dunestrider finally uses its Desynchronus Resurgence trait:
The Dunestrider begins to crumple in on itself, becoming more and more condensed. A repulsive crunching of metal can be hear until it eventually coalesces into a burst of explosive energy that tears a hole in time itself. From beyond the tear a unnatural light begins to shine as a seeming duplicate of the Dunestrider emerges from another point in time.
Fighting the Dunestrider as a mythic encounter is equivalent to taking on two challenge rating 30 creatures in one encounter. Award a party 310,000 XP for defeating the Dunestrider after it uses its Desynchronus Resurgence trait.
Dunestrider Ranger
Hidden beneath the ancient sands are texts that transcend the binding of time, appearing to be both ancient and freshly written. They regale to the reader the story of a being that controls the sands with enough mastery to be considered the desert itself, the Dunestrider. Enclave of Dunestrider rangers use spells and rituals written within these texts to draw upon this arenaceous mastery.
Rolling Dunes
At 3rd level, the sands of your homeland follow you and bend to your will. Until you die, the sand remains in your space, manifesting as wisps or piles around you within your space. You determine its appearance.
Once on each of your turns, you can cause the sands to assist you in one of the following ways, immediately after you hit a creature with an attack:
- The attack’s target is sheathed in sand and takes 1d10 slashing damage from the sands if they move.
- You are sheathed in sand and gain a +2 bonus to AC until the start of your next turn.
Dunestrider Magic
Also at 3rd level, you learn the infestation cantrip if you don’t already know it. When you cast it, the cloud that is summoned is instead comprised of your sands.
You also learn an additional spell of 1st level or higher when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Dunestrider Spells table. Each spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn’t count against the number of ranger spells you know.
| Ranger Level | Spell |
|---|---|
| 3rd | infestation, sand slash cyclone* |
| 5th | mirror image |
| 9th | wall of sand |
| 13th | hourglass* |
| 17th | siphon* |
Kingdom of Sand
At 7th level, you learn to coalesce your sands into a massive mirage. You can cast the spell mirage arcane with this feature. You cannot cast this spell again until 1d20 days have passed.
Sandstorm
Your sands grow thicker and improve in the following ways:
- The damage of Rolling Dunes increases to 2d10.
- When you are sheathed in sand, your movement speed is increased by 10ft and your movement does not provoke opportunity attacks until the end of your turn.
In addition, if you take the attack action on your turn, you may use your bonus action to cast the infestation cantrip.
Sands of Time
At 15th level, your connection with the Dunestrider has given you the power to make minor altercations to the timeline. As a bonus action on your turn, you can reverse the effects of a turn that has occurred in the last six seconds. Choose a creature, whatever damage they dealt or spells they cast are reverted as if they were never dealt or cast and the creature returns to whatever space they started the turn within, if this space is occupied, the creature instead appears within an adjacent space within 5ft. This can have additional effects of the DM's choosing if other actions occurred during the creature's turn.
You can perform this action once, and regain the ability to do so at the end of a long rest. Alternatively, you can strain the limits of your power and perform this action additional times. If you do so you take 1d12 force damage and 1d12 necrotic damage and must make a Constitution saving throw (DC 20) or gain one level of exhaustion.
Spells
Quicksand
transmutation cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Choose a point within range that is directly beneath a creature of size large or smaller, the ground in that area becomes soft and the creature immediately begins to sink into it. The creature must make a Strength saving throw against your spell save DC or become grappled. At the start of the creature's turn, if they are still grappled, they take 1d6 bludgeoing damage. This creature can repeat the save at the end of each of their turns, no longer being grappled on a successful save.
You can target one additional creature with this spell when you reach 5th level, 11th level (3 creatures), and 17th level (4 creatures)
Sand Slash Cyclone
1st level evocation
- Casting time: 1 Action
- Range: 30 ft.
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instantaneous
You cause a cyclone of coarse, rough, and irritating sand to form and quickly swirl around in a 5-foot radius centered at a point of your choice within range. Each creature in that area must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 2d6 piercing damage and is blinded until they use an action to clear their eyes.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 1st.
Hourglass
4th level evocation
- Casting Time: 10 minutes
- Range: Touch
- Components: V, S, M (an ornate hourglass worth at least 500 gp)
- Duration: 8 hours
Choose a spell of 3rd level or lower that you can cast, that has a casting time of 1 action, and that has no material compenents that are consumed during the spell's casting. You cast that spell--called the hourglass spell--as part of casting hourglass, expending spell slots for both, but the hourglass spell doesn't come into effect. Instead, it takes effect after a certain period of time has passed. You set that time period when you cast the two spells. For example, an hourglass cast with a time period of 2 minutes with fireball would be cast the exact moment two minutes have passed.
The hourglass spell takes effect immediately once the time period has passed, whether or not you want it to, and then hourglass ends. You can use an action to end the hourglass spell early, breaking the hourglass and casting the hourglass spell as normal.
The hourglass spell is cast with its normal range and duration. You can use only one hourglass spell at a time.
If you cast this spell again, the effect of another hourglass spell you have cast ends. Also, hourglass ends on you if its material component is ever not on your person.
Siphon
5th level Necromancy
- Casting Time: 1 Action
- Range: 30 ft.
- Components: V, S, M (a mummified hand)
- Duration: Instantaneuos
Choose a creature within 30 ft. of you, the target creature must make a Constitution saving throw. Constructs and undead aren’t affected, and oozes, plants, and water elementals make this saving throw with disadvantage. A creature takes 10d10 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Dunestrider's Domain Credits
Cover Art: Ryan Yee - Shape the Sands
Page 1: Jonas De Ro - Hashep Oasis
Page 3: Nathan Gneist - Risk of Rain: Dunestrider
Page 4: Willian Murai - Sandcrafter Mage
Document made using: GMBinder
Subclass created by: /u/TPKronies